Burnt Lake Rd. residents Kasey Helliwell and Kristen Lefebvre and West Nipissing municipal councillor Rolly Larabie attended the April 14th information session by Volta Metals, outlining their mining exploration project in the area. 
The public information session held April 14 by Volta Metals Ltd. attracted about 42 local residents interested in the company’s mining exploration project in West Nipissing. 
The entrance to Volta Metals’ camp is unassuming, with a sign cautioning that there is “exploration work underway” at the site. 
Land purchased by Volta Metals Ltd.
Volta Metals holds info session for local residents
Joyce Beauchamp
Special to the Tribune
Mining exploration is not new in West Nipissing, but promising drilling results and a heightened global interest in rare earth minerals has made the area a focus for its mining potential once again. That was the gist of a public information session held April 14 at the WN Sports Hall of Fame, where Volta Metals Ltd. outlined its findings over a large site where minerals have been known to be present since the late 1960s, and more recent drilling has revealed very promising deposits.
In 1968, a vein of minerals was discovered just north of Burnt Lake Road. In 1974, drilling expanded outward. In 2010 and 2012, Canada Metals did some drilling, and more still was done in 2015. Volta Metals finally got involved in 2023, and their samples identified a large area of mineral deposits extending along Highway 64 North to Crystal Falls Road, East to Bain Lake, West to Harfred and South to Evansville.
What the drilling showed is significant concentrations of several metals that have grown in importance over the years, and which are forecasted to become even more important in the future. Gallium is one of five metals identified more recently. It is a safer alternative to mercury and is used in semiconductors for smartphones, LED’s, solar panels, radar and telecommunications.
Volta Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on developing a portfolio of high-potential critical mineral assets. Three years ago, President and CEO Kerem Usenmez took a special interest in what is now called the Springer Rare Earth and Gallium Deposit. Last June his company acquired 80% ownership of a particularly promising rectangular parcel of land north of Burnt Lake Road and south of the Hydro One corridor, in order to explore it further. What makes this mineral deposit unique is that it contains no uranium and is therefore not radioactive. It is calcium-rich, which is much better to work with. This translates into easier permitting, transporting and processing. Another aspect of the Springer site is that the minerals appear already between 1 and 5 metres below the surface and extend down as many as 220 meters. The deposit has been modeled and is large – the 7th largest in North America in tonnage. Volta Metals’ website indicates, “Resource at Springer is open in all directions,” meaning it has large expansion potential (see voltametals.ca/about-volta-metals).
A very important bonus for Volta Metals is that the Springer site is accessible by road, is close to Sturgeon Falls’ amenities including Highway 17, is close to a rail line, and has access to hydroelectric generating stations and transmission lines. The conditions are ideal, attendees were told during the Public Information Session held on April 14, where Volta Metals made itself available to local residents who are curious about the project. Some 42 residents attended, as well as Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon and town Councillors Rolly Larabie (Ward 6) and Kaitlynn Nicol (Ward 5). Kerem Usenmez presented photos taken of the project so far. These can be seen at voltametals.ca/about-volta-metals. Core samples are among the photos, as well as Usenmez, who is the boots-on-the-ground company representative, not merely the President & CEO.
