The M&E Dispatch // 100

Not everyone banging on the door is doing it with a megaphone.

Author

Lee Tengum
August 26, 2025

Hello Everyone,

Our billet is from Latvia. I call him The Oligarch.
He’s got a penchant for Costco hotdogs, Bacon and Egg McMuffins, and an oddly effective mash-up of Latvian, Russian, and rink-side English.

While we Canadians usually only think of Latvia during the World Juniors, he grew up learning about our country in school. For many Latvians, Canada isn’t a mystery, it’s a reliable source of machinery, materials, and the kind of tradespeople you send for when something really needs fixing. He even knew about Saskatchewan before the Chappell Roan song put it on the map…

From wheat to woodlands, our brains and hands make up a sizeable contribution to their country.

And Latvia isn’t alone.

There are dozens of Latvia-like countries out there, buying one Canadian thing, but quietly needing five more. We’re already in the door. Time to expand the offer.

Five Emerging Buyers, and How We Could Pitch Them

🇱🇻 Latvia

What they buy: Forestry equipment, wheat, agri-support
What they need next: Pulp products, renewable microgrids, trades training programs

Here’s how we could pitch it:
“You’ve already got the Canadian gear in your forests and our wheat in your mills, want the power systems to run them cleanly through winter? Or maybe we help train your next-gen operators?”

Why it makes sense:
Latvia trusts Canadian tools and trades. The upgrade isn’t a stretch, it’s continuity. And with EU green transition targets, we can offer reliability and compliance.

🇻🇳 Vietnam

What they buy: Grain, potash, fertilizers
What they need next: Clean-tech components, copper, lithium, agri-processing tools

Here’s how we could pitch it:
“You’re growing your food economy fast. Let us help with the next step, energy-efficient storage, crop data systems, and Canadian-grade minerals for your local battery market.”

Why it makes sense:
Vietnam is a growth economy with logistics challenges and big regional ambitions. They’ll need upstream partnerships to support downstream production.

🇿🇦 South Africa

What they buy: Mining equipment, potash, wheat
What they need next: Carbon capture systems, water recycling tech, educational partnerships

Here’s how we could pitch it:
“You’re mining deep and wide. Want the same Canadian tech we use to capture emissions, filter tailings, and upskill remote teams?”

Why it makes sense:
South Africa knows Canada’s mining legacy. What they need now are add-ons that help them mine smarter, and stay ahead of ESG pressure.

🇵🇪 Peru

What they buy: Machinery, fertilizer
What they need next: Smelting optimization, water treatment, Canadian lithium & copper inputs

Here’s how we could pitch it:
“You’ve got the mines. We’ve got the gear, the minerals, and the environmental tech to keep it all moving. Want to trade?”

Why it makes sense:
Peru is a mining-heavy country with growing environmental constraints. Our tech helps them meet international standards while sourcing more from a friendly partner.

🇲🇾 Malaysia

What they buy: Wood products, equipment
What they need next: Lithium, copper, power grid modernization, fire-resistant materials

Here’s how we could pitch it:
“You’re building fast, but so are your power needs. Let us send you what you’ll need next, Canadian lithium, copper, and materials that help future-proof your growth.”

Why it makes sense:
Malaysia’s growing manufacturing and energy sectors align perfectly with Canada’s surplus in strategic materials, if we get there first.

These aren’t cold leads, they’re warm handshakes waiting for a second product.

We're already shipping the grain. Let’s sell the fertilizer too.
They bought the machines? Great. Let’s add the training program, the parts contract, the data layer.

This isn’t about pushy sales and harder closes.
It’s about value-adding services and offers that make sense to both sides.

In today’s fractured trade world, being boring, friendly, and incredibly useful might be the most powerful export strategy of all.

// The Dirt

🔥 Top 3 Headlines to Watch

  1. 🧾 Piedmont Lithium Stockholders Approve Merger with Sayona Mining — creating Elevra Lithium, a scaled-up supplier to the U.S. EV chain.
    https://www.piedmontlithium.com/piedmont-lithium-reports-results-of-special-meeting-of-stockholders

  2. 🪙 Sirios Resources Expands Cheechoo Gold Project — updated resource of 1.3 Moz Indicated @ 1.12 g/t Au and 1.7 Moz Inferred @ 1.23 g/t Au.
    https://www.sirios.com/en/sirios-files-cheechoo-gold-project-mre-report-on-sedar-1-3-moz-indicated-at-1-12-g-t-au-1-7-moz-inferred-at-1-23-g-t-au

  3. 🧪 Voyageur Pharma Launches U.S. Iodine Feasibility Study — aiming to build North America’s first fully integrated contrast drug platform.
    https://voyageurpharmaceuticals.ca/voyageur-pharmaceuticals-launches-u-s-iodine-feasibility-study-to-establish-first-fully-integrated-north-american-contrast-drug-manufacturing-platform

🛠 Exploration & Development Highlights

💰 Financings & Market Moves

🧬 Corporate & Policy

🌄 On the Horizon

  • Lithium Consolidation Continues — With Piedmont and Sayona forming Elevra and Lithium South actively defending its reputation, the lithium sector is maturing fast — from corporate marriages to courtroom battles.

  • Graphite & Copper Grab Attention — Fresh results at Abasca’s Thor Graphite Zone and Osisko’s Gaspé expansion show that critical and base metals are building their own financing tailwinds.

  • Financing Windows Stay Open — Silver47’s $14M raise and PPX’s placement keep August’s trend alive: juniors are still finding capital, even as markets wobble.

Can I ask a small favour? If you know one person, around the Ajax/Whitby/Oshawa region, who might have a small office currently going un-used I’d love to chat with them. Just need a desk and a door for a few hours per week.

Thanks everyone, enjoy the week!

-Lee