World Gold Council’s new disclosure framework asks doré producers to publish an annual mine-by-mine list of refining partners and their countries, covering about 1,300 tonnes per year from 33 member companies but excluding concentrates, carbon fines and low‑grade sweepings. The guidance standardises mine‑to‑refiner reporting formats, applies to toll processing where miners retain legal custody, and allows omission of shipment weights, transport routes and traders for security and commercial reasons. Recent scrutiny of Colombian cartel-linked supply to the Royal Canadian Mint and Venezuelan doré tied to Minerven and Trafigura shows why provenance transparency is under pressure.

Federal plans to expand Canadian Exploration Expense eligibility to engineering, feasibility and technical work, alongside a broadened Mineral Exploration Tax Credit, are projected by an EY assessment for AME to add up to C$33 billion in economic growth from at least three to five new mines and increased exploration. The report estimates C$1.6 billion per year in extra exploration spend, around 34,000 full-time jobs over 10 years, and a 5:1 GDP return on each public dollar. AME says 171 mines awaiting commercial production could be kickstarted if the CEE changes are enacted in Budget 2026.

Conservative Party leaders are preparing an election pledge to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England, removing the current statutory regulators for flood risk management, main river consents, environmental permits and protected habitats. Scrapping these bodies would affect technical approvals for flood defences, reservoir safety oversight, abstraction licences and environmental impact assessments on major road, rail and energy schemes. Engineers could face a restructured or entirely new permitting regime, with uncertainty over design standards, programme risk and long-term asset maintenance responsibilities.