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Corporate Social Responsibility

Canada’s mining industry in Africa and social responsibility – by Benjamin Musampa (Policy Options – November 20, 2019)

Policy Options – Institute for Research on Public Policy

Canada’s international development assistance for developing regions like sub-Saharan Africa received scant attention in the recent (2019) election. Under Justin Trudeau’s Liberals Canada’s commitment to international development has been much lower than many other Conservative governments around the world.

Canada is fortunate to have a considerable endowment of minerals and metals. Africa also holds 30 percent of the worlds mineral resources. But Africa, despite being so richly endowed, has drawn little benefit from this mineral wealth and remains one the poorest continents on the globe.

Canada’s mining industry, with its skilled and diverse workforce and leadership in corporate social responsibility, could assist mineral-rich African nations with addressing their lack of skilled workforce in this competitive industry.

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Green technology revolution needs a green metals revolution – by Andy Home (Reuters U.S. – November 6, 2019)

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON (Reuters) – “Society expects more of our industry.” That was the stark warning from Jean-Sebastien Jacques, head of one of the world’s largest mining companies, Rio Tinto, in a keynote speech at last week’s London Metal Exchange Week.

“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind we will face greater regulation and scrutiny,” Jacques went on to say. The scrutiny has already begun. The next day environmental protesters disrupted the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne, leading to multiple arrests and a draconian threat by Australia’s prime minister to ban future anti-mining demonstrations.

Half way around the world, protesters were blocking access roads to SQM’s lithium operations high in Chile’s Atacama Desert in a rumbling dispute over water rights. Here writ small is the industrial metals industry’s big problem.

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Vale participates in mental-health campaign – by Staff (Sudbury Star – October 9, 2019)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale is participating in a campaign to reduce stigmas around mental health. The Elephant in the Room initiative of Mood Disorders Society of Canada aims to break down barriers and provide support for those struggling with mental-health concerns.

Vale is a national sponsor of the organization and “continues to demonstrate commitment to raising awareness and addressing the stigma associated with mental illness within our communities and workplaces,” according to a release from Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

Vale’s Sudbury Operations will be inviting all employees who have received mental-health first aid training to support the launch of the campaign by bringing the Elephant in the Room – literally and figuratively — into the workplace in the form of a blue elephant.

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Column: Miners rate social licence, climate change as top concerns. Really? – by Clyde Russell (Reuters U.K. – October 8, 2019)

https://uk.reuters.com/

LAUNCESTON, Australia (Reuters) – The top concern among global miners, for a second year running, is how to keep a social licence to operate, especially amid rising pressure for the industry to tackle climate change.

But knowing what the main challenge is, and knowing what to do about it appear to be two different things. A survey of global mining companies by consultants EY showed that 44% of executives ranked maintaining a social licence to operate as their leading concern, with preparing for the workforce of the future the next most important challenge.

The social licence refers to how much a company’s business practices are accepted by employees, interest groups and the overall public. “The sector is facing greater scrutiny from end consumers, demanding a transparent ethical supply chain as well as a lower carbon footprint,” the report said.

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OPINION: Mining companies must show how they are prioritizing sustainable and inclusive growth to redefine their image – by Paul Mitchell (Globe and Mail – October 4, 2019)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Paul Mitchell is the EY Global Mining & Metals Leader. He recently toured Canada speaking to executives in the mining and metals sector. He is based in Sydney, Australia.

Canada’s mining and metals sector is going through an intense period of transformation. Digital advances aren’t the only factors redefining the sector’s future. Growing public conversation and focus on social responsibility are influencing decisions at the executive table. For the second year in a row, miners cited licence to operate as the number one risk and opportunity facing their business.

A number of key elections and resulting government changes or potential ones to come – particularly in Africa and Latin America – are heightening this risk. Future regulation around mining licences or royalties are unknown in certain parts of the world as governments face pressure to balance economic gains with the interests of their people.

End consumers are increasing pressure on the sector, demanding ethical supply chains and a lower carbon footprint. But it’s not just the general public that’s increasing pressure.

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Kugluktuk finding new ways to produce fresh food, mining company [TMAC Resources Inc.] lends a hand – by Jackie McKay (CBC News North – May 7, 2019)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

Kugluktuk, Nunavut, is finding new ways to provide the community with fresh produce. In April the hamlet harvested its first batch of leafy greens from the community greenhouse.

The greenhouse is a converted shipping container with a hydroponic system. “It helps in many different ways, first is providing a reliable source of leafy greens which can be some of the most temperamental vegetables to fly up to the Arctic,” said Matt Stadnyk, manager of community economic development for the hamlet of Kugluktuk.

It’s mostly leafy greens such as mixed lettuce, spinach and kale grown at the moment. The container can produce about 325 plants a week. The idea is for the community to have an alternative to costly air freight for fresh produce. But the hamlet doesn’t want to create competition with the grocery stores.

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Federal government gives $4.2 million to renewables projects at northern mines – by Kylie Williams (CIM Magazine – January 29, 2019)

https://magazine.cim.org/en/

Wind turbines and compressed air energy storage to displace diesel at Raglan and Hope Bay

The federal government is investing $4.2 million in two renewable energy projects in Quebec and Nunavut to reduce reliance on fossil fuels at mines in Canada’s north.

Both projects will be managed by Tugliq Energy Corporation, a renewable energy company focused on remote regions.

The projects will be funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program, said Paul Lefebvre, the parliamentary secretary to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, at the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia’s (AME) Roundup conference in Vancouver on Monday.

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NEWS RELEASE: MINERS FOR CANCER DONATES $20,000 TO Sudbury NECC PEDIATRIC UNIT AT ANNUAL ALLAN EPPS MEMORIAL HOCKEY CHALLENGE

M4CHockey: Seen here is young Malleck Kennedy (currently receiving active treatment at the Northeast Cancer Centre) dropping the puck at the opening ceremony with Wayne Tonelli, President of Miners for Cancer (back right), Garson Mine captain Shawn Plourde (left) and Sandvik Captain Denis Desforges (right)

Sudbury, January 29, 2019 – Members of Miners for Cancer announced on Friday at their annual Allan Epps Memorial Hockey Challenge a $20,000 donation towards the Northeast Cancer Centre’s (NECC) Pediatric Unit.

“Cancer is one of the leading cause of death by disease for children in Canada,” said Wayne Tonelli, Miners for Cancer President. “If we can help even one child’s chances of survival with our fundraising efforts, all the hard work behind our events is worth it.”

The donation will support the pediatric oncology unit’s unique equipment required to support the NECC’s youngest patients.

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Miners aim to rebuild global reputation – by Nelson Bennett (Business in Vancouver – December 12, 2018)

https://biv.com/

Canadian companies working to improve industry’s image

Over the years, Canadian mining companies operating overseas in developing countries have earned a bad reputation for their treatment of the environment, workers and local indigenous people.

There have been recent high-profile cases of Canadian mining companies being sued in Canadian courts for alleged violence against protests in Guatemala and alleged use of slave labour in Eritrea. Less frequently in the headlines are the positive things some Canadian miners are doing in the countries where they operate.

B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO), for example, has won a number of awards for its corporate responsibility efforts in Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Namibia, and NexGen Energy Ltd. (TSX:NXE), a Vancouver uranium mine developer, recently won an award from the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada for social development programs it has initiated in La Loche, Saskatchewan.

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OPINION: Why Canada should be the home of ecologically-responsible natural resources – by Lorraine Mitchelmore (Globe and Mail – December 11, 2018)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Lorraine Mitchelmore is chair of the Resources of the Future Economic Strategy Table and former president of Shell Canada.

The expression “can’t see the forest for the trees” could have been coined by a typically modest Canadian. It summarizes perfectly much of our current attitude to the embarrassment of riches that constitute our natural resources: our vast forests, our wealth of metals and minerals and our diverse reserves of energy that make us a top producer in many categories.

We have commodities that would be the envy of any other country in the world. And yet, for a variety of reasons, we seem determined not to take full advantage of them. We are not building as many projects as we should, we are not attracting our share of global capital, we are not fully reaching global markets and, in certain cases, we are selling our products at significant discounts to the benefit of other countries.

As a result, the resource sector is not generating the level of wealth for Canada in the form of taxes, royalties, community investments, jobs and business opportunities of which it is capable.

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE DONATES $100,000 TO PLACE DES ARTS (November 12, 2018)

(Sudbury, November 12, 2018) In its capital fundraising campaign, Share Our Sense of Place, Place des Arts has received a generous donation of $100,000 from Vale. The company made the announcement at the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario’s annual benefit concert on Friday, November 9, 2018.

“Vale is proud to support Place des Arts and the future role it will play as a cultural hub in the City of Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario,” said Ricus Grimbeek, Chief Operating Officer for Vale’s North Atlantic Operations and Asian Refineries. “We look forward to the grand opening and celebrating this centre for the arts with everyone in our community for generations to come.”

Place des Arts will be Northern Ontario’s first multidisciplinary arts and culture centre. It will be home to eight cultural organizations and is expected to host 850 events in its first year and generate 50,000 admissions. Phase 1 of construction began on October 29th and Phase 2 will follow in 2019. The estimated economic effects of construction are $18.7 million, with the creation of 180 jobs.

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NEWS RELEASE: IGF Releases Guidance for Governments on Local Content Policies to Strengthen Economies

View Doc Here: https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-local-content.pdf

Ottawa, Canada – A new toolkit developed by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) aims to help resource-rich countries find more sustainable and inclusive economic solutions, fostering stronger linkages between mineral resources and the rest of the economy.

The IGF Guidance for Governments focuses on local content policies and strategies created by governments requiring mining companies to utilize local goods and services when operating in another country. It also highlights how countries can move away from commodity dependency and diversify their economic base. Local content policies are being utilized more often by governments, particularly as they review or revise their mining and investment codes and contracts.

“An estimated 90 per cent of resource-rich countries employ some sort of local content policy. But in countries where there are only a few other strong sectors, the success of these policies is critical,” said Greg Radford, Director of the IGF. “However, it remains unclear which local content policies work best, produce results and minimize unintended consequences. Our Guidance for Governments takes these on-the-ground realities into account.”

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE’S SUDBURY OPERATIONS HONOURED WITH NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

SUDBURY, May 8, 2018 – Vale’s Sudbury Biodiversity Program received the national Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Environmental Excellence Award from the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) at an awards gala during the 2018 CIM Convention in Vancouver on May 7th.

“We are proud to be acknowledged for Vale’s biodiversity program in Sudbury,” said Lisa Lanteigne, Environment Manager for Vale’s Ontario Operations. “The program has been successful because of a sustained commitment to community collaboration and an innovative approach to environmental stewardship. The program exemplifies one of our core company values — Prize Our Planet.”

Vale’s biodiversity work in Sudbury focuses on regreening and reclamation efforts; transforming historically stressed lands and waterways back to their natural states after more than a century of mining activities. To improve biodiversity within the community, Vale undertakes a number of activities, including:

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NEWS RELEASE: MAC fetes Vale and IAMGOLD with 2018 TSM Excellence Awards

Projects raise the bar in environmental protection and community engagement

OTTAWA, May 8, 2018 /CNW/ – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has awarded Vale’s Sudbury Operations in Ontario and IAMGOLD’s Essakane Gold Mine in Burkina Faso with TSM Excellence Awards for their innovative sustainability projects. The companies were recognized with the awards yesterday at the CIM Awards Gala in Vancouver.

“We congratulate Vale and IAMGOLD for their outstanding projects. Together, they showcase what best practice looks like in our sector, whether it be spurring local economic development and entrepreneurship in communities where they operate or adopting innovative methods to restore mining areas back to nature,” said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO, MAC.

“These projects are making meaningful change in communities by restoring mined areas back to nature, and spurring local economic development and entrepreneurship. We can all learn from these projects and bring the knowledge to our own communities.” added David Walkem, Chief of the Cook’s Ferry Band, and Member of MAC’s COI Panel and TSM Excellence Awards Selection Committee.

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NEWS RELEASE: Anaconda Mining receives Industry Excellence Award for Environmental Stewardship

TORONTO, March 29, 2018 /CNW/ – Anaconda Mining Inc. (“Anaconda” or the “Company”) – (TSX: ANX) is pleased to announce it has been recognized with the Natural Resources Magazine’s Industry Excellence Award for Environmental Stewardship.

Natural Resources Magazine’s Industry Excellence Awards recognizes companies in Atlantic Canada’s natural resources sectors that are striving for and achieving greatness in resource development, health and safety, innovation, environmental stewardship and championing communities.

“Anaconda Mining strives to be an environmental leader in the mining sector with a focus on implementing proven and innovative green initiatives that contribute to the sustainability of the environment.

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