Canada advances digital core library with new Saskatchewan funding

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Digital Core Library in Canada

Highlights

Canada scanned its first drill core for the Canadian Digital Core Library on September 14 in Calgary, starting with Northwest Territories samples.
Natural Resources Canada announced C$2.16 million funding for Saskatchewan to develop a digital core scan library compatible with the national platform.
Wider access to geoscience data through the platform aims to attract investment, support mining growth, and strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains.

Core scanning rollout and platform development

As reported by Canada.ca, Canada scans its first core for the Canadian Digital Core Library in Calgary on September 14, starting with drill core samples from the Northwest Territories. Other participating provinces and territories are identifying priority drill cores and preparing to begin scanning in the coming weeks.

The Canadian Digital Core Library uses advanced scanning technologies to convert drill core held in repositories across the country into a common digital record through an AI-ready platform. The first scans reflect collaboration between the federal government, provinces and territories, supported by geoscience expertise from across Canada.

Drill cores provide information on mineral deposits and on the size, quality and economic potential of mineral resources. That data helps Canada identify mining opportunities tied to national defence, advanced manufacturing and the energy transition.

Critical minerals strategy and regional impact

Natural Resources Canada also announces C$2.16 million for Saskatchewan to support development of a digital library of core scan data compatible with the national platform. The funding adds a provincial component to the broader federal effort to make high-quality geoscience data more accessible.

The government says wider access to geoscience information helps unlock resource potential, attract investment and strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains. As scanning activity ramps up nationwide, the platform is intended to improve insight into Canada’s mineral resources, support mining industry growth and reinforce the country’s competitiveness in securing critical minerals.

In our earlier article on Statistics Canada’s monthly mineral production and metals processing surveys, we covered the release of July output data along with revisions to May and June 2026 figures. We noted that the combined datasets track production, shipments and inventories across key minerals, as well as activity at smelters and refineries for base metals such as copper, nickel and zinc. We also highlighted how shipment value data helps compare commodities with very different measurement units and serves as a regular gauge of conditions across Canada’s mining and metals supply chain.

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