Nova Scotia clears way for lithium exploration after land dispute

The Nova Scotia government granted an Australian mining company access to private land in the Yarmouth area.

An exploratory lithium drilling project in the Yarmouth, N.S., region got the green light late last month after a nine-month stand-off between an Australian based mining company and a German firm that owns the private land.

“You never want to get to this situation and, in my understanding, this is only the second time in many decades that this Section 26 has been asked for, let alone invoked,” said Tory Rushton, the Nova Scotia minister of Natural Resources.

The mining company leveraged a clause in the Nova Scotia Mineral Resources Act – Section 26 – that allows the minister to grant access to private lands under certain conditions.

Some might call it an overreach, but the Mining Association of Nova Scotia calls it a move for the greater good.

“We have a lot of exploration taking place for lithium right now and several projects which are pretty far along and have proven that we have the potential but of course it just takes time in our industry because the resources is hidden under ground,” said Sean Kirby, executive director with the Association.

Continental Lithium, a subsidiary of Australia’s Manhattan Corporation Ltd., believes there is lithium to process in Nova Scotia and the exploratory drilling work will help with their decision, but the industry says any mining is a long way off.

“Whether in the end there might ever be a mine in that location is something we don’t know and years of exploration would likely be required to determine that but we need to do that exploration work,” said Kirby.

The exploratory work is part of Continental’s larger “Chebogue Lithium Project” that spans 1,200 square kilometres of land across Digby and Yarmouth counties.

The province says there are currently two other mineral exploration licenses out for lithium projects: the Brazil Lake Lithium Pegmatite Deposit and the Anchor Lithium Project, all located in Southwestern Nova Scotia.

Premier Tim Houston is pushing for critical mineral development and shared his vision for opening the province up to increased development and welcoming investment in the industry, calling it an economic driver and a way to help meet global demand.

Lithium is a key critical mineral in battery technology and the electric vehicle industry.

“If we can develop them (critical minerals) right here in an environmentally sound and safe approach with our proper labour laws and process it right here, than we’re going to be helping our rural communities with high paying jobs,” said Rushton. “And we’re helping our economy in Nova Scotia with a product that we can produce for the renewable energy sector.”

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