Photo: Teck Resources\u2019 Highland Valley copper mine, Canada\u2019s largest copper mine, is pictured near Logan Lake, BC, on Sept. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n
File photo by: Darryl Dyck \/ The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
By Sonal Gupta<\/p>\n
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s National Observer<\/p>\n
A new mine in Saskatchewan is already producing copper and zinc, barely a year after the federal government put it on a list of major projects eligible for support and expedited approvals.<\/p>\n
The mine, known as McIlvenna Bay, is in operation as Canada and other countries try to secure critical minerals such as copper to build new power infrastructure and electrify transportation, said Evan Pivnick, a clean-energy program manager at Clean Energy Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cCopper is going to be playing an absolute star role in underpinning the electricity grid buildouts here in Canada, as well as amongst our trading partners around the world,\u201d Pivnick said.<\/p>\n
Production is ramping up. The mine, situated near Hanson Lake in northeastern Saskatchewan and close to the Manitoba border, produced its first copper concentrate in June, followed by zinc and pyrite concentrates in July. Commercial production is expected in the third quarter of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs one of Canada\u2019s most significant new sources of copper and zinc, this project is strengthening our economic prosperity and national security at a time when we have never needed to build for ourselves more,\u201d federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said in a press release issued Wednesday after the announcement in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n
The mine\u2019s Vancouver-based owner, Eldorado Gold, is also considering an expansion of about 43 per cent that would increase processing capacity from 4,900 tonnes a day to nearly 7,000 tonnes and add a new circuit to produce lead and silver.<\/p>\n
The mine\u2019s path to production began long before the federal government included it as one of five initial projects referred to the Major Projects Office in 2025, alongside LNG Canada Phase 2 and the Red Chris mine expansion in BC.<\/p>\n
The McIlvenna Bay deposit was discovered about four decades ago, said Kevin Ansdell, a University of Saskatchewan professor who studies mineral deposits. But it took years of drilling and geological work to determine whether it was large and rich enough to support a mine. \u201cMining companies often say it takes approximately 15 years from discovery to actually develop a mine,\u201d Ansdell said.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Saskatchewan approved the project after an environmental review, allowing Foran Mining, the company developing it at the time, to move ahead with the project.\u00a0Eldorado Gold acquired<\/a>\u00a0the project earlier this year.<\/p>\n The McIlvenna Bay mine is part of the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt, a mining region that stretches across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. At full production, the mine is expected to produce copper, zinc, gold and silver and support nearly 400 jobs, according to the federal government.<\/p>\n