Archive | Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

A low-carbon future means a big demand for key minerals. Can N.L.’s mines cash in? – by Lindsay Bird (CBC News Newfoundland & Labrador – December 6, 2020)

December 7, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

As automakers unveil electric vehicle after electric vehicle, and innovation surges around solar panels and other renewable energies, an industry with a long history in Newfoundland and Labrador hopes to position itself to supply more of the materials needed for the green transition.

“It’s a very opportune time for the province. Mining is essential for a low-carbon future,” said Ed Moriarity, the executive director of Mining Industry NL, the province’s industry association.

Not every ore is created equal in the eyes of innovators, as demand focuses on extracting what are sometimes termed “critical minerals,” sometimes labelled “strategic” ones. Continue Reading →

New hope for Kami iron ore project, with Labrador MHA cautiously optimistic – by Terry Roberts (CBC News Newfoundland-Labrador – November 18, 2020)

November 18, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Iron Ore, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining, Quebec Mining

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

An agreement that will see the Kami proposed mining site in Labrador sold to a company with an operational mine across the border could see raw ore head to Quebec for processing, says MHA Jordan Brown.

Brown, a New Democrat who represents Labrador West in the House of Assembly, said he is cautiously optimistic but worried that economic benefits from what mining experts call a world class iron ore project may not stay in the region.

“This close proximity does bring some concern that some benefits will not come back to the people of Labrador, and may potentially benefit Quebec workers over Labrador workers,” Brown said. Continue Reading →

Newfoundland: An Unexpected Gold Exploration Destination – by Phil Gracin (The Deep Dive – October 4, 2020)

October 5, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://thedeepdive.ca/

Newfoundland is often overlooked by investors when searching for investment opportunities in the gold sector. The prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt that runs through Northern Ontario and Quebec understandably attracts major interest, as does the Golden Triangle region of British Columbia with its many gold mines. Regions such as Newfoundland are off to the side of people’s vision.

Although not often on investor’s radar screens, Newfoundland has an extensive mining history. Small-scale mining dates back to the 1770’s, but it became a major industry only in the 1860’s, with the discovery of major copper at Notre Dame Bay and the Wabana iron ore deposits on Bell’s Island.

In 1905 a major lead-zinc-copper deposit was discovered near the town of Buchans in central Newfoundland. It was difficult to mine because there were no known milling processes that could adequately separate the mineral sulphides. Continue Reading →

Vale to resume operations at Voisey’s Bay in July – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – June 18, 2020)

June 18, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.mining.com/

Vale (NYSE: VALE), the world’s top producer of nickel and iron ore, is fine-tuning details to reopen its Voisey’s Bay open pit nickel mine and concentrator in Canada, next month.

Full capacity at the northern Labrador-based operation should be reached in August, the Brazilian mining giant said on Thursday.

Vale initially placed Voisey’s Bay mine on care and maintenance for four weeks as a precaution amid the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic. It later extended the measure for up to three months, leaving an ongoing mine expansion project on hold. Continue Reading →

Vale ramping down operations at Voisey’s Bay (CBC News Newfoundland-Labrador – March 17, 2020)

March 17, 2020 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

Safety of remote Indigenous communities top of mind, company says

Brazilian mining giant Vale is placing its Labrador nickel mine under “care and maintenance” protocols for the next four weeks amid concerns about COVID-19.

The remote mine, just south of Nain on the northern coast of Labrador, has about 900 workers on site. It is accessible only by air, and has employees from all over Canada.

No employees have tested positive for the virus, but the company said it was taking steps to keep it that way. Continue Reading →

Maritime considering processing ore at Rambler’s plant in Newfoundland – by Staff (Mining.com – March 13, 2020)

March 13, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.mining.com/

Maritime Resources (TSXV: MAE) is considering processing feed from its Hammerdown gold project at the Nugget Pond gold plant owned by Rambler Metals and Mining Canada. Both the project and the plant are located in Newfoundland, in Canada’s Atlantic region.

In order to evaluate the possibility of using the plant, Maritime entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Rambler that includes an exclusivity period of 12 months for Maritime to assess the facility and complete a feasibility study with the option to negotiate a purchase agreement.

The gold plant is a small section of the total Nugget Pond concentrator plant and is not used to process ore by Rambler. Continue Reading →

Sokoman advances Moosehead gold project in Newfoundland – by Ron Wortel (Northern Miner – January 8, 2020)

January 9, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

Global mining news

In November 2019, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum’s Newfoundland and Labrador branch named Sokoman Minerals (TSXV: SIC) the Prospector/Explorer of the Year for its 100%-owned Moosehead gold property.

Moosehead, 150 km to the northeast of Marathon Gold’s (TSX: MOZ) Valentine Lake deposit in central Newfoundland, sits along the extension of the Cape Ray-Valentine Lake–Alder Zone structural trend.

Tim Froude, Sokoman’s president, optioned the 24-sq.-km project from Altius Minerals (TSX: ALS) in November 2017, and completed the earn-in for a 100% stake in February 2019. The company has drilled 88 holes (18,600 metres) since 2018. Continue Reading →

BOOK REVIEW: Linden MacIntyre’s The Wake is a long overdue obituary for the miners of the Burin Peninsula – by Ken McGoogan (Globe and Mail – October 19, 2019)

October 21, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Canadian Mining History, Mining Accidents, Deaths, Cave-Ins and Industrial Disease, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

On Feb. 15, 1965, a retired miner named Rennie Slaney sat down at his kitchen table in St. Lawrence, Nfld., and typed out a five-page, single-spaced document that, as Linden MacIntyre writes in The Wake, would reverberate “across the land.” The 58-year-old Slaney, who could no longer work because of severe health problems, laid out what had happened in recent decades to the people of his small community on the Burin Peninsula.

Addressing his testimonial to a special committee appointed by the government of Premier Joey Smallwood, Slaney mentioned a miner who died in hospital that very day, while another lay nearby, “just awaiting his time.”

Slaney himself, having worked in the mines for 23 years, was suffering from chronic bronchitis, obstructive emphysema, infective asthma and “a usually terminal heart disease caused by lung failure.” The man could step forward because, MacIntyre tells us, he had nothing left to lose: “His lungs were shot.” Continue Reading →

Proposed mining project in Newfoundland is going for gold – by Bernice Hiller (CBC News Newfoundland-Labrador – September 23, 2019)

September 23, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

All that glitters is not gold, but people in southwestern Newfoundland are hoping a future gold mine could be right on their doorstep. However, they still have plenty of questions about the plan by Matador Mining and about the impact it would have on the environment and traditional activities, such as hunting and fishing.

Matador has asked government for approval to develop a mine, mill and processing operation for gold ore in the area of Isle aux Morts. As part of the province’s environmental assessment process, the company held two public consultations last week.

Port aux Basques Mayor John Spencer said the impact on wildlife topped the list of questions from the nearly 70 people in attendance. “‘How would this impact the moose and caribou that frequent the area?’ ‘How would this impact the migratory birds?’ ‘What about the salmon?'” said Spencer. Continue Reading →

Voisey’s Bay underground development hits 10% completion (CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador – August 28, 2019)

August 30, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

Workers staying on floating hotel while work on new living quarters underway

The quest to mine nickel from beneath the ground at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador is picking up steam with more than 430 workers on site. Joao Zanon, the project director for Vale, said the team ran into challenges in the early stages of the project during the harsh northern Labrador winter.

Once the snow melted and summer arrived, the project ramped up. A little over 10 per cent of the underground development is now complete, with a goal to be operational in the first half of 2020.

“We’ve picked up the development quite a lot in the past months and the speed will continue to increase as we … are able to mobilize more people to work underground,” Zanon said. Continue Reading →

Linden MacIntyre shares personal connection to Newfoundland disaster in The Wake – by Holly McKenzie-Sutter (CBC News – August 22, 2019)

August 23, 2019 in Books, Art, Music and Photography About Mining and Northern Topics, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Mining Accidents, Deaths, Cave-Ins and Industrial Disease, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

As a journalist Linden MacIntyre covered adversity around the world, sharing the experiences of those caught in tragic circumstances, but he’s waited decades to bring the story of his hometown to the page.

The investigative reporter and novelist was born in St. Lawrence, N.L., where his new book The Wake is set. The author’s hard-rock miner father moved there in the 1940s to work for the fluorspar mining operation that rolled into the poverty-stricken community, which was recovering from a natural disaster and an unexpected collapse of the area’s crucial fisheries.

In 1929, an earthquake-related tsunami struck southern Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula, washing homes out to sea and killing 28 people. The story of environmental destruction and industrial exploitation that followed is narrated in The Wake. Continue Reading →

Nfld. & Labrador: Nalcor building $22M transmission line to Labrador mining project (CBC News – August 19, 2019)

August 20, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Mining Power Issues, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

The provincial and federal governments announced new funding Friday for a project to provide hydroelectricity to a mining operation in western Labrador.

The province’s Department of Natural Resources said Nalcor will build a new terminal station and a 27-kilometre transmission line from the Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station’s existing line to the Tata Steel processing site.

The transmission line will enable Tata Steel to reduce the mine’s diesel consumption by up to 40 per cent. Lisa Dempster, minister of municipal affairs and environment, says her department prioritized the project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while encouraging resource development in Labrador. Continue Reading →

Marathon Gold ‘prime takeout candidate’: National Bank of Canada analyst (Northern Miner – July 11, 2019)

July 12, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Junior Exploration Sector, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

Northern Miner

Marathon Gold (TSX: MOZ) is on track to release a new resource estimate in September for its Leprechaun deposit in the company’s Valentine Gold camp in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The latest drilling has expanded the high-grade area within Leprechaun’s Main Zone corridor to a strike length over 480 meters with a width of 30 to 100 metres and extending to a depth of 350 metres.

Leprechaun is one of four near-surface deposits, mainly pit-shell constrained, at Marathon’s Valentine Gold camp, and remains open at depth and along strike. The four deposits stretch over a 20-km system of gold-bearing veins. Continue Reading →

Nfld. & Labrador: New mine on time, on budget as Tacora prepares to restart iron ore production – by Ariana Kelland (CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador – April 25, 2019)

April 26, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Iron Ore, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

Labrador West has been injected with confidence, with iron ore extraction set to begin at the former Scully mine in June. Heavy machinery could be seen clearing land at the site Thursday, as Liberal leader Dwight Ball and Graham Letto, who is seeking re-election in the district, toured the mine.

“Things were kind of not stable in all the mining industry in the area, and today we are in the brink of reproduction,” said Letto.

The day after Graham Letto was sworn in as MHA for Labrador West, the pension plan was terminated. In 2014, an estimated 400 people working at the mine and concentrator in Wabush were notified by Cliffs Natural Resources that its operations would be shutting down. Continue Reading →

[Newfoundland] Valentine mine takes another step – by Barb Sweet (St. John’s Telegram – April 18, 2019)

April 18, 2019 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

https://www.thetelegram.com/

Central Newfoundland mine proposal registered for environmental assessment

It’s a gold reserve glittering with job potential but the proposed Valentine gold mine in central Newfoundland is several years away. The undertaking was registered this week for environmental assessment under the provincial Environmental Protection Act.

Marathon Gold Corp. is the Toronto-based gold exploration company proposing to develop the gold mine roughly 55 kilometres southwest of Millertown in central Newfoundland. The net present value of the project is about $500 million USD.

“It’s a major gold deposit, certainly the largest in Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada and it really stands out as one of the top projects in North America,” president and CEO Phillip Walford said in a telephone interview from Toronto Wednesday. Continue Reading →