Twitter

Corporate Social Responsibility

ACCENT: Clean AER in works for Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – March 31, 2012)

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

Dave Stefanuto tells the story of taking his two young sons to Science North, where they love the space exhibits on the top floor.  One time, he pointed the boys to a photograph of Apollo astronauts walking on the rocky landscape that was Sudbury in the 1970s.

“How come they’re wearing shorts on the moon?” one of his sons asked him, to which Stefanuto replied: “That’s not the moon, that’s Sudbury.” It’s a sobering reminder that Sudbury wasn’t always as green as it is today.

Sudbury was the butt of jokes four decades ago and for years after those astronauts visited a city whose landscape was a dead-ringer for the moon. Anyone who has visited the Nickel City in the last 25 years has had no reason to laugh at us. In three years’ time, they will have even less.

Stefanuto, 39, has come back to Sudbury after seven or eight years spent working for Vale in Newfoundland and Labrador. He came back home to head up Vale’s $2-billion Clean AER (Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) Project.

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: Stornoway Signs Impacts And Benefits Agreement For The Renard Diamond Project

March 27, 2012

Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX-SWY) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an Impacts and Benefits Agreement for the Renard Diamond Project with the Cree Nation of Mistissini (“CNM”) and the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) / Cree Regional Authority (“GCC(EI)/CRA”).

The new agreement, designated the “Mecheshoo Agreement”, was signed by representatives of Stornoway and the Cree parties at a ceremony held in Mistissini, Quebec earlier today in the presence of community members, members of the local “Tallymen” family, regional dignitaries and media. 

The Mecheshoo Agreement is a binding agreement that will govern the long-term working relationship between Stornoway and the Cree parties during all phases of the Renard Diamond Project. It provides for training, employment and business opportunities for the Crees during project construction, operation and closure, and sets out the principles of social, cultural and environmental respect under which the project will be managed. The Mecheshoo Agreement includes a mechanism by which the Cree parties will benefit financially from the success of the project on a long term basis, consistent with the Mining Industry’s best practices for engagement with First Nations communities.

Read more

Stornoway wins ‘social licence’ in talks with Cree for Quebec diamond project – by Nicolas Van Praet (March 27, 2012)

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

MONTREAL – At a time tension between First Nation communities and the resource sector remains high in many parts of the country, one junior company is bending traditional corporate practice in an attempt to win a “social licence” for Quebec’s first diamond mine.
 
Stornoway Diamond Corp. on Tuesday signed a binding agreement with the Cree Nation of Mistissini and the Grand Council of the Crees for its Renard diamond project in the Otish mountains of northern Quebec. The deal governs the long-term working relationship between the miner and the Cree parties throughout the project’s development, up to and past its projected startup in 2015.
 
The agreement is unusual for the level of detail it discloses — a summary says the company will reserve a quarter of the Renard goods and services contract bidding invitations for Cree businesses, set up a mechanism allowing the Cree to benefit financially from the success of the mine over its estimated 20-year lifespan, and consult the aboriginal tallymen in the territory on no-fly zones into the mine site during spring goose and fall moose hunt seasons.

Read more

Noront embraces technology to develop dynamic communications

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member company Noront Resources is believed to be the first junior mining company to make a major investor presentation using an iBook.  At the recent Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, Noront President and Chief Executive Officer Wes Hanson spoke about his company’s profile and prospects, while embracing interactive, high-tech communications tools. 

The audio-visual and computer experts on site at the PDAC were able to get the presentation on the big screen for all to see — after overcoming their puzzled looks.  “I really don’t like static presentations.  At events like the PDAC, the iBook can be used interactively on a timely basis as an investor tool and a community relations tool,” said Mr. Hanson.  “We hope to have the Noront story on iTunes in the near future and then everyone in the world would have the capability to download the Noront iBook.”

“I have all kinds of embedded audio files in the iBook and it is a totally interactive system to talk about Noront, our Eagle’s Nest project and the communities where we are working,” added Mr. Hanson.  “Technology is wonderful and we have to take advantage of it as a communications tool.  It is our responsibility to do so.”

Read more

KWG Resources reaches out to First Nations – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – March 2012)

Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal is a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury.

A junior mining company with a development project in Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire has found a novel way of mixing philanthropy and self-interest.

KWG Resources, which owns 30 per cent of the Big Daddy chromite deposit in the Ring of Fire, is working with the United Way of Thunder Bay and the Wasaya Group Inc., a First Nation-owned airline serving the region, to fund a residence for First Nation students attending the city’s Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.

First Nation youth from remote fly-in communities in Ontario’s Far North currently have to board with families in Thunder Bay. Dropout rates for First Nation students are high and several suicides have been attributed to the challenge of adjusting to life far from home. Living in an environment with a culturally compatible support network, it’s hoped, would go a long way toward easing the transition.

Read more

Mining Companies Can’t Assume ‘Social License’ To Mine – Mining CEOs – by Debbie Carlson (Kitco News – March 7, 2012)

http://www.kitco.com/

Debbie Carlson is Global news editor for Kitco News

Toronto (Kitco News)–Mining companies can’t assume local communities will automatically give them a “social license” to operate mines, so it’s important firms engage with people upfront, whether it is with indigenous leaders in Africa, Canada or South America.

 Mining executives said having a clear, corporate social responsibility plan should be considered part of the company’s core focus as how firms work with people can affect profitability.

 “I think the future for our industry is quite strong; metals prices are quite high and as an industry you’re going to increasing be developing resources in less developed countries. From a CSR perspective, in our industry … it’s no longer sufficient to just (work with) the government. You have to have the support of local communities and if you don’t, governments are not going to override them. If one doesn’t have a … focused CSR plan you put at risk your operations and you may sterilize the project,” said Aaron Regent, chief executive officer of Barrick.

Read more

Why the Future of Mining Depends on Social Change – by Paul Klein (Forbes Magazine – February 23, 2012)

www.forbes.com

“CSR represents mining companies of the future. The mining industry, more than any other, is aware of the problems more than other industries and understands the impacts of the past.” –Wes Hanson, President and CEO of Noront Resources Ltd.

From March 4th – March 7th the world’s largest annual gathering of people, companies and organizations connected with mineral exploration will take place in Toronto at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s Annual International Convention, Trade Show and Investors Exchange. CSR will be front and center at PDAC’s third Annual CSR Event Series.

This week, I reviewed the CSR Event Series program and had the opportunity to connect with some of the people who will be  participating in the series.  Although PDAC hasn’t defined a CSR theme, my conversations revealed a common thread: how companies in the mineral exploration and development industry can help solve social problems in a way that is also good for business.

How can mining companies improve education, health care and access to social service to create a better quality of life for people impacted by mining operations? How will doing this help support business objectives, including securing financing and regulatory approvals, increasing access to qualified employees, and reducing the risk of work stoppages and other disruptions?

Read more

[Canadian] Federal mining agency can’t find work – by Greg Weston (CBC.ca – February 20, 2012)

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

Office spends $1.1M without mediating a case

A federal agency created by the Conservative government to mediate complaints about Canadian mining operations abroad has spent more than $1.1 million in the past two years, but has yet to mediate anything.

At the same time, the agency — the Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor — has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel, entertainment, training, meetings, reports and other expenses, documents obtained by CBC News show. Renovations to a federal government office to accommodate the agency’s three employees alone cost Canadian taxpayers $189,000.

Its senior official, Marketa Evans, has been flying around the world to conferences, roundtables, workshops and other meetings — in all, 47 trips to Africa, South America, Washington and cities across Canada. She earns up to $170,000 a year.

What the agency hasn’t done is mediate a single complaint against a Canadian mining company, the third federal agency CBC News has uncovered that is spending a lot to achieve little.

Read more

Vale Ltd. moves ahead with $2-billion emissions reduction plan at Sudbury stack – by Hugh McKenna (Winnipeg Free Press – February 17, 2012)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Mining giant Vale Ltd. is moving ahead with a $2-billion plan to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions at its smelter in Sudbury, where the company’s so-called superstack has long been seen as a monument of industrial development and pollution.

The initiative, which the Brazilian-based company describes as the largest in the history of Ontario, and likely Canada, has a goal of slashing emissions at the smelter by 70 per cent over several years.

“This reduction is in addition to the 90 per cent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the regreening of the Sudbury region,” Vale said in making the announcement Thursday.

Read more

Vale to cut [Sudbury] emissions – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – February 17, 2012)

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

Vale has finally approved the Clean AER Project, a $2 billion investment that will reduce sulp hu r dioxide emissions at Vale’s Sudbury smelter by 70%.

The Clean AER (atmospheric emissions reduction) Project, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history, will include retrofitting the smelter complex. Along with the environmental benefits, Clean AER will mean more local jobs. At the peak of construction, which should start around April, Vale expects to have 1,300 workers on-site.

The initiative comes after the bitter Vale strike, which created tension in the community between the company and its employees. “This really represents our commitment to the city with respect to sustainable development,” said Vale project director Dave Stefanuto. “We recognize there are great assets in Sudbury, not only in terms of the facility, but in terms of the people. We recognize the importance of hanging on to those assets.”

Read more

Vale approves $2B clean air project in Sudbury – by Peter Koven (National Post – February 16, 2012)

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

Mining giant Vale SA has greenlighted a massive $2-billion emissions reductions project in Sudbury, Ont., that ranks among the biggest environmental investments in Ontario’s history.

The so-called Clean AER project (for Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) will be unveiled Thursday after years of anticipation in the region. The goal is to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Vale’s nickel smelter by 70%, bringing them well below government-regulated limits that come into effect in 2015.

“It was really felt that these are core assets to our company and to our future, and we have to maintain those assets,” project director Dave Stefanuto said in an interview. “So I don’t think it was too difficult a decision for our executives to make with respect to funding the project.”

The project will create plenty of economic activity in Sudbury, as it requires an estimated eight million man-hours of labour and as many as 1,300 workers onsite during the peak construction period.

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: VALE APPROVES $2 BILLION [SUDBURY] ‘CLEAN AER’ PROJECT

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, February 16, 2012 – Vale has approved a $2-billion investment in the “Clean AER Project”, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history. 

The Clean AER Project (AER stands for atmospheric emissions reduction) will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale’s smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70% from current levels. This reduction is in addition to the 90% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the re-greening of the Sudbury region. 

“This project is an important undertaking and will utilize the latest technological innovations available to us to retrofit our smelter complex,” said John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada Limited and Director of Base Metals for Vale’s North Atlantic operations. “We are creating a new legacy through this project – cleaner air for Sudbury, Ontario and Canada. It’s a proud day and great news for all of us who work, live, and raise families in this wonderful community.”

Read more

A Global Perspective on Critical Metals – by Jack Lifton (The Gold Report – July 19, 2011)

This article came from The Gold Report website: http://www.theaureport.com/

Jack Lifton is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.

I am beginning the writing of this article on a plane, flying from Singapore to Tokyo, Japan. I arrived in Singapore six days ago from Sydney, Australia. I fly to Madagascar and Germany in August, and then Beijing and Baotou, China in September. Between overseas trips (I live in the Detroit area), I will travel to Toronto, Montreal, Labrador, Canada and Washington, DC, New York City and various locales in Alaska, U.S.

I am not trying to impress you with my frequent-flyer status. I want to establish my credibility as an observer of and participant in the global metals economy. And I want to establish that credibility, so I can give you a truly global overview and, I hope, perspective on the metals’ markets economy with an emphasis on individual metals, related groups of metals and all of their present- and future-use trends.

This undertaking, of course, will require more than one article; so, in this one, I am going to introduce the topic and discuss it in general. Here and over the next year, I will write about the detailed markets for the most critical metals in particular; but this month I want to focus on two metals-related issues that have surfaced and become prominent in the news in this first decade of the 21st century:

Read more

Is Canada helping the world’s poor, or Canadian [mining] companies? – by Elizabeth Payne (Ottawa Citizen – February 2, 2012)

This column is from: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/index.html

Elizabeth Payne is a member of the Citizen’s editorial board.

Few  Canadians have likely heard of the Canada Investment Fund for Africa. But, since 2005, it has been busy investing Canadian foreign aid dollars – $100 million of them, in fact – on companies doing business in Africa.

The objective of the fund, which was eventually worth more than $200 million in public and private money, was “to spur economic growth by providing risk capital for commercially successful private-sector businesses.”

A number of those 16 businesses, including Orezone, a gold mining company operating in Burkina Faso and Banro Mining, a Canadian gold mining company which operates in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are Canadian. The fund also invested in Candax, a Toronto-based oil and gas company working in Tunisia, as well as a number of African companies, including the Commercial Bank of Rwanda, Mr. Big’s Fast Foods, and others.

Read more

Cambrian unveils [Xstrata Nickel] energy centre – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – February 1, 2012)

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

The new Xstrata Nickel Sustainable Energy Centre at Cambrian College will help Sudbury build on its reputation as a world leader in environmental remediation and sustainability, officials said.

They made the comments Tuesday as they officially opened the centre, which will house cutting-edge applied research and education.

The teaching and research facility is busy with a number of applied research projects underway alongside classes and labs for students in Cambrian’s Energy Systems Technology and Environmental Monitoring and Impact Assessment programs.

At the official opening, special guests got a first-hand look at what takes place inside the centre, its future potential, and its sustainable design features.

Read more