Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas – Page 173

Powering the Far North – by Bryan Phelan (Onotassiniik Magazine – Winter 2013/2014)

November 8, 2013

Hydro transmission plans for remote First Nations and mines

An Ontario Power Authority (OPA) plan, to be finalized by the end of this year, shows there is a “strong economic case” for connecting 21 remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario to the province’s hydro grid.

The First Nations, including the five Matawa tribal council communities closest to the Ring of Fire mining development, currently rely on diesel generators for their electricity – generally described as an expensive, unreliable, dirty, and growth restricting source.

While co-ordinated efforts between remote communities and mining companies could reduce power costs for both groups, OPA draft plans show it makes economic sense to build hydro transmission lines to the First Nations even without connection to future mines in the Ring of Fire. OPA, which plans Ontario’s electricity system for the long term, figures hydro grid connection to the 21 remote communities would eliminate about half a billion dollars in diesel generation costs over 40 years, while providing a cleaner and more reliable electrical supply.

Ring of Fire Statement – by the Hon. Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines (November 8, 2013)

November 9, 2013November 8, 2013

(L to R) Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines at the PDAC Convention, March, 2013. (Photo by Stan Sudol)

Friday November 8th, 2013

The Ring of Fire is a tremendous opportunity, with incredible potential to unlock economic potential within the region, create thousands of jobs and significantly strengthen our economy for years to come. There is no question that this is a very complex undertaking, particularly when one acknowledges that this is a major resource development project in a remote part of the province that has never seen development before. That is why it’s so important that we lay the necessary groundwork now. And that work is underway;

– A historic regional process with Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council, led by former Justice Iacobucci and Bob Rae;
– Capacity building, to ensure people have the training and skills required to take advantage of the benefits developing the region will bring;
– Community readiness initiatives, to support communities as they become vital transportation hubs and new centres for the mining services and supply sector, a sector sure to see incredible growth; and
– Certainly our work with interested companies continues to show progress.

ONTARIO GOVERNMENT NEWS RELEASE: Moving Forward on the Ring of Fire

November 8, 2013

Ontario Leading the Creation of a Development Corporation for Ring of Fire Infrastructure

November 8, 2013

Ontario is taking a significant step forward toward the development of the Ring of Fire. The province will lead the creation of a development corporation that would bring together private and public parties, including First Nations, mining companies, as well as the federal and provincial governments. This continues Ontario’s smart, sustainable and collaborative approach to the Ring of Fire.

The corporation would develop, construct, finance, operate and maintain infrastructure supporting access to strategic resources in the Ring of Fire. The province will begin immediate work with partners, including the federal government, on the development corporation to determine its scope and a suitable governance model.

Premier Wynne has written Prime Minister Harper seeking a role for the federal government to partner with Ontario, through the development corporation, in order to develop vital infrastructure investments for the region.

Ontario continues to be committed to smart, sustainable and collaborative development in the Ring of Fire, subject to all necessary environmental assessment and regulatory processes while ensuring the Crown fulfils its duty to consult.

Taseko fires back at federal report claiming B.C. mine poses environmental threat – by Peter Koven (National Post – November 6, 2013)

November 7, 2013

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Taseko Mines Ltd. has a blunt message for Natural Resources Canada: you got it wrong.

But it is unclear what the federal government thinks of that message, or how it will impact Taseko’s efforts to build the New Prosperity mine in British Columbia.

Taseko’s statement came less than a week after a Federal Review Panel issued a damning report on New Prosperity. According to the panel, the proposed mine could create “significant adverse environmental effects” on local fish habitats and First Nations interests because of potential seepage from a tailings facility into nearby Fish Lake.

The panel report is important, as the government will review it before ruling on whether New Prosperity should go ahead. A highly negative report can swing Ottawa’s decision. According to Taseko, the report is badly flawed.

The company said it appears that Natural Resources Canada (NRC), a federal agency, studied the wrong tailings design when it evaluated New Prosperity.

Taseko Prosperity Mine Environmental Study Predicts Death Of Fish Lake – by Vivian Luk (Canadian Press/Huffington Post – November 1, 2013)

November 4, 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

VANCOUVER – Those for and against the controversial proposal for the billion-dollar New Prosperity Mine in British Columbia are drawing much different conclusions from their interpretation of a federal environmental review for the site.

The study by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, released late Thursday, concluded the open pit gold and copper mine proposed by Taseko (TSX:TKO) in B.C.’s central Interior would pose “several severely adverse environmental effects” on water quality, fish and fish habitat in a lake considered sacred by the area’s First Nations.

The project would likely pollute Fish Lake, known as Teztan Biny to First Nations, and endanger the aboriginal way of life and cultural identity, the report said.

This is the second time the federal review panel has rejected the project. The original proposal for the site southwest of Williams Lake was approved by the provincial government, but rejected by the federal government in 2010 because the plan was to drain the lake for use as a tailings pond.

New environmental review offers critical view of Taseko mine proposal – by Canadian Press (Globe and Mail – November 1, 2013)

November 1, 2013

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.

VANCOUVER — A new environmental study into Taseko Mines Ltd. billion-dollar New Prosperity mine proposal in British Columbia says it would pose “several significant adverse environmental effects“

Taseko’s proposal received provincial approval in 2010 but the federal government rejected the original plan, which would have drained a lake of cultural significance to First Nations for use as a tailings pond.

Taseko then submitted a new plan for the site in the Chilcotin region 550 kilometres northeast of Vancouver and said it would save Fish Lake and prevent contamination from groundwater seepage from a tailings pond that it would instead locate several kilometres away.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency report released Thursday said Taseko has underestimated the volume of water that would leave a tailings storage facility and there was “considerable uncertainty” regarding Taseko’s contingency plan for water treatment.

Northern summit to be held in Timmins – Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – November 1, 2013)

November 1, 2013

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Ontario cabinet ministers will converge on Timmins in early December to meet with Northern leaders. On Thursday, Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle announced plans to host a Northern Leaders’ Forum on Dec. 6 in Timmins. The meeting will involve municipal, Aboriginal, business, industry and education leaders from across the North.

The main topic for discussion will be how best to implement the provincial government’s Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.

“Our government first released the Growth Plan as a blueprint for job creation and economic development throughout Northern Ontario,” Gravelle said. “Since its release, we have seen communities, organizations, and Aboriginal groups achieve some amazing things that have unequivocally proven my belief in the strength and resilience that we all share as Northerners.

“I am very pleased that our government is able to fulfil the request of the Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors (NOLUM) and bring together key government ministers and community and Aboriginal leaders from across Northern Ontario to renew momentum and drive forward the next phase of the Growth Plan.”

New Prosperity mine would have ‘adverse environmental effects,’ panel finds – CBC News British Columbia (October 31, 2013)

November 1, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/bc/

Review Board panel says mine would negatively impact water quality, fish habitat and local First Nations

The Federal Review Panel released its long-anticipated report on the proposed New Prosperity copper-gold mine on Thursday night, concluding the mine “would result in several significant adverse environmental effects.”

The report specifically says that the mine would negatively impact water quality, fish and fish habitat in Fish Lake, land and resource use, and the cultural heritage of two First Nations directly impacted by the proposal.

Additionally, the panel found that the mine would have a “significant adverse cumulative effect” on the south Chilcotin grizzly bear population without considerable mitigation measures in place.

This is the second time the project has been reviewed by a federal panel. In 2010, the original proposal from Taseko Mines Ltd was found to have significant environmental shortfalls and was rejected by the Ministry of Environment.

First Nations aren’t swayed by vague promises – by Ken Coates and Brian Lee Crowley (Globe and Mail – October 28, 2013)

October 28, 2013

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.

Until the shale gas exploration protests by members of the Elsipogtog First Nation took a nasty turn recently, the country was paying little attention to aboriginal concerns about resource activity in New Brunswick. Now Elsipogtog is Burnt Church redux, another example of angry clashes over First Nations rights.

The New Brunswick controversy has two elements. Unease about shale gas development brought many non-aboriginal people to join with the First Nations, with escalating demands for a provincial government moratorium on exploration activity. This kind of environmentalist-indigenous alliance is not uncommon; similar joint protests interrupted plans for the Enbridge pipeline project in northern British Columbia. These connections have proven shaky in the past and are not certain to endure.

The second element – the assertion that First Nations deserve a much greater role in resource development decision-making and the resulting prosperity – is much deeper and more important. Members of the Elsipogtog First Nation do not want exploratory activity to continue, insisting that their right to be consulted and accommodated starts at the first stages of development. Without greater involvement – the word “veto” is not being used officially, but it is clearly in the air – they simply see no value in allowing resource development to proceed.

Mining: ‘More benefits, less paperwork’ – by Marlene Bilous (Anishinabek News – October 28, 2013)

October 28, 2013

http://anishinabeknews.ca/

FORT WILLIAM FN –Lake Superior region Chiefs are looking for more benefits and less paperwork related to mining activities on their traditional territories.

Participants in an Oct. 9-10 Northern Superior Regional Mining Workshop were unanimous in their call for increased capacity at the local level to protect Anishinabek and treaty rights and to respond to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines heavy paperwork burden resulting from the new mining regulations. Furthermore, they stressed the need for a mining coordinator at the UOI Northern Superior office.

Workshop participants emphasized the need for changes to the new mining regulations made mandatory on April 1, 2013. Councillor Ed Wawia, Red Rock First Nation, emphasized that mining companies need to come to First Nation band offices and outline their exploration plans before they set foot on treaty or traditional territory.

“They should make the band office their first stop and we should be involved from the beginning and at each stage of the mining process.”

Sudbury mining firm sues province for $110M – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 26, 2013)

October 28, 2013

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

A Sudbury-based resource company has filed a $110-million lawsuit against the Government of Ontario, charging it has “absolutely failed” to fulfil its constitutional duty to establish a framework to help companies and first nations settle mining deals.

Northern Superior Resources Inc. filed the statement of claim Thursday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for damages it says it’s incurring by not being able to access its Thorne Lake, Meston Lake and Rapson Lake gold properties. They are located just west of the Ring of Fire.

None of the allegations contained in the lawsuit have been proven in court.

Tom Morris, president and chief executive officer of Northern Superior, says the Government of Ontario is failing both mining companies and first nations by not ensuring consultation occurs as required under the Mining Act.

Northern Superior has had successful negotiations with Cree nations in northern Quebec and with the Neskantanga First Nation in northwestern Ontario, said Morris.

Cliffs appeals mining commissioner’s ruling on proposed road – by Bryan Phelan (Wawatay News – October 25, 2013)

October 25, 2013

http://wawataynews.ca/

Cliffs Natural Resources has appealed a decision by the Ontario Mining and Lands Commissioner that stops Cliffs from building an all-weather road to the Ring of Fire over mining claims held by another company. KWG Resources, which through its subsidiary company Canada Chrome Corporation holds mining claims Cliffs wants to cross with its proposed $600-million road, received notice of the appeal Oct. 9.

Cliffs planned the 340-kilometre road to transport ore south from its proposed Black Thor chromite mine to Nakina, where it would then be taken by rail to a ferrochrome processing plant to be built near Sudbury. But KWG did not consent to the right-of-way requested by Cliffs for building the road over the Canada Chrome claims, staked on high ground in 2009 for a future railroad to the Ring of Fire mining development.

That put the matter before the mining commissioner, Linda Kamerman, in 2012. This fall, on Sept. 10, she dismissed the application from Cliffs for the easement.

“Canada Chrome Corporation’s ability to work its claims will be negatively affected by the existence of a road and all that goes with it, including the movement of numerous heavy trucks every day,” she wrote in her 43-page ruling.

Ring of Fire realities – by Matt Vis (tbnewswatch.com – October 25, 2013)

October 25, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

You can’t snap your fingers and expect to make issues surrounding the Ring of Fire development process disappear, says Bob Rae.

Rae, lead negotiator for the Matawa Tribal Council for all things concerning the region’s mega mining project, said the recent decision by the Mining and Lands Commissioner to reject Cliffs Natural Resources plans for a road may have been unexpected, but it is something that has to be worked around.

The former premier of Ontario and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada was in Thunder Bay Friday as part of Confederation College’s Wiicitaakewin Speaker Series.

“We obviously all want to see the companies continue to take an interest in what’s going on, and take an interest in building in the days ahead,” Rae told local reporters following the session. “But it has to be done in a way that reflects the interests of all the communities and reflects the reality that we have to work inside the law.”

Cliffs has since appealed the ruling, and has made public that its Ring of Fire projects could be in jeopardy if their plans for a 300-kilometre access road are not approved.

NEWS RELEASE: Ontario’s Mining Policy Puts Sector at Risk: Northern Superior commences legal action against Government of Ontario for $110,000,000

October 25, 2013

Sudbury, Ontario, October 25th, 2013 – Northern Superior Resources Inc. (NSR) (TSXV:SUP) today filed a statement of claim against the Ontario Government for $110 million in damages, as a result of extraordinary circumstances leading to its inability to access its Thorne Lake, Meston Lake, and Rapson Bay gold properties in northwestern Ontario.

“The Ontario Government claims to be open for business to mining companies and the significant economic benefits they bring, but the reality is that they have abandoned their responsibility under the Mining Act to ensure that consultation takes place between mining companies like ours and First Nations communities,” said Tom Morris, President & CEO, Northern Superior Resources. “If they don’t provide the stability of clear rules and an improved framework to allow mining companies and First Nations communities to reach agreements, then investment dollars will go elsewhere.”

NSR’s statement of claim outlines the Company’s experiences between 2005 and 2011 as it attempted to engage local First Nations communities in exploring its mining claims. The Company was subjected to extraordinary actions, including the holding of employees in the community until payments were made. These, along with other actions, made continued exploration of NSR’s properties impossible.

In addition, the Government’s actions to resolve similar land access disputes in the area, including the withdrawal from mining of 23,000 sq. km. of Crown lands in the area of NSR’s claim, have only served to further damage the value of NSR’s investment.

‘They are legal’ [KWG staking corridor into Ring of Fire] – by Jamie Smith (tbnewswatch.com – October 23, 2013)

October 23, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

A staked corridor into the Ring of Fire was done illegally, accuses a First Nations chief.

In 2009 KWG Resources staked a north-south corridor leading into the area as a proposed rail route. The staked area was vital for the project as a series of sand ridges averaging 100 metres wide covered an otherwise impassable stretch of land.

Cliffs Natural Resources wants to use that same corridor for an all-weather road. Recently officials with the Cleveland-based mining company said their plans for the Ring of Fire might be in jeopardy if the province doesn’t step in and allow for construction of the all-season road.

Marten Falls chief Eli Moonias said Wednesday that the corridor was staked illegally and without consultation with his community while members were protesting near the Ring of Fire in 2009.

“If they had worked with us from the beginning we might not be in the position that we’re in now,” he said during an interview with CKPR Radio Wednesday. Moe Lavigne, KWG’s vice-president of exploration and development, said that under the provincial mining act the only way to make claims is to stake them, which is what the company did.