Osisko Metals delivered one of the most significant copper resource updates of the year on April 14, announcing a 119% increase in copper metal content at its Gaspé Copper Project in Quebec, now outlining 10.8 billion pounds of contained copper in measured and indicated resources . The announcement comes as copper miners trade sharply higher, with COPX (Copper Miners ETF) up 4.2% according to market data , reflecting renewed investor appetite for base metals exposure amid tightening global supply.

Osisko Metals: Gaspé Copper Becomes North America's Largest Undeveloped Deposit

Osisko Metals announced an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Gaspé Copper Project in Eastern Quebec following 118,000 metres of drilling completed in 2025, with base case pit-constrained resources comprising 1,834 million tonnes averaging 0.27% Cu (0.32% CuEq) of Measured and Indicated categories . The company stated the deposit now represents one of the largest undeveloped copper-molybdenum deposits in North America, with significant molybdenum (673 million pounds) and silver (93 million ounces) as byproduct credits .

According to the company, the 2025 drill program successfully converted and expanded the 2024 resource to Measured and Indicated categories and added new significant higher-grade Inferred resources to the south, with an additional 50,000 metre drill program set to commence at the end of April . The timing is fortuitous—copper prices have been climbing steadily, and according to Mining.com, the red metal settled at $13,275 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange on April 20 .

The Gaspé project's location in Quebec, a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction with established infrastructure, positions it as a potential cornerstone asset for North American copper supply at a time when copper accounts for roughly 25-30% of Peru's total exports and geopolitical tensions are driving Western nations to secure domestic sources of critical minerals.

Nouveau Monde Graphite: $297 Million Financing Package Advances Matawinie Mine

Nouveau Monde Graphite announced on April 9 an equity investment of US$82 million by Canada Growth Fund Inc., part of a broader US$297 million equity financing package including investments from the Government of Québec through Investissement Québec and Italian energy giant Eni . The financing also includes a US$96.5 million (C$84 million) bought deal public offering of subscription receipts , completing the equity component needed to advance the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine toward a final investment decision.

Eni agreed to invest USD 70 million in the Canadian graphite company and signed a letter of intent to discuss the potential offtake of 15,000 tonnes per year of graphite concentrate from the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine, which Eni would channel towards producing stationary lithium batteries at its Gigafactory initiative in Brindisi, Italy . The deal underscores growing European interest in securing North American critical mineral supply chains outside of Chinese dominance.

The company had previously secured C$459 million ($335 million) in senior debt financing from Export Development Canada and the Canada Infrastructure Bank in March to fund the next phase of its Matawinie project in Quebec , demonstrating strong government backing for domestic graphite production. According to Nouveau Monde, the Phase 2 Matawinie mine is expected to be the largest graphite mine in all of the G7 nations .

G Mining Ventures: $2.2 Billion Guyana Gold Consolidation

G Mining Ventures and G2 Goldfields announced on April 9 that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby G Mining will acquire all outstanding shares of G2 pursuant to a court-approved plan of arrangement, consolidating two adjacent gold projects in Guyana into a large-scale, low-cost gold mining hub . The transaction is valued at approximately C$3.0 billion (US$2.2 billion) on a fully diluted basis.

The combined operation will merge anticipated life of mine average gold production of approximately 350,000 ounces from G Mining's Oko West Project and 228,000 ounces from G2's Oko-Ghanie Project into a single project with the potential to produce over 500,000 ounces on a life of mine average basis . According to the companies, the transaction unlocks over C$1 billion of initially quantifiable expected synergies related to capital costs, operating costs, and throughput expansion due to shared infrastructure, mine sequencing, and permitting .

G Mining CEO Louis-Pierre Gignac stated that "once built, this mine has the potential to rank among the highest-producing gold mines globally" . The deal comes as gold continues its volatile run—trading at $4,737/oz on April 22, down 1.7% according to market data —but the consolidation trend in the Guiana Shield reflects producer confidence in long-term gold fundamentals.

Hycroft Mining: Underground Assessment Advances Nevada Silver Play

Hycroft Mining issued a correction to its April 21 press release titled "Hycroft Engages Engineering Firm to Assess Underground Mining Options," clarifying that WSP Global Inc. completed the engineering work associated with additional lifts on the tailings storage facility . The original announcement detailed the company's engagement of RESPEC Company LLC to evaluate underground mining options for newly discovered high-grade silver systems at its Brimstone and Vortex zones in Nevada.

According to the company, with this work now completed, Ausenco Engineering South USA can complete the Initial Assessment Technical Report with economics, which the company anticipates will be complete during the second quarter of 2026 . Hycroft is a US-based gold and silver company exploring and developing the Hycroft Mine, among the world's largest precious metals deposits located in northern Nevada, and in 2023 announced the discovery of two new high-grade silver systems within the known resource area .

The Nevada project is advancing at a time when silver traded at $77.29/oz on April 22, down 3.2% according to market data , but the company's focus on transitioning from oxide heap leach operations to milling for sulfide mineralization could position it to capitalize on silver's dual role as both a precious and industrial metal.

Magna Mining: Sudbury Copper-Nickel Operation Turns Cash Positive

Magna Mining reported fourth quarter and full year 2025 operating and financial results on April 20, announcing that it successfully achieved a positive cash margin of $3.3 million at the McCreedy West copper-precious metals-nickel Mine in Sudbury, Ontario during Q4 2025 . In Q4 2025, 84,954 tons of ore was processed from the 700 Footwall Copper Zone at McCreedy West at a grade of 3.41% copper equivalent .

CEO Jason Jessup commented that during the fourth quarter of 2025, Magna continued to execute on its underground development plan with increased diamond drilling and stope availability, with the goal of accessing new areas of the mine with better grade stopes and positioning the operation to execute profitable production in 2026 . The company also reported that a Preliminary Economic Assessment is now underway on the Levack Mine, and a Pre-Feasibility Study is underway on the Crean Hill Project, with completion of both studies anticipated in Q3 2026 .

The Sudbury basin remains one of North America's premier base metals districts, and Magna's operational turnaround comes as copper miners rally with COPX up 4.2% , suggesting improving sentiment for polymetallic producers with exposure to both copper and battery metals.

Critical Minerals: Government Support Accelerates

The flurry of financing announcements reflects a broader trend of government intervention in critical minerals supply chains. According to the U.S. State Department, the Export-Import Bank has issued $14.8 billion in Letters of Interest for critical minerals projects under the Trump Administration, including $455 million for rare earth development and processing in the United States, $400 million for lithium extraction in Arkansas, and $350 million for cobalt and nickel production in Australia .

Industry analysts predict 2026 will be another active year across critical minerals, and especially rare earths , with more than 100 rare earths deals completed in 2025 on Australian exchanges alone . The uranium sector is also seeing renewed interest, with URA (Uranium ETF) up 3.3% according to market data .

What It Means

Today's announcements underscore three converging themes reshaping the mining sector in 2026: the race to secure domestic copper supply, the critical minerals financing boom, and strategic consolidation in high-grade gold districts. Osisko's massive Gaspé resource expansion positions Quebec as a potential copper powerhouse just as base metals rally with copper miners up over 4% . Meanwhile, Nouveau Monde's nearly $300 million financing package—backed by both government entities and European industrials—demonstrates that graphite and battery materials are attracting serious institutional capital.

The G Mining-G2 Goldfields merger continues a consolidation wave in the Guiana Shield, where companies are eliminating redundant infrastructure and capturing synergies to build tier-one assets. And across the board, government support for critical minerals—from Canada's Major Projects Office to the U.S. Export-Import Bank's $14.8 billion in commitments—is providing the capital backstop that junior and intermediate miners need to advance projects.

For investors, the message is clear: capital is flowing back into mining, particularly for projects in stable jurisdictions with strong ESG credentials and exposure to electrification metals. The question now is whether this financing wave translates into actual production growth—or whether permitting delays and cost inflation will continue to constrain new supply even as demand accelerates.

This roundup covers press releases published in mid-April 2026. Company announcements are sourced from mining industry wire services and company disclosures. Market data as of April 22, 2026. For corrections or updates, contact contact@stakeandpaper.com.