New Brunswick·New A long-delayed mine north of Fredericton has made the list of major national projects after urging from the New Brunswick government. Projects with federal designation can benefit from range of advantages designed to get them moving quicklyCBC News · Posted: Nov 13, 2025 5:32 PM EST | Last Updated: 8 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Premier Susan Holt says the time for the project to proceed is now, but she requested help from the federal government on a few key components. (Zoom)A long-delayed mining project in rural New Brunswick has in fact made the list of major projects after urging from the province. Speaking in British Columbia on Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Sisson Mine north of Fredericton has been chosen for the strategic importance of the minerals it could produce: tungsten and molybdenum. Premier Susan Holt was quick to follow with excitement. “And that’s a testament to the efforts that our team has made to get the attention of the federal government and demonstrate the resources that we have, the capacity and our readiness to contribute to Canada’s economy and future,” Holt told reporters shortly after the announcement. Projects that earn the nation-building designation can benefit from a range of advantages, including accelerated regulatory approvals, federal funding and other forms of support designed to get them moving quickly.The project had already won approval from both the provincial and federal governments years ago.Ottawa said in May it was willing to put up $8.2 million to support the project, and the proponent, Northcliff Resources, said in May the U.S. government was awarding it $20.7 million to advance development.Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the list of major projects on Thursday, including one in New Brunswick. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)The Carney government’s budget last week included a new “critical minerals sovereign fund” with $2 billion over five years for strategic investments.Holt said the mine would bring 500 jobs during construction and 300 full-time jobs during operation. A news release said the expected life of the mine is 27 years, and it could produce 30,000 tonnes of tungsten and molybdenum ore every day.Holt said the site will see some activity in the coming year for preparation work, but negotiating an equity partnership with First Nations is continuing with the two stakeholders in the project, Northcliff and the Todd Group. A news release from Northcliff on Thursday afternoon praised the announcement from Carney and said the company is “currently progressing with studies to advance the project.”Holt said the province would continue to work with the elected chiefs to negotiate an agreement “in the spirit of communication.” Holt spoke to New Brunswick’s history with mines in the past.“It’s a part of our identity,” she said, adding that now is the time for this project to proceed. WATCH | Mine to make Canada ‘reliable supplier’ for steel manufacturing, defence equipment:Prime minister identifies Sisson Mine as nation-building projectPrime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Thursday that the Sisson Mine about 60 kilometres northwest of Fredericton is on the list of projects he says will help transform the Canadian economy. “But at this moment in time, these minerals, particularly tungsten and molybdenum, are in a critical demand at a time when we’re repositioning Canada and its consideration of our defence solutions and partners, when we’re repositioning our allies globally.”Holt said the province is looking for the federal government to help create an offtake agreement, which is essentially a contract with a buyer for when the minerals start being produced. She added that the province would also like to see a price floor — meaning a minimum price for the minerals — set by the government. “Those two tools help both attract more investment and secure the value of the resource,” Holt said. When the project was initially approved by the province, the environmental impact assessment required 40 conditions to be met by the companies developing the mine. When asked if those still stand, Holt said the province could likely give the company more time to meet them. Their approval was currently set to expire in December. Holt said the province had secured the support of nearby communities, but when asked, she clarified that this was done around 2014 and 2017, when the mine was initially approved.“So now that it’s back on the radar, the previous support that had been secured from communities back then has been reinvigorated,” Holt said. Dating back to 2017, the province has estimated the project would produce $280 million in royalties for the province and $245 million in tax revenue.Holt said an updated estimate depends on the price of the resources, so a clearer number is not yet available and conversations with Northcliff are taking place.
N.B.s Sisson Mine chosen as one of Carney’s major projects
