Canada Nickel signs Contracting Agreement with Mattagami, Matachewan, and Flying Post First Nations for Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project

Rhea-AI Summary

Canada Nickel (TSXV: CNC) (OTCQB: CNIKF) has signed a significant agreement with Mattagami, Matachewan, and Flying Post First Nations for the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project on March 3, 2025. The agreement establishes a framework for early business and employment opportunities while working towards a comprehensive Impact Benefits Agreement (IBA).

The agreement includes open-book negotiations for key projects scheduled between 2025-2029:

• Construction of a 25.2-kilometre railway line
• Relocation of Highway 655
• Construction of a temporary Highway 655 overpass

The partnership prioritizes First Nations businesses, promotes own-source revenue, and supports regional growth. The agreement establishes mechanisms for transparency through regular engagement sessions and appoints a First Nations Business Representative to coordinate opportunities. It includes prioritized access for First Nation-owned businesses to contracts and specialized training programs for local skills development.

Positive

• Strategic agreement with three First Nations reduces project development risks
• Clear infrastructure development timeline (2025-2029)
• Framework established for future Impact Benefits Agreement

Negative

• Comprehensive Impact Benefits Agreement still pending
• Major infrastructure costs ahead (railway, highway relocation)

TORONTO, March 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Canada Nickel Company Inc. ("Canada Nickel" or "The Company") (TSXV: CNC) (OTCQB: CNIKF) is pleased to announce the signing of an important agreement ("agreement") on March 3, 2025 with Mattagami, Matachewan, and Flying Post First Nations, members of the Wabun Tribal Council, regarding the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project (" Crawford Project"). This agreement represents a significant step forward in advancing the Crawford Project while fostering collaboration with First Nations.

The agreement sets the framework for early business and employment opportunities, while the parties continue to work towards a comprehensive Impact Benefits Agreement (IBA). The agreement includes commitments for open-book negotiations on key contracting opportunities, including the construction of a 25.2-kilometre railway line, the relocation of Highway 655, and the construction of a temporary overpass on Highway 655. These initiatives aim to foster economic development while addressing the priorities of the three First Nations. Scheduled between 2025 and 2029, these projects will prioritize First Nations businesses and promote own-source revenue, foster partnerships, and support regional growth.

"This agreement provides a genuine starting point for addressing the impacts of the Crawford Project on our lands and people. It's a positive step towards ensuring Matachewan First Nation's members voices are heard and our rights are respected."
– Chief Alex 'Sonny' Batisse, Matachewan First Nation

"This agreement reflects an important recognition of our role as stewards of our Traditional Territory and speaks to Mattagami First Nation's history of, and continued, economic success through partnerships with proponents. While more work lies ahead through our ongoing IBA negotiations, I am extremely optimistic about the opportunities that working in partnership with Canada Nickel will bring for our members."
– Chief Jennifer Constant, Mattagami First Nation

"Flying Post First Nation has a long history of protecting our lands and advocating for equitable partnerships, which is why we are pleased to be partnering with a company that has sustainability at the forefront of its operations. This agreement, and our partnership, is just the beginning of a much longer journey."
– Chief Murray Ray, Flying Post First Nation

"This agreement is a milestone in the development of the Crawford Project and reflects our commitment to meaningful partnerships with First Nations and our respect for the Traditional Territories in which we are fortunate to operate. We value our on-going work with Flying Post, Mattagami, and Matachewan First Nations, and the collective advocacy efforts of Wabun Tribal Council, and we look forward to building on this foundation to deliver long-term benefits for their membership, our Project, and the region writ-large."
– Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel

"This agreement demonstrates the strength of collaboration and our ability to negotiate meaningful opportunities when the rights of First Nations are respected. As recipients of the Skookum Jim Award from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) for Excellence in Indigenous Participation, we take pride in our success negotiating collective benefits for the First Nations we represent. While there is still much work to be done, it is a step in the right direction as we continue to work towards an IBA that fully respects the rights and maximizes the benefits for our members."
– Jason Batise, Executive Director and Lead Negotiator for Wabun Tribal Council

The agreement also establishes mechanisms for transparency and collaboration, including regular engagement sessions and the appointment of a First Nations Business Representative to coordinate opportunities within the project. Key initiatives under the agreement include prioritized access for First Nation-owned businesses to participate in contracts and in specialized training programs to enhance local skills development. By integrating these commitments into the Crawford Project's framework, Canada Nickel aims to ensure it becomes a model for responsible resource development and meaningful First Nation partnership.

About Canada Nickel Company
Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high-growth electric vehicle and stainless-steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero Nickel^TM, NetZero Cobalt^TM, NetZero Iron^TM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins Cochrane mining camp.

About Wabun Tribal Council
Wabun Tribal Council serves five First Nations: Brunswick House First Nation, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation, Flying Post First Nation, Matachewan First Nation, Mattagami First Nation, as well as one Aboriginal Affiliate, Beaverhouse First Nation. Wabun Tribal Council is a non-profit community-driven organization that is committed to providing quality services for its member First Nations through innovative and culturally appropriate programming. Wabun receives direction from and is accountable to its Board of Directors, made up of the Chiefs of each of the member First Nations. All senior personnel report to the Executive Director, who oversees the operation of the Tribal Council. While Wabun is headquartered at Mattagami First Nation, its operational office is centrally located in Timmins, ON. 

About Flying Post First Nation
Flying Post First Nation was formerly an independent member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) before joining the Wabun Tribal Council in 2007. Established northwest of Timmins, Ontario, on the east side of the Groundhog River, the Nation remains closely connected to its ancestral lands. While some community members have relocated, many continue to travel along the Groundhog River and surrounding areas to exercise their Aboriginal and treaty rights. Flying Post prioritizes education, professional development, and fostering a sustainable economy to ensure long-term prosperity for future generations.

About Mattagami First Nation
Mattagami First Nation is situated on ancestral Native lands that have long been home to the Ojibway and Oji-Cree peoples, spanning the Mattagami River and Mattagami Lake regions, and extending as far as the headwaters of Moose River on the James Bay coast. Before the arrival of European settlers, the Anishinaabe and Oji-Cree thrived on these lands, sustaining themselves through hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering. Today, many members maintain a deep connection to their ancestral territory and continue to practice these traditional ways of life.

About Matachewan First Nation
Matachewan First Nation is a northern community whose lands and resources have long supported the traditional and subsistence livelihoods of its families. Its traditional territory and treaty area include the historic mining camps of Kirkland Lake and Timmins. For much of the past century, Matachewan was on the margins of resource extraction within its territory. However, recent engagement with the mining industry has fostered significant growth within the community, leading to increased post-secondary educational achievements and the development of diverse businesses that provide long-term benefits to its members.

For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com

For further information, please contact Mark Selby, CEO
Phone: 647-256-1954
Email: info@canadanickel.com

Media, please contact:

Melanie Paradis
President, Texture Communications
Phone: 416-399-7400
Email: melanie@yourtexture.com 

Sydney Oakes
Director of Indigenous Relations and Public Affairs, Canada Nickel Company
Phone: 905-929-7151
Email: sydneyoakes@canadanickel.com 

Nicole Charbonneau, HBSc
Mineral Development Advisor, Wabun Tribal Council
Phone: 705-365-0035
Email: mdadvisor@wabun.on.ca

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, drill and exploration results relating to the target properties described herein (the "Properties"), the significance of drill results, the ability to continue drilling, the impact of drilling on the definition of any resource, the potential of the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project and the Properties, timing and completion (if at all) of mineral resource estimates, the ability to sell marketable materials, strategic plans, including future exploration and development plans and results, corporate and technical objectives, and the completion of assays, follow-up geophysics and further drilling. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon several assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. 

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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SOURCE Canada Nickel Company Inc.

FAQ

What major infrastructure projects are planned for Canada Nickel's Crawford Project (CNIKF) between 2025-2029?

The planned projects include a 25.2-kilometre railway line construction, Highway 655 relocation, and a temporary Highway 655 overpass construction.

How does the March 2025 First Nations agreement benefit CNIKF shareholders?

The agreement reduces project development risks by establishing a framework for collaboration with local First Nations, ensuring smoother project advancement and community support.

What specific business opportunities does the Crawford Project agreement offer to First Nations?

The agreement provides prioritized access to contracts and specialized training programs, plus appointment of a First Nations Business Representative to coordinate opportunities.

When will Canada Nickel (CNIKF) finalize the comprehensive Impact Benefits Agreement for the Crawford Project?

The comprehensive Impact Benefits Agreement (IBA) is still under negotiation, with this agreement serving as a preliminary framework.