Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 215

Developing ‘Ring’ a priority, Wynne says in Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – May 28, 2014)

May 28, 2014

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

Should she be elected, Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne won’t consider her premiership a success unless her government achieves significant progress in developing the Ring of Fire.

That’s how important developing the rich chromite deposits in the area 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay is to her party, Wynne told reporters during a campaign swing through Sudbury on Tuesday afternoon.

Wynne’s government promised $1 billion in its failed May budget for infrastructure for the Ring of Fire and has included that figure in is election platform. And it’s promising to establish the development corporation to decide upon that infrastructure within 60 days of forming a government.

That’s despite the fact her Liberal government announced the creation of the development corporation last November and in February appointed consulting firm Deloitte LLP to help set up the corporation.

When asked why no progress was made during her term in government to get the “devco” operating, Wynne pointed to progress made regarding the Ring of Fire in recent months.

Wynne, Horwath mum on ONTC development in Ring of Fire (CBC News Sudbury – May 27, 2014)

May 28, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

PC platform has no specific plans for ONTC or Ring of Fire

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath made similar promises at the northern debate Monday about investing $1 billion into the Ring of Fire, but neither commented as to whether development plans would include Ontario Northland.

Junior miner KWG Resources is calling on all party candidates to support a plan to turn the ONTC into a development corporation responsible for accessing the remote region, saying that would then allow it to build everything from road and rail infrastructure—and even an airport.

However, Jean-Charles Cachon, a business professor at Laurentian University, said ONTC’s existing rail assets are vital and that KWG’s property sits on a key spot for rail tracks.

“They are trying to have it developed into a railway and they do not have the money to do so.” Chachon said. “So they are either looking for a large company to be a partner and,or the government of Ontario through some sort of agency such as ONTC.” Cachon said that using the ONTC to develop the Ring of Fire could work, but it would hinge on funding from the private sector.

Wild cat rips apart plans for giant Arizona copper mine – by Frik Els (Mining.com – May 24, 2014)

May 27, 2014

http://www.mining.com/

Vancouver firm’s timeline to build 3rd largest US copper mine in doubt after sighting of endangered ocelot restarts permit consultations amid bitter takeover fight.

Backers of Augusta Resource Corp (TSE:AZC) (NYSE MKT:AZC) in its fight against hostile takeover bidder Hudbay Minerals (TSE:HBM) suffered another setback on Friday.

After the close of trading Vancouver-based Augusta announced further complications in the permitting process for its Rosemont Copper Project in Arizona after the US Forest Service formally requested that the US Fish and Wildlife Service re-initiate consultation required under the Endangered Species Act.

“Additional information includes the documented evidence of the presence of ocelot within or near the project area and conferencing on the potential listing of species which were not considered in the original biological opinion. Additional information related to the effects of groundwater drawdown on aquatic and riparian species near the project area will also be included as part of this process,” the statement reads.

Capreol chromite smelter ‘very unlikely’ – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – May 27, 2014)

May 27, 2014

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

Sudbury Star mining columnist Stan Sudol didn’t mince words about what the sale of the Cliffs’ camp
could mean. “I think this is another indication that Cliffs is a ‘dead man walking’ in the Ring of Fire,”
said Sudol. “The possibility of Cliffs building a furnace in Sudbury is also, unfortunately, very unlikely.”

Noront Resources Ltd. has purchased the exploration camp shuttered by Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc. late last year when it announced it was indefinitely suspending its activities in the Ring of Fire.

Noront has been talking with the subsidiary of Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources since then about purchasing the camp, located 250 metres from Noront’s existing Esker Camp.

The sale of the camp is subject to certain conditions, one of them being the sale price not be revealed, said Noront president and chief executive officer Alan Coutts. If the deal goes through as expected, Noront will take possession of the camp early in the second half of this year.

What the sale means for Cliffs’ holdings in the Ring of Fire isn’t known. An email inquiry to the company about that Monday did not garner a response.

KWG Resources Moves on Ring of Fire – by James Murray (Netnewsledger.com – May 26, 2014)

May 27, 2014

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

KWG Resources Offers Ring of Fire Action Plan

THUNDER BAY – KWG Resources is taking an pro-active approach to the Ring of Fire. The company is suggesting that the Province of Ontario already has the Development Corporation for the Ring of Fie in place.

Company President and CEO Frank Smeenk discussed the details of the company’s Ring Of Fire – Northern Ontario Job Creation Plan, as outlined in its proposed bill “Northland Development Corporation Act”.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Ontario already has a Northern Development Corporation. It is the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).
The principal operating asset of the ONTC is the Ontario Northland Railroad (ONR), which has become starved of freight haulage.

KWG Resources wants to make ‘Ring’ election issue – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – May 26, 2014)

May 26, 2014

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

With an election looming, KWG Resources is asking MPP candidates to support its plan for the Ring of Fire. The junior mining company, based out of Toronto, has long pushed for building a rail line to take chromite out of the area, 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. It has staked claims in the area for that purpose.

Cliffs Natural Resources applied for an easement there to build a road. Last fall the application was rejected.

Cliffs’ plans for the Ring included building a chromite smelter in Capreol. It stopped work in the area last spring. On Friday, Noront Resources Ltd., another junior miner, announced it is buying Cliffs’ exploration camp in the mineral belt.

On Saturday, KWG purchased a full-page ad in The Globe and Mail suggesting the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) be made into a non-share capital (not-for-profit) corporation. That means Northern Ontario residents would be involved in how it’s run.

“Arguably it’s a not-for-profit corporation now, because it doesn’t make any money,” said Frank Smeenk, KWG’s president and CEO.

EDITORIAL: Mining Week a sign of Canada’s ailing scientific community – by Emma Hansen (The Varsity – May 26, 2014)

May 26, 2014

The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880: http://thevarsity.ca/

Minister Rickford’s announcement is not just misleading, it’s dangerous

Over the past five years, funding cuts and monitoring programs have shattered Canada’s record in science policy. Science-loving Canadians have watched with dismay as funding has been diverted from scientific research and environmental initiatives into the military-industrial complex, and the administration has sought to derive short-term economic benefits from the country’s scientific community. More significantly, new media policies have curtailed government scientists’ ability to speak freely about their research.

Canada’s current science policy seems to be motivated by a quest for economic stewardship. As such, any announcement from the federal government related to science and technology cites the administration’s goals — the economy is mentioned in every such announcement, without fail. Claims of transparency and good governance in science policy are hard to find, and rightly so.

National Mining Week took place from May 12 to 18. It was marked by Minister of Natural Resources Greg Rickford, whose announcement that Canada’s mining sector is “a leader in transparency, accountability and good governance” stood in stark contrast with reports of human rights violations carried out overseas by Canadian extractive corporations.

Noront interested in Cliffs’ Ring of Fire assets – Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – May 23, 2014)

May 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. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

If Cliffs Natural Resources has any interest in shedding its Ontario chromite properties in the Ring of Fire, Alan Coutts said Noront Resources is, potentially, a willing buyer.

The president and CEO of Noront expressed a definite interest in Cliffs’ assets, but cautioned there have been no direct talks with Cliffs regarding the acquisition of its chromite claims on its Black Thor, Big Daddy and Black Label discoveries. However, should the Ohio miner initiate a sales process, “we would be first in line,” said Coutts.

Toronto-based Noront announced May 23 that it had acquired Cliffs’ abandoned exploration camp at McFaulds Lake. Both Noront’s and Cliffs’ camps are located within a few hundred metres of each other on some of few areas of high ground in the swampy James Bay lowlands.

Noront said the transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2014.

Ring of Fire junior [KWG Resources] enters the political fray – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – May 23, 2014)

May 23, 2014

KWG Resources wants to inject the Ring of Fire into Monday’s provincial leaders’ Northern debate by placing an ad in one of Canada’s largest newspapers.

The Toronto-based junior miner is issuing a challenge to the candidates to throw their support behind the creation of a Ring of Fire development corporation led by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).

In advance of the May 26 debate in Thunder Bay, KWG is taking out a two-page ad in the business section of Saturday’s Globe and Mail describing its proposal and containing snippets of proposed legislation, written by the company, inviting the next government to enact it when elected.

The ad will include a link to a website presenting the bill in its entirety. “We’re looking for whoever gets elected to support this legislation,” said KWG vice-president Bruce Hodgman.

KWG Resources holds a key card in the future development of the James Bay mining camps by virtue of its possession of a narrow string of mining claims extending almost 330 kilometres into its Big Daddy chromite deposit.

Rescue competition a great learning tool – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – May 23, 2014)

May 23, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Ted Hanley has seen first-hand how training for mine rescue competitions has helped in real-life emergencies.

“Absolutely,” said Hanley, who is the team captain for mine rescue team at Kidd Operations (Glencore). “We’ve had several decades of very experienced competition-trained individuals here who have led teams to actual fires and actual emergencies underground … The more experience people receive in mine-rescue training, the better prepared you are for a real emergency.

“It builds confidence. I know competition training is a level above the normal training you receive, so the people who are involved in the competition are typically very capable leaders with the rest of the roster if there is an emergency.”

The team from Kidd Operations will be representing Timmins district when the Provincial Mine Rescue Team Competition is held here June 5 and 6. The mine rescue teams conduct a lot of training to prepare for the competition.

That is because there is an “unlimited” number of possible emergency scenarios the six-member team may have to respond to, said Hanley.

Hudak plan could hit Sudbury hard: Analysis – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – May 23, 2014)

May 23, 2014

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

Economists and union officials say Greater Sudbury will be particularly hard hit if Tim Hudak follows through on his pledge to cut 100,000 public-sector jobs in the province.

David Robinson, a professor of economics at Laurentian University, said based on population, he can see at least 1,000 local jobs being eliminated if the Progressive Conservatives take power in the June 12 provincial election.

Officials for the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU) predicted even bigger cuts for the Nickel City, due to its disproportionately high number of civil service jobs here, pegging losses at more than 1,600, along with more than 1,100 lost in the private sector as spin-off

But Sudbury PC candidate Paula Peroni said while her party is still working on its own numbers, she expects local public-sector losses to be much lower, and for private-sector jobs to be created by other elements of Hudak’s platform.

Mining plays a vital role in southeast Saskatchewan – by David Willberg (Saskatchewan Lifestyles – May 22, 2014)

May 22, 2014

http://www.sasklifestyles.com/section/estlifestyles

The Westmoreland Coal Company is using the upcoming Saskatchewan Mining Week as an opportunity to promote the impact that mining has on southeast Saskatchewan.

Kraig Wanner has been the general manager for Westmoreland Coal’s Estevan mines for a little more than a year, and the char and activated carbon plants for about eight months. He said that the company’s mandate is to provide the lowest cost fuel to SaskPower, while generating employment for hundreds of people, and support for many different initiatives.

Between the two mines, a char plant and an activated carbon plant, Westmoreland has nearly 375 employees in the Estevan area, with 295 employees who are part of the United Mine Workers of America, and another 75 staff and management.

Safety plays an important role in the mines’ operations, Wanner said. “I would hope that would be the case for any workforce in Saskatchewan, but especially at the mine site where we’re dealing with big equipment,” said Wanner.“All of our employees have to be focused on the task at hand in whatever their classification of job is at the mine site.”

Candidates sound off on combining Northern Development with Natural Resources – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – May 22, 2014)

May 22, 2014

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

THUNDER BAY — Michael Gravelle does not want to see the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines rolled into the Ministry of Natural Resources.

But that’s precisely what will happen if the Progressive Conservatives under Tim Hudak are elected to office on June 12, the Liberal candidate in Thunder Bay-Superior North warned.

Gravelle, who held the Northern Development and Mines portfolio before the writ was dropped, said it shows the PCs don’t understand the importance of a standalone ministry for Northern Ontario.

It also shows a failure to understand the complexities of the MNR, he added. “For the Conservatives to talk about putting those two ministries together, that is not about making a stronger representation of Northern Ontario,” Gravelle said. “It’s about reducing the effectiveness of our cabinet presence.”

The MNR has province-wide responsibilities and the North cannot afford to have its voice reduced or diluted, he went on to say.

Ring of Fire reports coming after election – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – May 21, 2014)

May 22, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – A Northern think-tank is on the verge of releasing its first report which deals with road versus rail access into the Ring of Fire. However, the head of that institute says they are holding off on releasing the research until after the June 12 provincial election.

“The challenge with the Ring of Fire, of course, is managing expectations, getting a sense of how long this is going to take and who can we expect to benefit at various stages,” said Charles Cirtwill, president and chief executive of the Northern Policy Institute.

“Ring of Fire mines are quite a long way down the pipe” yet there are already training programs being created to prepare a skilled workforce, Cirtwill noted.

“We need to talk about what are we building for the infrastructure, what are the opportunities if we build a rail line, which communities can that service, and which communities can it potentially negatively affect.”

While there has been much discussion lately about developing infrastructure to support new mines within the mineral-rich area, some communities, Cirtwill said, are bracing for a negative impact.

A debate in, for the North – Editorial (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – May 21, 2014)

May 22, 2014

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

Two weeks after it was issued, and with one week left before the event, there is still no word whether Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak will accept an invitation to attend a May 26 debate on Northern Ontario issues. Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath have accepted the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association invitation to Thunder Bay May 26. On Tuesday, Hudak’s campaign office called it “unfortunate” that Wynne, Horwath “or anybody else” would publicly confirm a date before confirming it with the Tories who are seeking alternate dates to accommodate Hudak’s schedule.

Changing the date now would simply cause the other two leaders to have to juggle their schedules. NOMA says it offered a selection of dates and when nobody responded by May 7, it set May 26. That’s the date that Hudak has to make.
Last election it was then Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty who opted to forego a northern leaders debate.

This time, Wynne challenged her two opponents to a northern debate in advance of her May 1 budget in case it was defeated. Horwath accepted while Hudak demurred. We find it surprising that Hudak can apparently not make himself available next Monday. What is so important that he can’t be here?

There is no shortage of things to talk about. What does Wynne have to say about all reasons for the delay in Ring of Fire mining development and precisely what will all leaders do to hasten the project from the day they take office?