Engineering, Construction and Project Management
All about timing
In 2024, not a single new mine began production in Québec and Atlantic Canada. This paints a somewhat concerning picture. Despite hosting two top-10 global mining jurisdictions, large reserves of critical minerals and precious metals, and a dynamic and mature industry, even eastern Canada can experience fallow years. It has been well established that if demand for critical minerals grows as predicted, many new mines will be required. With global trade tensions bifurcating supply chains between East and West, every year without new production coming online in eastern Canada kicks the can not only down the road, but towards the precipice, as major, strategically precarious supply shortages loom ever closer.
Against that backdrop, a segment of Québec and Atlantic Canada’s mining industry playing a significant role in the advancement of key projects are its engineering, project management and construction service providers. Firms in this sector act as the industry’s execution engine, playing a crucial role in ensuring projects are delivered on-time, on-budget and in compliance with provincial and federal ESG requirements – while also driving forward the implementation of sustainability and industry 4.0 principles.
G Mining Services, a Québec-based provider of services from economic and engineering studies through to construction, has been engaged in work at some of the province’s most high-profile development projects in recent years. That includes PMET Resources’ Shaakichiuwaanaan lithium project, with engineering and feasibility study results anticipated in September 2025, and Arcadium Lithium’s (now Rio Tinto's) Galaxy project, two of Canada’s largest critical mineral prospects. Asked what 2024’s lack of new mines might indicate about the industry, Michael Gignac, G Mining’s VP finance, stressed that the industry is cyclical by nature, and anticipated more activity in coming years: “This is all about timing. Projects need permits, a good market price and financing to align to move forward. Though it seems 2024 was slow, things will pick up again. We also saw a number of major acquisitions in Québec in 2024, which indicates faith in the province’s mining industry.”
Gignac nevertheless added his voice to the chorus calling for accelerated permitting timelines. There are few aspects of the mining industry in Québec and Atlantic Canada that inspire more unanimous agreement than the notion that it takes too long to start a mine. As mentioned earlier in this report, these calls go right up to the top of the Canada’s provincial and federal governments, with both Québecois Premier Francois Legault and Prime Minister Mark Carney seeking more rapid project approvals.
Between 2010 and 2019, new mines coming online in Canada had been discovered an average of 17 years prior to their first production. “Issuing permits faster than other jurisdictions would create a competitive advantage. That would be a catalyst for the whole industry. With the US also moving to streamline permitting, it is turning into a race to attract more capital,” contended Gignac.
"If Québec could issue permits faster than other jurisdictions, that would be a catalyst for the whole industry. With the US also moving to streamline permitting, it is turning into a race to attract more capital." Michael Gignac, VP Finance, G Mining Services
Sky-high standards
Another common theme is a conviction that acceleration is possible without sacrificing one of Canadian mining’s great strengths: its world-class environmental, social and governance (ESG) mining standards. Industry stakeholders broadly acknowledge the need for exacting assessments, close community engagement and delicate operational decision-making, even if they see ample space to cut back on onerous bureaucracy. Frank Mariage, a partner at legal firm Fasken, summarized this tension: “Canada has spent more than 50 years building its regulatory framework, and the result has been vastly improved industry standards. We do not want to compromise those world-leading practices, but we must find ways to bring projects to fruition more quickly.”
Dominic Tremblay, AtkinsRéalis’ VP and market lead for minerals and metals in North America, maintained: “Streamlining does not mean the processes will be less thorough. On the contrary, we believe that streamlining permitting processes must be done while upholding rigorous environmental standards and social integrity.”
AtkinsRéalis saw strong growth through 2024 in Québec, and implemented a range of infrastructure projects in the Atlantic region including energy generation and road building. Looking beyond just permitting processes, projects seeking to advance their development also face other hurdles including straitened financing amid commodity price volatility, regulatory slowdowns and the myriad effects of geopolitical tension and uncertainty. Tremblay acknowledged that progress on critical mineral development in Québec and Atlantic Canada has been slowed in the short-term by low commodity prices.
Moose Mountain Technical Services (MMTS) is an engineering collective with a British Columbia base, offering solutions to clients across Canada, including extensive work in recent years at the Touqouy open pit gold mine in Nova Scotia. MMTS leverages a network of worldwide collaborators to explore innovative practices and cutting-edge technologies in decarbonization, automation and mine design. Company president Jesse Aarsen suggests that Canada could still learn from the rest of the world: “Exposure to global methodologies allows us to identify opportunities and new approaches that may not yet be widely adopted in North America,” he said.
"Streamlining does not mean the processes will be less thorough. On the contrary, we believe that streamlining permitting processes must be done while upholding rigorous environmental standards and social integrity." Dominic Tremblay, VP and Market Lead - Minerals & Metals North America, AtkinsRéalis
The race to the starting line
Even once a development project has completed all its necessary studies and compliance activities, its final investment decision may be delayed by the wait for the right moment. With 2025 presenting all manner of uncertainties, a number of mining projects in Québec and Atlantic Canada are experiencing delays.
PwC’s Maxime Guilbault described an atmosphere of “significant uncertainty,” with tariffs just one factor among many that may impact projects in the near future: “Many projects in Québec are slated to begin production within the next three to six years, and it is difficult to predict the trading environment at that time,” he said.
Riad Faour, president and CEO of construction and project management firm Progesys, has seen this first-hand: “Funding for these projects, sourced globally, is increasingly impacted by geopolitical uncertainty. As a result, many projects fell behind schedule in the first half of 2025,” he said.
Moreover, while it is one thing to advance a project from discovery to development, it is another to actually begin producing. What was in large part a primarily theoretical exercise – modelling, economics, permitting, engineering, planning – turns suddenly into a distinctly more physical endeavour, as buildings go up and machinery digs down. It is no sure thing that this transition will proceed smoothly. Active mines can draw many hundreds of individuals and tens of suppliers, contractors and other stakeholders into their orbit, requiring precise coordination to ensure safe, efficient and productive operations. Faour explained the importance of ensuring all those moving parts are synchronized: “With only one chance to start a plant successfully, the objective is to ensure that every function – HR, IT, supply chain, operations, and maintenance – is fully aligned and prepared by day zero.”
"With only one chance to start a plant successfully, the objective is to ensure that every function – HR, IT, supply chain, operations, and maintenance – is fully aligned and prepared by day zero." Riad Faour, President and CEO, Progesys
Article header image by Andreas at Adobe Stock