North American Lithium (NAL), backed by top battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, halted operations last year at its Quebec mine and obtained creditor protection in May.

B.C. on Tuesday became the first province in Canada to legally commit to bringing its laws up to the standards outlined in the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

ArcWest plans to conduct drill testing at the project in 2020 with partner funding.

Results include 30 metres of 1.11 g/t gold, 0.23% copper and 3.3 g/t silver.

Rio Tinto is the first resources company to join the partnership with a contribution of A$1 million over 5 years.

Measured and indicated pit resources total 132 million tonnes, with an additional inferred resource of 500,000 tonnes.

Indicated resources grew by 58% to 472,000 oz at 4.53 g/t.