Chinese-controlled mine leaves Canada without strategic antimony supply

CALGARY — As concerns grow over Western countries’ dependence on foreign-controlled critical mineral supply chains, Canada’s mining sector faces an uncomfortable truth: the country’s only antimony mine is owned by a Chinese state-owned firm and has sat idle since 2023.Originally acquired by Hunan Nonferrous Metal Corp. in 2009 for $29.5 million, the Beaver Brook mine, located 45 kilometres southwest of the town of Glenwood in Newfoundland and Labrador, is currently owned by China Minmetals, who have controlled the operation for the past 15 years.Antimony is considered a strategic mineral due to its use in lead-acid batteries, flame retardants, as well as in a number of military and defence technologies such as ammunition primers, tracer rounds, and armour-piercing projectiles.Mining.com has reported that Beaver Brook first began producing antimony concentrate in 2012 but suspended operations in 2013 due to weak market conditions.At full capacity, Beaver Brook has the potential to annually produce approximately 6,000 tonnes of antimony concentrate — something analysts say could account for roughly 5% of total global supply.The operation briefly restarted in 2019 before being shuttered in 2023.During operations, the mine employed about 100 workers and shipped antimony concentrate to China..The shutdown came about as North American and European governments began to recognize the need to secure a diversified supply of critical minerals due to an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape.China currently dominates the global antimony supply chain and controls most of the world’s mining, refining, and processing capacity.In 2024, Beijing moved to restrict antimony exports, triggering a surge in global prices, which highlighted the market’s dependence on a single supplier.“Antimony has been in a persistent deficit for years, driven by declining ore grades, stagnant Chinese mine investment, and strong demand growth from the solar sector,” BMO analysts Helen Amos and George Heppel wrote in a recent report on the mineral.“The introduction of Chinese export controls in 2024 served as a catalyst for a dramatic price rally, with Western prices rising from about $13,500 per tonne in April 2024 to nearly $60,000 per tonne by mid-2025,” the report said.“The spike created major shortages in Western markets, even forcing some consumers to declare force majeure due to a lack of supply.”According to Sam Cooper of The Bureau, the current situation has drawn attention from policymakers and industry insiders who say the dormant mine continues to underscore Canada’s vulnerability in the critical mineral sector.The continued shuttering of Beaver Brook is sending mixed signals as the Liberal government has repeatedly stated the goal of turning Canada into the “world’s leading energy superpower,” going so far as to create a Critical Minerals Strategy that was initially backed by $4 billion in Budget 2022..During a 2025 presentation cited by Cooper, Anthony Vaccaro, president of The Northern Miner, stated that there has been industry speculation within the Canadian mining sector and political circles about China’s potential strategic interest in the commodity.Antimony demand is expected to rise as Western governments ramp up defence and energy infrastructure spending, while Canada, the US, and other allies have launched initiatives aimed at rebuilding domestic critical mineral production and processing capacity to help reduce reliance on Beijing’s supply chains.“Even though the recent surge in artisanal mining in Myanmar has helped ease shortages and pushed prices down from their peak, antimony remains a market of key strategic importance,” Amos and Heppel said.“The metal is extremely difficult to substitute in many military applications, while mining and refining capacity remains heavily concentrated in China, Russia, and Tajikistan. For that reason, we continue to characterize antimony as a ‘most critical’ metal for Western supply security.”However, Beaver Brook continues to remain on care and maintenance, leaving Canada without any domestic production of the metal — for now.

Chinese-controlled mine leaves Canada without strategic antimony supply

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