The Pulse: July 6, 2023

A former mining company based in St. Albert has secured $2.1 million in financing to continue its pivot toward recovering precious metals from catalytic converters in the U.S.

Regenx Tech is commissioning the first of four modules comprising its 30,000-square-foot facility in the town of Greeneville, Tenn. When all four modules are operational, the plant will process 10 tonnes of diesel catalytic converters per day, recovering platinum and palladium from the devices and transforming what's left into industrially useful materials, using proprietary clean technology.

"We have a net-zero environmental impact — nothing in the air or water, and the waste material produced is used for other industrial purposes," said CEO Greg Pendura told Taproot.

As part of its transformation from a miner of tin and tantalum (a corrosion-resistant metal) to a company that recovers already-mined materials, Regenx delisted its securities from the TSX Venture Exchange and transitioned to the Canadian Securities Exchange on June 23. That makes it easier to position itself as a technology company instead of a mining one.

The company announced on June 30 that it raised $2.1 million by issuing debentures that can be converted into equity in 2025. It intends to use the money to further the first module of its catalytic converter facility and for general working capital.

In an interview earlier this year, Pendura said the plant will be the first to recover precious metals from diesel catalytic converters without smelting, an extraction process that creates harmful emissions and waste products. In recent years, smelting operations have grown reluctant to process diesel catalytic converters because they contain higher volumes of silicon carbide, a chemical compound that creates problems in smelting machinery.

As a result, about $21 billion of platinum and palladium goes unclaimed each year, Pendura said, despite a worldwide shortage of these precious metals. Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) — a family of metals that include platinum, palladium, rhodium, and others — are in high demand by the automotive industry, which uses them for catalytic converters, but also fuel cells, gasoline refining, anti-lock braking systems, engine management systems, and spark plugs.

• The Edmonton Police Service announced that 35 officers will start wearing body cameras on July 10 as part of a six-month trial, which police said aims to increase accountability and reduce use of force. The 35 officers are from the Transit and Community Safety Teams, the Healthy Streets Operations Centre Community Safety Teams, and High-Risk Encampment Teams, which EPS said will provide a "broad snapshot" of police interactions in different settings. Police plan to try various technologies before choosing a vendor. The Alberta government announced in March that it would require all police services to use body cameras. Meanwhile, EPS confirmed its plan to install dash cameras on police vehicles is on hold after the idea was trialled in 2022.
• The city announced the launch of new Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Dashboard, which provides information on key trends and updates across seven pillars of action rooted in the city's Community Safety & Well Being Strategy. The dashboard will be updated quarterly and will "continue to evolve" as the city finalizes its CSWB Evaluation Framework later this year.
• Edmonton's downtown office vacancy rate is continuing to rise along with the rest of Canada. A new report from CBRE Canada notes the rate has increased to 24.1%, compared to the national average of 18.1%. Puneeta McBryan with the Downtown Business Association said more hybrid work means fewer business owners are renewing their leases, adding that council and residents will start "feeling the pain" of a deflated downtown as the city approaches peak office vacancy. She also suggested the city, province, and police are not doing enough to attract businesses back to the core and help downtown recover from the pandemic.
• Alberta had more interprovincial migration in the first three months of 2023 than any other province despite its higher-than-average unemployment rate and rising housing costs. The province attracted 15,786 residents from elsewhere in Canada, while British Columbia and Ontario saw net losses. While rental costs in Edmonton rose 11.3% from June 2022 to June 2023, housing is still more affordable than any other major Canadian city. Renting a two-bedroom apartment in Edmonton costs an average of $1,500 per month, less than half the average rent of two-bedroom apartment in Toronto or Vancouver.
• Sarah Carter, a professor in the University of Alberta's Department of History, Classics, and Religion, was appointed to the Order of Canada. "Her career as an educator, author, and scholar has helped shape our collective understanding of our past — particularly as it relates to the impact and importance of women and Indigenous people in the building of this country," said Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor of MacEwan University, which awarded Carter an honorary doctorate in 2022.
• CBC News has retracted its reporting that alleged someone in the office of Premier Danielle Smith directly emailed Crown prosecutors about cases involving the Coutts border blockade. On July 5, an unsigned editor's note was added to the original story from Jan. 19, 2023, stating that "CBC News regrets reporting direct contact by email." Ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler's report, released in May, found no evidence of emails between Smith's staff and Crown prosecutors, but did find that Smith contravened the Conflicts of Interest Act in an interaction with then-justice minister Tyler Shandro. In a tweet, Smith said that she and her office have been vindicated and that she considers the matter with CBC closed. Last month, the NDP requested the RCMP investigate Smith over potential violations of the Criminal Code, which were beyond the mandate of Trussler's investigation.

Here are some opportunities to offer your input on various civic issues, including traffic-calming in McKernan and Northmount, pop-up dog parks, and Beaumont's proposed innovation park. (Please ensure you live in the affected area before answering surveys.)

• McKernan Street Lab — The City of Edmonton is exploring a Vision Zero Street Lab in the McKernan neighbourhood, which would install traffic-calming measures. Residents are invited to play an advisory role in the project by taking an online survey or using an interactive mapping tool until July 6.
• Northmount Street Lab — The City of Edmonton is also exploring a Vision Zero Street Lab in the Northmount neighbourhood. Residents can provide input using an online survey or interactive mapping tool until July 12.
• Beaumont Innovation Park Area Structure Plan (ASP) - Phase 2 — The City of Beaumont is working on plans for an Innovation Park south of Highway 625, between Highway 814 and Range Road 241, which is proposed to attract investment, create jobs, and drive economic growth in the Edmonton region. The city began work on the ASP in March 2023 and is now engaging the public to share information about the project and gather feedback. Residents of Beaumont or Leduc County, land and business owners, and members of nearby Indigenous communities are invited to complete a survey by July 19.
• Pop-up Dog Parks Program Evaluation — The City of Edmonton is seeking feedback on its Pop-Up Dog Park Program, which has set up 19 temporary pop-up parks across the city this summer. The Phase 2 survey will help the city decide the future of the program and whether to make the sites permanent. Paper surveys are available at the entrance to each of the sites, and the survey can be completed online until Oct. 1.

More input opportunities

• By July 9: Community Standards Bylaw, Hens, and Beekeeping in Spruce Grove
• By July 13: Parent and caregiver survey in Strathcona County
• By July 30: Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative (advise-level engagement)
• By Aug. 31: Edmonton Business Census
• By Dec. 31: Public Engagement Feedback Survey

Photo: An Edmonton crosswalk colourfully painted to increase vibrancy, visibility, and safety as part of a Vision Zero Street Lab. (City of Edmonton)