TORONTO, ON – June 26, 2026 – At the 2026 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC), the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced the next steps for the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL), a national platform that will facilitate access to digitized drill core data from across the country.
Critical minerals are essential to electric vehicles, clean energy infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and defence and technology systems, and global demand is growing. Canada holds significant critical mineral deposits and stores millions of metres of geological drill core in government repositories across the country, which together form one of the largest drill core libraries in the world. The Canadian Digital Core Library will digitize this geological record using advanced scanning technologies and make it openly available through an AI-ready platform, giving the entire industry, from major producers to junior explorers, access to a shared foundation for mineral discovery.
Field images courtesy of industry collaborators: Anglo American and BHP.
Minister Hodgson announced newly-signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with provinces and territories to advance the Canadian Digital Core Library, supporting drill core scanning, accelerating the availability of geoscience data in priority regions, and co-developing sustainable digital library solutions across jurisdictions. Minister Hodgson also announced a contribution agreement of up to $15 million to Creative Destruction Lab to develop the CDCL platform in collaboration with the jurisdictions and industry. Core scanning is set to begin by September 2026.
Since signing the Declaration of Intent on March 2, 2026, the collaborators, including Agnico Eagle, Anglo American, BHP, HudBay, Teck, Vale Base Metals, Laurentian University, and Creative Destruction Lab have been working together to design the Canadian Digital Core Library. Over the four-month design phase, senior personnel from each organization led and contributed to workstreams: preliminary design of national data platform and schema standards; analysis of various international public-private-academic partnership models; design for AI readiness; current and emerging scanning technologies; and network-building across federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholders. This work, delivered entirely in-kind, has produced a selection of design recommendations to inform the proposed next phase of the initiative.
Field images courtesy of industry collaborators: Agnico Eagle, Teck, and Vale Base Metals.
Quotes
“Accessible data on the resources beneath our feet is the foundation of investment decisions in major projects that can unlock Canada’s critical minerals potential. By working with provinces, territories, industry and post-secondary institutions, and leveraging modern technology like we committed to in our new AI strategy, AI for All, we are making smart moves to create opportunities for Canadians across the country.”
The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
“Agnico Eagle is pleased with the work completed by all collaborators to set the foundations for the development of the Canadian Digital Core Library. We are looking forward to the next steps to improve access to high quality geoscience information and support informed exploration and responsible resource development and remain committed to collaborating in advancing this initiative.”
Olivier Grondin, Vice President, Exploration, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
“As proud collaborators in the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL), we are pleased to see this important initiative advance to its next phase of development. The CDCL has an important role to play in unlocking Canada’s vast geological endowment and we look forward to continue working with our fellow industry participants to develop a shared platform which has the potential to accelerate discovery, reduce risk, and unlock opportunities for Canada to provide many of the essential metals and minerals that the world needs.”
Richard Price, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, Anglo American
“Digitising Canada’s core libraries is about harnessing the full economic value of data that already exists. Evidence shows that making geoscience data openly accessible can deliver outsized returns, with international studies demonstrating benefit‑cost ratios that exceed 10 to 1. By democratising public data, we can lower exploration costs and accelerate discovery timelines, helping to de‑risk investment and attract new capital into Canada’s critical minerals sector. We commend Natural Resources Canada on this important initiative that will deliver benefit across the sector and beyond.”
Tim O’Connor, Group Exploration Officer, BHP
“Hudbay is pleased with the progress we have seen on the core library development through this industry collaboration. This puts us one step closer to having a better shared understanding of Canadian geology that will drive investment and innovation across our industry in the near-term and for future generations.”
Candace Brule, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets & Corporate Affairs, Hudbay
“Improving analysis and access to geological drill core data through the Canadian Digital Core Library is an important step forward in accelerating responsible resource development to drive investment, innovation and exploration across Canada.”
Stuart McCracken, Vice President, Exploration, Teck Resources Ltd.
“The Canadian Digital Core Library represents an important step toward unlocking the full value of Canada’s geological knowledge. By improving access to high-quality, digitized drill core data, the CDCL can help accelerate discovery, strengthen critical minerals supply chains, and support more efficient, data-driven exploration across the country. Vale Base Metals is pleased to contribute technical expertise and geological insight to this collaborative effort.”
Ciara Talbot, Director, Exploration, Vale Base Metals
“The signing of these MOUs signifies an important milestone for the Canadian Digital Core Library and the partners advancing this initiative. Together, we are transforming Canada’s geological legacy into a national strategic advantage by creating an AI-ready resource that will accelerate discovery, support innovation, and strengthen Canada’s leadership in critical minerals. Laurentian University is proud to contribute its expertise to this collaborative effort as the CDCL moves from ideation to implementation.”
Dr. Tammy Eger, Vice-President, Research, Laurentian University
“Making geoscience data openly available through an AI-ready platform offers novel opportunities for innovators, explorers, and builders. We are honoured to work with the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, industry-leading resource companies, and post-secondary institutions to develop the Canadian Digital Core Library platform.”
Sonia Sennik, CEO of Creative Destruction Lab
Press Contacts
Amarpreet Kaur • Creative Destruction Lab • amarpreet.kaur@creativedestructionlab.com
