Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 154

Sudbury was a mineral training ground for NASA astronauts – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – May 27, 2016)

May 30, 2016

http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Laughter erupts from Ruth Debicki of the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) when asked if her brush with space exploration royalty in the early 1970s stands out as a career highlight.

“We do lots of interesting stuff and we meet lots of interesting people,” replied Debicki, the OGS’s land use policy and planning coordinator based in Sudbury. “In the OGS’s 125 years of history, this was one day out of 45,000.”

Back in the spring of 1972, Debicki was a junior staffer in the small resident geologist office in Sudbury when her boss, Ken Card, fielded a call from NASA. The three-man crew of Apollo 17 — Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt — were arriving in Sudbury, May 24-25, for geological training.

Abandoned mine tailings threaten Pickle Lake development – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – May 27, 2016)

May 30, 2016

http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Pickle Lake Mayor Karl Hopf said his northwestern community is being “handcuffed” by a one-size-fits-all provincial policy that’s stonewalling future development. Drafting a new Official Plan for the township of 425 has stirred the pot on a four-decades-old environmental legacy issue that’s resulted in a standoff between the municipality and three provincial ministries.

Red flags have been raised from the presence of arsenic in old surface tailings from a mine that closed in the 1950s. It’s caused the province to curb any new development along a highway corridor that the municipality wants to set aside for business opportunities.

The township is now at loggerheads with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in refusing to sign off on a new Official Plan until the province finally commits to remediating the site. “For 40 years, they keep saying it’s a health issue,” said Hopf. “Well, let’s fix it.”

WAR OF IDEAS: GM’S MIXED-MATERIAL STRATEGY VS. FORD’S BET ON ALUMINUM – by Alisa Priddle (Motor Trend.com – May 24, 2016)

May 26, 2016

http://www.motortrend.com/

Ford made headlines when it gutted body shops at two pickup truck plants to build the new 2015 F-150 with an aluminum body instead of heavier steel, convinced the cost and risk were worth it for a lighter and better truck. General Motors is equally committed to reducing the weight of future vehicles but has taken a different approach. It quietly pursued ways to use existing body shops, tools, and equipment to spot weld future vehicles with a mix of materials, including aluminum — a strategy deemed less costly and disruptive.

After years of development and testing, engineers at GM are on the verge of putting a couple parts for the Cadillac CT6 sedan into production that are notable because they require welding steel to aluminum. GM is only months away from assembling seat backs and hood reinforcements using spot welding to join the two metals.

It is potentially a game-changer for an industry seeking the fastest and cheapest way to make lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Others have expressed interest in GM’s technology. Ford’s strategy, so far, is not being emulated by others.

Putting Sudbury, North ‘on the map’ – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – May 26, 2016)

May 26, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudbury’s export community got a nearly $2 million shot in the arm on Wednesday afternoon.

Navdeep Bains, Canada’s federal minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the minister responsible for FedNor, stopped by B&D Manufacturing, on Municipal Road 15 in Chelmsford, to announce $952,100 in funding for the Northern Ontario Exports Program (NOEP).

That amount will be matched by the provincial government for a total contribution of about $1.9 million. “This particular investment is designed to boost the value of exports and improve the capacity of northern Ontario firms,” Bains said. “This targeted investment will support ongoing delivery of the Northern Ontario Exports Program for a two-year period.”

Newfoundland’s Sisters of Mercy challenge Potash Corp in board room – by Michael Swan (The Catholic Register – May 25, 2016)

May 26, 2016

http://www.catholicregister.org/

The Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland lost a vote at the May 11 Annual General Meeting of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Inc., but they won attention from the mining giant’s management.

The community of 95 Catholic sisters were asking the company, currently valued at $14.7 billion on the Toronto Stock Exchange, to undertake a human rights study of its operations in the Western Sahara. The proposal garnered just 6.7 per cent of the votes at the 2015 AGM, but it attracted support from 31.6 per cent of the outstanding shares — including the votes of major institutional investors this year.

The sisters’ motion was backed by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, which handles pension funds for BC public servants, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan among others — totalling 159,593,972 shares voting for the motion, versus 344,850,348 shares against.

Railway eager to have ties in Ring of Fire – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – May 26, 2016)

May 26, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – If and when the Ring Of Fire mining development takes off, Ontario Northland is ready to get the wheels rolling and show them how to run a railway. That was the message from Ontario Northland president and CEO Corina Moore, who spoke in Timmins at the FONOM conference earlier this month.

Moore was in Timmins to give municipal leaders an update on the provincially-owned transportation company, which provides rail freight service, limited rail passenger service and bus passenger service across Northeastern Ontario.

The Ring Of Fire is a mining prospect located near Webequie and McFaulds Lake about 600 kilometres northwest of Timmins. The venture is identified mainly as a chromite project, valued in the tens of billions of dollars. There are huge deposits of other metals there too, but so far none of the significant mining companies involved has moved forward with any sort of a mining operation because market prices are too low.

Tahoe bets big on Lake Shore Gold – by Walter Franczyk (Northern Ontario Business – May 20, 2016)

May 25, 2016

http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

The ink was barely dry on the deal to combine Tahoe Resources with Lake Shore Gold Corp. when company officials outlined plans to boost gold production in Timmins.

Tony Makuch, president of Tahoe’s Canadian operations, as well as Tahoe executive chair Kevin McArthur and Tahoe president and COO Ron Clayton, spoke in Timmins about their goal to increase gold production at the Lake Shore Gold Division from about 180,000 ounces of gold to 250,000 in four years.

“That’s going to be achieved through a number of growth projects,” said Mark Utting, Tahoe’s vice-president of investor relations. Combining the assets and resources of two strong mining companies to create an even stronger entity enables growth to move faster, he predicts.

Endangered Species Act hot topic at upcoming NEOMA – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – May 25, 2016)

May 25, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

KIRKLAND LAKE – Concerns over Ontario’s Endangered Species Act continue to dominate discussions amongst Northeastern Ontario municipal leaders.

Less than two weeks after the annual meeting of FONOM (Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities) was held in Timmins, Northern leaders are now preparing for the annual meeting of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) which is to be held in Kirkland Lake this coming Friday.

Several items on the NEOMA agenda include The Endangered Species Act and what the implementation of the act means for Northern Ontario communities that rely on resource-based industries, such as logging and mining. The Act will be spoken to in a presentation to be made by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

Ontario Regional Chief Concerned over Ontario Climate Change Legislation (NetNewsLedger.com – May 24, 2016)

May 25, 2016

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day is raising caution flags after the Province passed landmark climate change legislation yesterday and neglected any consultation with First Nation leaders.

“On behalf of the Chiefs of Ontario, I am very disappointed that the province did not include First Nations in discussion prior to the passage of this legislation,” said Ontario Regional Chief Day. “In this new era of reconciliation and a new relationship between Ontario and First Nations, we must be treated as equal partners in climate change and carbon economy policy and planning.

At the same time, I am very encouraged by Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray’s commitment to fully engage First Nations in the co-governance of this legislation moving forward. In fact, Minister Murray has stated that our full involvement is critical in order to ensure that the Climate Change Action Plan is a success in the years and decades to come.

Sudbury could lead ‘Northern renaissance’ — Robinson (Sudbury Star – May 25, 2016)

May 25, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudbury could be the centre of a “Northern renaissance,” David Robinson believes, if Northern Ontario had more control over its destiny and its economic development.

Robinson, a Laurentian University economics professor, wrote a report entitled Revolution or Devolution?: How Northern Ontario Should be Governed, released last month by the Northern Policy Institute. The report calls for an alternative model of governance to give the region more control over its resource-based economy, which more than half of Northerners believe would be managed better locally than by a centralized Ontario government.

The process, called devolution, could include granting Northern Ontario legislative powers, creating an elected but advisory Northern Ontario assembly, and the creation of a semi-autonomous district with most of the powers of a province. A strong case can be made, Robinson says, that there would be significant economic advantages from devolution of powers.

Gold Down Sharply, Hits 4-Wk Low; Higher U.S. Dollar, Stock Market Are Bearish – by Jim Wyckoff (Kitco News – May 24, 2016)

May 25, 2016

http://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Gold prices ended the U.S. day session solidly lower and scored a four-week low Tuesday. The recent uptrend in the U.S. dollar index remains a bearish outside market force for the precious metals markets. The dollar index hit a seven-week high today. A rally in the U.S. stock market Tuesday also pulled away buying interest in the safe-haven gold market. June Comex gold futures were last down $22.00 an ounce at $1,229.00. July Comex silver was last down $0.173 at $16.25 an ounce.

The U.S. dollar index has been trending higher for the past three weeks, which has dented upside price action in many raw commodity markets. A strong U.S. home sales report Tuesday that showed the best pace of sales in eight years in April also worked in favor of the U.S. dollar bulls.

The report falls into the camp of the U.S. monetary policy hawks, who want to see the Fed raise interest rates sooner, and more often. There appears to be growing odds the Fed will raise U.S. interest rates in June, and those notions are also bearish for the precious metals markets.

Minings real cost – by Marilyn Baptiste (Prince George Citizen – May 23, 2016)

May 24, 2016

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/

Marilyn Baptiste is a councillor with the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government in the Nemiah Valley, west of Williams Lake.

British Columbians now know that they are on the hook for cleaning up mining messes to the tune of hundreds of dollars for every man, woman and child in the province.

This certainly comes as no surprise to First Nations. Most British Columbians never experience the impacts of mining, but First Nations are all too familiar with seeing our lands taken and destroyed, our waters polluted, our fish and wildlife reduced, our rights and title ignored, our cultures undermined and our very way of life and future generations threatened.

The more puzzling question is this: why is the Liberal government of B.C. not rushing to hold mining companies accountable and responsible for the damage they can and do cause? It is not as if it is unaware of the problem, thanks to two detailed reports.

Kirkland Lake CEO: Mergers To Pick Up In Gold Sector; Company In Transitional Year – by Allen Sykora (Kitco News – May 19, 2016)

May 20, 2016

http://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Mergers between gold-mining companies may start picking up again as officials look to replace reserves after reduced exploration efforts in recent years when lower prices dented revenues, says George Ogilvie, president and chief executive officer of Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (TSX: KGI).

However, there is likely to be a focus on acquiring quality assets rather than simply adding ounces, the CEO said in an interview with Kitco News. Ogilvie noted that his company is in a transitional year as output rises in the aftermath of the St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. acquisition completed in January.

Several years ago, when gold was on its way to record highs, many producers were racing to hike output through organic growth and merger-and-acquisition activity. Subsequently, when gold went into a bear market, producers collectively lowered their long-term gold price assumptions and undertook massive asset write-downs.

Ontario Aboriginal Minister accused of betraying First Nations – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – May 20, 2016)

May 20, 2016

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Discussion during the final day of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s Spring Chiefs Assembly got quite heated after provincial Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer was the only one out of the three expected government ministers to come and field questions from the chiefs and other delegates.

When it came to his turn to ask a question, Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Jonathon Solomon tore into Zimmer about the Liberal government’s climate change legislation which was announced on Wednesday. Solomon called the legislation a “betrayal” and a continuation of the practice of considering the interests of First Nations as an afterthought.

“Mr. Minister I have a lot of respect for you, and I am being respectful when I say that I feel that I have been betrayed. I feel that there is a knife sticking in my back because we have been talking about an honourable relationship, but nothing has really changed,” said a visibly angry Solomon. “They say the Harper era was terrible, we say the Harris era was terrible in this province, but those practices are still continuing despite talk of a positive relationship.”

Swarovski Joins the Man-Made Diamond Market – by Chaim Even-Zohar (Idex Online.com – May 19, 2016)

May 19, 2016

http://www.idexonline.com/

As is the case in virtually all major strategic corporate moves in the secretive Swarovski crystal empire, its entry into the lab-grown gem-quality diamond business was planned and executed in utmost secrecy. Within the Swarovski family, the world’s leading producer of cut crystals, its former president and chairman, Helmut Swarovski, had endeavored for years to find an entry into the diamond business.

Eventually, Helmut’s daughter, Nadja Swarovski, her cousin, Markus Langes-Swarovski, and the three other family members of the company’s executive committee, made it happen. They are cautiously testing the waters in the man-made diamond jungle. The “Swarovski Created Diamonds” has made its debut.

Swarovski Marketing May Provide ‘Product Differentiation’

For the diamond market, Swarovski’s new brand represents a welcome game changer as the company can potentially provide the ethical, legal and moral leadership in the man-made diamond market.