Rio Tinto Fer et Titane—a Sorel-Tracy, Que.-based subsidiary of the Anglo-Australian mining giant—will increase production of lithium, titanium and scandium; recover more material from waste streams; and expand processing capacity. The plant’s shift from coal to electric furnaces will reduce emissions by 670,000 metric tonnes. The partially repayable federal contribution for the $737-million, eight-year project will come from the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). (The Logic)

Talking point: The Liberal government is spending big to assemble a domestic EV sector—“from the mine to the recycling plant,” as Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who flanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Tuesday’s announcement, likes to put it. The SIF has so far been put to work on auto plants and battery-part factories. Raw metals that go into batteries were the next step down the supply chain. April’s federal budget promised $3.8 billion over eight years for a critical minerals strategy, including $1.5 billion from SIF. Ottawa’s green goals have also dislodged significant cash for materials firms that pledge to cut emissions, including $400 million for ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s  steel facility in Hamilton, Ont., and $200 million for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.-based Algoma Steel.