British Columbia’s Conservative majority under Lorne Doerkson, leading in 63 of 93 ridings with 48% of the vote, is signalling legislated permit timelines, single-project reviews and quarterly status reports, plus expanded Mining Exploration Tax Credits and pressure on Ottawa to extend flow-throughs to engineering and feasibility work. Red Cloud Securities says shorter, fixed approvals could materially benefit large projects such as Seabridge Gold’s KSM and Spanish Mountain Gold’s namesake deposit, but warns repeal of the DRIPA and section 8.1 risks shifting uncertainty into the courts. The First Nations Leadership Council is urging retention of DRIPA, while the Supreme Court of Canada prepares to hear B.C.’s appeal over the mineral claims registration system, leaving consultation and title risk as key variables for mine planning and exploration spend.

UK devolution could expand regional construction pipelines in housing, transport and public services, with Mace Consult arguing that multi‑year funding settlements and clear capital allocations are critical to move schemes from policy to shovel‑ready status. The consultancy stresses that combined authorities and councils need stronger in‑house project management and procurement capability to deliver complex programmes such as mass transit upgrades and large‑scale social housing. For contractors and consultants, the message is to position early around devolved bodies’ pipeline planning and governance frameworks, not just central government spending rounds.

The US Department of Energy has formally designated helium as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020, citing its irreplaceable role in semiconductor manufacturing and rising global supply risk. US helium output remains constrained by limited refining capacity and long permitting despite significant byproduct resources from natural gas fields in Kansas, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma, with Kansas’ Hugoton and Greenwood fields and Texas’ Panhandle-Hugoton and Cliffside systems central to supply. The move signals likely policy support for new processing plants, storage caverns and midstream infrastructure.