The Government of New Brunswick announced a new comprehensive mineral strategy on Tuesday (March 3), at the 2026 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto. The plan calls for a streamlined permitting process that will ensure clear communication and transparent timelines. Additionally, it promises a collaborative partnership with First Nations, science-based decision-making and a community-based approach to jobs, procurement and infrastructure. Oil prices jumped significantly this week following the start of the US-led war against Iran. West Texas Intermediate has surged more than 25 percent since March first, climbing to over US$90 per barrel in trading on Friday, the first time since October 2022. The most significant gains came on Friday, after Iran effectively stopped traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. More than 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas and 25 percent of oil shipments travel through the strait. The price rise has had a downstream…

Adrian Day, president of Adrian Day Asset Management, shares his latest thoughts on what’s moving the gold price, emphasizing that its bull run isn’t over yet. ‘It’s monetary factors that are driving gold — that’s what’s fundamentally driving gold,’ he said. ‘Monetary factors, lack of trust in governments and particularly lack of trust in fiat currencies.’ Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article. This post appeared first on investingnews.com

The global platinum market is expected to remain in deficit for a fourth consecutive year in 2026, even as supply begins to stabilize and demand moderates following a sharp rally in the metal’s price. New projections from the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) show a deficit of about 240,000 ounces for 2026 following a significantly larger shortfall of 1.082 million ounces in 2025. That’s the deepest deficit recorded in the group’s Platinum Quarterly data series since it began in 2014. According to data, the cumulative deficit since 2023 will approach 3 million ounces by the end of 2026. As a result, aboveground platinum stocks are expected to remain historically low, falling to about 2.613 million ounces, which is equivalent to just over four months of global demand for the precious metal. WPIC CEO Trevor Raymond said the factors that fueled platinum’s strong performance last year are expected to remain. “The…

Oreterra Metals (TSXV:OTMC) is a mineral exploration company focused on delivering large-scale discoveries and the shareholder value that typically follows. Its strategy targets copper-gold porphyry systems in North America, selected for their scale, comparatively lower discovery costs versus high-grade vein systems, and strong appeal to major mining companies as potential long-life operations. The company emerged in February 2026 following the restructuring and rebranding of its predecessor, driven by the exceptional potential of the Trek South prospect. Oreterra’s flagship asset is the wholly owned Trek South copper-gold porphyry prospect on the 6,379-hectare Trek property in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle. The prospect has only recently become accessible due to glacial retreat and remains effectively new to modern geological exploration. First identified in 2019, work conducted since 2021 has advanced the project to drill-ready status. A large-scale porphyry copper-gold prospect ready for its first-ever drilling, in 2026 The company is led by a…

Modern society has a metals problem. The demands of modern consumer culture, the energy transition and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have created a dilemma. As demand rises, the supply of many metals is at a bottleneck brought about by a number of factors, from government red tape to civil unrest, as well as lack of capital expenditures leading to fewer new discoveries and mines. On top of this, mining companies focused on essential metals like copper are facing additional challenges, as in many cases the easy discoveries have already been made and existing mines are seeing declining grades, causing further constraints to supply. BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Digital Officer Mikko Tepponen suggests that the very technologies that rely on metals and mining can be the answer in his presentation at the 2026 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference. Addressing data fragmentation in exploration Once companies open up…

Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC,OTC:BKRRF) (OTCQX: BKRRF) (FSE: AHZ0) (‘Blackrock’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bernard Poznanski and Susan Mathieu as independent directors to the Board of Directors of the Company (the ‘Board of Directors’). In conjunction with the appointments, Daniel Vickerman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, has stepped down as a director of Blackrock. We sincerely thank Mr. Vickerman for his dedicated service and valuable contributions to the Board of Directors during his tenure, and look forward to his continued service in his role as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Blackrock. Andrew Pollard, Blackrock’s President and CEO, commented: ‘We are honored to welcome Susan Mathieu and Bernard Poznanski to our Board at this pivotal stage as we advance Tonopah West toward development. Bernie’s extensive experience advising public companies on complex capital markets transactions, M&A and governance matters, together with Susan’s more than 30…

ILC Critical Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ILC,OTC:ILHMF) (OTCQB: ILHMF) (FSE: IAH0) (‘ILC’ or the ‘Company’) announces that it has not exercised, nor has it been able to extend, its option to buy 100% of Lepidico (Mauritius) Ltd. (‘Lepidico Mauritius’) from Lepidico (Canada) Inc. (‘Lepidico Canada’) which expired on February 27, 2026. This company controls 80% of the Karibib lithium, rubidium and cesium project in Namibia. The ILC board had carefully considered the financial and legal risks of the transaction, and supported the exercise of the option. The board had the required funding ready. However TSX Venture Exchange (‘TSXV’) did not give the required approval in time to ILC that would have enabled ILC to complete the transaction. It might have been possible to extend the expiry date of the option further, but this would have required ILC to provide additional working capital to Lepidico Canada. The TSXV went further and also prevented…

Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC,OTC:BKRRF) (OTCQX: BKRRF) (FSE: AHZ0) (‘Blackrock’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the issuance by the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP), through the Bureau of Air Pollution Control, the Class II Air Quality and Surface Disturbance Permit (the ‘Permit’) for the Company’s Tonopah West mineral project (‘Tonopah West’) located along the Walker Lane Trend in Nye and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada, USA. The Permit allows for the disturbance of up to 150 acres (60.7 Hectares) at Tonopah West with appropriate dust control measures and an ongoing program using the best practical methods to prevent particulate matter from becoming airborne. The term of the Permit is five (5) years, which can be extended and modified as Tonopah West moves toward permitting and construction of its proposed exploration decline, test mining and bulk sample extraction programs. Data collection continues for the hydrogeological and geochemical programs that will…