b'MINISTERS MESSAGEMESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF MINESO There is no made-in-Ontario supply chainattract and guide investment in minerals ntarios mineral exploration industry found its roots infor electric vehicles without mining,and make land-use planning decisions. the prospecting community.and it all starts with exploration. OurTo build a made-in-Ontario critical The prospecting communitygovernment remains fully committedminerals supply chain we will need to in Ontario plays a vital roleto supporting mineral exploration inleverage the services of OGS to take in driving mineral development and helpsOntario, which is the backbone of theadvantage of the exciting opportunities keep our province on the map as a world- mining industry. Ontarios 2022 mineralahead in our provinces mineral industry.class destination for mineral explorationproduction was valued at $13.5 billion, and investmenta goal we both share. and the province is once again amongI look forward to continuing our the top mining jurisdictions in the world.important prospecting work together so Our government has taken action toLast year, Ontario also reclaimed the topthat we can build up Ontarios mineral encourage investment, unlock thespot for exploration spending in Canadaindustry for the benefit and prosperity of provinces potential and keep Ontariowith $989 million invested to find theeveryone throughout the province. competitive. Thats why we launchedmines that will fuel the technologies programs to continue investing inoftomorrow. We have exciting times ahead of us as exploration and innovation through ourwe lead the way in mining innovation, Critical Minerals Strategy. Our five-yearCurrently, across the province, there areexploration and development. We will roadmap focuses on building a made-in- about 300 active exploration projects.continue to work to cement Ontarios Ontario supply chain from explorationThese projects are searching forposition as a global leader in the mining right through to manufacturingcommodities that include gold, base andsector our time is now. electricvehicles. rare metals, platinum group elements, iron and chromite. Several of these We know it cant take 15 years to buildprojects benefited from the advice of a mine if were going to make Ontarioexperts and the available geoscience the number-one mining jurisdiction inproducts provided by the Ontario the world. Our government addressedGeological Survey (OGS).this challenge by passing the BuildingThe OGS is a leading provider of reliable, More Mines Act, 2023, to cut red tapecredible and accessible data used toGeorge Pirie, Minister of Minesand improve timelines so government can operate at the pace of business. The Building More Mines Act, 2023, will improve our provinces competitiveness,BETTER DATA, BETTER RESULTS attract investment and help companies build mines faster so we can secure the supply of critical minerals we need to fuel the electric vehicle revolution.Our government launched the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund (CMIF) and the Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP) to encourage investment and use innovative concepts to develop critical minerals projects in the province. Through OJEP, weve invested $35 million to helpSPECIALISTS IN QUALITY HIGH RESOLUTION AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYSjunior mining companies find the mines- Resolution Single-Sensor & Horizontal Gradiometer Magnetics info@terraquest.ca of the future and assist with financing- Max-Gamma Radiometricsearly exploration projects. We also- Digital Matrix VLF-EM with Resistivity Products www.terraquest.cainvested $5 million through the CMIF to support Ontario-based critical minerals projects to incentivize companies to find innovative solutions to supply chain challenges facing Ontarios mining sector.ONTARIO PROSPECTOR WINTER 2023 5'