Kingston, Greater Sudbury join forces in electric vehicle batteries

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Kingston and Greater Sudbury will work together to carve out their own space in Canada’s growing battery electric vehicle industry, its mayors said Wednesday night.

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Greater Sudbury’s Paul Lefebvre and Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson announced the creation of the Kingston-Greater Sudbury Critical Minerals Alliance Wednesday during the first day of the BEV In-Depth: Mines to Mobility conference at Cambrian College in Sudbury.

Paterson said the alliance would “create a path to collective solutions. The partnership with Sudbury allows us to better meet the goals set by the federal and provincial critical minerals strategies. It’s about moving forward together, maximizing our strengths and achieving common goals.”

The cities have reached a memorandum of understanding, which the mayors say will serve to identify and outline areas of continued and future cooperation that will spur innovation and promote mutual prosperity.

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The Greater Sudbury Development Corporation and Kingston Economic Development will lead the effort, the mayors said at the conference.

The alliance aims to drive innovation and cooperation by connecting mines, cleantech and mineral processing companies, facilitating strategic partnerships and improving Ontario’s supply chain.

The deal comes the same day Wayloo Canada announced plans to ship nickel ore from its Ring of Fire mine in northwestern Ontario to a yet-to-be-built facility in Sudbury. That facility, which will cost up to $900 million, will process the ore so it can be used in electric vehicle batteries.

As for the deal with Kingston, Lefebvre said it developed because the two cities saw the need to work together to create a role in the BEV sector and create jobs for their communities.

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“We met a few years ago and we really hit it off,” Lefebvre said, referring to Paterson. “Kingston and Sudbury are not in the GTA. I needed some opportunities. We felt we needed some champions.

“There are many similarities between us. Sudbury and Kingston have unique strengths in mining, resource extraction, mineral supply, processing and recycling technologies. This strategic partnership will help us both move forward and capitalize on the new opportunities that present themselves during the BEV transition.”

The MoU recognizes the need to meet Canadian Net Zero 2050 pollution reduction targets and the need for mining and processing capabilities to support the critical mineral economy and the transition to electric vehicles. With this in mind, the Greater Sudbury and Kingston Development Corporations have committed to working closely to strengthen connections across the regions, including sharing best practices.

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The theme of cross-sector collaboration is sure to be further explored at the full-day portion of the BEV conference on May 30, as speakers representing automotive, battery, green energy, mining, mineral processing and supply and allied services companies meet and share . ideas.

“The City of Greater Sudbury is a world-class mining center and is home to nine mines within its boundaries,” Lefebvre told the BEV audience Wednesday night. “No other place in the world can say that.”

Add in smelting and refining, plus a dynamic community of innovation, post-secondary research, supply sector providers and services, and Sudbury’s nickel and other minerals become even more of a key player in the BEV revolution and Ontario’s future wealth.

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Paterson, an economist by training, said that “economic development brought me into the world of politics. Kingston has traditionally been a public sector city and it’s interesting to see over the last decade how a lot of exciting things are now happening. I am a champion, chief cheerleader and problem solver.”

Reaching out to join forces with Greater Sudbury also demonstrates a forward-thinking approach, he said.

“Business, technology, talent … putting all those pieces together … at the end of the day, the quality of life in your community depends on the business sector,” he said.

Queen’s University is a critical source of mining leaders. The Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining is one of the oldest and largest mining schools in the world and offers the broadest opportunity to learn about responsible mining and other aspects of the subject.

A quarter of mining engineers in Canada are graduates of Queen’s. Kingston is also home to research and innovation in the mining cycle, mineral processing and the future of mining.

Hugh Kruzel is a local journalism initiative reporter in Sudbury. The local journalism initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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