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Manitoba Mining

[Manitoba] Province’s mining protocol might discourage investment if First Nations have veto: prospectors – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – August 30, 2018)

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

An association representing mineral prospectors and developers says that comments made by a government minister about the Manitoba-First Nations Mineral Development Protocol report could endanger the province’s mining industry, particularly in the north.

“The comments of Manitoba’s honourable minister of growth, enterprise and trade during the public announcement of the Manitoba First Nations Mineral Development Protocol implied that the First Nation communities’ consent would be required before exploration permits would be issued,” said an Aug. 29 statement from Manitoba Saskatchewan Prospectors and Developers Association (MSPDA) president Stephen Masson.

“He went on to say that communities could decide not to have exploration and mining in their traditional land use areas , which is essentially a veto which would have huge implications for the survival of Manitoba’s mining industry.”

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Remnant strategy could extend 777 lifespan: Hudbay – by Eric Westhaver (Flin Flon Reminder – August 29, 2018)

https://www.thereminder.ca/

Hudbay is proposing a new strategy that could extend the life of Flin Flon’s main mine. The strategy includes pursuing reserves with remnants, or small pockets of ore found underground.

“They are spread out, smaller in size and more expensive to extract than the ore that is being mined right now,” said Scott Brubacher, Hudbay director of corporate communications.

The 777 Mine is currently slated to end production in 2021, but the remnants strategy has become one of the company’s main hopes for extending the mine past 2021.

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‘The north is truly hurting’: Thompson mayor frustrated he can’t get meeting with premier (CBC News Manitoba – August 16, 2018)

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

Dennis Fenske says city’s economic crisis warrants face time with Brian Pallister

The mayor of Thompson says he’s frustrated that he can’t get a meeting with the premier despite the grave economic challenges his community is facing.

Dennis Fenske says he and his council have been trying to arrange a sit down Premier Brian Pallister for months.

They put in a request to meet with Pallister when the premier was in Thompson last week for an announcement that Bell MTS would be awarded the contract to connect first responders across the province.

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Vale’s Long Goodbye: 2,814 days adding up to 7 years, 8 months and 15 days – by John Barker (Soundings John Barker – July 31, 2018)

https://soundingsjohnbarker.wordpress.com/

The Sword of Damocles dangles no longer. Today is the day Tito Martins, then president and chief executive officer of Vale Canada and executive director of base metals for the Brazilian international parent company, told us was coming on Nov. 17, 2010 – 2,814 days ago, or expressed another way, seven years, eight months and 15 days ago.

The day the Thompson smelter and refinery officially cease production and Thompson ceases to be a fully integrated nickel operation for the first time since March 1961.

Mind you, July 31, 2018 – today – is something of an arbitrary bookkeeping sort of marker. At the time of Martins’ 2010 announcement, the closing date was announced as 2015, so we’ve had about three extra years of nickel smelting and refining. As for the actual ramp down, the last furnace tap from the one remaining furnace in operation and anode cast from the smelter and the last cathode pulled from the refinery happened earlier this month.

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[Manitoba Mining] A new era begins; how long will it last? (Thompson Citizen – July 25, 2018)

http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

With smelting and refining operations at Vale’s Manitoba Operations shut down never to return, the mining industry in Thompson has entered a new era, one in which the only processing to be done will consist of milling and which will see Thompson act as a feeder operation for smelters and refineries in Sudbury, Ontario, and Voisey’s Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This will mark the first time since construction was completed nearly 60 years ago that Vale (and previously Inco) operations will not be fully integrated, taking nickel from the ore extracted underground to a finished product, instead just to a nickel concentrate that is shipped out from a new load-out facility that was recently completed.

A new era has also begun in a different way with the phasing out of Mark Scott’s position as vice-president of Manitoba Operations, with July 20 having been his last day on the job. Once again, for the first time since mining and associated operations began in Thompson in the late 1950s to early 1960s, they will not be overseen by a local head of operations but managed as a satellite mine of Vale’s nickel operations in Sudbury, with Alistair Ross in charge of all of the company’s Canadian mining operations.

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EDITORIAL: Thumbs up for mining protocol (Winnipeg Sun – June 20, 2018)

http://winnipegsun.com/

A new protocol unveiled by the Pallister government designed to guide future mining projects, including their impact on First Nations, is a good example of what reconciliation should look like.

Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen announced the Manitoba-First Nations Mineral Development protocol on Friday. It grants First Nations the authority to decide whether they want mining projects on their land and provides them with a more equitable share of revenues generated from those projects.

Ron Evans, a former chief of Norway House Cree Nation, was the co-chair of the protocol report. He says he’s encouraged to see government’s commitment to getting input from Indigenous communities on mining projects.

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NEWS RELEASE: PROVINCE RELEASES REPORT ON MANITOBA-FIRST NATIONS MINERAL DEVELOPMENT PROTOCOL (June 15, 2018)

Working Together to Build a Brighter Future In the North: Pedersen

To view a copy of the co-chairs’ report, visit www.manitoba.ca/iem/mines/fnmdp.html.

The Manitoba government has released the Co-chairs’ Report on the Manitoba–First Nations Mineral Development Protocol, which includes key findings and recommendations on ways to create certainty in order to advance mineral development projects in a timely way, Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen and Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced today, along with co-chairs Ron Evans, former chief of Norway House Cree Nation, and Jim Downey, former Manitoba deputy premier and cabinet minister.

“We are pleased to receive the report and recommendations,” said Pedersen. “A new protocol will create certainty for all parties including First Nations, industry and government, and help ensure First Nations can be actively involved in all phases of mineral development to create and share in the benefits of growth in this sector. Thank you to the co-chairs for their dedication in developing this framework.”

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New mining protocol unearths optimism – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – June 16, 2018)

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

More involvement of First Nations among identified priorities

The province has released its long-anticipated First Nations Mineral Development Protocol, which is hoped to end some of the uncertainties that have dogged the industry in Manitoba.

The report, co-written by former Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief Ron Evans and former deputy premier of Manitoba Jim Downey, includes seven priority areas to be addressed.

They include common-sense issues such as better communication with First Nations about potential mineral exploration projects and more expeditious response from government regarding regulatory action it needs to take during mineral development projects. Priority areas also include a call for revenue-sharing and for First Nations to become engaged in more substantial economic partnerships with the mining companies.

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Workers say goodbye to Vale smelter and refinery in ‘bittersweet’ closing ceremony – by Kyle Darbyson (Thompson Citizen – June 12, 2018)

http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

‘A big hit emotionally for everybody working there,’ says union president

Vale Manitoba Operations hosted a closing ceremony for its smelter and refinery June 9 with workers and others paying tribute to facilities that are almost as old as Thompson itself.

This event took place at the main plant site, and featured a barbecue, children’s activities, speeches from local dignitaries and a tour of the facilities themselves.

While regular production won’t be permanently shut down until July 31, Vale Manitoba Operations manager of corporate affairs Ryan Land thought it was important to put this event together while everything is still up and running, since it gave their family members the chance to get a closer look at the facilities that produced “the world’s best nickel for about 57 years.”

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Vale not happy with nickel prices – by Staff (Sudbury Star – April 30, 2018)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale officials say they have confidence in the nickel market in the long run, but for now they aren’t happy with the metal’s prices. In December, Vale dialed back nickel output forecasts for the next five years even as it praised the metal’s future prospects.

Last week, Reuters reported Vale was curbing base metal production to boost returns, though the world’s biggest nickel producer hopes the area will one day represent a greater part of earnings.

Vale executives said they hoped to find a partner for the struggling New Caledonia nickel mine by the end of the year, but it was not clear whether the world’s largest nickel producer would continue nickel operations there, Reuters said.

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Layoff notices sent to 169 Vale employees in Thompson, Man. (CBC News Manitoba – April 25, 2018)

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

Vale is entering its “most significant phase” of layoffs in the lead up to the planned shut down of the company’s smelting and refining operations in Thompson, Man., later this summer. The company has sent layoff notices to 169 employees, said Ryan Land, manager of corporate affairs and organizational development with Vale.

Vale has been planning to stop nickel smelting and refining in Thompson for years, and the operations will officially cease July 31, the same day the layoffs are to take effect.

Vale plans to continue its mining and milling operations in Thompson, which had a population of just under 13,000 people in 2016. The city is 650 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

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Northern Manitoba has untapped mining potential – by Blaine Pedersen (Thompson Citizen – April 11, 2018)

http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

Blaine Pedersen is the Manitoba Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade.

The past 20 years have not been kind to the mining industry in Manitoba. Low metal prices, challenges in raising capital and the previous NDP government’s adversarial attitude toward the industry have all contributed to a sharp decline in mineral exploration and mine development in the province.

Times have changed for the better! We are open for business and our government is committed to reduce the burden of red tape, manage the province’s fiscal situation and reduce the tax load on companies and Manitoba families. These improvements will have a positive impact on all sectors of the provincial economy, including the mining industry.

We are developing a clear focus on expectations for local communities and the exploration/mining industry. To this end, Ron Evans and Jim Downey have been tasked to develop a Mineral Development Protocol.

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GUEST COLUMN: Mining investors dramatically downgrade Manitoba in annual survey – by Kenneth Green and Ashley Stedman (Winnipeg Sun – March 4, 2018)

http://winnipegsun.com/

Kenneth Green and Ashley Stedman are the co-authors of the Fraser Institute’s 2017 Survey of Mining Companies.

Manitoba is no longer a top-ranked jurisdiction for mining investment, and government policy uncertainty is largely to blame, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual survey of mining companies.

Every year the Fraser Institute surveys miners around the world to determine which jurisdictions are attractive—or unattractive—for investment, based on policies and geology.

The survey spotlights policies (taxes, duplicative regulations, availability of labour and skills, etc.) that govern the mining industry and impact the investment attractiveness of jurisdictions worldwide.

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Rockcliff Metals Corporation: King of Grade in Canada’s Most Prolific Mining Belt-Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt (March 2, 2018)

http://rockcliffmetals.com/

Rockcliff Metals Corp. (TSX.V: RCLF) is a company set for success. With royalty revenues just around the corner, RCLF is getting ready to show the world its full potential as its properties in Manitoba are demonstrating excellent results.

What is also intriguing about RCLF is Management’s ability to pick up amazing properties from staking high-quality prospects or from seasoned prospectors or joint-venture opportunities, like they did with a senior base-metal producer Hudbay Minerals who has had continuous mining in the world-class Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt (FF-SL GB) for nearly a century.

Over the past 10 years, RCLF has amassed over 45,000 collective hectares in this camp, spent over $27 million, completed over 80,000 metres of drilling and has grown its collective basemetal resources to over 11 Mt of high-grade copper, gold, zinc and silver, all in one of the richest and most prolific mining camps in the world.

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Manitoba mining takes deep hit – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – February 22, 2018)

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

Province drops in Fraser Institute survey’s ranking of investment attractiveness

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the mining industry in Manitoba, its ranking in an annual survey on investment attractiveness has dropped dramatically.

In the Fraser Institute’s annual Survey of Mining Companies, which is being released today, Manitoba fell from second place among 104 jurisdictions last year to 18th place among 91 this year.

The survey asks industry players for their views on all sorts of policies from taxation, various types of regulations, availability of skilled labour, political stability, socioeconomic agreements/community development and uncertainty concerning environmental regulations and protected areas.

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