Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford Nickel Project will create more than 4,000 jobs and supercharge made-in-Ontario supply chain

Today, the Ontario government announced it is accelerating Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford Nickel Project (Crawford), the second to move forward under the new ‘One Project, One Process’ (1P1P) framework that was launched in October.

As part of its plan to protect Ontario workers, and communities, the government is unlocking the full potential of the province’s metals and mining sector through the new framework, with this project marking another key step in building a fully integrated and self-reliant critical minerals supply chain.

This designation will help unlock the world’s second largest nickel reserves in the resource-rich Timmins Nickel District, in addition to developing a nickel processing plant for stainless steel and electric vehicle markets; and planning to construct a stainless steel and alloy production facility.

This project is expected to attract a total of $5 billion in investment.

Located 42 kilometres north of Timmins, Crawford is one of the world’s largest nickel resources with a mineral reserve estimate of 1,715 million tonnes that will deliver high-quality nickel essential for Ontario’s electric vehicle batteries and green steel supply chains.

The project will create up to 2,000 jobs during construction, and once complete, it will be one of the largest mine and mill facilities in North America with an expected mine life of 41 years that will support up to 1,300 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs.

It is also projected to add over $70 billion to Canada’s GDP and $67 billion to Ontario’s GDP alone, while providing a combined 185,000 person-years of employment.

In addition to nickel, this project will be critical to securing a domestic supply of critical minerals, including cobalt and North America’s only domestic source of chromium.

Ontario’s outdated, fragmented permitting system previously caused delays of up to 15 years to open a mine – holding back investment, job creation and access to critical and strategic minerals. The 1P1P framework is a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to streamline permitting approvals, end bureaucratic delays and attract global investment.

Through 1P1P, the Ministry of Energy and Mines will act as a single point of contact to coordinate all necessary provincial approvals and Indigenous consultation to reduce government review time by 50 per cent. This will provide operators and investors the certainty and predictability needed to get new mines open faster and secure Ontario’s position as a global leader in responsible, fast-tracked mining development.

The Crawford Project will produce high-quality, low-carbon nickel essential for batteries and green steel, with projected emissions 90 per cent below the global average.