2012 – Page 137 – Republic of Mining

World’s mining powers converge in Toronto – by Prithi Yelaja (CBC News – March 7, 2012)

March 10, 2012

http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Convention generates $72M for Toronto’s economy

It’s billed as the premier mining conference in the world, attracting both those who enthusiastically want to expand mineral exploration and excavation, as well as those who want to stop it.

From its humble beginnings at the King Edward Hotel in 1932 when rough-and-ready prospectors would come in fresh from the field, laying their mineral finds on the table to seek deals with Bay Street investors, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual convention has evolved into a glitzy four-day affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The conference, which ends Wednesday, draws 30,000 investors, analysts, mining executives, geologists, prospectors and government officials from 120 countries. African and South American countries were represented in full force at the convention.

Instead of mineral samples — though some conference delegates still bring those — these days, glossy brochures and high-tech presentations are used to seal deals, not to mention the wooing of potential investors with free-flowing beer and fancy cocktail parties after hours.

It is time for Quebec to stop investing in asbestos – by Suzanne Dubois (Montreal Gazette – March 6, 2012)

March 10, 2012

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

Suzanne Dubois is executive director of the Quebec division of the Canadian Cancer Society.

There has been much discussion in the media lately regarding the status of asbestos in Quebec. The province is at a historic juncture: for the first time in 130 years, it no longer produces this mineral resource. This break in production is an opportunity to put an end to the use of a recognized carcinogen. There is no safe application of asbestos, which has already claimed too many lives, here and elsewhere.

All forms of asbestos cause cancer, including lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer. Yet the government of Quebec is set to assist in the reopening of the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos with loan guarantees of $58 million, quashing public discussion of this critical issue in the process.

The Canadian Cancer Society is firmly opposed to all investment of public funds in asbestos mining. The society believes that greater effort must be made to manage asbestos wherever it is present (producing a registry of buildings that contain it, and removing it when possible).

Seems even Harper and Charest can’t save Canada’s deadly asbestos exports – by Gerald Caplan (Globe and Mail – March 9, 2012)

March 10, 2012

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

Despite Stephen Harper and Jean Charest, it appears increasingly likely Canada will export no more Quebec-mined asbestos to countries like India and Indonesia, where it could bring misery and death to those who come in contact with it. Almost all those affected would be very poor workers and their families. But to the bitter end, the two leaders have been determined to preserve Canada’s shameful record of knowingly exporting a carcinogen.

In the face of denunciations of asbestos exports by virtually all health authorities, the Prime Minister made it a point during last year’s election campaign to visit the riding held by Christian Paradis, home to one of Canada’s two last remaining asbestos mines. Both mines are now closed, but Mr. Paradis wants them re-opened. He has long been a proponent of asbestos exports, dismissing out of hand all the proven health risks as well as all the Canadians who have died hideous, prolonged deaths from exposure to the substance.

Mr. Harper has since promoted Mr. Paradis to be Industry Minister. And last June, a month after forming his majority government, he chose to celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day in his young minister’s riding – and in the town of Thetford Mines itself, the actual home of the asbestos mine Mr. Paradis wants to see re-opened.

Quebec’s Plan Nord provides fodder for Northern leaders – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 9, 2012)

March 10, 2012

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

Meat on the bone?

Talk is cheap to Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson when it comes to the Ontario government’s commitment to invest in the Far North.

Wilson was one of the organizers behind a January presentation in Thunder Bay that gathered some of the architects of Quebec’s Plan Nord who outlined the province’s blueprint for development in that region.

The invitation, extended to consultants from National Public Relations, was to discover what the plan was, where the parallels were with the Northern Ontario Growth Plan, and where the two plans diverge.

The presentation has gotten tongues wagging, especially in northwestern Ontario, when comparing and contrasting it with the growth plan. While Quebec is forging ahead with an $80-billion provincial investment, Wilson said Ontario is lagging behind.

Indonesia rattles foreign miners with ‘51% after 10 years’ ownership change – by Reza Thaher and Neil Chatterjee (Mineweb.com – March 7, 2012)

March 10, 2012

wwww.mineweb.com

The new regulation will force foreign companies to sell down stakes in mines by the 10th year of production, with domestic ownership to be at least 51%.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will take more of the profits from its vast mineral resources by limiting foreign ownership of mines in a move likely to scare off new investment in the world’s top exporter of thermal coal and tin.

Under new rules announced on the mining ministry’s website, Southeast Asia’s largest economy will require foreign companies to sell down stakes in mines and increase domestic ownership to at least 51 percent by the 10th year of production.

The move is part of a global trend of increased resource nationalization that is pushing up the costs of mining for international companies and giving governments in emerging market countries more cash and clout.

Indonesia may have a fresh stamp of approval from ratings agencies as an investment grade nation, but the unexpected regulation underlines continuing policy uncertainties that have long been a major risk for investors hoping to tap some of the world’s richest deposits of coal, gold and copper.

Fire closes [Sudbury Vale’s] Levack mine – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – March 10, 2012)

March 10, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Day shift at Coleman Mine was cancelled Friday and about 100 night-shift employees were locked down for several hours after a small fire early Friday morning at the mine in Levack.

Vale spokeswoman Amanda Eady said the company’s fire emergency system was activated at 3:42 a.m. when a small, 3.5-yard scoop tram caught fire on the 4,810-foot level of the mine.

Production and maintenance workers on the job were alerted about the fire with the release of stench, said Eady. Stench is a strong warning gas that smells like onions and rotten eggs. That was the signal for workers to report to refuge stations where all were soon accounted for, said Eady.

Vale’s mine rescue team was dispatched, and ensured the fire was out and the area was properly ventilated before the all-clear was given and night-shift employees returned to surface shortly after 10 a.m.

Making progress on mining issues in Ontario’s north – by Anna Baggio (CPAWs Wildlands League – March 8, 2012)

March 10, 2012

http://cpaws.org/

Anna Baggio is the Director Conservation Land Use Planning, CPAWs Wildlands League (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society)

This past week, Ontario made a historic announcement and protected over 2.3 million ha of native lands from staking and prospecting in the far north. This was in response to the long standing moratorium declared by Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI). In its announcement, the government said it withdrew the lands “from prospecting and mining claim staking to give clarity to the province’s mineral exploration industry and avoid future disagreements over the land in question”.

To give you a sense of the size of this area, picture not 1 Greenbelt or 2 Greenbelts around Metro Toronto, picture something bigger than 3 Greenbelts or more than 3 Algonquin Parks. The last time Ontario withdrew land on this scale was in 1999 during Lands for Life. The last time Ontario withdrew anything this size in one shot was in 1970 when they established Polar Bear Provincial Park. See the map here.

2012 PDAC Special Achievement Award – Mine Training Society Northwest Territories

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Hugh McSwain, North Slave Metis Alliance, Mine Training Society Board; Joe Hinzer, Co-Chair of the PDAC 2012 Convention Planning Committee

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Special Achievement Award

From time to time, the PDAC presents a Special Achievement Award that recognizes exceptional contributions to the mineral industry. This year, the association has chosen to honour the Mine Training Society (MTS) for providing Aboriginal people in northern Canada with the opportunity to develop usable job skills for the mining industry and for developing a pool of skilled workers for the industry.

MTS is a non-profit organization comprising Aboriginal, industry, and government partners. Its objectives are to: i) screen, select, train, and place northerners in all areas of mining; and ii) in cooperation with the NWT’s education system and communities, build a legacy of education and awareness about the employee and skill requirements of the mining industry.

2012 PDAC Thayer Lindsley Award for an international mineral discovery

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) David Giles, Vice-President Exploration, Fresnillo Plc.; Edward Thompson, PDAC Former President and Chair of Awards Committee

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Thayer Lindsley Award for an international mineral discovery

This award, honouring the memory of one of Canada’s greatest mine finders, recognizes an individual or a team of explorationists credited with a recent significant mineral discovery anywhere in the world.

David A. Giles is the recipient of this year’s award for heading Peñoles and Fresnillo plc exploration teams that have seen considerable success in the number of their new economic gold and silver deposit finds in Mexico and Latin America.

2012 PDAC Viola R. MacMillan Award for company or mine development – Osisko Mining Corporation

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Sean Roosen, President and CEO, Osisko Mining Corporation; Rod Thomas, Second Vice-President, Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Viola R. MacMillan Award for company or mine development

This award is named in honour of the PDAC’s longest serving president and is given to a person or company demonstrating leadership in management and financing for the exploration and development of mineral resources.

The PDAC has selected Osisko Mining Corp. to receive this award for successfully developing and bringing into production the company’s Canadian Malartic gold property in Quebec’s Abitibi gold belt. In November 2004, Osisko acquired the property, which had produced some 5 million ounces of gold from 1935 to 1983 from four mines (Canadian Malartic, Barnat, Sladen and East Malartic). A detailed compilation of the extensive historical database was followed by the start of a major drilling program in March 2005.

2012 PDAC Skookum Jim Award for Aboriginal achievement in the mineral industry – Nuna Group of Companies

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Charlie Lyall, the former president of the Kitikmeot Corp.; Glenn Nolan, incoming President of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Skookum Jim Award for Aboriginal achievement in the mineral industry

Recipients of this award will have demonstrated exceptional achievement and/or service in an aboriginal-run service business for the Canadian mining industry or a Canadian aboriginal exploration or mining company, or have made a significant individual contribution to the mining industry.

This year’s award is being presented to the Nuna Group of Companies for providing mining and construction services to mining companies in northern Canada and training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal People in the North. Nuna was formed in 1993 and is 51% Inuit-owned [Nunasi Corporation (25.5%); Kitikmeot Corporation (25.5%); and Nuna Management (49%)].

2012 PDAC Distinguished Service Award – Deborah McCombe

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Deborah McCombe, Executive Vice-President, Business Development for Roscoe Postle & Associates; Patricia Dillon, Past PDAC President

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Distinguished Service Award

This award recognizes an individual who has achieved one or more of the following: made a substantial contribution to mineral exploration and mining development over a number of years; given considerable time and effort to the PDAC; made outstanding contributions to the mineral industry in the field of finance, geology, geophysics, geochemistry research, or a related activity.

Deborah McCombe is the recipient of this year’s award for her many contributions and distinguished service to the mineral industry and its supporting organizations, including the PDAC. Mrs. McCombe served as a PDAC director from 1996 to 2011.

For much of that period, she chaired the association’s international affairs committee. She was also a member of the convention planning committee and served on the governance and strategic planning committees. Mrs. McCombe has also been an active supporter of the CIM, serving on the Mining Millennium 2000 convention organizing committee and chairing the CIM Toronto branch in 2003.

2012 PDAC Environmental & Social Responsibility Award – Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining Program

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Pierre Gratton, President and CEO Mining Association of Canada; Ross Gallinger, Executive Director of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Environmental & Social Responsibility Award

This award honours an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding initiative, leadership and accomplishment in protecting and preserving the natural environment and/or in establishing good community relations during an exploration program or operation of a mine.

This award recognizes Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), a stewardship program developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) that aims to improve the mining industry’s overall performance by aligning its actions with the priorities and values of Canadians.

The program was created in 2004 to help mining companies evaluate the quality, comprehensiveness, and robustness of their management systems under several performance elements (tailings management; energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management; aboriginal and community outreach; crisis management planning; biodiversity conservation management; and safety and health). Participation in TSM is a condition of membership in MAC.

2012 PDAC (Prospector of the Year) Bill Dennis Award Winner – Gerald Panneton, President and CEO of Detour Gold Corp

March 25, 2018March 9, 2012

(L to R) Scott Jobin-Bevans, outgoing PDAC President; Gerald Panneton, President and CEO of Detour Gold Corporation&

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Bill Dennis Award for a Canadian discovery or prospecting success

This award, named for a former president of the association, honours individuals who have accomplished one or both of the following: made a significant mineral discovery; made an important contribution to the prospecting and/or exploration industry. The award may also be used to recognize an important mineral discovery in Canada.

Gerald Panneton, President and CEO of Detour Gold Corp., receives this award for his leadership of the team that has advanced the Detour Lake property in northern Ontario into a world-class, low-grade, high tonnage gold deposit.