Canada Nickel Secures Positive Federal Decision Statement for Crawford Nickel Project

Canada Nickel has received a positive Decision Statement from the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature for its Crawford Nickel Project, the first mining project to receive such a decision under Canada's amended Impact Assessment Act since 2019. An independent Economic Impact Study by Mansfield Consulting estimates Crawford will contribute approximately $70 billion to Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) over the life of the mine and support approximately 185,000 person-years of employment. With the federal Decision Statement complete, the Company will now advance detailed engineering, project financing and remaining permits ahead of a planned construction decision in 2027.

Company Overview

Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSXV: CNC | OTCQX: CNIKF) is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to supply nickel for the electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. The company is anchored by its 100%-owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, located in the Timmins-Cochrane nickel district of Ontario. Canada Nickel is pursuing the development of processes to enable the production of net-zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products, and has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero Nickel, NetZero Cobalt, and NetZero Iron.

Federal Approval Marks a Regulatory Milestone

Canada Nickel has received a positive Decision Statement from the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature for Crawford, marking the first mining approval issued under Canada's amended Impact Assessment Act since 2019. The decision establishes a precedent for how major natural resource projects advance through Canada's modern regulatory process.

Crawford was referred to the Major Projects Office by the Government of Canada and selected as one of the first projects to advance under Ontario's One Project, One Process framework. The Company states that the decision provides a template for how nationally significant resource projects can navigate Canada's impact assessment system and opens the door to broader development across the Timmins Nickel District.

Chief Executive Officer and Director of Canada Nickel, Mark Selby, described the significance of the milestone for the Company's development timeline:

"Today's decision recognises the strategic importance of responsibly developing Canada's critical mineral resources in partnership with all levels of government and Indigenous Nations while maintaining rigorous environmental standards. I am very proud of our team, which completed this key federal permit in just 4 years and advanced Crawford from its 5th drill hole through feasibility study to today's milestone in under 7 years - substantially faster than typically required for large-scale projects. We thank the Minister and the federal government for their support of Crawford and appreciate the thorough work undertaken by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. We look forward to continuing to advance Crawford towards a construction decision in 2027."

Government Perspective on Project Significance

The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, framed the approval within the federal government's broader critical minerals agenda:

"The Crawford Nickel Project is an example of Canada's global critical minerals leadership, and today's approval is a testament to our government's commitment to getting projects approved and streamlining our permitting processes in a way that maintains rigorous environmental standards and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is how we create investment certainty for Canadian mining here in Ontario and across the country, so we can be a critical minerals superpower and create economic growth and opportunity and enhance supply chain sovereignty for all Canadians."

Crawford is expected to become the Western World's largest nickel sulphide operation and North America's only primary source of chromium, according to Wood Mackenzie and USGS data cited by the Company. Together, nickel and chromium supply critical value chains in defence, aerospace, stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and advanced manufacturing. Crawford also underpins Canada Nickel's broader vision to establish a zero-carbon industrial cluster in Northeastern Ontario, leveraging the Company's carbon mineralisation technologies and downstream processing opportunities.

Indigenous Partnerships & Economic Impact

The Company has established Indigenous partnerships that it describes as significant to Crawford's development, including a $20 million equity investment by Taykwa Tagamou Nation, which the Company states is the largest known First Nation investment in a critical minerals project in Canada, alongside a major infrastructure contracting agreement with Wabun Tribal Council member First Nations to support long-term economic participation.

An independent economic analysis prepared by Mansfield Consulting estimates that Crawford will contribute approximately $70 billion to Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) over the life of the mine and support approximately 185,000 person-years of employment, generating significant long-term economic activity across Northern Ontario and Canada. The Economic Impact Study was based on information from the Company's feasibility study published in November 2023.

Next Steps

With the federal Decision Statement now complete, Canada Nickel will continue advancing detailed engineering, project financing and the remaining provincial and federal permits required ahead of planned construction. The Company has reiterated its objective of advancing Crawford towards a construction decision in 2027.