Rare Earths Labrador — Newsroom
News & Events
Latest updates on Labrador’s critical minerals sector, including exploration progress, policy developments, and global industry insights.
CBC News — November 12, 2025
Rare Earth Elements in N.L. Have Big Potential, Says Industry
Rare earth elements and minerals have been thrust into the political spotlight — and Newfoundland and Labrador has them buried underground which has the industry optimistic about its potential.
For 15 years, Search Minerals has been working near the community of St. Lewis, Labrador, to mine for rare earth elements at its Foxtrot and Deep Fox deposits.
- CEO Rare Earths Labrador, Joseph Lanzon, said Labrador is rich in rare earth deposits.
From downtown St. Lewis, we would have 17 years of mining on Deep Fox. Between three of those deposits, it could mean 30 years worth of mining.
Joseph Lanzon — Former CEO, Search Minerals Inc. · CBC News, November 2025
That’s the important piece. This is a North American pro-environment solution and that’s what we’re working towards.
Joseph Lanzon — on Canada’s Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund · CBC News, November 2025
We allowed other countries that have different regulatory components to take our market. Today, we are prisoners. So how do you get out of prison? How you get out of prison is by us doing our mining and just making sure that the metallurgy is a Canadian solution.
Joseph Lanzon — Former CEO, Search Minerals Inc. · CBC News, November 2025
Lanzon’s comments come as Search Minerals advances environmental review submissions that would move the Deep Fox project from exploration into the feasibility phase, a critical transition that unlocks project financing and detailed engineering work. The company controls a 64-kilometre belt of critical rare earth element deposits in southeastern Labrador, including Foxtrot, Deep Fox, Fox Meadow, Silver Fox, and the Red Wine Critical Minerals District in central Labrador.
Industry Voices
What Labrador's Leaders Are Saying
A broader community of industry executives and sector representatives have spoken out about the significance of this moment for Labrador’s critical minerals future.
It’s a critical time for us. Mining is very important. It’s the second biggest contributor to the provincial economy and it’s only going to get bigger. So anything that we can do around critical minerals or rare earth minerals, this is positive for everybody.
Graham Letto
General Manager, Stakeholder Relations — Tacora Resources, Wabush · CBC News, November 2025
We have 27, 28 of those known occurrences of that list of 34 critical minerals in this province. And actually the U.S. list is about 50 and we have all of those.
Amanda McCallum
Executive Director — Mining Industry NL · CBC News, November 2025
These outstanding channel sampling results validate our strategy of ongoing investment and focused exploration within the early-stage, 100%-owned Red Wine Critical Minerals District in central Labrador.
Joseph Lanzon
Former CEO & Director — Search Minerals Inc. · Press Release, July 2025
Michael's extensive international leadership experience in both mining and technology, combined with his proven track record in guiding companies through growth and transformation, will provide significant strategic value to our team. I look forward to working with him as we advance our critical rare earth element district from exploration to a new mine in southeastern Labrador.
Joseph Lanzon — on board appointment of Michael Pearson · Mining.com Press Release, April 2024
Industry Voices
Newfoundland & Labrador Mining — Key Figures
27/34
Of Canada’s critical minerals occur in Newfoundland & Labrador, including all 50 on the U.S. critical minerals list
30%
Of Canada’s high-purity iron ore originates from the Labrador Trough — added to Canada’s critical minerals list in 2024
10,000+
Operational and construction jobs supported by mining across Newfoundland & Labrador in 2023
30 Years
Estimated mining life across Labrador should last atleast 30 years.
Featured Story
Labrador's Rare Earth Moment Has Arrived
For decades, Labrador’s extraordinary mineral endowment has been known to geologists but largely invisible to global markets. That is changing rapidly. Rising geopolitical pressure on critical mineral supply chains, a landmark federal budget commitment, and sustained on-the-ground exploration work in different parts of Labrador are converging to put Labrador at the centre of Canada’s rare earth ambitions.
Recent News
Across the Labrador Mining Sector
Major Milestone · Nickel & Copper
Vale Completes US $2.94 Billion Voisey's Bay Underground Expansion
Federal Policy · Critical Minerals
Ottawa Commits $10M To Transportation Infrastructure in Northern Labrador
Natural Resources Canada announced up to $10 million in infrastructure funding for the Northern Transportation Infrastructure Project supporting rare earths’ development in the Quebec-Labrador border region and reinforcing Canada’s commitment to building domestic critical mineral supply chains from mine to processing.
- December 20, 2024
- Natural Resources Canada
Key Milestones
A Chronology of Recent Developments in the Labrador Mining Sector
The following timeline captures significant events from exploration announcements and federal policy commitments to major operational milestones that have shaped the current landscape for rare earth and critical mineral development in Labrador.
November
2024
Search Minerals Acquires 100% of Two Tom Property, Strengthens Labrador Portfolio
Search Minerals completes the acquisition of the Two Tom Property in Labrador’s Red Wine Critical Minerals District, expanding the company’s footprint in central Labrador. CEO Joseph Lanzon described the acquisition as strategically significant for long-term value creation across the company’s growing Labrador land package.
Search Minerals Inc. / Newsfile Corp.
December
2024
Vale Completes US$2.94 Billion Voisey’s Bay Mine Expansion
Transition from open pit to underground mining at Voisey’s Bay, northern Labrador, marks one of the largest mining capital investments in Canadian history. Two new underground mines Reid Brook and Eastern Deeps add 45,000 tonnes per year of nickel output alongside copper and cobalt. Full ramp-up projected for H2 2026.
Vale Base Metals / PR Newswire
December
2024
Ottawa Funds Critical Minerals Transportation Infrastructure In Northern Region — $10M Commitment
Natural Resources Canada announces infrastructure funding to Northern Transportation Infrastructure Project. The investment is part of Canada’s broader push to develop domestic processing capacity and reduce reliance on foreign rare earth supply chains.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada.ca
July
2025
Search Minerals Confirms Record-Grade REE Values at Red Wine District, Central Labrador
Assay results from the MANN #1, Two Tom Lake, and Merlot prospects confirm significant concentrations of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium the specific heavy and magnetic rare earths most critical for EV motors and wind turbine applications. CEO Lanzon noted results validate the district’s strategic priority.
Search Minerals Inc. / Newsfile Corp.
November
2025
CBC News Investigation Spotlights Labrador’s Rare Earth Potential — Lanzon Speaks
A high-profile CBC News report brings national attention to Labrador’s rare earth industry, featuring Search Minerals CEO Joseph Lanzon’s assessment of a potential 30-year mining horizon from the St. Lewis area’s three deposits, and his call for a domestic Canadian metallurgical solution to end North American dependence on offshore rare earth processing.
CBC News / Elizabeth Whitten
December
2025
SAGA Metals Confirms Extensive Oxide Mineralization at Radar Project Over 1.5 km Strike
SAGA Metals completes Phase 1 and commences Phase 2 drilling at its Radar Critical Minerals Project in Labrador. Phase 4 drilling in 2026 has since returned further high-grade assays from Trapper South, including intercepts exceeding 52% Fe₂O₃, 7.21% TiO₂, and 0.375% V₂O₅, with 100% drilling success reported across the program.
SAGA Metals Corp. / Globe Newswire
March
2026
Search Minerals Releases Fox Run 2025 Channel Program Results — Multiple New Prospects Defined
Search Minerals reports results of the 2025 channel sampling program at Fox Run and three additional Critical Rare Earth Element prospects Foxy Lady, Krazy Fox, and Silver Fox in southeastern Labrador near St. Lewis. The program sampled both outcrop and excavator-trenched channels in exposed bedrock, further extending the known footprint of the St. Lewis CREE District.
Search Minerals Inc. / Newsfile Corp.
Global Demand - REE Markets
REE Market Projected to Reach US $6.3 Billion by2030 as EV Adoption Accelerates
Global demand for rare earth elements is projected to triple from 59,000 tonnes in 2022 to 176,000 tonnes by 2035, driven by electric vehicle adoption and wind power expansion. The global REE market, valued at approximately US$3.95 billion in 2024, is expected to reach US$6.3 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of around 8.6%.
- 2025
- Grand View Research / IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook
Labrador holds 27 of Canada’s 34 designated critical minerals and all 50 on the United States critical minerals list. This geological endowment, combined with Canada’s political stability, transparent regulatory environment, and proximity to North American manufacturing markets, positions Labrador as one of the most strategically significant rare earth jurisdictions in the Western world.
As Joseph Lanzon Former CEO of Search Minerals put it: the path out of North America’s rare earth dependence is domestic mining paired with a Canadian metallurgical solution. Labrador is the place where that solution begins.
A note on sources. All news items and quotations on this page are drawn from publicly available reporting and verified press releases, including
- CBC News (November 2025)
- Vale Base Metals (December 2024)
- Natural Resources Canada (December 2024)
- Search Minerals Inc. press releases (2024–2026)
- SAGA Metals Corp. (2025–2026)
- Fraser Institute (October 2025)
- IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025.
Direct quotations from Joseph Lanzon are sourced from CBC News reporting by Elizabeth Whitten and Search Minerals’ official press releases filed on SEDAR+.
Partner with Rare Earths Labrador
Interested in our mineral assets, investment opportunities, or community engagement.