It’s a long process, but the B.C.-based company Kap Minerals says it’s still working towards reopening the former Agrium phosphate min about 40 km south of Kapuskasing.
President and CEO Jeff Ivan says a more defined plan will come once metallurgical work is done on samples taken from the site. The long-range plan is to mine phosphate and extract it and rare earth elements from existing tailings.
“We’ve met with the mayor of Kapuskasing. We’ve met with different provincial and federal groups, “Ivan reports, and we’re getting a lot of support for our project because of the critical minerals that phosphate and rare earths are part of.”
Ivan adds that the one curveball at this point is the Trump situation with tariffs. But he notes that the American president has been very vocal on his country’s requirements for critical minerals.
When operation at the mine site goes ahead, the company wants to also reopen a processing plant in Matheson.
President Jeff Ivan says raw material will be shipped to the mill via rail and highway to be made into regenerative, sustainable fertilizer.
“We have a lot of groups in Ontario and in Canada that are very bullish on creating this product,” says Ivan. “Essentially, what it does is it utilizes the high-concentrated phosphate tailings that has calcium in it, iron and some trace minerals as well.”
In this audio of our interview with Jeff Ivan, he provides a lot more details, including a potential timeline.
