Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 219

Kids eye career in mining – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 28, 2014)

April 28, 2014

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

Claudine Beausoleil is a woman of her convictions. The vice-chair of Modern Mining and Technology Week can’t think of a better career for a young person than mining.

The co-ordinator at the Bharti School of Engineering at Laurentian University says becoming a mine engineer will allow a young person to get a good-paying job and work at locations all around the world. There are plenty of other opportunities in mining whether in computers, robotics, construction, maintenance or human resources.

Beausoleil and several other people staffed booths at the New Sudbury Centre on Saturday at the MMTS Showcase to kick off Modern Mining and Technology Week. The purpose of the week is to educate young people about mining, said Beausoleil.

That is done with fun activities such as Mine Opportunity Mining Games April Monday and Tuesday at Dynamic Earth, where 300 students will be engaged in a game that’s a combination of Monopoly and a scavenger hunt.

On Wednesday and Thursday, 600 Grade 4 students and their teachers are expected to participate in Mining Matters workshops at Dynamic Earth. Grade 4 is a good age to interest students in mining as a career, said Beausoleil.

Up to $1B could go toward Ring – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 28, 2014)

April 28, 2014

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

An industry insider, who did not wish to be identified, said he wouldn’t be paying
attention to Monday’s announcement because the amount of money pledged by the Liberals
– three days before it delivers a spring budget that could trigger an election –
is irrelevant.

Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha travelled to Thunder Bay for a Monday morning news conference at the Ring of Fire Secretariat to find out if what his Queen’s Park sources were telling him was true.

That Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle was to announce a provincial investment of up to $1 billion to develop infrastructure for the Ring of Fire, but only if the federal government matches it.

Mantha, the New Democrats’ mining critic, said figures ranging from $770 million to $1 billion were being bandied about as the amount the province was going to announce last week and, if they’re accurate, it’s good news.

Queen’s Park to make Ring of Fire announcement on Monday – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 25, 2014)

April 25, 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 Ontario government will make an “important” announcement on the Ring of Fire mineral deposits on April 28. A press conference has been called for Monday at 10 a.m. at the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines offices in Thunder Bay.

Minister Michael Gravelle, municipal affairs minister Bill Mauro and natural resources minister David Orazietti, along with staff from the province’s Ring of Fire Secretariat, will be in attendance.

Gravelle said March 27 in Sudbury that the province was prepared to make a “very significant” infrastructure investment in the Ring of Fire, but declined to give specifics. “Our commitment to a major investment is locked in. It’s real,” said Gravelle.

“We have not spoken about that figure specifically and I’m not in a position to do that right now.” On the same day, at the same time, the Ontario government will be appearing in a Toronto courtroom in on a legal matter concerning the Ring of Fire.

[Ontario] Tories would pursue ‘quick win’ to kick start Ring of Fire: Fedeli – by Darren MacDonald (Sudbury Northern Life – April 24, 2014)

April 25, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Says work on east-west road could begin in the fall

A Progressive Conservative government would back an industry plan that could see work begin on an east-west road into the Ring of Fire as early as this fall, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli said Thursday.

“We believe there’s a quick win here, and that’s the Noront Resources solution,” Fedeli said during a visit to Greater Sudbury.

Noront is working to develop its Eagle Nest and Blackbird deposits, a mix of nickel, copper, platinum and palladium, as well as its chromite deposit in the remote site in northwestern Ontario. It proposes building a permanent road from the Webequie First Nation through Pickle Lake to Saugeen, connecting it to existing road and rail infrastructure.

‘Exciting years’ for Lake Shore Gold – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – April 25, 2014)

April 25, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Dan Gagnon held a captive audience of local business owners as he talked about the prospects of Lake Shore Gold’s “continuous improvement and growth” filtering down to the community.

“I think we’ve had an exciting couple of years, definitely a breakthrough year for us in 2013,” said Gagnon, who is Lake Shore Gold’s senior vice-president of operations. “We saw a steady increase in production. We started generating free cash flow, so we’re now a business that can fund its own projects … We’ve basically gone from 85,000 ounces a year in 2012, to 135,000 in 2013, to 160,000 to 180,000 (anticipated this year).”

Gagnon was the keynote speaker at a Timmins Chamber of Commerce luncheon held Thursday at the Schumacher Lions Den.

Asked if there were opportunities for small local businesses to prosper from the growth in operations at Lake Shore Gold, Gagnon replied, “Definitely. In 2012, for example, we spent $130 million locally. That was 60% of our spending which was basically local with all the suppliers that you see off Algonquin Boulevard. There is a big push for us to support the local, then the Northern and then Ontario.”

Fears looming hydro hike will hurt industry – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – April 25, 2014)

April 25, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – It was denied at the time by Xstrata Copper. Yet many in the community continue to blame Ontario’s higher energy costs for the company’s decision that ultimately led to the Timmins smelter closing in 2010.

The fact there is a substantial hydro rate increase on horizon doesn’t bode well particularly in communities in Timmins that depend on resource-based industries which are traditionally high-energy users.

“For our industries, mining and forestry, because they are energy intensive, it’s a job killer,” said MPP Gilles Bisson (NDP – Timmins-James Bay), on the prospect of a rise in hydro rates. Phil Barton, a small business owner in Timmins and president of the city’s chamber of commerce, came close to echoing that view.

“I personally think one of the reasons we lost the met site was due to high energy costs and it is certainly detrimental to many of the other big users of power,” said Barton. “If they have to raise their costs because of energy, perhaps it makes them less competitive in the global marketplace. And that has a ripple effect throughout our whole region, probably more so than in many other regions.”

Skip malfunction closes North Mine – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 23, 2014)

April 23, 2014

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

Production at Vale’s Copper Cliff North Mine has been halted, and all but a skeleton crew of workers sent home as Vale personnel and United Steelworkers Local 6500 officials try to figure out why a skip hoist mechanism malfunctioned Sunday.

No one was injured when the conveyance used to bring ore from underground to surface travelled beyond ground, not stopping until it reached the concrete floor at the top of the head frame of the mine shaft.

Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson said the cause of the malfunction isn’t known and the extent of damage is still being assessed. The area has been secured and production halted until repairs can be done, to ensure employee safety, she said.

In a statement, Robson said she didn’t know how long Copper Cliff Mine would be closed. USW Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand said Tuesday he has never seen anything like it in more than 20 years in mining. “Right now, everyone’s working together to see what caused it to happen,” Bertrand said.

No one was injured in the incident. Employees were above ground when the skip malfunctioned, said Robson. Bertrand said the skip, which could be filled with as much as 10 tons of ore, would weigh about 25 tons if full.

Ring of Fire infrastructure money will be in provincial budget – by Darren MacDonald (Northern Ontario Business – April 22, 2014)

April 23, 2014

Ontario’s finance minister was in Sudbury, April 22, sounding upbeat and promoting his budget, which will be released May 1.

But while long on positivity, Charles Sousa was short on specifics, even though many items expected to be in the budget were leaked April 1. Sousa said he was almost glad budget details were “shared” because he’s proud of what’s in it.

“We do want people to be appreciative and to recognize the importance of the things that are going to be in this budget,” he said after completing a tour of the Learning Initiative on Cedar Street. “Those communication plans are something that come out with every government.”

The leak detailed how the province planned to leak its own budget, right down to dates when each item would be released. When asked why the planned leak about funding for road infrastructure into the Ring of Fire wasn’t released as scheduled on April 17, Sousa replied that it wasn’t a planned announcement exactly, but more of an informal “communications plan.”

Northern Superior Resources Junior miner still not buying Ontario’s argument – by Staff (April 22, 2014)

April 22, 2014

A Sudbury-based junior gold miner that’s suing the Ontario government for $110 million still maintains the province fell short of its legal duty to consult with a First Nation that “evicted” the company from a remote area of northwestern Ontario following a series of disputes in 2011.

Northern Superior Resources responded to a recently amended State of Defence from the province by contending that the government’s version of consultation consisted of a “standard form letter” sent to them that identified Sachigo Lake as one of the First Nation communities that they should contact to advise them of their exploration work.

The company maintains that the province didn’t undertake any formal consultation with Sachigo, nor were they of any assistance or even got involved, until after the company was “evicted” by Sachigo and other area First Nation communities.

Last fall, Northern Superior Resources sued the government for failing to consult with the Sachigo after multiple disagreements with the band caused the company to abandon exploration on its mining claims near Thorne Lake in late 2011. The company said the band made unreasonable demands – including monetary – that forced them to stop work and withdraw.

[Sudbury] Stantec exec ‘living the dream’- by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – April 22, 2014)

September 5, 2018April 22, 2014

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

Local boy Mike Mayhew is responsible for creating and sustaining relationships in the mining industry worldwide. At Stantec, where he works, more than 450 people in 20 countries are employed in the sector. Close to 300 of those are based in Sudbury.

The 42-year-old is a busy guy – never too busy, though, to play the guitar. Leaning against a bookcase the instrument is within easy reach of his office chair. “I’m living the dream here,” Mayhew says, beaming. Earlier this month he was made the sector leader/director for global mining, a new position at Stantec.

“As the sector leader of Canadian operations, I’m responsible for growing and nurturing our relationships in the mining sector and looking for other opportunities to grow and expand our business and tap into all the other services that Stantec offers to our clients,” he explains.

“If they’re looking for mining support and expertise, we have that. If they’re looking for environmental support and expertise, we have that. We have building infrastructure, we have project management, we (can) tap into expertise around the world.

Union raids the subject of author Mick Lowe’s 5th book – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – April 16, 2014)

April 17, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Mick Lowe said his disability was actually a benefit when it came to writing his soon-to-be published novel, “The Raids.” The book is set in 1963, during a particularly violent time in Sudbury’s history — the Steelworkers’ raids on the then-powerful Mine Mill union.

“The Raids,” (Baraka Books, $20), is due to be officially released May 15. The book will be available at Chapters and online at Amazon. An official launch and book signing will be held starting at 2 p.m. May 25 at the Steelworkers Hall.

Lowe, 67, who has penned four other books, said because he’s in a wheelchair and lives at Pioneer Manor after a 2008 stroke paralysed the left side of his body, he wasn’t able to do the meticulous research he put into his other works.

While he had a working knowledge of the union raids through his previous work as a journalist, Lowe said he was forced to use his imagination because of his physical limitations. At one point, he was writing about a Mine Mill meeting, and his first inclination was to go to the library and look up the minutes of the actual meeting.

“But I can’t do that because I’m disabled,” said Lowe, a former Northern Life managing editor and columnist.

Vale required to produce safety plans – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 16, 2014)

April 17, 2014

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

A Ministry of Labour inspector is requiring Vale Ltd. to produce safety plans for the front-line supervisor, superintendent and managers for the area in which millright Paul Rochette was working when he was killed April 6 at the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.

The requirement to produce the documents by April 25 is part of a phase of examining documentation in the Ministry of Labour’s investigation of the death of the 36-year-old father of two in the crushing and casting plant at the complex. Rochette suffered severe head trauma and another millwright, a 28-year-old man, suffered a concussion and facial lacerations in the accident.

It is believed that a large piston or moil, that crushes nickel-copper ingots at high pressure moving along a conveyor belt, broke off and ended up in the system and may have struck the men. The company and the men’s union, United Steelworkers Local 6500, are conducting a joint investigation into the accident.

The Ministry of Labour and Greater Sudbury Police Service are also investigating. The Labour ministry has control of the scene at this point in the investigation.

Historic strike recalled – by Kevin McSheffrey (Elliot Lake Standard – April 16, 2014)

April 17, 2014

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

ELLIOT LAKE — It was a clear, but cold morning when two bus loads of United Steelworkers stopped at the intersection of Highway 108 and what was once the turnoff to Denison Mines, about 15 kilometres north of Elliot Lake on Wednesday.

This was the second day of a three-day forum that began in Sudbury and will end here Thursday. As many as 90 people from across the country and parts of the United States took part in the forum to remember and commemorate an event that took place in Elliot Lake four decades ago.

The visit to Elliot Lake was to mark the 40th anniversary of the Denison Mines wildcat strike that started on April 18, 1974, and lasted three weeks.

The wildcat strike was to protest the deplorable and unsafe working conditions. One of the biggest issues was ventilation. Underground mineworkers were breathing in dust contaminated with radon daughters, resulting in many getting silicosis and lung cancer, and ultimately dying.

Canada knew nuclear deal with China could be seen as ‘weak’: Docs – by Carl Meyer (Embassy News – April 16, 2014)

April 16, 2014

http://www.embassynews.ca/

Briefing notes say even though safeguards changed, non-proliferation policy would still be achieved.

After a major Canadian uranium mining firm landed deals with Chinese state-owned enterprises, the Harper government met several times with the firm and then announced a new protocol to ship raw Canadian uranium directly to China—even though it knew the protocol’s safeguards could be perceived as “weak,” government documents show.

Nuclear disarmament advocates fear the new scheme is an example of commerce driving policy in Ottawa. They say it could set a precedent that countries can establish workarounds to international nuclear security standards if the status quo was seen to be restricting potential trade.

“Commercial interests, as important as they are, must be shaped and constrained by non-proliferation considerations,” said Cesar Jaramillo, program officer for space security and nuclear disarmament at Waterloo-based Project Ploughshares.

But Canada says the deal with China will ensure Canadian uranium is used only for “strictly peaceful, non-military purposes” and that the new requirements are “appropriate to the level of the proliferation risks involved.” The Chinese Embassy also assured Canadians that its nuclear facilities are safe and under control.

Big ore find saved Timmins 50 years ago – by Jeff Labine (Timmins Daily Press – April 15, 2014)

April 16, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Half a century ago, the Timmins economy faced possible collapse. The Hollinger gold mine, which had been operating since 1910, was on its last legs and there didn’t seem to be any suitable replacement to keep the economy flowing in the city.

Rumours started to spread about a possible ore discovery in the area, but few facts were known at the time. Texas Gulf Sulfur Company had made a discovery of a lifetime in November 1963 but the company kept that fact quiet for months.

The American-based company didn’t make the discovery public until April 16 1964. The Daily Press ran the news that the company had discovered more than 23 million tons of ore.

The Kidd Creek mine would become world-famous for its copper, zinc and silver deposits and also earn the distinction of being the deepest base metal mine in the world reaching depths as far down as 10,000 feet.

But trying to break that story was a difficult task for Gregory Reynolds, a reporter at the time for The Daily Press. He and a fellow reporter dogged miners and the higher-ups at Texas Gulf, trying to find someone who could confirm their suspicions that something big was going to happen.