Republic Of Mining.com aims to build awareness among the media, the general public and political decision makers about the economic and social benefits of sustainable mining practices in the 21st Century. These benefits include poverty alleviation and employment for First Nations communities and significant tax revenues for governments.
stan.sudol@republicofmining.com
Republic Of Mining
The mining industry is strategically vital and integral for the modern, prosperous lifestyles we are accustomed to in the West and for the hundreds of millions in China, India and other developing countries struggling to raise their standard of living.
Today, this economically important sector is under constant attack by a well-funded and “web-savvy” environmental movement which seems to dominate the Internet with their “green” propaganda. Partly because of this, the mining sector’s social license to operate is being questioned in many jurisdictions around the world including Canada.
It is estimated that over the next decade about 600 resource projects are underway or planned in this country worth more than $650 billion. Mining projects encompass almost $140 billion of that total.
The vast majority of these resource projects will be built in northern Canada and will have positive and transformative effects on First Nations communities. They will also make significant contributions to alleviating impoverished living conditions in many Aboriginal communities as well as generate enormous economic activity in southern Canada and tax revenues for all levels of government.
However, many urbanized Canadians, influential media pundits and political leaders know very little about the beneficial impacts of these resource projects and their contributions to the continuing high standard of living in Ontario and the rest of the country.
In February 2010, Ontario Premier McGuinty said, “In a highly competitive, knowledge-based global economy, we’re not going to succeed in Ontario by pulling stuff out of the ground. … Our natural resource sector is very important to us but we know that future growth will come on the development of our imaginations and our innovative capacities.”
“Truth be told, it’s pretty facile to blame a single premier for Ontario’s struggles, which have more to do with the province’s relative lack of natural resources and its traditionally close economic ties to the United States,” stated Globe and Mail journalist Adam Radwanski in a February 3, 2012 column.
And in his November 28, 2012 Liberal leadership announcement, Marc Garneau stated that the country had “almost returned to our colonial past,” in reference to Prime Minister Harper’s resource policies, “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” he continued. While Garneau acknowledged that some resource development was fine, he emphasized that Canada must focus on “a creative, innovative, knowledge economy.”
Republic of Mining will provide a much-needed industry perspective to Canadian and global audiences that may have difficulty finding information on the many social and economic benefits, technical advances, environmental successes and current challenges the mining sector faces in the 21st century.
Unlike most blogs that usually have only one writer or voice, Republic Of Mining is an aggregator linking to Canadian, northern Ontario and international media articles about the mining sector as well as posting blog producer Stan Sudol’s essays and columns on mining issues.
One of the most exciting new mining exploration camps in Canada is the exciting Ring of Fire region. The blog has the most extensive archives on the internet about this new discovery. Republic Of Mining will also post negative articles on the sector as the industry cannot afford to ignore mainstream media criticism on its activities around the world.
Republic Of Mining also pays close attention to the oil and gas industry as their political and environmental challenges mirror similar issues in the mining sector.
Regularly updated content about mining and oil/gas industry politics, industry profiles, green initiatives and commentary from key players, plus stories from the sector’s exciting past will ensure that the Republic of Mining will be a site worth visiting by the mainstream media, political decision makers and the general public.
In October, 2011, Australian-based Mining IQ, a mining guide and international learning and communications portal, put RepublicOfMining.com on its list of Top 10 Mining Blogs, one of only two Canadian sites to be included.
Mining IQ says, “This blog [RepublicOfMining.com] aims to build awareness among the media, the general public and political decision makers about the economic and social benefits of sustainable mining practices in the 21st Century. It has a really admirable mission statement and it rings true with the content on the site.”
Mining IQ continues, “We especially like the variety of categories available on the site with commentary from aboriginal mining to mining education and from women in mining through to green mining. Stan Sudol has hit the nail on the head with his enlightened approach.” For the entire top 10 mining blog list: http://www.miningiq.com/mining/articles/mining-industry-blogs-the-pick-of-the-crop-reveale/
Contact Stan Sudol at stan.sudol@republicofmining.com