Mark Selby, chief executive of Canada Nickel Company, holds a core sample from a drilling program at its Crawford Project in 2020. The proposed open-pit nickel mine near Timmins, Ont., is the only project that both the Ontario and federal governments have endorsed for potential fast-track permitting. (Credit: Canada Nickel Company)

Ontario is fast-tracking Canada Nickel Co.‘s proposed open-pit nickel mine under its streamlined permitting review known as One Project, One Process.

The Crawford Nickel Project — a proposed open-pit nickel mine north of Timmins, Ont., with two potential ore-processing plants and new electrical infrastructure — is the only project that both the Ontario and federal governments have endorsed for potential fast-track permitting.

Canada Nickel is hoping to begin construction of the mine by the end of 2026, with a timeline that has first nickel production around the end of 2028. The company has marketed itself as an alternative to Indonesian nickel miners, which supply more than 61 per cent of the metal globally, and has received investments from several major miners, including Toronto-based Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

“Today’s announcement strengthens our commitment to commencing construction by yearend,” Canada Nickel chief executive Mark Selby said.

Ontario announced its One Project, One Process permit framework in the fall, saying it would cut permitting times for selected projects in half by appointing a team at the Ministry of Energy and Mines to act as a single point of contact for all provincial permits and Indigenous consultations.

Canada Nickel is the second project selected for the framework after Frontier Lithium Inc.’s proposed mine near Red Lake, Ont., was selected in October.

“In 2026, our government is going full tilt to unlock one of the world’s largest nickel deposits that will supercharge our economy and help end China’s critical mineral dominance,” Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce said in a release.

In November, the Crawford project was among the second tranche of projects that Tim Hodgson, federal minister of energy and natural resources, referred to the newly created Major Projects Office (MPO) for further review.

The MPO provides a single point of contact for permitting review and includes an Indigenous Advisory Council, which Natural Resources Canada said in a press release will “ensure that reconciliation, partnership and Indigenous economic participation are embedded in the way major projects are advanced in Canada.”

Selby said he has been consulting with nearby Indigenous groups for years on the Crawford Lake project, and his company has already signed support agreements with the Mattagami, Matachewan and Flying Post First Nations.

It also struck an agreement with the Taykwa Tagamou Nation, which holds converted notes that can be exercised for equity in the project.

The project also gained attention because it is located in an established mining district that already has major infrastructure in place.

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With nickel demand rising as a result of growing electric vehicle and battery demand, Canada Nickel has raised tens of millions of dollars to explore for nickel, discovering 9.2 million tonnes of measured and indicated nickel in total.

Mark Selby: Canada has to act before the critical minerals window closes The man behind nation-building nickel project has spent decades waiting for this moment

Based on the company’s studies, Crawford could become the world’s third-largest nickel sulphide operation and have a proposed mine life of 41 years.

Canada Nickel still needs to raise money to pay for mine construction and other facilities, but it has received investments, including from major miners. In 2023, London-based Anglo-American PLC — which is in the process of merging with Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd. to form Anglo Teck — invested $24 million for a 9.9 per cent stake.

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