Northwest Territories leaders used the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto to promote the territory’s mineral potential, pitch new infrastructure needs and signal that northern mining remains central to Canada’s long-term resource strategy.
Northwest Territories pitches mineral opportunity at Toronto mining convention
Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Caitlin Cleveland and Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely said the annual PDAC gathering gave the Northwest Territories a chance to turn investor interest into concrete progress.
In a statement issued Monday, Cleveland said the territory used the convention to showcase its mineral potential and the work underway to advance what the government described as responsible resource development in the North.
She pointed to updates to the Mining Incentive Program as one of the territory’s key announcements at PDAC, saying the changes are intended to support exploration and help maintain a pipeline of future projects.
Cleveland also said the territory worked to deepen ties with Ottawa and other northern partners as Canada pushes to develop the minerals needed for domestic industry and global markets.
‘Invest North of 60’ effort aimed at investors
The Northwest Territories co-hosted the Invest North of 60 event with Nunavut and Yukon, pitching the North to investors and industry leaders from Canada and abroad.
Cleveland said the territory also took part in discussions on federal investment in northern infrastructure and development, arguing those projects are essential to unlocking mineral deposits, improving supply chains and strengthening the broader economy.
She said meetings with project proponents from across the Northwest Territories focused on where projects stand, the challenges they face and how governments, industry and Indigenous governments can work together to move development ahead more efficiently.
“The Northwest Territories is home to some of the most promising mineral potential in Canada,” Cleveland said in the statement.
McNeely points to Sahtu opportunities and long-term outlook
McNeely said he left PDAC encouraged by the level of interest in the North and by the opportunities he sees for the Sahtu region.
He acknowledged the Northwest Territories has faced difficult economic news in recent months, but said conversations at the convention reinforced a strong long-term outlook for mineral exploration and development. He said demand for copper, gold and critical minerals continues to grow and positions the territory as a strong candidate for future discoveries.
McNeely also welcomed the Mining Incentive Program changes, calling them a practical step to keep exploration moving and support future opportunities.
Infrastructure remains central to northern mining growth
Both leaders tied the mining outlook to major infrastructure projects.
McNeely highlighted the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor and the Taltson hydro expansion as projects that could open new areas to exploration, provide more reliable energy for future mines, strengthen supply chains and improve links between northern communities and markets.
That emphasis will sound familiar in Northwestern Ontario, where mining development is often limited not by geology but by road access, power connections, permitting timelines and the cost of moving equipment and people across remote regions.
For Thunder Bay, the continued push for northern mineral development matters beyond the mine site. The city remains a transportation, supply and professional-services hub for resource projects across the North, and stronger exploration activity in the territories can create spillover demand for equipment, engineering, aviation, logistics and financial services.
Why the story matters in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario
PDAC may be centred in Toronto, but the convention’s impact reaches across the country’s mining regions. Thunder Bay has long positioned itself as a gateway to northern development, serving projects in Ontario and beyond. When governments in the Northwest Territories talk about roads, power, Indigenous partnerships and critical minerals, many of the same issues are at the centre of debate in Northwestern Ontario.
There is also a broader national angle. As Canada tries to build more resilient critical-mineral supply chains, success in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon and northern Ontario will depend on many of the same ingredients: infrastructure, investment certainty, community support and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous governments.
McNeely said renewed interest in Sahtu exploration was especially encouraging, adding it reinforced the region’s long-recognized potential. He said responsible development can create jobs, support training and strengthen long-term economic opportunities when it is done in partnership with Indigenous governments and local leadership.
He said he left PDAC optimistic about the territory’s momentum and the role the Sahtu can play in the next phase of the North’s resource economy.
