Canada Nickel announced that Ontario has formally named its Crawford nickel project as the second project to be advanced under the province’s new One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework. The first was Frontier Lithium’s flagship PAK lithium project.
Late last year, Crawford was referred to Canada’s Major Projects Office, which advances major projects through a streamlined federal review process.
“Ontario is moving at lightning speed to open this 100% Canadian owned mine to create 4,000 jobs for Canadian workers,” said Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce.
“In 2026, our government is going full-tilt to unlock one of the world’s largest nickel deposits that will supercharge our economy and help end China’s critical mineral dominance. ‘Made-in -Canada’ from start to finish, as we build a domestic supply chain that includes the Western world’s largest nickel sulphide mine, a new nickel processing plant and downstream alloy production facility.”
The 1P1P framework is designed to better coordinate Ontario’s permitting and review processes for major mining developments by aligning timelines, responsibilities, and information sharing across provincial ministries. For Canada Nickel, this designation reflects the advanced state, scale and strategic importance of the Crawford project within Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy.
“As the only mining project in Canada to secure this type of endorsement from both federal and provincial governments, today’s announcement strengthens our commitment to commencing construction by year-end,” added Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel. “We look forward to working with the province through its newly announced Critical Minerals Processing Fund to help realize these ambitions.”
Crawford is expected to be among the most economically significant mining developments in Canada. Independent analysis estimates the project will generate more than $70 billion in GDP over its initial 40-plus year mine life, including approximately $67 billion for Ontario alone, while supporting 1,000 direct and 3,000 indirect and induced jobs. Through its patented In-Process Tailings (IPT) Carbonation technology, Crawford is also expected to permanently store up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.