Green Initiative

I have been following this project for the last 2.5 years and believe this project should be approved for the following reasons:

Reconciliation & Economic Opportunity

This becomes a once in a lifetime opportunity for BN, GenPGM & Canada to work together to achieve reconciliation through job training for BN and also any other first nations affiliated with the project. This will bring employment & economic prosperity for BN and the Town of Marathon.

With the global green initiative being implemented and the need for critical minerals to make this plan succeed, in the timelines set by Canada and other nations, action must be taken swiftly in an environmentally responsible way.  

Environment and Mitigation 

The joint review panel has addressed concerns about the project pertaining to species at risk and water contamination.  I believe BN, GenPGM, the Town of Marathon, as well as the government can form an oversight committee through the lifetime of the project to address any future environmental risk and implement a course of action to rectify any concerns; however, this oversight committee should not impede the speed required for the green initiative and/or the project to build on a timely manner unless unforeseen situations arise which can have devastating adverse affect.  Every interaction that humans have with the environment, has an affect that can cause a negative impact even though our intentions are for the greater good (i.e farmlands for growing foods, housing for shelter, as well as mining for minerals required for everyday living). We need to strike a balance between inaction and our environmental concerns.

Critical Minerals

GenPGM will provide us with PGM’s for auto catalyst for Gas, hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

PGM’s being used for the hydrogen, PEM electrolysers and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles plus the use of PGMs in future technologies that are currently being researched.  Copper is obviously needed in the majority of green energy initiatives and currently needs to bring on as many copper producing mines as possible until a global closed loop system is achieved.

Geopolitical Turmoil & Global Supply Chain

With Russia being a significant producer and exporter of PGM’s and the cause of the heartbreaking war in Ukraine, this should highlight the need for Canada and other nations against the war to restrict Russian minerals from entering these countries and their supply chain.

South Africa is the largest producer and exporter of PGM’s but can be a country that is prone to civil unrest and this could cause a major uncertainty for PGM ‘s supply chains in the future.  Furthermore, China has been purchasing and stockpiling PGM’s from Russia, which one can only assume they’re accumulating for reasons mentioned above.

Affordability

High interest rates and persistent inflation has become a serious challenge for the green initiative.  As an owner of both a BEV and a gas vehicle, which will be replaced by a hybrid/plug-in hybrid in due course – I can say I’m one of the fortunate ones to be able to afford both; however, this isn’t the case for the majority of the global population.  With living costs being extremely high in North America which can persist for an unknown period of time, not everyone could afford to purchase a BEV. If this is the case for North Americans, it will be a tall ask for other less fortunate nations (i.e. India, South Africa, South America, etc.).  Therefore, hybrid/plug-in hybrids and/or gas vehicles (even with the current fuel costs) will be a more affordable option for most households.  As one said “No motorist should be left behind on the road to reducing motor vehicle emissions”.