Zeeshan Syed, a former Alberta Energy Regulator executive who was engulfed in a public sector spending scandal in Alberta only four years ago, welcomed two Liberal cabinet ministers to the Thunder Bay site of his junior mining company’s proposed lithium refinery last week, and is optimistic he can attract taxpayer funding for the venture.
The side-venture, called the International Centre for Regulatory Excellence , was disbanded about two years after it was launched. In total, approximately C$5.4-million in taxpayer money was misappropriated, investigations by public agencies concluded. Earlier this year, Mr. Syed was appointed president of Avalon Advanced Materials, a tiny mining exploration company that is attempting to both develop a lithium deposit in Ontario and build a lithium refinery in the province.
Mr. Champagne also told reporters that Avalon’s proposed plant is “one of the most promising” he’s ever seen in Canada. “This is not someone grabbing your hand at a political event,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “This is something that is contemplated and staged. It’s laudatory.” “The tone is set from the top, by the ministers,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “You have to have personal accountability.”