Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 144

Ontario introduces bill to “modernize” Mining Act – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – October 7, 2016)

October 11, 2016

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A bill was introduced at Queen’s Park to set new regulations for mineral and aggregate extraction in the mining industry. New provincial legislation is coming out to update the rules on how extraction will be done in the mining and aggregate industry.

The Aggregate Resources and Mining Modernization Act, introduced by the provincial government on Oct. 6, is aimed at setting new regulations on how these companies will operate in Ontario, will update fees and royalties, and will increase public participation in the entire extraction application process.

The government said the new management rules will improve environmental accountability and increase the oversight in this industry. In the mining industry, the government said the bill will “enhance” the province’s international competitiveness by allowing claims to be done online and improve how claims are registered via the electronic mining lands administration system.

[Mining Movie] Matthew McConaughey Discovers a Gold Mine in New ‘Gold’ Teaser (Aceshowbize.com – October 7, 2016)

October 7, 2016

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/

A new teaser for Matthew McConaughey-starring flick “Gold (2016)” has been released for fans’ viewing pleasure. It shows the Oscar-winning actor as Kenny Wells, a failing businessman and modern-day prospector desperate to get back on his feet.

The video opens with Kenny saying, “I had a dream. It was like I was being called. That was a gold calling… Gold.” He continues, “It was 88. I lost my house. I lost everything. Most people would have been dead, but not me. I had a dream.”

Stompin’ Tom legacy tour returns to where it all began – by John Emms (Timmins Daily Press – October 7, 2016)

October 7, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Stompin’ Tom Connors died in 2013 at 77 years of age, but his iconic status known from coast to coast and his hundreds of songs and stories are still very much alive. The city and residents of Timmins have a unique part in his legend.

As Canada turns 150 years old in 2017, there is no question that Stompin’ Tom’s music is part of our Timmins and Canadian heritage

In fact, these songs and stories will be celebrated in Timmins on Friday, Oct. 14 at Charles Fournier Auditorium at École secondaire catholique Thériault when Whiskey Jack performs its national tour here in our city. It’s going to be one heck of a night when the sounds of Bud The Spud, Sudbury Saturday Night and the Hockey Song fill the auditorium.

A decade ago, Vale bought Inco: What’s the company’s legacy in Sudbury? – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – October 6, 2016)

October 6, 2016

https://www.sudbury.com/

Brazilian miner purchased Inco for $19.4 billion on Oct. 6, 2006

Ten years ago today, Canadians became much more familiar with a Brazilian mining company called Vale. On Oct. 6, 2006, Vale purchased homegrown miner Inco in a $19.4-billion bid.

The New York Times said at the time the sale “further undermines Canada’s status as a force in the mining industry.” But with the benefit of hindsight, others have said Vale’s purchase of Inco had to happen.

Jean-Charles Cachon, chair of Laurentian University’s department of management, has argued both Inco and Falconbridge did not have the financial clout needed to expand their operations and meet growing global demand for nickel and copper.

In 2006, said Cachon, both companies forecasted demand for nickel and copper would increase by about 50 per cent over the next seven years, due to growing demand in emerging markets like China and India.

Baffin Inuit org to invest Mary River royalties within legacy fund – by Thomas Rohner (Nunatsiaq News – October 5, 2016)

October 6, 2016

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

The Inuit organization that represents Baffin-area beneficiaries wants to establish a legacy fund from the $24.2 million so far collected from Baffinland’s Mary River iron mine project.

That fund would “save for future generations of Inuit while providing benefits to current generations,” PJ Akeeagok, president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, said at the organization’s annual general meeting in Iqaluit Oct. 4.

During the presentation of his annual report to board members, Akeeagok said he would introduce a proposed policy on Oct. 5 to establish that fund. “It’s a very exciting time in QIA history, where we are safeguarding funds for future generations of Inuit while delivering programs based on the return on investment,” Akeeagok said from the Anglican Parish Hall.

Royalties from the north Baffin mining operation have been growing within QIA coffers since 2013, when the Inuit organization and Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. signed an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement.

Borden project raising bar as ‘green mine’ – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – October 4, 2016)

October 4, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

CHAPLEAU – Goldcorp’s next Northern Ontario mine is on track to managing environmental impacts to an entirely new level. The Borden Gold Project, which is set to begin construction next year near Chapleau, may be the world’s first-ever diesel-free hard rock mine. They are accomplishing this by utilizing the latest in battery-powered mining equipment.

Marc Lauzier, the manager of Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines, said the move toward what he characterizes as a “green mine” has been in the works for many years, and is likely the way of the future for the industry.

“We’re trying to build a mine that is as environmentally-friendly as possible. And part of that decision is to not utilize diesel equipment. So we’re using electric and battery powered equipment instead.” explained Lauzier. “I’ve been looking into this stuff for the past 10 years. Borden is a new project in an environmentally pristine area, so it’s opened us up to think differently.

[Mining] Project aims to link powder with diseases – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 4, 2016)

October 4, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The voice of James Johnson Hobbs, 76, may have been silenced by Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder daughter Janice Martell believes was caused by a substance inhaled in his workplace.

As long as she draws breath, the Elliot Lake woman will fight to tell the stories and be the voice of thousands of miners exposed to aluminum dust and try to win compensation for their illnesses.

As many as 20,000 miners were exposed to a dust called McIntyre powder, developed at McIntyre Mine in Timmins more than 60 years ago. The premise behind the powder was that it would coat the lungs of workers heading into gold and uranium mines, and prevent them from contracting deadly silicosis.

[Ontario Ring of Fire] The frozen triangle of the “visionless” – by Don Wallace (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – October 2, 2016)

October 3, 2016

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/

Now, 10 years on and still no plan, one recalls the exaltation of the Ring of Fire discovery back in 2007. Alas, we do with chagrin given how little progress has been made in the interim.

After a decade, there is still no plan. What is worse is we find the three protagonists, Queen’s Park, the feds and the fly-in First Nations (FIFN) locked in some kind of a frozen rigid triangle of the “visionless.”

For starters, ignoring the fact that Queen’s Park has total jurisdiction over all of Ontario’s natural resources, the current minister refuses to make a plan and file same for federal funding stating he refuses to do so without the support of the FIFN. Which begs the question who is running this province?

Avalon planning for Kenora lithium open-pit mine – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – October 3, 2016)

October 3, 2016

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Avalon Advanced Minerals has development plans for a Kenora-area lithium mine

The economics look good so far for Avalon Advanced Materials to begin mapping out their plans for an open-pit lithium mine and processing plant near Kenora. Company president Don Bubar is said to be “delighted” with the positive results coming from a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of its Separation Rapids lithium project.

Micon International’s report said the minerals in the ground and the rechargeable battery markets look favourable enough for the company is press ahead with a more detailed feasibility study for an open-pit capable of a producing 950,000 tonnes a year with an annual yield of 14,600 tonnes of lithium hydroxide for a 10-year mine life.

The purpose of the PEA is to evaluate the potential mineral recoveries of a lithium product that might be suitable for the rechargeable battery market. Micon reports the company has positive economics and a technically viable process for a battery-grade lithium hydroxide product.

Sudbury celebrates Stompin’ Tom – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – October 3, 2016)

October 3, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudburians who came together last month to celebrate an iconic musician and one of his most iconic songs now have their own music video.

Downtown Sudbury, the Townehouse Tavern and local businessman Colin Firth unveiled Sudbury Celebrates Stompin’ Tom at the Townhouse on Saturday night. The video includes a spirited rendition of Sudbury Saturday Night, performed by a boisterous crowd that gathered on Grey Street, near the bronze statue of the late Stompin’ Tom Connors, on Sept. 24.

It also includes commentary from Tannys Laughren, who was a member of the Stompin’ Tom statue committee; Paul Loewenberg, manager at the Townehouse; and Firth, a driving force behind the community event last month. “It was a couple months of getting it all together and we finished up the final video just in the last day or so, and I’m very excited,” Firth said, a few hours before the video’s premiere.

[Northern Ontario] Indigenous communities seek a fair stake in mining industry – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – September 27, 2016)

September 27, 2016

http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

On any given day, Cheryl Recollet’s desk is littered with mining exploration plans, government notices, permit requests, and more, but with limited resources, it can be a struggle to vet them all in a timely manner.

Yet the people of Wahnapitae First Nation are determined to be active and educated participants in the resource development activity taking place in their traditional territory.

“We recognize that in order to make informed decisions, we must actively participate in the process,” said Recollect, director of sustainable development for Wahnapitae First Nation, located 60 kilometres north of Sudbury. “How do we make sure this information is getting to our leadership if we aren’t aware of what’s happening at all stages?”

Locked and loaded: Chamber lobbies for Ring of Fire – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 27, 2016)

September 27, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Lobbyists for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have a powerful new tool to use to persuade the Government of Canada that developing the Ring of Fire should be high on the national agenda.

A resolution regarding the vast chromite deposits, submitted by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, received 94.9 per cent support from more than 400 delegates at the Canadian chamber’s annual general meeting this month.

The resolution calls on the federal government to treat the Ring of Fire as a national priority, to work with governments, industry and community partners to forge agreements and build capacity with indigenous peoples, and to actively promote the Ring globally as a trade and investment opportunity.

Timmins Chamber of Commerce wants clarity for relationship between private sector and First Nations – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – September 25, 2016)

September 26, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

Two policy positions proposed by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce to be added to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s federal lobbying efforts passed with the near-unanimous support of delegates at a national conference held in Regina this past weekend.

The issues the Timmins Chamber wants the federal government to be pressured to address are climate change’s impact on the winter roads system, and clarifying what exactly is expected of private companies when it comes to dealing with First Nations. Manager of policy, Nick Stewart, was one of two chamber of commerce employees to travel to Saskatchewan to pitch the policy positions to other delegates – who voted to approve both proposals with 98% in favour.

“There were 140 chambers from across Canada on hand,” said Stewart. “We’re convinced that these policies are not just good for us, they’re good for everyone from Red Deer to Fredericton … There are a lot of issues specific to Northern Ontario that we would love to push at the federal level, but if you can’t translate that to some broader national impact, you’re not going to get any support at all.”

Chamber of Commerce resolution asks feds to lend more support to the Ring of Fire – by Staff (Sudbury Northern Life – September 23, 2016)

September 26, 2016

https://www.sudbury.com/

Resolution received majority support at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has received majority support for a resolution it submitted asking the federal government make the development of the Ring of Fire a national priority.

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce submitted the resolution, called “Make the Ring of Fire a Priority of National Significance”, at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Annual General Meeting and Convetion, held Sept. 17 to 19 in Regina. The resolution received support from 94.9 per cent of the convention’s more than 400 delegates, and has now become the official policy of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“It was great to see our resolution about the Ring of Fire, a project located in Northern Ontario, be debated, voted on and successfully passed by delegates from across Canada and know that these delegates see this as a project of national significance,” said Tracy Nutt, chair of the board of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in a press release. “This clearly demonstrates that the Ring of Fire is not just a vital project for Ontario, but for the entire nation.”

[$27 million mining research facility] Big payday for LU – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2016)

September 26, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Laurentian University has a few more dollars to add to its coffers, after yet another funding announcement on Friday.

The university received $21.1 million from the federal government, as well as $6.3 million from the province — for a total of $27.4 million — to build a new research, engineering and innovation centre at its Ramsey Lake Road campus. The 47,000-square-foot centre will be used to house labs, lecture theatres, a shop and collaborative spaces, as well as shared equipment.

“It will provide space for researchers from the university’s seven faculties, for research and innovation,” Dominic Giroux, the university’s president, said. “We’re being purposeful in designing this new research and innovation space that cuts across the disciplines.”