Archive | Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

Barrick backs new global industry standard for mine tailings dams – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 5, 2020)

August 6, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Mining Environmental Accidents, Pollution, Tailing Dams and Abandoned Mines, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

North Shore miner Barrick Gold is endorsing a new international standard for managing current and future mine tailings facilities with the aim of preventing waste dam failures.

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management was born from a year-long review process by United Nations Environment Programme, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the International Council on Mining and Minerals.

With more than 12,000 tailings storage facilities globally, the goal of the review was to establish a standard of the safer management of mine waste, by strengthening environmental, social, governance and technical practices of the mining industry across the entire lifecycle of these facilities. Continue Reading →

Column: Elon Musk should invest in Sudbury – by Stan Sudol (Sudbury Star – July 28, 2020)

July 31, 2020 in Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Elon Musk is practically begging nickel miners to boost production as potential future shortages would severely impact his ability to manufacture electric vehicles as the metal is a key component for the batteries on which Tesla Inc. depends.

Historically, nickel has always been a boom/bust metal due to the fact the world only produces about 2.1 million metric tonnes of the material a year as opposed to a more commonly used metal like copper at 20 million metric tonnes. And roughly only half of nickel production is of the Class-1 type that is used in batteries that run electric vehicles.

Currently, the cost of nickel is nearing a cyclical bottom, hence the reluctance of nickel miners to invest the possible near billion dollars it takes to bring on a new mine.

Musk is a multi-billionaire and his company stock is at an all-time high. Instead of whining to the mineral industry to invest “their shareholder money” in new nickel production at a time of low returns here are some suggestions to calm his fear of future shortages: Continue Reading →

Larder Lake junior miner using AI to find gold targets – by Staff (July 30, 2020)

July 31, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Junior Exploration Sector, Kirkland Lake, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Gatling Exploration contracts Windfall Geotek to dig through the data

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a role in helping Gatling Exploration chase down some gold targets near the established mining camp of Kirkland Lake.

The Vancouver junior miner has engaged AI experts, Windfall Geotek, to use its advanced Computer Aided Resource Detection System (CARDS) to identify targets at the company’s Larder Gold project, 35 kilometres east of Kirkland Lake in McVittie and McGarry Townships.

Gatling said in a July 30 release that the targets will be evaluated and then explored using more traditional exploration techniques. Continue Reading →

Harte Gold back mining with a vengeance – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 29, 2020)

July 30, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

White River miner undertakes expansion feasibility study

Harte Gold is backing mining and stockpiling gold ore at its Sugar Zone Mine, north of White River, in preparation to restart the mill next week.

The once-furloughed workforce appears to have picked up the pace as the Toronto-based miner said in a July 29 operations update that activities are “ahead on all key mining metrics” with backfill, waste and ore development either “meeting or exceeding expectations.”

The pandemic put a halt to all mining, milling and exploration operations at the end of March. The Sugar Zone Mine, 25 kilometres north of White River. The phased restart of operations began July 17. Continue Reading →

Column: Elon Musk should invest in Sudbury – by Stan Sudol (Sudbury Star – July 28, 2020)

July 28, 2020 in Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery, Stan Sudol Columns/Media References and Appearances, Sudbury Basin

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Elon Musk is practically begging nickel miners to boost production as potential future shortages would severely impact his ability to manufacture electric vehicles as the metal is a key component for the batteries on which Tesla Inc. depends.

Historically, nickel has always been a boom/bust metal due to the fact the world only produces about 2.1 million metric tonnes of the material a year as opposed to a more commonly used metal like copper at 20 million metric tonnes. And roughly only half of nickel production is of the Class-1 type that is used in batteries that run electric vehicles.

Currently, the cost of nickel is nearing a cyclical bottom, hence the reluctance of nickel miners to invest the possible near billion dollars it takes to bring on a new mine. Continue Reading →

Timmins mine developer heeds Elon Musk’s call – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 27, 2020)

July 28, 2020 in Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Metals and Manufacturing, Nickel, Timmins

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Elon Musk’s plea for mining companies to “mine more nickel” had an apparent effect on Canada Nickel Company.

The Toronto-based exploration company is pitching its future mine project, north of Timmins, as a zero-emissions operation.

The Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur and electric vehicle maker promised a whopper of a Tesla contract for those producers that mine nickel “efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way” as lithium-ion battery demand starts to pick up. Continue Reading →

Fort Albany troubled by rapidly approved changes to EA process (Timmins Daily Press – July 25, 2020)

July 27, 2020 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

https://www.timminspress.com/

Fort Albany Chief Leo Metatawabin says he is troubled by the “rapid and potentially illegal passage” of a bill which he says makes remote Northern communities vulnerable by weakening the environmental assessment process.

“These changes are part of an ongoing effort by this government to overhaul Ontario’s environmental protection regime in support of its promise to ‘cut red tape’ in support of economic interests,” said Metatawabin, in a release issued by the First Nation.

“Too often this has seemed to mean weakening protections for vulnerable species and ecosystems based on the false idea that we can have a healthy economy without a healthy environment. Continue Reading →

Sudbury column: Northern mining project an example for all – by Marc Serre (Sudbury Star – July 24, 2020)

July 27, 2020 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Ontario Mining

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Marc Serre is the Liberal MP for Nickel Belt.

The recent confirmation that IAMGOLD received all necessary approvals to start construction at their Côté Gold project site near Gogama was most welcomed news.

This development will greatly benefit Nickel Belt, Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario socially and economically as we rebuild our economy post-pandemic.

The last few months have certainly been difficult and receiving this positive announcement could not have come at a better time. I’m confident in saying the residents of Gogama are happy this project is moving forward, and I thank them for their patience over the last eight years during the planning period. Continue Reading →

Sudbury Accent: Northern Ontario’s mine sector could help Canada out of recession – by Stan Sudol (Sudbury Star – July 25, 2020)

July 27, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Junior Exploration Sector, Kirkland Lake, Ontario Mining

(L to R) Antoine Schwartzmann, Stephen Stewart, Charles Beaudry, Keith Benn, Chitrali Sarkar – Kirkland Lake remains a promising place for future gold mines.

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Accent: Junior companies could lead the way

Who says mining is not sustainable? The recent announcement by IAMGOLD to start building a Cda $2 billion Cote Lake open-pit gold mine 140 km north of Sudbury — which will employ 1,000 workers during peak construction and roughly 450 full-time middle-class jobs — is welcome news. The mine life is expected to be around 18 years; however, ongoing exploration may extend the life of mine.

Vale’s Creighton Mine, which started production in 1901, is still going strong 8,000 feet below the surface. The deeper the company goes, the richer the nickel/copper and PGM content of the ore gets.

Kirkland Lake’s Macassa gold mine started production in 1933. With new discoveries at deeper levels and a roughly $320 million investment for a new mine shaft, Kirkland Lake Gold’s CEO Tony Makuch is extending the mine’s life for another 30 to 40 years. Continue Reading →

First Cobalt decides to go big on refinery restart – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 23, 2020)

July 27, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Cobalt Town, Cobalt, Critical, Strategic and Rare Earth Minerals and Metals, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Toll processing facility would be first of its kind in North America

A major expansion is definitely in the cards to restart a mothballed refinery in northeastern Ontario that’s gearing up to serve the electric vehicle market.

Toronto’s First Cobalt is skipping a staged approach to reopening the plant, situated outside the town of Cobalt, and is opting instead on focusing their construction efforts on quadrupling production capacity.

The plant is currently configured to process 12 tonnes of cobalt sulphate a day. Expansion would boost that to 55 tonnes and would represent five per cent of the world’s cobalt refining capacity. Continue Reading →

Gogama mine with 7.8M-oz gold reserve called a gamechanger for Sudbury – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 21, 2020)

July 21, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Ontario Mining

https://www.sudbury.com/

IAMGOLD greenlights construction on Côté open-pit gold mine

IAMGOLD has given the green light to go ahead with construction on a major gold mine near Gogama, a project that is being called a “gamechanger” for the entire region, but especially Greater Sudbury.

Not only that, but IAMGOLD’s Côté Gold Project will be one of a handful of mines in Canada to utilize autonomous vehicles for haulage and exploration drilling — a literal mine of the future.

Company president-CEO Gordon Stothart confirmed the Toronto gold miner remains wedded to using this leading-edge technology in making an announcement of the upcoming start of construction later this year of the more than $1.3-billion, district-scale, open-pit gold mine near Gogama in northeastern Ontario. Continue Reading →

Timmins could be hosting a monster nickel deposit – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 14, 2020)

July 14, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Junior Exploration Sector, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Timmins

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Poised for a nickel rush, Canada Nickel is confident its Crawford nickel-cobalt sulphide project could be a global-scale producer

Does nickel in Timmins have the glamour of gold? There have been significant nickel finds in the rock formations around the famed northeastern Ontario mining camp but the production results always fell short of expectations.

Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford nickel-cobalt sulphide project could quickly be changing that narrative.

Helmed by one of the world’s foremost nickel experts, company chair and CEO Mark Selby believes the 4,900-hectare property, 40 kilometres north of Timmins, has the potential to be a world-class, district-scale deposit. Continue Reading →

Premier Gold Mines nabs wastewater permit for Geraldton gold mine project – by Staff (Northern Ontario Businss – July 13, 2020)

July 13, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Open-pit mine could operate for 15 years, provide jobs for 450

Premier Gold Mines has received a federal wastewater permit for its open-pit gold mine project near Geraldton.

The Thunder Bay miner and mineral explorer called receiving approval of a Schedule 2 amendment of the Metal and Diamod Mining Effluent Regulations a significant environmental permitting milestone for its Hardrock mine project.

The Hardrock project is a proposed open-pit gold mine with an on-site processing mill and mine tailings facility, located immediately south of the community and 275 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Continue Reading →

We were first to smelt chromium. And then the fire happened (Soo Today – July 7, 2020)

July 13, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Chromium/Platinum Group Metals, Northern Ontario History

https://www.sootoday.com/

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

Sault Ste. Marie’s Chromium Mining and Smelting Corporation plant was located on Queen Street West between Huron and Hudson, in the area of what is now the city’s transit facility.

The plant first began smelting chromium in in the 1930s, when it was the first instance of chromium smelting in the British Empire. From there, the plant quickly expanded to meet demand.

And then, in 1947, a fire roared through part of Sault Ste. Marie, originating from the plant. Continue Reading →

Red Lake District: Home to High-Grade Gold Deposits and Great Bear Resources, a Gold Rush Catalyst (The Deep Dive – July 12, 2020)

July 13, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Junior Exploration Sector, Ontario Mining, Red Lake

https://thedeepdive.ca/

The Red Lake mining district in Northwestern Ontario is best known for its high-grade gold deposits, with historical production exceeding 30 million ounces of gold, mostly from the iconic Campbell and Red Lake gold mines and ten smaller mines.

A number of factors such as declining gold reserves, global economic instability, and a rise in the price of gold have led to a resurgence in gold exploration. Recent new discoveries in the Red Lake district, with Great Bear Resources (TSXV: GBR) leading the pack, have led to what amounts to another gold rush.

Geology

Commonly referred to as the Campbell-Red Lake gold deposit, the Campbell and Red Lake mines are located in the Red Lake Uchi Subprovince – Superior Province Greenstone Belt, considered to be one of Canada’s largest Archean gold deposits. The bedrock in Red Lake, primarily basalt, was formed 2.85 billion years ago during the early Neoarchean period, and gold has been dated back 2.7 billion years ago during the Uchiyan Phase of the region’s formation. Continue Reading →