Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) has appointed leading Canadian government relations adviser Pathway Group to help advance permitting, funding access, and stakeholder engagement for its Mavis Lake Lithium Project in Ontario.
The partnership aims to elevate the project’s profile within federal and provincial critical minerals initiatives as it progresses development planning and resource growth.
Pathway Group will guide policy engagement, strengthen commercial and Indigenous relationships, and improve visibility, supporting Critical Resources in navigating government processes, accelerating permitting pathways, and identifying non-dilutive federal and provincial funding opportunities across Canada’s expanding battery materials sector.
Managing director Tim Wither said the engagement is “a critical step in moving Mavis Lake forward” and ensures the project is positioned for Canada’s next phase of lithium supply chain development.
District-Scale Lithium Potential
Mavis Lake hosts a lithium oxide inferred mineral resource of 8 million tonnes at 1.07%, supported by more than 58,000m of drilling since 2022 and an established exploration target.
The project occupies a highly prospective position within the Archean Greenstone Belt, with district-scale potential demonstrated by more than 31 new lithium–cesium–tantalum pegmatite discoveries.
It also benefits from immediate access to the Trans-Canada Highway, national rail lines, and deep-water export routes while drawing on clean hydroelectric power and established natural gas infrastructure.
An agreement-in-principle Critical has signed with the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation provides a framework for community engagement and environmental stewardship that will guide ongoing technical and baseline environmental studies.
Critical Resources said Mavis Lake’s location in a tier-1 jurisdiction with strong federal and provincial support enhances its ability to secure approvals and aligns with North America’s push for a secure, domestic lithium supply chain.
Experienced Advisory Team
Pathway Group brings more than two decades of public affairs experience across Canadian resource, infrastructure, and critical minerals projects.
Its advisory team for Critical Resources is led by Bill Mauro – a former Ontario cabinet minister and mayor of Thunder Bay – and Al MacDermid, vice-president of business development with more than 30 years of political strategy and regulatory expertise.
Pathway Group president Peter Curtis said Mavis Lake represents a significant opportunity for Ontario and Canada to expand domestic lithium supply, with his team committed to securing strategic support for the project.
The two companies will begin co-ordinated engagement with federal and provincial policymakers while technical teams advance resource expansion and permitting workstreams.
Critical Resources said the partnership forms a key part of its commitment to establishing Mavis Lake as a long-term, strategic lithium source for North America.
