New guidelines, which lay out details and criteria on funding first announced in the 2022 federal budget, said critical mineral projects applying for a pool from the Strategic Innovation Fund must focus on critical mineral processing, manufacturing and recycling, with a few exceptions for innovative projects with strong vertical integration into the supply chain. (The Logic)

Talking point: The criteria for the mining business narrows the government’s 2022 proposal, which said processing, manufacturing and recycling applicants would be prioritized, but did not say the projects must focus on those activities. Photinie Koutsavlis, the Mining Association of Canada’s vice-president of economic affairs and climate change, said the “overdue” guidance does leave the door “open a crack” for vertically integrated projects, but it’s still unclear exactly how “upstream” miners, focused on extraction and pre-processing smelting, fit into some of the feds’ new programs. Meanwhile, the federal government is reportedly planning to unveil its plan to speed up permitting and environmental assessments for critical mineral projects as soon as this fall.