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Newfoundland and Labrador Mining

Labrador West dealt another blow as IOC announces 150 layoffs (CBC News Newfoundland – April 09, 2015)

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

Labrador West has been dealt another significant economic blow, with 150 layoff notices going out Thursday to unionized workers with the Iron Ore Company of Canada.

The workers are members of Local 5795 of the United Steelworkers, which represents some 1,400 people at the operation, said president Ron Thomas.

The layoffs come amid a significant drop in commodity prices, and many were expecting cost-cutting measures from the mining giant. IOC is majority owned by Rio Tinto, and employs roughly 2,500 people in Labrador West and Sept-Îles, Que. Labrador City Mayor Karen Oldford said it was a “sad day” for the community, but the number was roughly what the town expected if there were going to be layoffs.

“All we can do is try to work with the families that are going to be affected and hope that the commodity prices will turn around quickly, just as quickly as they went down, in order to try to get people back to work,” she said.

Earlier efforts by the company to cut costs at Labrador City failed, with the union overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed wage freeze in February. There was also very little participation in early retirement incentives.

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Cliffs to put mines, rails, ports up for sale in Quebec, N.L. (CBC News Business – April 7, 2015)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business

Mine company under bankruptcy court protection as it completes its exit from Eastern Canada

The Canadian Press – Idled Quebec iron ore mines, railways and port facilities, are about to be put up for sale as part of a court-supervised exit from eastern Canada by Cliffs Natural Resources.

The Cleveland-based mining company’s subsidiaries, which filed for creditor protection in January, are seeking a Quebec court’s permission to solicit interest next month in the Bloom Lake mine, the Wabush Mine, and related port and rail assets in Quebec and Labrador, according to a motion filed by monitor FTI Consulting Canada.

Bloom Lake General Partner Ltd. and affiliates such as Cliffs Quebec Iron Mining filed for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act amid falling iron ore prices.

Excluded from the sale process are Cliffs’ chromite assets in Ontario’s Ring of Fire that are in the process of being sold to Noront Resources for $20 million US.

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Russell walks out on media amid questions about Inuit land claims – by James McLeod (St. John Telegram – March 18, 2015)

http://www.thetelegram.com/

“We should have increased dialogue. We should be sitting and talking as opposed to discussing litigation,” Russell said in the House of Assembly Tuesday, responding to a question from Liberal House Leader Andrew Parsons.

Russell reportedly told a Nunatsiavut Government minister, “Go ahead and take us to court, we’re going to win anyway.” In the House of Assembly, Parsons wanted to know whether Russell talked to a lawyer before issuing the challenge.

“You asked them to sue us. Was that based on an opinion, and if not, why would you make that comment?” Parsons asked. Russell said he didn’t talk to anybody in the Department of Justice or the Attorney General, but he said some officials in his department looked at it.

“I would assume that our officials went through all the proper channels,” he said. The crux of the issue is an agreement the government signed dealing with the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine, and the Long Harbour processing plant which is behind schedule.

The government amended the agreement to allow Vale, the mine operator, to ship more nickel ore out of the province in the next few years while the Long Harbour plant is getting up and running.

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Nunatsiavut president Sarah Leo ‘quite disturbed’ over Vale agreement – (CBC News Newfoundland – February 25, 2015)

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

The Inuit government in Labrador isn’t happy with the announcement of changes to the Voisey’s Bay agreement, which will allow Vale to continue exporting unprocessed ore from the massive nickel mine.

Nunatsiavut president Sarah Leo said the Newfoundland and Labrador government was required to consult the Inuit because the mine is on land connected to their land agreement with the provincial and federal governments.

“We should’ve been consulted — I mean, it’s in our backyard. It’s right here,” she said. “We have a land claims agreement that specifically has a chapter dedicated to the Voisey’s Bay project,” Leo told CBC News. “So, it’s very important to us that we have an understanding and are involved in what’s happening with the project.”

On Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Derrick Dalley and Vale VP Stuart Macnaughton announced that they were amending the Voisey’s Bay Development Agreement to allow the company to send nickel concentrate from the mine in Labrador to Ontario and Manitoba for processing.

The delay is connected to delays in completing Vale’s massive processing facility in Long Harbour, in Newfoundland’s Placentia Bay.

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Vale to pay Newfoundland $230-million for nickel export boost – by Sue Bailey (Canadian Press/Globe and Mail – February 25, 2015)

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.

ST. JOHN’S — Mining giant Vale SA will pay Newfoundland and Labrador $230-million for letting the company export more Voisey’s Bay nickel concentrate while a processing plant ramps up in the province.

Vale will be allowed to export another 94,000 tonnes that must be replaced later, Natural Resources Minister Derrick Dalley said Tuesday.

The move will mean $200-million in compensation from Vale over three years. Another $30-million in community investments from the company are to be negotiated with the province. Complex design and other issues have delayed full operation of the Long Harbour processing plant, about 120 kilometres west of St. John’s.

The $4.3-billion facility will be an asset for years to come, Mr. Dalley said. The announcement is on top of other export allowances in 2013 and 2002, totalling 633,000 tonnes in potential processing exemptions that must be replaced.

Stuart Macnaughton, Vale’s vice-president of operations in the province, said the added flexibility means mining at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador will continue while the plant in Long Harbour is finished.

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Vale gets extension for exporting Voisey’s Bay ore – by Terry Roberts, CBC News Newfoundland – February 24, 2015)

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

Long Harbour nickel plant now schedued for full production by 2018-19

Vale has won approval from the Newfoundland and Labrador government to export more nickel concentrate from its mine at Voisey’s Bay, as a result of delays in commissioning its $4.25 billion processing plant in Long Harbour.

The company will pay $200 million over four years in compensation for the right to export an additional 94,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate from its mine on Labrador’s northern coast to its other processing facilities in Ontario and Manitoba. Vale will contribute another $30 million to a community fund.

The exemption gives Vale flexibility in its efforts to bring its nickel processing plant in Long Harbour, in Newfoundland’s Placentia Bay, up to full capacity, and to avoid any production interruptions at the Voisey’s Bay mine, which is one of the Canada’s most significant nickel finds.

The latest amendment to the Voisey’s Bay Development Agreement was announced Tuesday morning by Natural Resources Minister Derrick Dalley and Stuart Macnaughton, Vale’s vice-president of operations in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Had the export cap not been increased, we would have been left with no choice but to stop operating in Labrador for up to 18 months and not resume normal operations at Voisey’s Bay until Long Harbour was able to process larger quantities of nickel concentrate from Voisey’s Bay,” said Macnaughton.

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House prices dive, food bank use is up as latest mining bust hits Labrador town – by Sue Bailey (Canadian Press/Brandon Sun – February 4, 2015)

http://www.brandonsun.com/

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Jason Penney knows the highs and lows of a miner’s life in Wabush, N.L., a one-industry town where the price of iron ore is discussed like the weather. But he says the community of 1,900 has reeled since its main employer shut down last year.

“We’ve never seen it quite this bad,” the president of United Steelworkers Local 6285 said from the office he now occupies alone. An administrative assistant and a safety officer were both let go along with about 500 other workers who lost their jobs when the Wabush iron ore mine closed.

Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. blamed high production costs and nose-diving commodity prices as demand from prime steel buyers, such as China, waned. The company also confirmed last month that it had stopped production at its Bloom Lake mine in Quebec, about a half-hour drive from Wabush.

Penney said the move affects another 500 workers who flew in and out. For Wabush and nearby Labrador City, which bills itself as the iron ore capital of Canada, it means a loss of crucial spinoff and service jobs.

It’s all adding up to one of the most resounding busts ever for the region, Penney said. “There’s been a lot of people in sad, tough times. It was a rough Christmas on a lot of families.

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Iron Ore goes bust in Labrador West, once booming in production – by Terry Roberts (CBC The Current – January 23, 2015)

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/ Click here for program but note advertisements for other news segments: http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/current_20150123_79604.mp3 The fall in demand for Iron Ore is turning life upside down in the part of Labrador they once called “Mini Fort Mac”. Today we head to Labrador West, Canada’s capital of Iron Ore, where they know a thing or two about …

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Province’s hands tied over Wabush Mines – by Ty Dunham (St. John’s Telegram – December 09, 2014)

http://www.thetelegram.com/

Lack of dialogue between Cliff’s and MFC isn’t hopeful: Minister

The answer many have been waiting for may not become a reality, and Wabush Mines will likely be shut down for good. Talks between Cliff’s Natural Resources and MFC Industrial over the sale of Wabush Mines began in July, but the companies haven’t spoken together in weeks, and MFC hasn’t put anything in writing.

Cliff’s is stripping the mine away one piece at a time, honouring a multi-million dollar closure and rehabilitation plan with the financial assurances it can be carried out, according to the Mining Act.

It would cost millions for them to put the brakes on the closure while the MFC merely expresses interest, and Natural Resources Minister Derrick Dalley said the government is in no position to force a company to spend that kind of money.

“We don’t have authority as a government to stop a company from closing,” said Dalley in a recent interview with The Aurora. “For us to intervene, we would be highly concerned it may jeopardize the closure plan and financial assurance that have been provided.”

MFC has yet to provide a business plan, production plan, closure and rehabilitation plan or financial assurance, Dalley noted.

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Wabush woes: Labrador mining town reels from a China slowdown – by Rachelle Younglai (Globe and Mail – November 29, 2014)

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.

WABUSH, LABRADOR — Ron Barron has spent 30 years working in the Wabush mine, one of three generations of Barrons who have toiled in the open pits in what western Labrador bills as the iron ore capital of Canada.

The family’s roots run deep here. Mr. Barron’s father was one of Wabush‘s first settlers, who not only got a job in the mine when it opened in the 1960s but also helped organize a union. Five of Mr. Barron’s brothers have worked in the same pits along with his son and nephew.

But now Mr. Barron’s life has been upended along with the rest of city. The Wabush mine, once the cornerstone of this community, is shutting down along with another iron ore mine called Bloom Lake in neighbouring Quebec. More than 1,000 miners will be out of work, not to mention a slew of other job losses from businesses that service the industry. It’s a crippling blow in an area with a population of about 9,000.

“Oh my god, everybody loses. All the organizations, the schools, everything loses. Everything will suffer because of it,” said Mr. Barron, who will be officially out of a job by mid-December. “We have had shutdowns and layoffs before, but this is different. The mine is closing.”

The reason for the closings is simple: The price of iron ore, a key ingredient in steel, has been in freefall, falling 60 per cent in three years. Where the resource once traded as high as $190 (U.S.) a tonne in 2011, it is now below $70.

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NEWS RELEASE: Labec-century-awarded-the-2014-explorer-of-the-year-award-cim-newfoundland-branch

TORONTO, CANADA–(Marketwired – Nov. 10, 2014) – Century Iron Mines Corporation (“Century” or the “Company”) (TSX:FER) is pleased to announce that its 60% owned joint venture, Labec Century Iron Ore Inc. (“Labec Century”), received the “2014 Explorer of the Year Award” from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (“CIM”) – Newfoundland Branch at its annual awards banquet in St. John’s on November 8, 2014.

The award recognizes the significant advancements in iron ore resource development and exploration at the Joyce Lake DSO (“Direct Shipping Ore”) deposit, which is 100% owned by Labec Century and located in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Receiving this award is a great honour. Labec Century is proud to have discovered the Joyce Lake DSO deposit from early stage prospecting in a previously unknown DSO area in the Labrador Trough. It means a lot to us, coming from this prestigious professional association, and we are truly grateful for this recognition,” said Sandy Chim, Chairman of Labec Century and President and CEO of the Company.

The Joyce Lake project is the first DSO discovery in the area in three decades. Century and Labec Century together have invested almost eight years of work and approximately $30 million to bring the project to its current advanced stage of feasibility and environmental studies, which are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2015.

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Steelworkers president optimistic for future of Wabush Mines – by Ty Dunham (St. John’s Telegram – November 4, 2014)

http://www.thetelegram.com/

Businesses and families are feeling the slowdown of the iron ore market, especially those affected by the idling of Wabush Mines in February.

The recent news of Cliff’s Natural Resources choosing to shut the mine down permanently after negotiations with potential buyer MFC Industrial fell through has prompted many to worry about their future in Wabush.

But MFC is continuing to explore options to take over the mine, which is why United Steelworkers (USW), Local 6285 president Jason Penney is remaining optimistic.

“From what we’ve been told, as royalty holders they have certain contractual rights, which will allow them to re-enter the plant,” explained Penney. He said it’s not a matter of if MFC reopens the mine, but when.

“MFC seems like a very solid and strong company. This is not their first rodeo. And they’re adamant that they’ll reopen the mine. We just

hope it can be done in a quick time frame.” While it isn’t the preferred route, Penney said it’s better than the alternative. “There’s no doubt we’re disappointed by the sale. This way will be longer. The important thing I want people to remember is all hope is not lost.”

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Quebec Innu upset with IOC’s deal with Labrador Innu (St. John’s Telegram – August 2, 2014)

http://www.thetelegram.com/

First Nations groups say they have claim to territory where the company is conducting mining operations

Two Innu First Nations groups in Quebec are claiming rights over lands in Labrador where the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has already concluded an agreement with Labrador’s Innu Nation.

The Uashat mak Mani-utenam and Matimekush-Lac John Innu First Nations in Quebec are objecting to IOC’s claims that the company has settled aboriginal issues regarding IOC’s projects on an area they say is their traditional territory. The groups are calling on the IOC to come to an agreement with them as well.

The request comes shortly after IOC signed an agreement with the Labrador Innu Nation, which the groups consider, “a curious development,” considering the fact their groups have rights to the area.

“We have never ceded nor otherwise lost our rights to our traditional territory, our Nitassinan, which territory we have possessed, occupied and administered since time immemorial,” Matimekush-Lac John Chief Réal Mckenzie stated in a news release issued Friday.

“Governments and the mining industry allow other aboriginal groups with no legitimate claim to our territory to encroach on our lands at our expense. We can no longer tolerate such an attitude which aims to capture our resources and the benefits which derive from them.”

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Iron failings [Labrador Trough] – Editorial (St. John’s Telegram – July 04, 2014)

http://www.thetelegram.com/

The Labrador Trough may have seen a feeding frenzy in its day, but the herd seems to be thinning. Lured by cheaper iron from competitive sources, customers have been moving on to greener pastures.

The latest victim: Labrador Iron Mines, which announced Wednesday it’s suspending operations on both sides of the Labrador-Quebec border.

Over the past financial year, the company lost $105.2 million, compared to a net loss of $129.7 million a year ago. It said 2014 will be a “development year” as it concentrates its efforts on its Houston Mine, located near Schefferville in northern Quebec. That project is slated to begin production in April 2015.

In February, Cliffs Natural Resources announced it was idling its operations in Wabush indefinitely, leaving 400 employees out of work. But optimism still springs eternal among government and industry officials.

Two days after the February closure, Premier Tom Marshall was in Wabush announcing that Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro had been instructed to forge ahead with a third line to supply power from Churchill Falls to Labrador West.

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Labrador Iron halts mines amid steel-industry slump – by Bertrand Marotte (Globe and Mail – July 3, 2014)

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.

MONTREAL — Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Ltd. said it is halting all operations at its mines for the rest of the year, the latest industry player to fall victim to slumping demand.

The benchmark price of iron ore, used to make steel, has plummeted 30 per cent this year on rising global supply and reduced steel output in the critical Chinese market. The spot price is in the $93 (U.S.)-a-tonne range, down from almost $120 in early April, a level at which high-cost producers such as Labrador Iron can barely meet their costs. Some observers see the price falling to below $80.

Labrador Iron is experiencing “considerable strain” on its cash resources and now needs outside investment if it is to continue operations, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer John Kearney said.

Across-the-board cost-cutting measures are in place and Labrador Iron is in talks for potential financing with commodity traders, financial institutions and others, the company said. The focus for 2014 is development of the flagship, long-life Houston Mine in the Labrador Trough, it said.

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