Archive | Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

Central American mine resistance visits Vancouver – by Hayley Woodin (Business In Vancouver – December 10, 2019)

December 11, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canada Mining, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Gold and Silver, Latin America Mining, Mining Conflict and Opposition

https://biv.com/

It was the first advocacy effort of its kind in a mining conflict that has spanned a decade, three countries and multiple legal challenges.

In November, a representative of Guatemala’s Indigenous Xinka people embarked on a weeklong speaking tour in Victoria and Vancouver to denounce what he sees as efforts by Vancouver-based Pan American Silver Corp. (TSX:PAAS) and the government of Guatemala to undermine Indigenous rights in his country.

“Pan American doesn’t have a social licence to operate,” Luis Fernando García Monroy told students, alumni and faculty at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on November 21. “We have been left out of the consultation process,” he said. “The company wants to promote a different kind of consultation.” Continue Reading →

Mini yet mighty, these nuclear power reactors have 3 Premiers becoming ‘besties’ with the Canadian uranium industry – by Ron Wortel (InvestorIntel.com – December 10, 2019)

December 11, 2019 in Canada Mining, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Uranium and Nuclear Power Industry

https://investorintel.com/

Three Canadian premiers agreed they want more nuclear power in a meeting of like minds prior to the Council of Federation in December. Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick premiers signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to get small modular reactors (SMRs).

Mini yet mighty, these nuclear power reactors could replace coal and diesel power. In remote locations, they would give Canadians access to clean, green, stable energy and reduce their power pollution footprint.

And note to investors, if the government wants more nuclear power, they will want more uranium. In 2018, more uranium was mined in Canada than any other country – 531,608 tU, about one-fifth of the world total. Continue Reading →

Liberal leader candidate admits launching Ring of Fire not an easy thing to do – by Rocco Frangione (MyNorthBayNow.com – December 8, 2019)

December 9, 2019 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Ontario Mining, Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

North Bay News, Events & Radio

There’s a frank admission from Steven Del Duca, the Ontario Liberal leadership candidate over the Ring of Fire project. Del Duca says as the Liberals learned during their years in power, it was very difficult to deliver on the huge chromite discovery.

And the former Liberal MPP says it’s no different with the Ford Progressive Conservative government. While he was in Opposition, Nipissing Tory MPP Vic Fedeli regularly criticized former Premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne for not being able to pull off the Ring of Fire.

However, Del Duca says the Tories will and are running into the same difficulties and challenges. “I think the challenges we had with the Ring of Fire, and it’s not partisan, is we were all very excited about the economic development potential,” Del Duca said. Continue Reading →

SAMSSA looks to expand, bids DeStefano farewell – by Colleen Romaniuk (Sudbury Northern Life – December 6, 2019)

December 9, 2019 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Mining Supply and Services Sector, Sudbury Basin

https://www.sudbury.com/

The Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) held their AGM on Dec. 4 at Dynamic Earth

A Sudbury-based mining supply industry group has its eyes on pan-Northern and global expansion. The Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) held their annual general meeting on Dec. 4 at Dynamic Earth.

In welcoming members from North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay, the association reaffirmed its intention to support Northern Ontario businesses on a global scale and to generate leads for their member companies.

SAMSSA is currently working to increase their visibility both in the North and around the world. They’ve recently initiated an in-coming and outgoing export program and completed a trade mission to Nevada. From Jan. 12 to 17, 2020, SAMSSA is planning another trade mission to Santiago, Chile. Members are being encouraged to register to explore the market towards establishing a footprint on the ground. Continue Reading →

New boss at Vale – Dino Otranto – favours improved safety and being more competitive – by Len Gillis (Northern Ontario Business – December 5, 2019)

December 5, 2019 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin, Vale

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

“We have an abundance of ore here, one of the top three nickel-copper orebodies
in the entire world, right here. We haven’t really scratched
the surface of the potential of that orebody,” Dino Otranto said.

Dino Otranto, the new man at the helm of Vale Base Metals in Canada, said he is more than pleased with the level of commitment from Vale employees. He was equally overwhelmed at the level of innovation and technology being used to keep the company successful. Just as important, he said, is the critical need to be more competitive.

Otranto, who has a blue chip mining résumé stretching back to the early 2000s, is the new chief operating officer for Vale’s North Atlantic Operations and Asian Refineries. Prior to that, he was the company’s chief technology officer based in Toronto.

As he spoke recently from his office in Sudbury, Otranto said he had no plan to shake things up when he moved into his role earlier in 2019. Continue Reading →

I’m a Jewelry Nerd, So I Went to Africa to Learn Firsthand About Diamond Mines – by Lauren Eggertsen (Who What Where.com – December 5, 2019)

December 5, 2019 in Africa Mining, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Diamond Mining, Jewellery and Coins

https://www.whowhatwear.com/

Unless you work in the jewelry industry, chances are everything you know about diamond mines is based on hearsay, stereotypes, or, if you’re really out of the loop, the movie Blood Diamond. The misconceptions surrounding this industry are monstrous, and up until recently, I knew little to nothing about what really goes into mining diamonds.

Am I a jewelry nerd? Yes. But no article found on the internet could have educated me as well as my recent trip to Africa where I got to see a diamond mine firsthand and ask all the questions I had been dying for someone to explain to me.

Forevermark, a subsidiary diamond company within De Beers Group, took me to its Orapa Mine in Botswana, and all I can say is, everything I thought I knew about diamond mines was completely wrong. Continue Reading →

Wolf Lake part of renewed focus on mining frontier – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – December 3, 2019)

December 4, 2019 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

A junior miner heralding a “new frontier” in Sudbury exploration is poised to add claims around Wolf Lake to a vast property it has already staked in the Chiniguchi-Temagami area.

“This whole area northeast of Lake Wanapitei has never really been explored,” said Stefan Spears, chairman and CEO of Inventus Mining. “Everyone assumed it was too far away or assumed that it wasn’t part of the Sudbury environment.”

The Inventus property, dubbed Sudbury 2.0, lies about 40 kilometres northeast of Sudbury within the Temagami Magnetic Anomaly, an egg-shaped zone that stretches from Lake Wanapitei to Bear Island in Lake Temagami. The anomaly is comparable in both size and magnetic stamp to the Sudbury basin, suggesting a mineral trove may also exist below the rugged surface of this untapped twin. Continue Reading →

Editorial: Dig deep for better understanding (Nunavut News – December 2, 2019)

December 3, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canada Mining – North of 60, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Iron Ore

Frontpage

Let’s face it, not all mining companies play nice. Some mines in Nunavut have made gestures of good faith such as Agnico Eagle delivering million dollar donations to community groups and education initiatives in Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake earlier this year.

But, at the end of the day, these mines are most concerned about the bottom line. This became abundantly clear when 586 contractors were laid off at Baffinland’s Mary River iron mine mere weeks before the holiday season due to “uncertainties” with the regulatory approval process for the next phase of the mine’s expansion.

As Baffinland looks to increase iron ore output from six million tonnes of ore to 12 and build a 110-km railway on Baffin Island, it has been consulting with affected communities. To make sure this communication is thorough and sufficient, it’s important that everyone takes their time. Continue Reading →

Make Prince Rupert the New Hong Kong in Canada – by Peter Scholz (The Epoch Times – December 1, 2019)

December 2, 2019 in British Columbia Mining, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

https://www.theepochtimes.com/

Peter Scholz MCIP PMP is a Professional Land Planner in Arviat, Nunavut, Canada.

A century ago, when Canada’s prime ministers were visionaries and not bank-appointed aspirants of positive branding, our founding fathers dreamed of a Canada with three major ports on the West Coast.

The first would be near the southern border and guard the Dominion from the South: Vancouver. The second would be near the southern border of Alaska, either Seward or Prince Rupert, and guard us from the North. The third would be a smaller port and serve the Yukon and Stikine: Skagway, which the Americans managed to convince an international mediator to give to Alaska.

Charles Melville Hays died on the Titanic. He was the magnate and visionary who made it his task to mirror the Canadian Pacific Railway/Vancouver success with the Grand Trunk Railway (later the Canadian National)/Prince Rupert pairing). Continue Reading →

Positive spotlight shone on Thompson at Winnipeg mineral convention, says councillor (Thompson Citizen – November 27, 2019)

November 28, 2019 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Manitoba Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

News that Vale Manitoba Operations could possibly spend $1 billion over five years to deepen Thompson mines in anticipation of a growing demand for nickel as a component of batteries for electric vehicles made Thompson the talk of November’s mineral exploration conference in Winnipeg.

Gary Eyres, head of Manitoba Operations, told attendees at the Central Canada Mineral Exploration Convention about the proposed investment, first revealed to members of the Thompson Chamber of Commerce at their Nov. 13 lunch meeting.

“Once we get approved – and I really am confident we will get this approval – we are looking at nearly $8 billion in economic benefit to the region over the next 25 years,” Eyres was reported as saying in the Winnipeg Free Press. Coun. Judy Kolada, who attended the convention, told her fellow councillors at the conclusion of their Nov. 25 meeting that Thompson was in the spotlight at the convention. Continue Reading →

Rio Tinto commits $1M to Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Minerals Development – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – November 28, 2019)

November 28, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Ontario Mining, Rio Tinto

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Waubetek-led initiative aims to increase opportunities for Indigenous participation in mining

Global mining giant Rio Tinto has committed $1 million over five years to become a founding partner in the Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Minerals Development being established in Northern Ontario.

The centre is an initiative of the Waubetek Business Development Corp., an Indigenous-led economic development organization based on the Whitefish River First Nation that provides business financing and economic development services to First Nations and Aboriginal businesses located throughout northeastern Ontario.

It’s being designed as a centre of knowledge and expertise for Indigenous communities, industry and governments. It will connect stakeholders to develop partnerships and offer access to information, referral services and training tools around Indigenous participation in mineral development. Continue Reading →

Matawa Chiefs – “Matawa member First Nations will lead and deliver the next economic boom of this province” – by Staff (NetNewsLedger.com – November 26, 2019)

November 27, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Chromium/Platinum Group Metals, Ontario Mining, Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – “Matawa member First Nations will lead and deliver the next economic boom of this province. Equitable partnerships between Matawa First Nations-Government-Industry will result in investment opportunities on a national and international scale. Matawa First Nations are the partners and investors of certainty required for economic and social prosperity,” says Chief Harvey Yesno, Eabametoong First Nation.

“Matawa First Nations are fully aware of the potential impacts to our Inherent Aboriginal and Treaty Rights with the anticipated significant developments that will occur on our homelands. In today’s environment, it would be absurd and negligent for our communities not to call on the Ontario government to develop a new Crown-Inherent Aboriginal Rights-Treaty approach to develop the North,” states Chief Celia Echum, Ginoogaming First Nation.

The Chiefs of the Matawa First Nations (MFN) presented to the Ontario Standing Committee on General Government (SC-GG) regarding Bill 132, also known as ‘An Act to reduce burdens on people and businesses by enacting, amending and repealing various Act and revoking various Regulations’ tabled on Monday, October 28, 2019 by the Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction. Continue Reading →

Editorial: Thompson mining’s future looking brighter, but when? (Thompson Citizen – November 27, 2019)

November 27, 2019 in Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Manitoba Mining, Nickel, Vale

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

Although it wasn’t really that long ago that the mining industry was booming in Thompson – if you’ve lived here longer than 10 years, you experienced at least part of it – it might feel like it’s mostly been gloom and doom for a long time because, for the most part, it has.

The 2008 global recession, which was a bit delayed in arriving in Thompson, although eventually it did, was only first starting to be felt when Vale announced nine years ago this month that it had plans to shut down the smelter and refinery in Thompson for good.

At the time that it was first announced, the proposed shutdown date was 2015, though that was later pushed back three years, with operations ceasing about midway through 2018. A bit more than a year before that, Birchtree Mine was placed on care and maintenance status, resulting in the loss of more than 100 jobs. Continue Reading →

OPINION: Shining a little light on the Mary River process – by Ken Armstrong (Nunatsiaq News – November 26, 2019)

November 27, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canada Mining – North of 60, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Iron Ore

https://nunatsiaq.com/

Ken Armstrong is the President of the NWT-Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

The current impasse that phase two of the Mary River project finds itself in is of great interest and also concern to investors and industry watchers. We’d like to shine some light on three aspects of this process.

First, there has been recent criticism of Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. for positioning several buildings and construction materials, needed for the phase two railway expansion, before approvals for the railway are in place.

Operating in the North is challenging, with remote projects relying on limited transportation infrastructure and seasonal shipping windows. For northern resource projects, it is not uncommon to pre-position equipment at or near a project site in advance of receiving required permits. Continue Reading →

Government of Nunavut looks to mines for housing help – by Derek Neary (Nunavut News – November 24, 2019)

November 26, 2019 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Canada Mining – North of 60, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

Frontpage

Should mining companies be constructing residences for their employees living in the North? Nunavut’s housing minister is turning to industry for assistance.

“We have no choice but to work in partnership with industry to resolve our housing challenges,” Patterk Netser said in the legislative assembly in February after Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet MLA Cathy Towtongie pointed out that the Government of Nunavut’s 2017 memorandum of understanding with Agnico Eagle makes reference to housing as one of 10 priority areas for collaboration.

Netser told NWT and Nunavut Mining that a team from the Nunavut Housing Corporation met with representatives from Agnico Eagle and Baffinland Iron Mines to discuss Nunavut’s housing crisis earlier this year. Continue Reading →