A delegation of approximately 10 local political and industry leaders have scheduled an April 7-11 tour of Korea and Japan, “to strengthen economic partnerships.”
Mayor Paul Lefebvre announced the delegation during the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto on March 3.
“We were already planning this last year — this hasn’t happened overnight — but I think the timing couldn’t be better,” he told Sudbury.com on the eve of the United States imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports, which strengthens the need to diversify export markets. “It’s about diversifying.”
A “processing powerhouse of the world,” Lefebvre said there’s a lot more potential in Greater Sudbury for adding value to critical minerals locally, which will be promoted during the tour.
“That’s the message that we want to deliver, is that we want a further conversation and invite them to come to our area,” he said. “We just see more capacity and what we can do there.”
Alongside Lefebvre as the lone City of Greater Sudbury representative, the delegation will include representatives from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, Electra Battery Materials, Frontier Lithium, Glencore, Magna Mining, and Vale, with support from Wahnapitae First Nation.
Lefebvre said he has been preparing for the tour for several months and has met with the Japanese ambassador in Ottawa twice to talk about its potential.
The focus will be on battery-electric vehicles and the critical minerals available in Northern Ontario, which they require.
Each delegate will pay for their place in the tour, with Lefebvre’s travel expenses slated to be funded by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation’s business attraction fund. A total budget is still being hashed out.
Lefebvre said he’d have more details on which Korean and Japanese companies the delegation would visit in the coming weeks, as their day-to-day schedule was still being finalized.
In a media release issued by the city, various delegates promoted the upcoming tour as a means of better tapping into local economic potential.
“Canada’s rich history in primary resource extraction and refining, combined with the world-class expertise in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in Korea and Japan, presents an exceptional opportunity,” Electra Battery Materials CEO Trent Mell said.
“Electra is honoured to join this trade mission, led by Mayor Lefebvre, and looks forward to sharing updates on our North American cobalt sulfate and battery recycling projects with esteemed colleagues and partners across the companies driving innovation in the lithium-ion battery supply chain.”
Wahnapitae First Nation Chief Larry Roque described the delegation as “a notable step in continuing our two First Nations’ (alongside Atikameksheng Anishnawbek) shared journey as emerging leaders in the EV supply chain industry — a field whose global importance will only continue to expand.
"It’s clear that by working together to build new relationships at home and abroad, we can truly honour the strength of our people and the gifts given to us by the Creator.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
