British Columbia and the Simpcw First Nation have signed a consent-based agreement to govern the environmental assessment of Trekor Metals’ Yellowhead copper project in Simpcwul’ecw Territory, the first time Simpcw has applied its Indigenous-led consent process to a major mine. Trekor has submitted a Detailed Project Description to the BC Environmental Assessment Office after early engagement and additional technical work, alongside an economic impact study for construction and operations. The proposed open pit is scoped as a 90,000 t/d operation over 25 years, targeting 178 million lb/y copper at US$1.90/lb cash costs, rising to 206 million lb/y at US$1.62/lb in the first five years.

Mining’s next two years will be dominated by mergers and acquisitions as producers with strengthened balance sheets but thin project pipelines move to buy reserves after a decade of underinvestment, veteran investor Rick Rule told The Northern Miner at the 2026 Rule Symposium in Boca Raton. Rule expects intensified takeover interest in copper, uranium and gold developers holding permitted or near-build assets, as long mine discovery-to-production timelines collide with tightening supply. Projects with genuine scale, robust economics and proven management teams are likely to command premium valuations.

China’s physical gold demand stayed near decade lows in June, with Shanghai Gold Exchange withdrawals at 87 tonnes, up 36% on May but still 27% below the 10-year average for H1 2026 as total withdrawals reached 598 tonnes. Jewellery demand weakness is keeping manufacturers from rebuilding inventories even as the gold price holds around $4,013/oz, roughly 8% lower year-to-date. In contrast, the People’s Bank of China added 15 tonnes in June, lifting reserves to 2,346 tonnes, while domestic gold ETFs saw record monthly outflows of RMB 15 billion and a 17-tonne holdings drop to 277 tonnes.