More than extraction.
Canada’s opportunity extends to refining, manufacturing and recycling. A deposit is one part of the chain; turning it into useful materials takes skills, infrastructure and businesses.
CATALYST VOL 003TORONTO, CANADA · 2026
Critical
Minerals.
Explore Canada’s critical minerals future.
Spend a month learning and building with a group — and leave with a tangible project you made together.
Free to participate. Apply by Friday, October 23.
NOV 2–27 · MON & WED · 6–9 P.M. TORONTO TIME
DINNER PROVIDED BY AMBITION
29
Cu
Cu
DATES / 2026November 2–27
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS6–9 p.m.Toronto time
COHORT20 people
LOCATIONToronto, in person
01 — WHAT ARE CRITICAL MINERALS?
MATERIALS → TECHNOLOGY → POSSIBILITY
Small materials.
Big consequences.
Critical minerals are in the technologies we rely on: phones, power systems, batteries, medical devices and defence equipment.
“Critical” describes both importance and supply risk. Canada’s list includes 34 minerals and metals whose supply chains are threatened, which could be produced here, and which matter to security, the low-carbon and digital economy, or strategic supply partnerships. Explore Canada’s list ↗
01 / CONTINUED — EXPLORE THE MATERIALS
Explore some
critical minerals.
Explore where they show up, then find a real-world question your group could investigate.
COPPER / EVERYDAY CONNECTIONS
The connections behind electrification.
Copper conducts electricity and is used in wiring, power grids and motors. A useful starting question: where does the material go after it leaves a mine?
ONE OF SIX MATERIALS TO EXPLORESAMPLE QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE
01 / 08
01 / COPPER PROCESSING
Could Canada process more of its copper closer to home?
Canada is exploring new copper processing capacity in the west.
YOUR GROUP COULD MAKEA map of existing and proposed facilities, with a brief comparing power, transport and feedstock needs.
Read the research ↗THESE ARE EXAMPLES, NOT A REQUIRED LIST. BRING YOUR OWN QUESTION OR DEVELOP ONE WITH YOUR GROUP.
What matters to you? Decide what you’d like to understand, build or change — and choose a question you want to focus on for a month.
02 — WHY CANADA? WHY NOW?
Resources in the ground.
Choices for our future.
Who can supply and process essential materials helps shape what a country can build — and how it responds when supply is disrupted.
More room to choose.
Building domestic capacity and diversifying trusted suppliers can reduce dependence on fragile supply chains. Economic sovereignty means having the capacity and partnerships to make choices.
How we build matters.
Explore the trade-offs around land, water, energy and community benefit. Indigenous rights, leadership and participation are central to responsible development.
Read the context: Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy ↗ · Responsible development and supply chains ↗
03 — YOUR MONTH IN THE FIELD
Learn together.
Leave with real work.
New to the field or already working in it, bring a question or a challenge worth pursuing. Work with a group to turn it into a tangible project over one month.
NOVEMBER 2–27 · MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS · 6–9 P.M. TORONTO TIME
Learn the landscape.
Build a shared understanding of the field. Bring an existing challenge or discover a new one, then agree on a concrete group project and what you’ll deliver.
Ask better questions.
Meet industry partners, exchange perspectives and investigate real challenges. Bring your experience and questions; use what you learn to sharpen your group’s project.
Follow the evidence.
Divide the work, combine your strengths and build together. Develop a research brief, data tool, prototype or project plan. Test assumptions, get feedback and improve it.
Show what you learned.
Present your group’s finished deliverable: what you built, the evidence behind it and what comes next. Leave with a project you can show, share and keep developing.
PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
Industry conversations
Peer collaboration
Ambition learning tools
A tangible group project
Industry partners and session topics will be announced as they are confirmed.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Make this your month.
November 2–27 · Mon & Wed, 6–9 p.m. · Toronto
04 — WHO IT’S FOR
CURIOUS MINDS
?+↗ONE
SHARED
PROJECT
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. SHARED OUTCOME.SHARED
PROJECT
Find your people.
Build something together.
Join a community of curious newcomers and people already working in critical minerals. Get to know your cohort, learn from industry partners, and work in a group on a shared project. Bring your questions, contribute your strengths, and build relationships alongside work you’re proud of.
Geology & miningProcessing & chemistryFounders & buildersPolicy & permittingFinance & analysisStudents & researchers
05 — GOOD QUESTIONS
Program details.
How much does it cost?+
It’s free to participate. Ambition also provides dinner at our evening sessions.
When is the application deadline?+
Apply by Friday, October 23, 2026.
Do I need experience or a project idea?+
No. You can join as a beginner and help shape a project with your group. If you already work in the field, bring a challenge you want to advance, deepen your knowledge and collaborate with people who offer different perspectives.
What will we leave with?+
A tangible group project: for example, a sourced research brief, supply-chain map, working data tool, prototype or detailed project plan. Your group agrees on a realistic deliverable early in the month, builds it together and presents it at the final share-out.
Can I bring a challenge from my work?+
Yes. Bring a question or project that would benefit from focused work and different perspectives. Your group can help investigate it, test assumptions and develop a useful deliverable. Do not bring sensitive, confidential or proprietary materials. Your work will be shared within the cohort. After the program, a summary of findings will be published on our website, and you’ll have a say in what is included. Only bring materials you have permission to share with the group.
Where does it happen?+
In person at the Ambition office in Liberty Village, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6–9 p.m. Toronto time. Ambition’s tools support your work between sessions.
Is dinner included?+
Yes — Ambition provides dinner at our evening sessions, so you can settle in, share a meal and work together.
How long is the Catalyst?+
The program runs November 2–27, 2026, with sessions on Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6–9 p.m. Toronto time.
Can I bring confidential work?+
No. Do not bring sensitive, confidential or proprietary materials. Share-outs are recorded and your work and check-ins are shared within the cohort. After the program, we’ll publish a summary of findings on our website, rather than the work itself. You’ll have a say in what is included in that public summary. Only bring materials you have permission to share with the group.
What happens after the month?+
You keep your plan, your Ambition profile and the group chat, so you can keep building on the work you started.
Who sees my application?+
The Ambition team. Your answers also help draft your Ambition profile, which you review before anyone else sees it.
CATALYST VOL 003 / CRITICAL MINERALS20 PEOPLE · ONE MONTH
What will you
move forward?
Bring your curiosity or a challenge from the field.
Build something tangible, together.
FREE TO PARTICIPATE · APPLY BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
APPLICATION → SHORT CALL → DECISION
DATESNOV 2–27Mondays & Wednesdays
6–9 p.m. Toronto time2026
TORONTO
6–9 p.m. Toronto time2026
TORONTO