VANCOUVER, British Columbia and SUDBURY, Ontario, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canada has the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, clean energy, defence systems, and digital infrastructure, but many deposits remain difficult to access and mine sites can take decades to restore. Today, DIGITAL announced two Canadian-led mining innovations – valued at $19.9 million – that aim to advance new approaches to critical mineral extraction and mine restoration.
As demand grows for critical minerals like copper and rare earth elements, these innovations will help Canada secure the resources needed for clean technology, national security and a competitive economy. They also support a smarter approach to mining – one that improves efficiency, increases precision, and provides a clearer understanding of environmental impacts.
DIGITAL is helping Canadian companies move mining technologies from development to adoption by bringing technology builders together with industry partners that can test, validate, and deploy new solutions in real-world operating environments. This adoption-focused model reduces risk for Canadian companies, creates pathways to commercialization, and supports the growth of Canadian technologies in domestic and global markets.
Novamera is receiving $3.8 million to advance their patented Surgical Mining solution which integrates advanced subsurface imaging, AI-driven simulation, and robotics to precisely target and extract ore. This approach can quickly access various types of precious and critical minerals that are difficult to mine using conventional methods, including narrow or remote veins that may otherwise remain stranded. By selectively extracting ore and minimizing waste, the technology enables faster time-to-production and minimal environmental disturbance and is designed to reduce waste by up to 90%, depending on site conditions, while supporting faster and more informed extraction decisions.
Another company receiving support is Koonkie Canada Inc. for their Multi-lens Ecological Restoration Monitoring and Forecasting initiative. They are receiving $2.89 million to advance a novel AI-powered platform to transform how the mining sector monitors ecological restoration and biodiversity.
Restoration of mine sites is often a slow and siloed process that can take decades to complete. Koonkie’s technology brings several advanced tools together in one platform, including environmental DNA to identify a full spectrum of organisms, mobile soil analysis to map nutrient health, and remote sensing imagery to track landscape-scale changes. Crucially, these high-tech tools are integrated with Indigenous ecological knowledge, ensuring the platform reflects both scientific and cultural values.
Project partners expect the platform to shorten restoration timelines by 5 to 10 years, helping reduce long-term environmental liabilities. Precision interventions guided by the platform are also projected to reduce restoration costs by up to 40% compared to legacy methods.
Together, these mining innovations will help Canada move critical mineral deposits toward production more efficiently while supporting stronger tools to monitor ecological restoration, biodiversity, and long-term land stewardship.
Quotes
“Canada has what the world needs to power the economy of the future, and we have the talent and ingenuity to turn those advantages into made-in-Canada solutions. These investments will help Canadian companies develop and deploy cutting-edge technologies that make critical minerals extraction more precise, advance responsible resource development and improve mine restoration. By backing Canadian innovation, we are building stronger critical minerals supply chains, creating good jobs and positioning Canada as a global leader in the industries that will drive growth for decades to come,” said The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
“Canada needs critical minerals to strengthen our economic security and sovereignty, but we cannot rely on yesterday’s mining methods to get there,” said Rhonda Barnet, Interim CEO, DIGITAL. “These projects are an excellent example of how DIGITAL brings builders and buyers together to help the mining sector adopt made-in-Canada technologies that improve productivity, strengthen environmental performance, and give Canadian companies a stronger path to scale and compete globally.”
“North America has no shortage of critical minerals-we have a shortage of ways to bring them into production quickly and responsibly,” said Jim Hollis, CEO, Novamera Inc. “Surgical Mining was built to solve that gap. With DIGITAL’s support, we’re accelerating a solution that can unlock domestic copper and rare earth supply faster, with lower capital and a far smaller environmental footprint.”
“Ecological restoration needs better data, better forecasting, and better integration of knowledge systems,” said Steven Hallam, CEO and Co-Founder of Koonkie Canada Inc. “We’re bringing together environmental DNA, advanced soil metrics, AI modeling, and insights from traditional land stewards to give operators and communities the predictive clarity they need to make timely, evidence-based environmental stewardship decisions for sites in closure.”
Facts at a glance
- Total value: $19.9 million
- Surgical Mining for Critical Minerals: $10.9 million total value, $3.8 million from DIGITAL. Led by Novamera Inc., Oakville, Ontario with consortium project partners: Micon International Ltd. and Northstar Gold Corp. The project will develop new high-resolution imaging tools and AI-enhanced processing pipelines to visualize and model mineral veins with greater accuracy. The partners will apply the technology to the Cam Copper project and are working with Ontario to create a faster pathway to permitting, supporting economic development, and positioning Canada as a global leader in more precise critical mineral extraction.
- Multi-lens Ecological Restoration Monitoring and Forecasting: $8.9 million total value, $2.89 million from DIGITAL. Led by Koonkie Canada Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia with consortium project partners: Miraterra Technologies, Regeneration Rehabilitation Services, and Genome British Columbia. This project provides the Canadian mining sector with a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered platform for real-time ecological restoration and biodiversity monitoring. By integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) analytics, soil health data, and remote sensing with Indigenous ecological knowledge, it addresses the urgent need for science-based insights to track and manage mine closure.
- Critical mineral focus: Copper and rare earth elements
- Potential extraction impact: Surgical Mining is designed to reduce waste by up to 90%, depending on site conditions
- Potential restoration impact: Project partners expect the restoration platform could shorten ecological restoration timelines by five to 10 years and reduce restoration costs by up to 40 per cent compared to legacy methods
About DIGITAL
DIGITAL is Canada’s commercialization partner. It connects technology builders and buyers to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of Canadian technology solutions.
Established in 2018 under the Government of Canada’s Cluster Initiative, DIGITAL brings together industry leaders, SMEs, and post-secondary institutions to collaborate on large-scale projects that drive innovation and the development of technology solutions in sectors critical to Canada, such as mining and energy, housing, workforce development and health.
Since inception, DIGITAL has delivered billions in projected revenue for Canadian companies, retained sovereign IP, launched hundreds of commercial products, and helped tens of thousands of Canadians gain the skills needed for the digital economy.
That’s how we grow Canada. For more information, visit: www.digitalsupercluster.ca.
Media contact
Julia White
Senior Director, Communications, DIGITAL
media@digitalsupercluster.ca | 604.828.2766
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/054381e4-64ce-4b3a-a7ce-8fe0175db49d
