Twitter

Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

The North is the Future of Ontario – Dave Canfield (Netnewsledger.com – September 26, 2014)

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

Northern Ontario is Ontario’s Future

THUNDER BAY – “We are the future of Ontario,” stated Northern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) President Dave Canfield. Speaking to the Northwestern Ontario Regional Conference, Friday morning Canfield updated the delegates,

“Getting our communities up and running is critical,” added Canfield, sharing with the delegates that at the recent AMO meetings, that the provincial government is listening. “Premier Wynne was present for the entire hour,” added Canfield, explaining that was the first time that had happened”.

Energy remains a focus for NOMA. Canfield explained that in talks with OPA, most of the time the elected officials, and communities are right. Getting the needed power in the region, not just for mining, but for forestry is important.

Infrastructure funding is a success for the north. There was $100 million announced in the budget. Canfield explained that it might take a bit of time to get it going, but the groundwork has been done.

Forging a New Path – NAN Grand Chief Yesno

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno addressed the delegates. One of the goals is building permanant infrastructure into our communities. The Grand Chief spoke on how high costs for transportation and food is impacting the region.

Read more

My Take on Snow Lake II: Ribbon cut at Reed – by Marc Jackson (Thompson Citizen – October 3, 2014)

The Thompson Citizen, which was established in June 1960, covers the City of Thompson and Nickel Belt Region of Northern Manitoba. The city has a population of about 13,500 residents while the regional population is more than 40,000.  editor@thompsoncitizen.net

Prior to Sept. 16, Hudbay Minerals had opened a total of 26 mines in the province of Manitoba; staying true to that prolific nature, the company opened two more on this historic afternoon. A mere two hours after they cut the ribbon on the massive Lalor Project, Hudbay and VMS officials had the scissors out and were doing it all over again 80 kilometres down the road at the Reed Mine!

As the snow swirled outside, close to 100 people gathered in the welcome warmth of Reed’s surface shop to break bread, and toast the province’s newest mine.

As he did previously in the day, Hudbay Manitoba business unit vice-president Rob Winton very capably acted as emcee and after smudging the gathering place with sage and sweetgrass, Opaskwayak Cree Nation elder Nathan McGillivary once again delivered wise words and a welcome prayer.

To bring any mine to production involves a long list of those who were key through a variety of stages. Thanking them is no small feat, but acknowledging their contributions is certainly one of the ways this is accomplished. Mr. Winton did this in thanking Steve West (now retired) head of the environment department, as well as environmental lawyer Sheryl Rosenberg for their tireless work on the environmental licensing and in putting the Reed Mine on the map. He praised them for the high standards that had been set and met at the site. Steve Polegato was also commended for bringing the mine in on time and budget.

Read more

Sudbury bees enhancing biodiversity on [Vale] slag piles – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 3, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale Ltd. has spent $10 million since 2006, revegetating mountains of ugly black slag, the waste from its Copper Cliff smelting operations, turning them into verdant hills along Big Nickel Road. It’s now up to one of nature’s smallest creatures to keeps those rolling hills green and to help enhance biodiversity.

Vale’s environmental team has started a program using honey bees to pollinate wildflowers planted as part of the company’s slag revegetation efforts. About 350,000 of the insects are living in seven hives contained inside a repurposed surplus trailer to protect them from the winter elements and from predators such as bears.

During three seasons, the honey bees leave the hives to forage on nectar and pollen, helping to keep the flowers planted on the hillsides thriving.

Glen Watson, Vale’s superintendent of decommissioning and reclamation, said the idea to use bees to continue the work started by people came to his team when it saw hills of slag blooming with wildflowers planted from seed.

It didn’t happen overnight.
Revegetating the slag piles first involved breaking up hardened material that was molten when poured.

Read more

Stainless Steel and the Ring of Fire – by Rick Millette (Northern Policy Institute – October 1, 2014)

http://northernpolicy.wordpress.com/

It would be hard to find an adult in Northern Ontario who hasn’t heard of the Ring of Fire or doesn’t know what it promises for the North’s future. Most believe that long term prosperity for workers, industry and First Nations people is at their doorstep.

That dream extends beyond the basics. Many northerners suffer a sense of loss with every trainload of raw ore they see heading down the tracks and out of Northern Ontario. There’s a long-held belief that full value is not being retained for those resources.

With the discovery of chromite in the Ring of Fire several years ago, it didn’t take long for the value-added dream to be dreamt again. The North now has all the ingredients in their backyard to make stainless steel, a uniqueness not found anywhere else in the world. How incredulous would it be for Canada to be the only G8 country not to have a stainless steel industry when the chromite, nickel and iron are all in one place?

Although the timeline for the eventual development of the Ring of Fire may be unknown, few would believe that $60-billion of known mineral wealth will stay in the ground for very long.

One way to accelerate that extraction and to start generating wealth on three fronts, would be for our governments to invest in the development of a stainless steel industry.

Read more

Minister defends record on Ring of Fire – Letter to the Editor (Sudbury Star – October 2, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Re: “’Nothing done on Ring” and “Ontarians have had it with Liberal inaction in Ring of Fire: Horwath,” Sudbury Star/Sun News, Sept 29, 2014

It is troubling to hear a leader of a major political party in Ontario speak with such a lack of understanding of the steps required in developing the Ring of Fire. What is specifically troubling, is that (NDP leader Andrea) Horwath does not seem to understand the complexity of this major economic opportunity for our province or respect the important work we have undertaken before ore extraction can actually begin.

Our government is leading the way to drive development in the Ring of Fire. There is no question that over the past year, significant progress has been made. We have provided a $1-billion commitment to develop transportation infrastructure in the region; established a Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation within 60 days of forming our new government; and reached a historic agreement with the Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council that lays the groundwork for future discussions. Our government is proud of the work that we have accomplished so far.

Let me be clear, Ontario Liberals have been — and remain — committed to developing the Ring of Fire and working with First Nation communities as partners, to ensure they have the opportunity to shape and provide input as development moves forward.

Read more

Canada rejects UN resolution on native rights – by Michael Swan (The Catholic Register – October 1, 2014)

 http://www.catholicregister.org/

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops may have to re-fight a battle with the federal government over the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On Sept. 22 Canada became the only country to object to a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly asking countries to do more to achieve aboriginal rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development (DFATD) said the UN document — from the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and submitted to the president of the UN General Assembly — “cannot be reconciled with Canadian law, as it exists.”

The Canadian representatives at the UN argued that “free, prior and informed consent” to development that affects indigenous land — whether mining, logging, hydro-electric dams or others — could be interpreted as a “veto” and is therefore inconsistent with Canada’s Constitution and undermines the supremacy of Parliament.

Canada made the same objections when the UN adopted its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2010. At that time Canada’s bishops found themselves among many groups urging the federal government to rethink its position.

The government eventually said it supported the UN Declaration as “an aspirational document,” while maintaining its reservations about aboriginal consent for development.

Read more

Vale Canada Limited fined $150,000 for workplace safety conviction in connection with death of T-3 scooptram operator Greg Leason – by John Barker (Soundings John Barker.com – October 1, 2014)

http://soundingsjohnbarker.wordpress.com/

Vale Canada Limited has been fined $150,000 in provincial court in Winnipeg and ordered to pay $37,500 in a victim surcharge after pleading guilty June 18 in a previously unreported decision to one count of failing to ensure the safety, health and welfare of all workers, contrary to The Workplace Safety and Health Act, in connection with the death of 51-year-old T-3 scooptram operator Greg Leason at Manitoba Operations in Thompson almost three years ago.

Vale was charged last Oct. 3. The Leason case marked the first time Vale, or its predecessor, Inco, had been charged by the province in connection with a mining fatality since mining began in Thompson,

The charge upon which Vale was convicted and nine other charges laid against Vale by Manitoba Labour and Immigration’s Workplace Safety and Health Branch, also under The Workplace Safety and Health Act, in connection with the the death of Leason, which were ordered stayed, all listed an offence date of Oct. 7, 2011, the date of the accident.

While stayed charges technically can be re-activated within one year of the day they are stayed by the prosecution, in practice they almost never are, unless the accused is charged with new offences during the one year period after the original charges have been stayed. When charges are withdrawn instead of stayed, the prosecution of those charges is finished immediately.

Read more

Mining News: Incentives spur exploration projects – by Rose Ragsdale (Mining News – Week of September 28, 2014)

http://www.petroleumnews.com/miningnewsnorth/index.shtml

Inaugural program aims to encourage existing, would-be mineral explorers to chase diamonds, gold and other metals in the North

The Government of Northwest Territories has implemented a new Mining Incentive Program that was oversubscribed by midyear, with strong interest shown by companies and prospectors in the Northwest Territories and across Canada.

“The Mining Incentive Program helps our government support those with the energy, expertise and perseverance that this industry relies on to conduct mineral exploration in an environmentally sustainable way,” said GNWT Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ramsay.

“I especially look forward to using this program to contribute to the success of northern and Aboriginal-owned businesses pursuing mining projects, so more northerners can enjoy the benefits of economic development and a healthy mining sector,” Ramsay said in a statement.

“It’s very positive to get that much interest,” said Pam Strand, director of Mineral Resources for the Government of Northwest Territories. “But it’s not surprising when compared with other jurisdictions such as Yukon Territory and Manitoba. Their programs have grown year by year.”

Yukon Territory, for example, awarded C$1.4 million this year to 44 companies and prospectors, up about C$630,000 from comparable funding in 2013.

Read more

‘Nothing done’ on Ring of Fire: Horwath – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 29, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The Ontario Liberals may have won a majority in the June 12 election, but they don’t have a monopoly, says Andrea Horwath.

Ontario Liberals have failed Northern Ontarians time and time again — especially in their slowness to develop the Ring of Fire — and the Ontario New Democrats can capitalize on that, said the NDP leader.

Horwath spoke Sunday morning at NDP Northern Council 2014, a gathering of 60 or more MPPs, NDP candidates and party faithful.

New Democrats, herself included, made mistakes in the last election, but have four years to make up for them, especially if they focus on the values for which the party stands.

Ontario saw the “sad result” of Liberal inaction recently when Cliffs Natural Resources indicated it was looking to sell its assets in the Ring of Fire, Horwath told delegates.

“Instead of pulling out all the stops to build infrastructure, instead of getting revenue sharing agreements on track, instead of working with northerners, First Nations and industry partners to develop resources in the Ring of Fire, Premier Wynne’s government has taken a wait-and-see approach.”

Read more

New wave of diamond fever sweeps Northwest Territories; Prima Diamonds lands prime real estate (Mining and Exploration – September 2014)

http://www.miningandexploration.ca/

Diamond deposits, in the words of one senior geologist, are like pigeons. Where you find one, you’re likely to find an entire flock.

That’s the guiding logic behind a new wave of diamond mine development and claim staking in the Slave Craton in Northwest Territories. The NWT already serves as host to some of the world’s richest diamond mines, starting with Ekati and Diavik, followed by Snap Lake, all in the central corridor of the Slave Craton.

Next to follow is the Gahcho Kué Diamond Project southeast of the prolific Ekati and Diavik diamond mines. When it begins production in 2016, Gahcho Kué is reputed to become one of the largest and richest new diamond mines in the world. This $700 million project has a combined probable mineral reserve estimated at 55.5 million contained carats. De Beers Canada owns 51 per cent of Gahcho Kué and is the operator of the proposed mine. Mountain Province Diamonds, which discovered the Gahcho Kué diamond resource, owns 49 per cent.

Next to Gahcho Kué is the Kennady North Project with four confirmed diamond pipes. Two of the pipes returned diamond sample grades two to three times greater per tonne than Gahcho Kué, as reported by the company.

Circling in the vicinity of Gahcho Kué are projects led by successful veterans of the original 1990’s Canadian diamond rush: Randy Turner, CEO of Canterra Minerals; Buddy Doyle, exploration director and vice-president of Margaret Lake; and Patrick Evans, president and CEO of Kennady Diamonds.

Read more

Money for mine researchers in Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 27, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Two Sudbury research organizations received almost $900,000 in funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. on Friday for projects that will make mining safer for workers and more economically viable.

About $784,000 will go to the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation to help develop a mobile canopy system that will make it safer for workers to tunnel into ore bodies and will almost triple the rate at which they do it.

Another $100,000 was announced for a diesel emission reductions research project being conducted by the Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization (CAMIRO) to test filters to protect miners from diesel fumes underground.

The funding was announced by Premier Kathleen Wynne in the Vale Cavern at Science North. Wynne said the two projects will help create and retain as many as 500 jobs, and pave the way for new mining operations that will create many more jobs in the long term.

She made the announcement the day after convening a full cabinet meeting at the Willet Green Miller Centre and attending at $1,750-a-plate dinner to boost the coffers of the Ontario Liberal Fund.

Wynne also attended a Franco-Ontarian Day ceremony on Thursday and jogged early Friday morning in the fog along the Jim Gordon Boardwalk, leading a group of students from Laurentian University, many of them members of the Young Liberals Association.

Read more

Wynne not worried about Cliffs pulling out of Ring – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 26, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Premier Kathleen Wynne isn’t wasting time worrying about Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources looking to possibly sell key assets in the Ring of Fire. Cliffs will make its own business decisions and the Government of Ontario doesn’t have any control over that, said Wynne.

“There are many companies that are interested in the development of the Ring of Fire and we are going to be working with all of those companies that are interested,” Wynne told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday at the Willet Green Miller Centre at Laurentian University.

At one time, Cliff had plans to open a chromite mine in the Ring of Fire, and ship the ore to a plant in Capreol for processing. That would have created as many as 600 jobs in the Sudbury area.

The premier and most members of her inner circle met at the session, at which ministers received mandate letters outlining the priorities for their ministries.

High on the priority list for Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle was developing the Ring of Fire, rich chromite deposits located 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

Read more

Thompson, Manitoba Vale Emission Agreement – by John Barker (Soundings John Barker.com – September 25, 2014)

http://soundingsjohnbarker.wordpress.com/

Agreement-in-principle reached with federal government on environmental sulphur dioxide (SO2) airbone emission standards that will allow Vale’s Manitoba Operations smelter to stay open until 2018, mayoral candidate Luke Robinson and USW Local 6166 president Murray Nychyporuk say

Vale has reached an agreement-in-principle with the federal government that will allow it to continue to operate its 53-year-old smelter in Thompson until sometime in 2018, say mayoral candidate Luke Robinson and USW Local 6166 president Murray Nychyporuk. Pending environmental sulphur dioxide (SO2) airborne emission standards that were due to come into effect in a few months, as applied to Vale’s Manitoba Operations, would have required its closure if Vale couldn’t meet the standards. The new standards would require a reduction in airborne emissions of approximately 88 per cent from current levels at the Thompson operation, Vale has said previously.

More than 30 per cent of Vale’s production employees in Thompson work in the smelter and refinery. Employees hired before Oct. 1, 2011, have the option to transfer to the mill or underground to the mines from surface operations when the smelter and refinery close under the company’s transition plan.

The announcement that the smelter and refinery would close was originally made on Nov. 17, 2010, with Vale saying at the time it was “phasing out of smelting and refining by 2015” in Thompson. Mining and milling operations are slated to continue.

Read more

Nickel price drop to have minimal impact on suppliers – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – September 23, 2014)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

A recent drop in the price of nickel should not have a major impact on Sudbury’s mining supply and services sector, said the executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association.

“Fluctuations in nickel prices don’t seem to alarm many of our guys,” said Dick DeStefano. “They just accept it as part of the process of working in the Sudbury area with nickel mines.”

The price of nickel was US$7.71 a pound Tuesday, after a drop from nearly $9 a pound in early September. DeStefano said many of his association’s members have learned to diversify, providing services and products for a variety of different mining companies.

Even if production at a mine slows, companies like Vale and Glencore still need to maintain their equipment and pay for many of the services on which they rely on a regular basis, DeStefano added. He said other issues have had a bigger impact on his sector.

“The biggest issue for our guys is that there’s such a lack of exploration going on,” DeStefano said. He said uncertainty around the Ring of Fire has also been like a “dark cloud” hanging over the mining supply and services sector.

Read more

First Nation leaders call for halt on Ring of Fire permits – Staff (Northern Ontario Business – September 23, 2014)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

The chiefs of the Matawa First Nations are demanding a moratorium in the issuance of exploration permits in the Ring of Fire.

In a resolution passed by the leadership of the nine communities in the tribal council on Sept. 17, the chiefs want a regional protocol developed with the Ontario government before any further approvals are granted for mineral exploration activity in the James Bay region.

The chiefs said the province is moving forward on permitting companies which have not consulted with area First Nations.

They insist it breaks the spirit of a regional framework agreement signed last March between the chiefs and Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle. The agreement is supposed to be a foundational document to guide future mining and infrastructure development in the Far North.

The chiefs believed the document was an acknowledgement by the province of their traditional territories and that development wouldn’t proceed without local consent, accommodation and compensation.

The Matawa chiefs are asking for “substantive funding” to negotiate a regional protocol with the province and want the province to share all the permit applications submitted by mining companies operating within the Matawa traditional territory.

Read more