My guess is these guys won't spend a cent on any exploration...

My guess is these guys won't spend a cent on any exploration until they have negotiated a mining agreement.
Why bother repeating what RWD has already done? Why waste money on all the necessary paperwork, clearances and so on. Ruane didn't get stuck into the evap trials at LD until he had an ILUA. He still hasn't re-drilled LD itself.
If they can't establish agreeable terms early they can move on but the money saved on exploration would substantially cover the upfront fee previously demanded by CDNTS.
I don't see any reason why discussions couldn't have already started if only on an informal basis until the tenements are granted.