Canada Nickel Company says Ontario has formally named its Crawford nickel project as the second development to be advanced under the province’s new One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework.

The 1P1P framework is intended to streamline and better coordinate permitting and review processes for major mining developments by aligning timelines, responsibilities and information sharing across provincial Ministries.

The designation, Canada Nickel says, reflects the advanced stage, scale and strategic importance of Crawford within Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy.

Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, said in a statement this week that the province was moving quickly to unlock the project’s economic potential.

“Ontario is moving at lightning speed to open this 100% Canadian owned mine to create 4 000 jobs for Canadian workers."

“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.”

Canada Nickel CEO Mark Selby said the designation underscored Crawford’s strategic importance to the province and reinforced the company’s development timeline.

“Today's announcement underscores the strategic significance of the Crawford nickel project for Ontario and the province's ambition to establish a world-leading, Made-in-Ontario critical minerals supply chain,” Selby said.

“Crawford is purpose-built to anchor a new low-carbon mining and clean metals manufacturing corridor in Northeastern Ontario - driving long-term economic growth, creating high-quality jobs, and ensuring that value generation remains within the province.”

“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. We look forward to working with the province through its newly announced Critical Minerals Processing Fund to help realise these ambitions.”

Canada Nickel emphasised that participation in the 1P1P framework would complement, not replace, its commitments to Indigenous consultation, environmental stewardship and regulatory rigour. The framework is intended to improve coordination across government while maintaining existing standards for project development and community engagement.

The Crawford project has already achieved several regulatory firsts, including becoming the first mining project in Canada to submit an Impact Statement under the amended Impact Assessment Act, 2019, in November 2024. It was also referred to the federal Major Projects Office in November 2025, which the company said, together with the 1P1P designation, establishes a clearer pathway to accelerated but responsible development.

According to independent analysis cited by Canada Nickel, Crawford is expected to generate more than $70-billion in gross domestic product over an initial mine life of more than 40 years, including about $67-billion for Ontario, while supporting about 1 000 direct jobs and a further 3 000 indirect and induced jobs.

The project is also positioned as a flagship low-carbon development, with Canada Nickel’s patented in-process tailings carbonation technology expected to permanently store up to 1.5-million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, potentially making Crawford the world’s first net-zero carbon nickel mine.