Scandium Canada’s Guy Bourassa on the Hunger for Lighter, Greener, Long Lasting 3D Materials

In a sector hungry for lighter, greener, longer‑lasting materials, Guy Bourassa does not blink: “Scandium is the future.”The veteran mine‑builder now helms Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSXV: SCD), a company whose stated aim is “to bring the world’s leading primary source of scandium into production, enabling the development and commercialization of aluminum‑scandium (Al‑Sc) alloys.” From its Crater Lake deposit in northeastern Québec, Bourassa hopes to feed an industrial appetite for Al‑Sc alloys that boast “high density, high strength, corrosion resistance,” qualities he says can “reduce the weight of anything that is moving, from a satellite to a boat to a car, and be as strong.”On InvestorNews.com’s set, host Tracy Hughes pressed him on the near‑term catalyst: a 3‑D‑printing initiative that turns Scandium Canada’s metal into powder fine enough for additive manufacturing. “We are in the pre‑commercialization of our aluminum‑scandium powders—patent pending—and it’s very unique,” Bourassa explained. “You can print very difficult‑shaped objects that cannot otherwise be manufactured the same way. So, you are providing industries with a new possibility of very specific parts.”The path from exploration to production is one Bourassa has traveled before, and he has put his own money into this venture. “Markets, as everybody knows, are difficult,” he conceded, yet his team has attracted an ally whose endorsement carries unusual weight. Last month the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach subscribed for 16.7 million units—an investment of CAD$334,000—through its Taasipitaakin Trust, taking an initial 5% stake and gaining warrants exercisable at 5 cents for two years.Bourassa called the partnership “a significant step in our strategy for responsible and inclusive development.” During the interview he elaborated: “Instead of only being on the receiving end, they’re part of the team, working with us… how you design a mine, how you put the logistics, how you get the First Nations involved.”For Naskapi leaders, ownership is a way to shape the project from inception. Mike Sandy, a trustee of Taasipitaakin, said in the deal announcement that the community “believe[s] the international context and fight on climate change require us to be strategic about our role in the mining sector,” while Chief Louise Nattawappio noted that investment “does not imply consent to a future mine… but it does demonstrate a desire to be involved from the outset.”Bourassa’s timeline now calls for pre‑feasibility work, aided—he hopes—by federal and provincial grants. Yet his sales pitch, honed by decades in specialty metals, remains elemental. “Imagine,” he told Hughes, “you can reduce the weight of anything that is moving … and be as strong.”