Rejected by the Quebec government on Monday, the promoter of the La Loutre graphite mine project in Outaouais does not seem to want to give up. Lomiko Metals executives said they were “surprised and disappointed” by the negative comments from the Minister of Natural Resources and the minister responsible for Outaouais, according to whom the project does not have the social acceptability necessary to obtain their support.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, they said the comments will have consequences for the entire mining sector.
“One may wonder why negative comments have been made about our process, which is consistent with the Quebec Plan, and which, as a result, impact us and other developers and affect access to capital in this sector,” the British Columbia-based company wrote. “We are committed to executing our business plan in the most environmentally responsible manner and we are committed to engaging with any parties who have concerns about our business to allay concerns and foster informed discussions about graphite development in communities.”
The company called the government’s position “hasty conclusions.” The open-pit mine project, which aims to exploit a mineral used in electric vehicle batteries, is facing significant opposition from citizens, municipal officials and business people. On Monday, ministers Maïté Blanchette Vézina and Mathieu Lacombe announced that they had refused financial assistance to the company, which would be necessary to carry out the project.
“It is up to the promoter to inform and gain the support of the population regarding the benefits of his project. I cannot say that this has been a successful operation so far,” Mr.me Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources.
The company accuses the government of taking a position before all phases of study and consultation of the project were completed, including that by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement.
“This hurts other critical mineral developers in the province who are also seeking to be good, agile, innovative and responsible corporate citizens,” the mining company’s CEO, Belinda Labatte, said in the statement.
Lomiko Metals recalled that their activities were “part of Quebec and Canada’s economic priority in terms of energy transition” and that graphite is a critical mineral that is a priority for the province. It also recalled that it has already received funding from the Canadian government for research and development work, as well as a grant from the Ministry of Natural Resources through the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Metal Transformation in July 2023 “for battery testing with its natural flake graphite concentrate from La Loutre.”