Canada Mining – Page 327 – Republic of Mining

Ottawa ready to cede new powers to Northwest Territories – by John Ibbitson (Globe and Mail – January 30, 2013)

January 30, 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.

OTTAWA — The Harper government is on the brink of making the Northwest Territories a province in all but name by ceding federal control over land, resources and water.

Much of the territorial government has arrived in Ottawa. Premier Bob McLeod, his cabinet, deputy ministers and aboriginal and business leaders begin two days of talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and officials.

The people and government of the territory stand to benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in new resource revenues under the agreement, which will see the territorial and not the federal government primarily responsible for approving resource developments.

Mining output in NWT is expected to almost double in this decade. And the move fits with the Conservative government’s determination to retreat from federal environmental oversight in most jurisdictions.

The principal aim is to finalize devolution, as it’s called, of control over natural resources from Ottawa to Yellowknife. “It seems like everything is coming together,” Mr. McLeod said Tuesday in an interview. The territory is “on the verge of achieving devolution. … We are advancing on many fronts,” he said.

CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWS RELEASE: Not set in stone: The fight to preserve our competitive edge in mining

January 30, 2013January 30, 2013

Click here for the report: Mining Capital: How Canada Transformed Its Resources Endowment Into a Global Competitive Advantage

Toronto, January 30, 2013 — While Canada has successfully transformed its resource advantage in metals and minerals into a competitive edge across several connected industries, we need to ensure that the factors that made us the global leader in the sector are strengthened, according to a report issued today by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Entitled Mining Capital: How Canada Transformed Its Resources Endowment Into a Global Competitive Advantage, the report details how Canadian mining companies have provided the leverage for finance, insurance, speciality manufacturing and other related industries to succeed in highly competitive sectors.

Employing more than 320,000 Canadians, the core mining industries contributed $36.2 billion to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011. Mining exports in 2011 reached $102 billion (over a fifth of our nation’s total exports).

Toronto is the global capital of mining finance, British Columbia has the largest concentration of mining exploration firms in the world and Sudbury has a century of history as a mining center and over a dozen mines operating within city limits. Moreover, the Canadian mining industry is highly integrated into the global economy and is one of the few sectors where Canada has a strong external investment presence.

Mining companies need Ottawa’s help to solve shortage of workers – by Peter O’Neil (Vancouver Sun – January 29, 2013)

September 7, 2018January 30, 2013

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

Report says lack of skilled employees already causing costly mistakes

OTTAWA — Vancouver, Toronto and Sudbury are to Canada what Hollywood and Silicon Valley are to the U.S. — cities with a cluster of businesses built around a major industry that competes globally.

But the world-class industry in those Canadian cities — mining — needs government help, says a report to be released Wednesday.

According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce report, world-competitive industries emerge when they attract a large cluster of related companies to a particular area, such as Metro Vancouver, allowing for increased competition, economies of scale and innovation.

But, the report warns, renewed federal government efforts are needed if mining is to continue to attract and maintain the “clusters” of companies it needs — in finance, insurance, manufacturing and more — to Vancouver, Toronto and Sudbury.

The top challenge for governments is to help the industry resolve the skilled worker shortage “crisis” that, according to the report, is increasingly resulting in costly mistakes in mining operations.

Close ties with First Nations key to Canadian mining success – Fontaine – by Simon Rees (MiningWeekly.com – January 29, 2013)

January 29, 2013

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Few mining companies developing Canadian projects within First Nation (aboriginal) territory would do so without seeking to build a close working partnership.

Those who disregard or downplay the importance of First Nation consultation will find their projects languishing in a legal quagmire. Stemming from this, there can be a train of negative publicity, while subsequent and inevitable delays then dent potential investor confidence and shareholder opinion.

So why do some mining companies still make elementary mistakes in relation to First Nation communities? How can these be avoided and what are the best methods for fostering a close working relationship? If disputes do arise, what are the best methods to seek a fair and mutually-rewarding resolution?

Norton Rose’s senior advisor Phil Fontaine has a wealth of expertise within the field of advising mining companies how to build bonds with First Nations communities and how to construct strong and lasting partnerships. As a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (a post he held three times), Fontaine has also been instrumental in raising First Nations rights issues across Canada.

“The working environment has changed significantly,” he told Mining Weekly Online. “Even in the recent past there was no requirement to talk with First Nations communities.

COMMENT: Mining in north to double by 2020 – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – January 28, 2013)

May 4, 2015January 29, 2013

Marilyn Scales is a field editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication. She is one of Canada’s most senior mining commentators.

OTTAWA – The Conference Board of Canada has taken a close look and said that mining employment and production in Canada’s north can almost double by the end of this decade. The Board sees Canada’s overall northern metal and non-metallic mineral output growing by 91% from 2011 to 2020, a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. In contrast, the Canadian economy is forecast to grow by an average of just 2.2% annually over this period. The annual gross domestic product of mining in the north will reach $8.5 billion in 2020, up from $4.4 billion in 2011 (both figures in constant 2002 dollars).

That is a very rosy picture the Board has painted. But it is also the first to admit that the goal won’t be reached unless industry, government and communities address key issues including infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, skills shortages and Aboriginal rights.

“Mining is the future economic driver of Canada’s North. To fully reap the benefits of this potential, we must find the right balance between risk and opportunity,” said Anja Jeffrey, director, Centre for the North. “For instance, governments need to be conscious of how changes to the regulatory environment can affect communities and industry. Strong efforts to ensure a favourable business climate can leave communities feeling vulnerable. Going too far in the opposite direction can act as a deterrent to investment.

NEWS RELEASE: MINING IN CANADA’S NORTH EXPECTED TO NEARLY DOUBLE BY 2020, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES’ OUTLOOK TIED TO DIAMONDS

January 29, 2013

Ottawa, January 28, 2013 – The mining sector in Canada’s North is forecast to almost double its output and employment by the end of the decade – staggering growth compared to the Canadian economy as a whole. Achieving this outcome, however, depends on greater efforts by industry, governments and communities to address key issues including infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, skills shortages and Aboriginal rights, according to a Centre for the North report, The Future of Mining in Canada’s North.

The Conference Board of Canada forecasts that Canada’s overall northern metal and non-metallic mineral output will grow by 91 per cent from 2011 to 2020, a compound annual growth rate of 7.5 per cent. In contrast, the Canadian economy is forecast to grow by an average of just 2.2 per cent annually over this period.

The annual gross domestic product of mining in the north, which was $4.4 billion in 2011, is expected to reach $8.5 billion in 2020 (both figures in constant 2002 dollars).

In recent years, the Northwest Territories’ economy has been tied to the fortunes of the diamond mining industry. In 2007, industry output and employment peaked at almost $1.3 billion and a workforce of 2,200. The recession led to a sharp decline in diamond demand, and output will continue to decline through 2013. A revival in production at Diavik in 2014 and the beginning of operations at Gahcho Kue will mitigate some of the decline in output.

Developers struggle to balance exploration with native consultations – by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail – January 28, 2013)

January 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.

OTTAWA — As the first aboriginal president of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, Glenn Nolan has a unique understanding of the resource sector’s increasingly onerous duty to consult with First Nations when developing mining or energy projects.

Mr. Nolan is vice-president of NorOnt Resources Ltd., one of the leading companies developing the mineral deposits in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire district. He knows how critical it is, in a hyper-competitive industry, for mining companies to be able to move swiftly and secretively in establishing claims to promising tracts of land.

But as a former chief of the Missanabie Cree from northeastern Ontario, he is also acutely aware of the potential for resource development to help lift Canada’s First Nations out of crushing poverty, and the need for a respectful partnership between industry, government and the indigenous people.

“We’ve been saying all along to our [Prospectors & Developers Association] members that the best strategy is to go in at the earliest opportunity and talk to the community,” Mr. Nolan said. “And that means as soon as you’ve secured the land tenure.”

Armed clash at Canadian-owned copper mine in Peru injures at least 4 – by Franklin Briceno (Vancouver Sun – January 25, 2013)

January 26, 2013

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

The Associated Press – LIMA, Peru – At least four people were wounded Friday when police turned back several hundred peasants who were trying to enter a Canadian-owned copper mine where drilling began last month.

A local doctor told The Associated Press by phone that at least a dozen were wounded in the clash in the temperate Quechua-speaking highlands of Peru’s northern state of Lambayeque.

The doctor said one protester, 57, was shot in the back. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety. Hermogenes Tantarico, the wounded man’s son, said his father “received a bullet in the back and a lot of shotgun pellets in the legs and elsewhere that left him unconscious.”

Regional police commander Col. Jorge Linares denied live ammunition was used. He said police only used tear gas and rubber bullets. One of the protesters, Florentino Barrios, said 27 were hurt, a lot from shotgun pellets.

International human rights groups criticized Peru’s government last year for so readily using live ammunition against protesters after five were killed in anti-mining protests in July.

James C. O’Rourke (Born 1939) – 2013 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

January 25, 2013January 25, 2013

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by the late Maurice R. Brown, former editor and publisher of The Northern Miner, as a way to recognize and honour the legendary mine finders and builders of a great Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988. For more information about the extraordinary individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, please go to their home website: http://mininghalloffame.ca/

(L to R) James C. O'Rourke and Graham Farquharson — (L to R) James C. O’Rourke and Graham Farquharson

James O’Rourke began his career as a mining engineer working on a new generation of mines being developed by visionary industry leaders during the expansionary post-war decades. This rare experience set the stage for a successful career as a mine-maker, company builder and advocate of progressive industry partnerships. He exemplifies the optimistic spirit of his native British Columbia, where he played leadership roles in the development of the Quinsam coal mine, the Cassiar asbestos mine, the Huckleberry copper mine, and the Similco copper mine, later revived and expanded as Copper Mountain, among other endeavors.

In addition to building companies such as Princeton Mining and Copper Mountain Mining Corporation, he forged strong partnerships with Pacific Rim trading partners, setting a precedent for other companies and industries to follow as part of the Pacific Gateway initiative.

Pierre Lassonde (Born 1947) – 2013 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

March 9, 2018January 25, 2013

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.

(L to R) Pierre Lassonde and Seymour Schulich

Pierre Lassonde has long believed that a nation’s natural resources are not its commodities, but its people. He proved this true during his own exemplary career as a professional engineer, astute investor, innovative financier, etrepreneurial company builder, dedicated philanthropist, and senior statesman of Canada’s mining and investment industries. He also invested in human resources through generous contributions to universities that continue to produce enduring and incalculable returns, including a new generation of industry professionals.

Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Lassonde earned a degree in electrical engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal, followed by a MBA from the University of Utah in 1973. After a stint with Bechtel in San Francisco, he joined Beutel Goodman & Company and managed its successful gold investment fund for more than a decade. He launched Franco-Nevada Mining in 1982, after teaming up with Seymour Schulich.

Gerald W. Grandey (Born 1946) – 2013 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

January 25, 2013January 25, 2013

(L to R) Gerald W. Grandey and Chris Twigge-Molecey

When Gerald Grandey joined Cameco Corporation in 1993, his mandate as senior vice-president of marketing and corporate development was to help the company grow beyond its core Rabbit Lake and Key Lake uranium mines in Saskatchewan. He rose to that challenge and many others after becoming president and CEO in the early 2000s. When he retired in 2011, Cameco accounted for 16% of the world’s uranium with five mines in Canada, the United States and Kazakhstan, and was an integrated nuclear energy company.

But Grandey did more than expand production and increase market capitalization by 350% to $9.6 billion from $2.1 billion. He helped Cameco become Canada’s largest industrial employer of Aboriginal people and a world leader in nuclear safety, played a pivotal role in a global nuclear disarmament agreement, and raised the profile of nuclear power as clean energy.

Charles E. Fipke (Born 1946) – 2013 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

January 25, 2013January 25, 2013

Geologists and prospectors had searched for diamond deposits in North America for more than a century with only teasing hints of success until the discovery of a cluster of kimberlites in the Northwest Territories that became Ekati, Canada’s first diamond mine. This groundbreaking discovery, synonymous with the name of Charles E. (Chuck) Fipke, was the culmination of Fipke’s relentless pursuit of elusive diamond indicator minerals for hundreds of kilometres from the Mackenzie River Valley eastward to their source near Lac de Gras.

Other key contributors in his quest were his associate, geologist Stewart Blusson, economic geologist Hugo Dummett and University of Cape Town professor John Gurney. The epic success of this discovery, achieved on a shoestring budget through innovative science, sparked a staking rush, inspired other diamond discoveries and created a new industry for Canada.

Mining juniors in crisis – gold explorers particularly badly hit – by Lawrence Williams (Mineweb.com – January 25, 2013)

January 25, 2013

http://www.mineweb.com/

The junior gold mining and exploration sector is currently at a very low ebb – but the better juniors will survive regardless and now provide tremendous opportunities for the savvy investor.

LONDON (MINEWEB) – Feedback from the Vancouver Resource Investment meeting last week suggests the junior mining crisis is really hitting home and unless there is a turnaround soon a significant number of junior gold explorers in particular will no longer be with us even by mid-year, and certainly not by this time next year.

A conference and exhibition primarily involving junior miners and explorers, and particularly one taking place in Vancouver where the largest proportion of North American juniors are headquartered, is an excellent venue for judging the state of the industry.

And on reviewing this year’s Cambridge House event the junior mining sector is in a precarious state at present with companies finding it difficult, if not impossible, to raise new funds to keep themselves afloat.

Stock prices are so low that new share issues are not really an option, while banks and financial institutions are just not prepared to take the risk of lending to companies in a sector that, even in good times, can prove a risky one for which to provide finance.

Excerpt from “The History of Mining: The events, technology and people involved in the industry that forged the modern world” – by Michael Coulson

January 23, 2013

To order a copy of The History of Mining please click here: http://www.harriman-house.com/products/books/23161/business/Michael-Coulson/The-History-of-Mining/

CANADIAN GOLD RUSHES/ NOAH TIMMINS (1867-1936)

The 19th century ended with Canada firmly in the world’s consciousness thanks to the fabulous Klondike gold rush. By the middle of the 20th century Canada would be established as one of the most powerful economies in the world and an important diplomatic player following its key roll on the Allied side in both world wars. The economic underpinning, which enabled Canada to advance to the edge of major power status, was mining. In 1900 the country produced minerals to the value of US$64 million – by the beginning of the Second World War that figure had risen to $567 million and today it is nearer to $45 billion.

Today Canada’s population is only around 35 million, making it very much a mid-range country in those terms, but it is a long-standing member of the Group of 7 (or G7), the meeting of the largest economies in the world. Its standard of living is amongst the highest in the world and its proximity to the world’s largest economy, the USA, is of major benefit as Canada is an exporter of high quality, high value, advanced products to its rich neighbour.

Inmet digs in its heels on Cobre Panama’s value – by Pav Jordan (Globe and Mail – January 23, 2013)

January 23, 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.

A $5.1-billion takeover bid for Inmet Mining Corp. does not begin to capture the value of its star copper asset in Panama, said chief executive officer Jochen Tilk, and the project may be even bigger than currently proposed.

“[The bid amount] is simply too low,” Mr. Tilk said in an interview after the Toronto mining company filed a circular on Tuesday that recommended shareholders vote against a hostile, $72-a-share bid from rival First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

Citing the conclusions of a special committee of independent directors as well as input from financial and legal advisers, the Inmet board also said it is talking to a number of third parties regarding strategic alternatives to the hostile bid, and has signed confidentiality and standstill agreements with “a number” of those.

Cobre Panama is due to come on stream in 2016, which would add, under the current design, 300,000 tonnes of copper to global production at a time when demand is expected to rise and there will be scant new supply.

The $6.2-billion project will be the largest mining development in Central America and Mr. Tilk said that by adding another one or two milling lines on top of what is already contemplated, there is the potential for a mine with annual output of as much as 500,000 tonnes.