Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

The Drift: Sudbury-raised CEO picked to plot the path in the Ring of Fire – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 22, 2023)

March 22, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Groomed at Glencore, Kristan Straub now helms Ring of Fire Metals

Talk of a weekend snowstorm about to hit Sudbury rings up pangs of jealousy from Kristan Straub. A weather forecast calling for 30 to 50 centimetres of fresh powder is cause for impending calamity in the ‘burbs of the GTA where the newly appointed CEO of Ring of Fire Metals now resides.

But to Straub, 48, it’s a siren call to the snowmobile trails for the Sudbury-raised outdoor enthusiast. For now, those recreational pursuits will have to be put on hold. On March 1, Straub was introduced as the new boss of the Australian-owned James Bay mine developer, just days prior to the start of the PDAC mining conference in Toronto, one of the industry’s biggest global get-togethers. He was recruited from Glencore where was vice-president of exploration with the nickel team.

Sudbury, A to Z – by Peter Carter (Pete’s Blog and Grille – March 6, 2023)

March 22, 2023

http://www.petesblogandgrille.com/

In June of this year, about 200 members of the Canadian Travel Media Association will be meeting in my hometown of Sudbury, Ont., for their annual conference. While I am neither a member of the travel media association nor did the organizers ask my help, I thought I would create this list of things those visitors to Sudbury should know about so they’ll return home knowing that–of all the places on the planet that they have ever visited–my hometown is one of the–if not the–most significant.

I’m serious. What makes a tourist destination worth remembering? Geography? Historic events? Architecture? Local wines? Famous people? Big battles? Stuff you can’t see anywhere else, like the famous terracotta armies buried in the tomb of the first emperor of China around 200 B.C?

Sudbury’s regreening expertise taking root in Peru (Northern Ontario Business – March 17, 2023)

March 17, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

City of Greater Sudbury signs letter of intent with Peruvian region to promote innovation and cooperation

Sudbury’s environmental remediation expertise is being exported to Peru. The City of Greater Sudbury and the regional government of Moquegua, two international mining centres, have signed a letter of intent of cooperation during the recent PDAC mining show in Toronto earlier this month.

According to a city news release, this alliance letter recently signed is a formal relationship builder between the Nickel City and this region of Peru with the intention that it will mutually “stimulate economic development, workforce development, battery and microchips development, research and remediation technology, and curricula transfer, helping people and businesses on both sides of the Americas thrive.”

Hearing looking into Mining Act changes to be held in Timmins (Timmins Daily Press – March 16, 2023)

March 17, 2023

https://www.timminspress.com/

Committee intends to hold public hearings in Timmins on Wednesday, April 5, and in Sudbury on Thursday, April 6.

A provincial committee studying proposals to make the opening of new mines easier and quicker will hold hearings in Sudbury and Timmins next month. The Standing Committee on the Interior will be meeting to consider Bill 71, An Act to amend the Mining Act.

The committee intends to hold public hearings in Timmins on Wednesday, April 5, and in Sudbury on Thursday, April 6. Those who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation on Bill 71 are required to register by noon on Monday, March 27.

Mineral-rich North energized by news of VW battery plant – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – March 15,2023)

March 16, 2023

https://www.timminspress.com/

‘It’s all about connecting our critical mineral producers in the North’ with manufacturers in the South – Pirie

ST. THOMAS — Volkswagen’s announced plans to establish a battery cell plant in Southern Ontario is good news for Northern Ontario, says Mines Minister and Timmins MPP George Pirie. “If we’re going to secure our supply chain (for the electric vehicle industry) we have to get the minerals out of the ground in Northern Ontario,” Pirie told The Daily Press.

“Nickel is a critical mineral, copper, niobium, rare earths, lithium – we’ve got them all. There are four huge low-grade deposits in the Timmins vicinity including Canada Nickel … It’s a hugely exciting time.

Goliath Gold Complex, Ontario, Canada (Mining Technology – March 13, 2023)

March 15, 2023

https://www.mining-technology.com/

The Goliath gold complex is expected to produce 90,000oz of gold a year on average over its 13-year mine life.

The Goliath Gold Complex is a mining project proposed to be developed in north-western Ontario, Canada, by mineral exploration and development company Treasury Metals.

The complex comprises three deposits, namely Goliath, Goldlund and Miller, which are located on different land packages. A pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the Goliath Gold Complex project was completed in February 2023. The project is estimated to require an initial capital expenditure of C$335m ($248m). The PFS indicated an annual average production capacity of 90,000oz of gold over the project’s 13-year lifespan.

Why Not All Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Created Equal – by Victoria Gomelsky (JCK Online – March 13, 2023)

March 15, 2023

JCK Online

Imagine two round brilliant-cut diamonds displayed side by side. Each is 1 ct. in size, F color, VS2 clarity. One is a natural, mined diamond and the other is lab-grown. Most retailers have been taught that beyond their disparate origins, the diamonds are chemically, optically, and physically identical, and that’s the message they’ve conveyed to consumers.

“For years, the trade has repeated these sentiments: that lab and natural diamonds are indistinguishable from each other,” says Lindsay Reinsmith, chief operating officer and director of sales at Ada Diamonds, a lab-grown, direct-to-consumer diamond brand based in San Francisco.

Copper fever on the Keweenaw – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 13, 2023)

March 15, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Canadian mine developer wants to fast-track two Northern Michigan deposits into production on Superior’s south shore

A Quebec exploration company is making moves toward developing a copper mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Highland Copper has two deposits situated at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula, on the south shore of Lake Superior, and is looking to fast-track them into production in the next few years.

In laying out its strategy last week, the Longueuil, Que.company said it will decide by early 2024 whether to greenlight construction of its Copperwood Project, the first and smaller of its two deposits.

Government touts Manitoba as mining-friendly province at mineral industry conference – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – March 10, 2023)

March 13, 2023

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

Province is giving $3.5 million in various grants to mining, Indigenous and economic development organizations as well as to companies conducting mineral exploration in the province.

Manitoba’s government touted its credentials as a mining-focused and mining-friendly jurisdiction in the first week of March, sending a delegation to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto and announcing mineral-related funding for various organizations and companies.

Economic Development Minister Jeff Wharton said in a March 6 press release that Manitoba’s representatives at the conference, which attracted more than 1,100 visitors, 2,500 investors and 23,000 attendees, would be holding discussions and meetings with industry stakeholders and also distributing technical and marketing materials to conference participants.

Northwestern MPP jumps on proposed changes to the Mining Act – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 10, 2023)

March 13, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Sol Mamakwa accuses Ford government of not consulting with First Nations

Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa took the Ford government to task in the Ontario Legislature March 9 for proposing changes to the provincial Mining Act, accusing them of not consulting with First Nations.

Mines Minister George Pirie announced the first of an upcoming raft of amendments to the act with more industry-friendly measures designed to put into new mines into commercial production faster.

Change in federal assessment won’t slow pace in the Ring of Fire, says mines minister – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 10, 2023)

March 10, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Federal environment minister wants more Indigenous involvement in Far North industry impact assessment

Ottawa’s decision to scrap plans for a Ring of Fire regional assessment process won’t interfere with the province’s intentions to get new mines into production faster.

Provincial Mines Minister George Pirie said they have guarantees from the federal government that assessments for the proposed roads into the James Bay region to connect two remote communities to the Ontario highway system will not impact any timelines to put new mines into production.

U of T partners with Vale Energy Transition Metals to accelerate sustainable mining solution – by Tyler Irving (University of Toronto Engineering News – March 8, 2023)

March 9, 2023

UofT Engineering News Home

A new partnership between the University of Toronto and Vale Energy Transition Metals will strengthen Canada’s position in the critical minerals sector by developing sustainable mining solutions, as well as fostering Canadian skills and talent.

The framework agreement was signed March 7, 2023, at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2023 Convention, held in Toronto. The partnership launches with an initial $1.6 million investment over the next three years and will include several multidisciplinary projects led by experts from both institutions.

Sudbury’s mine waste worth billions; new project to find ways of extracting valuable minerals – by Staff (Sudbury Star – March 8, 2023)

March 9, 2023

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale, province to pay for new industrial research chair program in biomining and bioremediation to be based in Sudbury

Mine waste in the Sudbury area may be worth billions and it’s Nadia Mykytczuk’s job to find ways using bacteria to extract the valuable nickel, copper and other critical minerals out of them.

Her job got a lot easier Wednesday when Vale Energy Transition Metals and the provincial government announced money to support a new industrial research chair program in biomining and bioremediation that she will lead in Sudbury. Vale Energy committed $875,000 over five years to the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation, and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO) at Laurentian University.

Incoming chief demands meeting with Ford on Ring of Fire – by Aidan Chamandy (Timmins Today – March 9, 2023)

March 9, 2023

https://www.timminstoday.com/

‘I’m only going to talk to the individual that wants to drive that bulldozer and run over my homelands,’ says Chris Moonias

Incoming Neskantaga Chief Chris Moonias was at Queen’s Park on Thursday demanding a meeting with Premier Doug Ford — and only Ford — over what he considers a lack of adequate consultations on the government’s latest mining bill and the push to develop the Ring of Fire.

“I’m only going to talk to the individual that wants to drive that bulldozer and run over my homelands,” said Moonias, who is set to take over as the first nation’s chief on April 1. “I ain’t talking to anybody else, except him.”

Clean and green mining in Sudbury takes a step forward – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – March 7, 2023)

March 8, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Vale and Queen’s Park offer up $1.6 million to tackle mining waste and advance bio-mining innovation

A new and environmentally benign form of Sudbury’s mining industry just took a great leap forward with a more than $1.6 million contribution from international nickel miner Vale and the Ontario government.

Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation, and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO) at Laurentian University and its research leader Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk are the recipients of this largess that will be earmarked for the organization’s bio-mining and remediation efforts in tackling mine waste.