The Canadian Infrastructure Bank is shifting its C$18 billion mandate towards critical minerals, starting with a C$55 million bridge loan and a potential C$500 million follow-on facility for Torngat Metals’ C$2 billion Strange Lake rare earths project in remote Nunavik, Quebec. The bank plans to co-invest in transport and power infrastructure and may use contracts for difference and offtake-backed structures to de-risk revenue for feasibility-stage projects across Canada’s 34 listed critical minerals. Memoranda of understanding in Manitoba, British Columbia’s Golden Triangle and Saguenay target integrated road, rail, port and industrial hub planning with Indigenous and provincial partners.

BHP president Australia Geraldine Slattery has been appointed to the Business Council of Australia (BCA) board, adding a major iron ore, metallurgical coal, copper and nickel producer’s operational perspective to national policy debates. Her role at BHP spans large-scale open-pit and underground operations in Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, including long-life assets such as Pilbara iron ore hubs and Olympic Dam. The appointment signals closer input from bulk commodities and critical minerals operators into discussions on emissions policy, approvals reform and long-term energy and infrastructure planning.

Mining companies in 2026 face ESG risk dominated by geopolitical fragmentation, with Russia’s war in Ukraine, Middle East conflict and African coups driving sanctions exposure, trade route disruption and board‑level scenario planning on supply chains and project delivery. Tailings governance is shifting from voluntary to quasi‑regulatory, as ICMM reports 67% GISTM conformance, the UK High Court’s Samarco ruling widens negligence exposure, and the World Mine Tailings Failures database projects 13 catastrophic failures by 2029. Simultaneously, ISSB IFRS S2 climate disclosure, GRI 14: Mining Sector 2024 and TNFD uptake by 730+ organisations, including 179 financial institutions with $22 trillion in assets, are turning climate, water, land disturbance and biodiversity into hard conditions for capital and permitting.