Twitter

Corporate Social Responsibility

From roadblocks to building blocks Noront works on Aboriginal relations – by V. Heffernan (CIM Magazine – February, 2011)

Founded in 1898, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is a technical society of professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries.

Toronto-based Noront Resources has stepped up its efforts to work with the communities in the vast 5,000-square-kilometre area of the James Bay Lowlands, where mineralization abounds under traditional Aboriginal land.

As the largest claim holder in the camp, the junior has dedicated a significant part of its annual budget to establishing working relationships with the local communities, including Marten Falls and Webequie, the Aboriginal communities most affected by exploration activities. It is expected that all communities in the region will stand to benefit as the region moves closer to development and government becomes involved in regional infrastructure building.

“One of our main focuses is on the youth in Webequie and Marten Falls,” says Wes Hanson, president and CEO of Noront, who declined to attach a dollar figure to the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program in the area. “We are encouraging them to stay in school and continue their education. We want to show the young students that there are potential jobs in mining that will allow them to live in the community and, at the same time, work at their careers.”

Read more

Canadian [mining] interests and values are aligned – by Marketa Evans (Canadian Mining Journal – December, 2011)

The Canadian Mining Journal is Canada’s first mining publication providing information on Canadian mining and exploration trends, technologies, operations, and industry events.

Marketa Evans is the Government of Canada’s Extractive Sector CSR Counsellor. The CSR Counsellor is a special advisor to the Minister of International Trade. The Counsellor has no policymaking role and does not represent Government of Canada policy positions.

I am delighted to begin a new “Corporate Social Responsibility and Mining” column for Canadian Mining Journal. Over the coming months, you can expect this column to explore some key issues in the rapidly evolving CSR landscape.

Let’s start with a little recent history. When I first wrote a guest column for this magazine in April 2007, I saw a significant opportunity for the Canadian mining industry to drive a leadership position on social issues in emerging markets.

The industry, I argued then, “will be judged on its ability to manage social issues” in countries where “domestic regulation and accountability” may be weak. The good news, I said then, and still believe, is that on issues of CSR and mining, Canadian interests and Canadian values are aligned.

Read more

CBC Radio Thunder Bay interview with Ben Bradshaw about Aboriginal/Mining Company IBAs (November 14, 2011)

Ben Bradshaw is a researcher in the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph, and the founder of the Impact and Benefit Agreement Research Network.

In a November 14, 2011 interview with Thunder Bay CBC Radio, Ben Bradshaw discusses various IBA Agreements between Aboriginal communities and mining companies across Canada including the current issues in Attawapiskat.

http://www.cbc.ca/superiormorning/episodes/2011/11/14/ben-bradshaw/

Impact and Benefit Agreement (IBA) Research Network

http://www.impactandbenefit.com/home/

Background

Notwithstanding an absence of legislation forcing their use, over the past two decades a number of Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) have been established between mining firms and Aboriginal communities in support of some familiar projects across northern Canada. For example, IBAs were used to facilitate the development of the Northwest Territories’ three diamond mines (Ekati, Diavik and Snap Lake), as well as Inco’s Voisey’s Bay project in Labrador.

Read more

[Canada’s] Mining oversight office shouldn’t be beholden to industry – by Kate Heartfield (Vancouver Sun – November 16, 2011)

The Vancouver Sun, a broadsheet daily paper first published in 1912, has the largest circulation in the province of British Columbia.

OTTAWA — In October 2009, the federal government appointed Marketa Evans as the country’s first “counsellor” on the subject of corporate social responsibility in the mining sector. After two years, her taxpayer-funded office has accepted only two cases for review.

The first review ended abruptly and without resolution, when the mining company involved — Excellon Resources Inc. — pulled out. The second review is at an early stage of “trust-building” between the parties, a stage that can last about six months; the next stage is structured dialogue.

This was a predictable result. The Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Counsellor depends on the voluntary participation of both sides — the party who makes the complaint, and the subject of the complaint. The flaw in this system is obvious.

Read more

[Goldcorp’s Timmins] Site rehab near completion – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – November 3, 2011)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Goldcorp officials provide update on reclamation project

Life has returned to the Hollinger tailings area. A black bear and two cubs were seen roaming a grassy area that used to resemble a lunar landscape only 18 months ago.

Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines announced on Wednesday that Phase 2 of the Hollinger Tailings Management Area Rehabilitation Project will be completed by the end of November.

Phase 1 of the project began in 2009 and has been a high priority for the company given the acid-generating nature of the tailings.

Phase 2 of the project has focused on relocating all remaining tailings from private lands onto the Goldcorp’s Hollinger tailings facility, the final cleanup and chemical stabilization treatment of the McIntyre Concentration Dump, constructing a 1,100-metre drainage channel, completing work on the Hollinger (Gillies) Tailing Pond slopes and installing shoreline erosion protection.

Read more

OMA member profile: Osisko Mining — historic connection and future prospects

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.

From its headquarters in Montreal, Osisko Mining is constructing a solid foundation to become a successful mid-tier gold producer.  The company poured its first bullion bar in April 2011 at its flagship and 100% owned Canadian Malartic gold mine in Quebec.

With its two main projects – Canadian Malartic and Hammond Reef — the company anticipates being a million ounce per year producer by 2016.  While the company directs its activities firmly into the future, its name has historic roots.  Osisko Lake in Northwestern Quebec is where Noranda founder Edmond Henry Horne made his first significant mineral discovery.

Commercial production from Canadian Malartic, which is located about 25 kilometres west of Val d’Or, started in June of this year, six years after the first exploration drill hole was struck on the property.  It is estimated this mine will produce on average about 575,000 ounces of gold annually over its anticipated 16 year mine life.

Read more

[Pierre Lassonde] Mining entrepreneur’s university donation digging for ‘renaissance engineers’ – by James Bradshaw (Globe and Mail – November 1, 2011)

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.

“Canada’s natural resource is not our oil, it’s not
our minerals, it’s not our forests: It’s our young
people … If you try to compete against China on wages,
you’re gonna be a poor country. You’ve got to compete
on brains.” (Mining Entrepeneur – Pierre Lassonde)

When mining entrepreneur Pierre Lassonde announces a $25-million gift to York University on Tuesday, he’s hoping it will do more than build a new engineering school – he wants to help groom a generation of “renaissance engineers.”

It’s a term he credits to his late wife, who saw the engineer of the future not just as a problem solver or functionary builder, but a sort of modern Michelangelo – expert and agile in more than one discipline, but also eager to consider and communicate how engineering relates to matters of sustainability, health, safety and civil society.

“You are an engineer, but at the same time you are an artist and you have to be able to tell the world how what you’re doing is going to benefit the world,” Mr. Lassonde said, leaning across a boardroom table at the Toronto offices of the mining and energy royalty company Franco Nevada, where he is chairman.

Read more

Strong North, strong Canada [Resource development] – by Anne Golden and David STewart-Patterson (Toronto Star – October 2, 2011)

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Anne Golden is president and chief executive officer and David Stewart-Patterson is vice-president of public policy of The Conference Board of Canada.

“At the Diavik diamond mine, for instance, the company
managed to recruit 67 per cent of its operating workforce
from local communities, with almost half being aboriginals.
Resource companies are working with governments and
aboriginal organizations to boost the future capacity of
the northern and aboriginal labour force.” (Anne Golden
and David Stewart-Patterson)

The fact that getting a morning double-double costs about 35 per cent more in Iqaluit than in Mississauga is not exactly top of mind for traffic-bound commuters in the GTA. Canada’s North looms large in our national imagination, but not in the daily lives of most Canadians.

What happens in the North, however, matters to all of us. How our far-flung northern communities develop will have a real impact on the economic future of our country, and all of us need a better understanding of the forces at work.

The galloping growth of emerging economies like China and India has made the economic opportunities obvious. The world is hungry for Canada’s resources, and much of what we have — gold, silver, copper, zinc, diamonds, oil and gas — is to be found in our vast northern spaces.

Northerners face major challenges as they seek to take full advantage of these opportunities.

Read more

CANADA GOVERNMENT NEWS RELEASE: Minister Oda Announces Initiatives to Increase the Benefits of Natural Resource Management for People in Africa and South America

Sept. 29, 2011

TORONTO, ONTARIO,  (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — In a keynote address at the Devonshire Initiative CEO Summit, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today announced four new projects that will help developing countries in Africa and South America manage their natural resources to ensure they are a source of long-term sustainable benefits to their people.

“The Canadian extractive industries – in particular mining – are the largest in the world, working in many developing countries that have an abundance of natural resources. Working in partnership with the private sector, these resources can contribute to poverty reduction in many of these countries and improve the standard of living for their populations,” said Minister Oda. “CIDA is supporting Canada’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector with initiatives that will contribute to sustainable economic growth, job creation and long-term poverty reduction.”

Today’s announcement includes three pilot projects in collaboration with Canadian partners to reduce poverty in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ghana, and Burkina Faso.

Read more

Glen Nolan – PDAC 1st Vice-President Nation Talk Interview: First Nations and Mining (Sept 12, 2011)

NationTalk is a Aboriginal newswire, employment, event and tender service located in Canada. The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) represents the interests of the Canadian mineral exploration and development industry. Glenn Nolan speaks with Nation Talk about his past experience as the Chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, his background in the …

Read more

Respect for indigenous cultures: How Barrick is forging strong relationships with indigenous peoples in North America – (August 19, 2011)

This article came from Barrick Gold internal magazine Beyond Borders: Responsible Mining at Barrick Gold Corporation

Indigenous peoples often have historical and cultural ties to land endowed with important natural resources. To unlock the value of these resources for the benefit of everyone involved, responsible mining companies must understand and address a range of unique challenges and opportunities.

Barrick works constructively with indigenous peoples around the world. In North America, although Native peoples may have different cultural traditions, the challenges they face and their partnerships with Barrick often have striking similarities.

Alaska

The Donlin Gold project in Alaska is a large, undeveloped gold deposit, approximately 450 kilometers northwest of Anchorage. Barrick has a 50 per cent interest in the project; NovaGold owns the remaining 50 per cent stake.

There are nearly 70 distinct communities near the Donlin project site and along the route of a proposed natural gas pipeline that would supply power to the mine. These communities need to be addressed as individual cultural and indigenous entities.

Read more

OMA member Vale donation improves Sudbury food bank

Tito Martins, Executive Director for Base Metals, Vale and CEO, Vale Canada; John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada; Geoffrey Lougheed, Chair of the Food Bank; Marianne Matichuk, City of Greater Sudbury Mayor

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 Vale Canada has taken a big step to strengthen Sudbury’s social safety net with a $500,000 donation to the Banque d’aliments Sudbury Food Bank Capital Campaign.  The company and its employees have been supporting initiatives of this nature in the community for 23 years.  This half-million-dollar contribution boosts the Sudbury Food Bank’s level of funds raised to $1.5 million — closer toward the $1.8 million capital campaign goal.

“Vale has proud history of support for the Sudbury Food bank and we are pleased to provide this donation toward its new warehouse, which will allow for more effective storage and distribution of food to those in need in the community,” said Tito Martins, Chief Executive Officer of Vale Canada.  Mr. Martins also serves as Honourary Chair of the Sudbury Food Bank.

“This donation of $500,000 brings our campaign a large step closer to success,” said Geoffrey Lougheed, Chair of the Sudbury Food Bank.  “The personal commitment of Mr. Martins to serve as Honourary Chair will provide leadership and inspire others to bring this campaign over the top.  Both Mr. Martins and Vale have put their goodwill into action and the Sudbury Food bank is grateful for this outstanding dedication to feed the hungry.”

Read more

Once upon a mine [Barrick CEO Aaron Regent profile] – by Paul McLaughlin (CAmagazine – August 2011)

CAmagazine is the leading accounting publication and preferred information source for Canadian chartered accountants and financial executives.

Paul McLaughlin is a Toronto-based freelance writer www.paulmclaughlin.ca

Two years and two risky deals later, Barrick’s CEO Aaron Regent has shown the mining community that he’s one leader not afraid of taking chances

When Aaron Regent, the president and CEO of Barrick Gold Corp., addressed the annual general meeting of the world’s largest gold producer in April, he had a lot of good news to bestow.

In a matter-of-fact tone, the 45-year-old CA, who had been appointed to the challenging role some 27 months earlier, began by telling the assembled shareholders at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre that Barrick had “a strong year in 2010.” That was an understatement. The price of gold had surged to US$1,228 an ounce last year, up 25% from the year before and more than 200% since 2004.

In May it was nudging US$1,512 on the New York Stock Exchange and in June reached US$1,540 an ounce. Those numbers contributed significantly to Barrick, which has 25 operating mines and six projects on five continents, being able to report record adjusted first-quarter net earnings in 2011 of US$1.1 billion, up 32% from the prior year’s same period. Operating cash flow also jumped, by 27% from the previous first quarter, to US$1.44 billion.

Read more

Vale stocks the shelves – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 15, 2011)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

Vale presented a giant cheque for a huge sum of money Wednesday to the Sudbury Food Bank for its capital campaign.

Tito Martins, chief executive officer of Vale Canada Ltd., announced a donation of $500,000 to the food bank at its new warehouse headquarters on Webbwood Drive.

Martins followed in the footsteps of two former employees of Vale in supporting the organization. Murilo Ferreira, the former president and CEO of CVRD Inco, made a five-year commitment toward the food bank’s operating costs when the Brazil-based company first purchased Inco.

Longtime employee and United Steelworker member Edgar Burton, who died last year, started a food drive more than 22 years ago that became so successful that 80 tons of food was collected last Christmas in Burton’s honour.

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: VALE GIVES SUDBURY FOOD BANK CAPITAL CAMPAIGN A $500,000 BOOST

Tito Martins, Executive Director for Base Metals, Vale and CEO, Vale Canada; John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada; Geoffrey Lougheed, Chair of the Food Bank; Marianne Matichuk, City of Greater Sudbury Mayor

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, September 14, 2011 –Vale today announced a donation of $500,000 toward the Banque d’aliments Sudbury Food Bank Capital Campaign.

Tito Martins, Chief Executive Officer, Vale Canada Limited announced the donation in front of Sudbury Food Bank board members, local dignitaries, agency representatives and local supporters.

“Vale has a proud history of support for the Sudbury Food Bank and we are pleased to provide this donation toward its new warehouse, which will allow for more effective storage and distribution of food to those in need in the community,” said Martins.

Geoffrey Lougheed, Chair of the Sudbury Food Bank, applauded Vale’s donation and took the opportunity to formally announce Tito Martins as Honourary Chair of the Sudbury Food Bank.

“One of Vale’s first actions coming to Sudbury was to strongly support the Food Bank illustrating a commitment to our community feeding the 14,000 people (including 7,000 children) who are hungry every month,” said Lougheed. “This donation of $500,000 dollars brings our campaign a large step closer to success!

Read more