Mining Education and Innovation – Page 29

NEWS RELEASE: Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) Announces Construction of a New Mineral Processing Pilot Plant

September 19, 2012

The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) today announced construction of a new mineral processing pilot plant. The new pilot plant, coupled with SRC’s existing mineral processing expertise, laboratory and testing facilities, will allow mining companies in Western Canada and beyond to access a full range of applied research, development, process design, scale-up, and pilot-scale demonstration, plus new and improved processes for recovering valuable metals and minerals.

Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Fairview Jennifer Campeau on behalf of Economy Minister and Minister responsible for SRC Bill Boyd was in attendance today to announce construction.

Located in Saskatoon, the pilot plant will enable SRC to provide services and expertise previously unavailable in Saskatchewan, and will allow mining companies to increase productivity and competitiveness in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The new pilot plant will support the development and demonstration of new and improved methods for processing minerals such as potash, gold, base metals, coal, oil sand, oil shale and especially rare earth minerals. It will enable the pilot-scale demonstration of new technologies that will be able to increase mining yields and decrease costs.

Mining engineers strike gold – by Josh Dehaas (Maclean’s Magazine – September 13, 2012)

September 14, 2012September 14, 2012

Maclean’s is the largest circulation weekly news magazine in Canada, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.

Graduating with a degree in mining engineering seems to be a ticket to a well-paying job

Kyle Buckoll finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia in April. Unlike many 23-year-old university graduates, he didn’t settle at his parents’ house in Maple Ridge, B.C., to start hunting for internships or entry-level jobs. Instead, he went on an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey with 31 fellow class-of-2012 graduates from UBC’s mining engineering program. They marvelled at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, visited two of the seven ancient wonders of the world, and lounged on beach chairs in Bodrum to toast their graduation. They also toured six mines, because the flight, hotels and buses were all paid for by mining companies eager to show their largesse.

Buckoll wasn’t worried about student loans, either. His tuition for the last four years was covered by Anglo-Swiss mining company Xstrata. In addition to working for the firm while at school, he promised to work for Xstrata after graduation (he will owe them money if he quits in the first two years). After a summer spent touring Europe for fun, he has a well-paying job waiting for him at the company’s mine in Timmins, Ont., in September. His two vehicles will be there, shipped from Vancouver at Xstrata’s expense. His girlfriend will join him there too, her flight and moving expenses covered. They’ll settle into a home with the rent taken care of for the first two months.

Vale puts railveyor to test – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – September 2012)

September 13, 2012

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

The successful demonstration of Sudbury-based Rail-Veyor Technologies’ innovative material handling system at Vale’s 114 Orebody could lead to a significant change in mine design, enabling smaller openings, improved safety and faster advance rates.

A surface demonstration of the rail-veyor at Vale’s Stobie Mine proved that the technology worked, but it had to be put to the test in an actual mining operation before the company could specify it for future mine developments.

“We proved the ore-handling capability of the rail-veyor at Stobie,” said Alex Henderson, Vale’s general manager of underground technology for base metals. “This demonstration is more about how we integrate it into our development and production processes.”

Assuming the final verdict is positive – and all indications suggest it will be – the rail-veyor can be classified as proven technology and considered as an option in feasibility studies for new mine developments in Sudbury and elsewhere across Vale’s global footprint.

Making deep mining safer – by Darren MacDonald (Northern Ontario Business – September 2012)

September 13, 2012

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

With the future of mining in Sudbury dependent on finding ways to extract ore from deeper underground, a local invention offers hope that it can, one day, be done safer, cheaper and more quickly.

The Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization – CAMIRO – is developing a spray-on liner that would take the place of the shotcrete and screens traditionally used to hold underground tunnels in place. Four millimetres of the bright orange, polyurethane compound would be sprayed onto the walls and ceilings underground by a robot adapted for mining use from the automotive industry.

CAMIRO is a Sudbury-based not-for-profit organization run by the mining industry to manage collaborative mining research. Originally built to spray paint onto cars, the $60,000 robots would be upgraded with scanning and other software so it could coat the area with the liner without any humans being present.

MTI Inc. of Sudbury has been given the job of coming up with a carrier for the robot, which is currently transported using a scoop tram. Charles Graham, managing director of CAMIRO, said the liner has several potential advantages over current practices. Unlike shotcrete, the polyurethane liner is flexible.

Teachers learn about modern mining in Ontario – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – September 2012)

September 12, 2012

It took five days for Niagara Region elementary school teacher Chris Hoekstra to change her preconceived ideas about mining. “I was thinking picks and shovels, that it was very intrusive, not environmentally friendly, it was eating up our land and why do we really need it,” she said.

After spending five packed days at the Canadian Ecology Centre’s Mining Teachers’ Tour in August – including an underground visit – her view has totally changed.

“I had a picture of going down into a timbered shaft,” Hoekstra said. “But the technology that is used has really impressed me and I didn’t anticipate that. I had no idea of the number of engineers and tradespeople that are required and how environmentally conscious they are to the point of having staff that are just dedicated to that.”

The third mining tour was held Aug. 6 to Aug. 10 at the Mattawa facility housed in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.

[Sudbury’s Laurentian University mining education] LU reaches for the top – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – September 1, 2012)

September 2, 2012

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

Perhaps the seed was planted one night in a five-star dream — an omen for the next five years detailing grandeur of the academic kind. Dominic Giroux, the president and vice-chancellor of Laurentian University, announced in June the board of directors had approved the budget for the school’s five-year strategic plan (2012-17). Developing the plan was a labour of love, which required 12 months and hundreds of stakeholder consultations. Giroux was wary of developing a one-size-fits-all plan, with the committee opted instead for a signature document that is undoubtedly Laurentian.

“Often universities develop very long and extensive strategic plans that convey their commitments to excellence in teaching, research and community engagement, but it’s hard to distinguish their true strategic directions from other universities,” he says. “One of the reasons we’re proud of our strategic plan is that if you remove the words ‘Laurentian University,’ anyone who reads it will recognize Laurentian.”

The plan is ambitious and broad. In just 20 pages it addresses student satisfaction, academic excellence, community engagement and national recognition, a point of which Giroux is especially proud. It plays on the school’s established strengths and takes advantage of its geographic location.

OMA Noront member helps strengthen foundation for high school video competition

November 3, 2015August 23, 2012

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 Noront Resources is busy this summer broadening the foundation for future So You Think You Know Mining video entries. The company is spearheading The Mining Movie Making Summer Camp in several Aboriginal communities in partnership with DAREarts, Engage Learn and the OMA.

The hands-on community based program provides three days of sharing stories about rocks, minerals, the environment and traditional territories. Then students work to collaborate and create their own Aboriginal community video, which hopefully becomes a future entry to the OMA’s SYTYKM high school video competition.

The first camp, which was held earlier this month, involved more than 40 students from the Simon Jacob Memorial Education Centre in the Webequie First Nation. The second camp was held in the Marten Falls First Nation and later in August a camp is scheduled to be held in the Long Lake #58 First Nation. In the Fall, the team aims to take the program to other communities in the Ring of Fire area.

Spray-on liner could help miners go deeper – CBC News Sudbury (August 9, 2012)

August 10, 2012

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

New product could become an important tool in ensuring the health and safety of underground workers

New technology that helps keep broken rock in place in underground mines is being tested in Sudbury. A thin, spray-on lining is being applied to rock deep underground to see if it will help keep rock safely in place in the event of a natural rock burst, or other rock movement.

For the product’s developers, finally getting to the testing phase is a significant step forward. The Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization — a non-profit group that is run by the mining industry — said they have been working on this product for quite some time.

“I think it’s going to support mining [and] the effort of the industry to mine deeper,” said Charles Graham, one of the product’s developers. “It’s going to manage some of the risks — the geotechnical risks — for doing that. It opens up and maintains possibilities that otherwise might be lost to us if we didn’t have that kind of product.”

NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Supports Cutting-Edge Mining Research In Sudbury

August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

(L to R) Kevin Manuel, Account Executive, 3M Canada Company; Nicholas Dickson, Team Leader, UVT Product Group, Mining Technologies International; Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the NOHFC; Oliver Koski, Business Development Manager, Mining Technologies International and Charles Graham, CAMIRO - Mining Division.

August 9, 2012 10:20 AM

McGuinty Government Strengthening Province’s Mining Sector

Today Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) announced NOHFC funding of $300,000 for CAMIRO’s work to test a flexible thin spray-on lining that helps keep broken rock safely in place in deep underground mining. The new product could become an important tool in ensuring the health and safety of underground workers.

Ontario is investing in innovative new technology that will help strengthen Sudbury’s position as a world mining leader.

Through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), the Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization (CAMIRO) will test a thin spray-on lining that helps keep broken rock safely in place in deep underground mining. The new product could become an important tool in ensuring the health and safety of underground workers.

NEWS RELEASE: New President CEO for MIRARCO [Laurentian University mining research]

July 4, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sudbury, ON, July 3, 2012 – The Board of Directors of MIRARCO Mining Innovation is pleased to announce the appointment of Vic Pakalnis, P.Eng. as President and Chief Executive Officer of the corporation effective July 1st, 2012.

Marc Boudreau, President and CEO of BESTECH and Chairman of the Board of Directors for MIRARCO welcomes Vic to MIRARCO. “Vic’s experience and relationships in both the industrial and public sectors will help to shape strong and vibrant strategic objectives for the long term success of MIRARCO. The Board of Directors looks forward to working with Vic and believe that he will bring; renewed energy, innovative ideas, growth, and diversification to the organization.”

Vic Pakalnis earned a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mining Engineering and a Master of Engineering Degree from McGill University in 1972 and 1976 respectively. In 1994, he obtained a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.

Vic brings expertise from a career with various mining companies including Inco Ltd, Iron Ore Company of Canada and Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. In the later company, he served as their Senior Ground Control Engineer.

Don’t blame resource sector for lack of innovation: study – by Barrie McKenna (Globe and Mail – June 29,2012)

July 3, 2012

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 – Canada has an innovation problem, but it can’t be pinned on the performance of the booming oil sands and mining industries.

The resource sector scores higher than most other Canadian industries when it comes to innovation, concludes a report released Friday by the Ottawa-based Centre for the Study of Living Standards.

“It’s not inconsistent to have an innovation problem and also have sectors that do well,” said Andrew Sharpe, the centre’s director. “And that’s the case in Canada.” While the resource sector is vital to the Canadian economy, it generates a relatively modest share of the country’s employment and economic output.

So the innovation problem lies elsewhere, most likely in the large service industry, which dominates the Canadian economy and generally suffers from weak productivity, Mr. Sharpe suggested.

NEWS RELEASE: VALE BREAKS GROUND ON HISTORIC $2 BILLION CLEAN AER PROJECT

June 23, 2012June 22, 2012

(L to R) David Pearson, Laurentian University Biology Professor; Kelly Strong, VP of Vale’s Mining and Milling, North Atlantic Operations, and General Manager of Ontario Operations; John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer of Vale Canada and Director of Vale’s North Atlantic Base Metals; Rick Bartolucci, Sudbury MPP and Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines; Marianne Matichuk, City of Greater Sudbury Mayor; Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario; Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of the Environment; Dave Stefanuto, Vale Clean AER Project Director

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, June 22, 2012 – Joined by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, government cabinet ministers, community leaders, local residents and employees, Vale today officially broke ground on its $2-billion “Clean AER Project”, one of the largest single environmental investments in Ontario’s history.

The Clean AER Project, where AER stands for ‘Atmospheric Emissions Reduction’, will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale’s smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70% from current levels, as well as dust and metals emissions reduced a further 35 to 40%. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.

“This is an historic day for Vale and demonstrates the importance that Greater Sudbury plays in our global operations,” said John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer of Vale Canada Limited and Director of Vale’s North Atlantic Base Metals operations. “Starting today, we are building a lasting legacy for our employees, the community and future generations who will live and work in Greater Sudbury, and that is truly a reason to celebrate.”