The council of Nashwaak Rural Community has met with officials from Northcliff Resources, but they remain unconvincedAuthor of the article: John Chilibeck • Local Journalism Initiative reporterPublished Aug 20, 2026 • Last updated 52 minutes ago • 2 minute readSigns opposed to the Sisson Mine have begun popping up in Fredericton, which is downriver from the proposed project. Photo by John Chilibeck/ Brunswick NewsThe company that wants to build what the prime minister calls a “nation-building” mine in central New Brunswick has met again with the local government that has serious qualms about the large-scale project.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to keep reading.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite journalists.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsArticle contentDavid Sweeney, the mayor of Nashwaak Rural Community, told Brunswick News his municipal council met virtually with officials from Northcliff Resources Aug. 11.The council includes the mayor and seven ward councillors, whose chief concern when it comes to the development of the Sisson mine is the Nashwaak River that flows through their rural community, centred around the old village of Stanley.“Our council has always said the protection of the river is of utmost importance,” Sweeney, 58, said in an interview on Wednesday. “We want to protect it from any unnatural disaster.”The politicians learned on the call the Vancouver company’s updated feasibility study on the mine, first expected in June, won’t be completed until Sept. 30, as previously reported by Brunswick News.Sweeney said they didn’t hear much new information on the call, and the councillors only posed five or six questions. One of them asked if First Nations were being consulted, and Northcliff reassured them private meetings were taking place with Indigenous groups.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Article contentArticle contentFirst and foremost, the local politicians want proof the mine won’t threaten their waterways, including the Nashwaak and Tay rivers.CEO Andrew Ing did not reply for comment, nor did anyone else at Northcliff.The firm, whose major shareholder on the project is the Todd Corporation, based out New Zealand, wants to build an open-pit tungsten and molybdenum mine, with a large tailings pond and earthen dam, near Napadogan, between the communities of Stanley and Juniper, 100 kilometres northwest by road from the capital.On Monday, Northcliff announced it had settled a $7.3-million convertible loan agreement in the full amount plus accrued interest for a total amount of $7.6 million by issuing nearly 32 million shares to Todd Sisson (NZ) Limited. The deal was approved by the company’s board of directors on July 31.But that kind of money only scratches the surface. The last feasibility study, already 13 years old, stated that the project would cost more than half a billion dollars to build.Article contentThe federal and provincial Liberal governments back the mine, which would mostly dig up tungsten, a heavy metal whose market is largely controlled by China.“What the world wants is Canada to be the reliable supplier of critical minerals,” Carney said in November 2025 when he announced Sisson would be on the federal government’s major projects list, a huge boost to Northcliff, which has struggled to get the mine up and running.Talk of a mine opening in the area goes back to 1978, when exploration first took place. Nearly 50 years later, the project is still inching along.Tungsten is used in heavy industry, largely for cutting and drilling, for military hardware, and everyday household products such as lights, ballpoint pens and cell phones.Molybdenum is mostly used for steel alloys.Article content
Give us proof Sisson mine won’t threaten waterways: local officials
