Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 223

Book examines loss of Northlander (Timmins Daily Press – March 20, 2014)

March 21, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Two years after the Ontario government announced the divestment of the ONTC, the author of an upcoming book is calling on the government and stakeholders to find a resolution to the ONTC issue as quickly and as fairly as possible to avoid any further uncertainty for residents of Northern Ontario reliant on ONTC services.

This fall, author and photographer Thomas Blampied, who specializes in rail transportation, will release Call of the Northland: Riding the Train that Nearly Toppled a Government. The book charts the uncertainty of the past two years, which saw the iconic Northlander passenger train cancelled and Northern life made more difficult by the doubtful future of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

“The McGuinty government was not the first to attempt to divest the ONTC, but its lack of research and consultation meant its plan was doomed from the start,” explained the author, who began work on the book while aboard the Northlander in April 2012.

“The trip made me aware of how hurt Northerners were by the loss of their Northlander and how they felt the McGuinty government was ignoring them. The ONTC is an integral part of life in the North.

Trust, compromise required to resolve overlapping territory [Wabun Tribal Council] – by Shawn Batise (Onotassiniik Magazine – Spring 2014)

March 21, 2014

http://onotassiniik.com/

The following is from a presentation by Shawn Batise at the 2013 Mining Ready Summit in Timmins, hosted by Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund. Batise is executive director of Wabun Tribal Council, which has six member First Nations: Beaverhouse, Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, Flying Post, Matechewan, and Mattagami.

I’ve been involved with Wabun Tribal Council since it started in 1990. The Wabun communities are in northeastern Ontario, all within about a two-hour drive of Timmins. Their traditional territories kind of intersect here in Timmins.

It’s the busiest area in the province in terms of mining exploration and development, and mining has become top of mind in most of the communities of our tribal council. With our participation in resource development over the past five to seven years, I’ve never seen more growth in the communities in terms of wealth, health, better jobs … being economically well off.

A large part of it is because of what we’ve been able to do in the tribal council area, with the help of the First Nations, obviously, in negotiating agreements around mining development. Things have really taken off. We’ve created a number of businesses servicing the industry that have been very successful.

Major role for Aboriginal partners in Northern Ontario Detour Lake mine – by Bryan Phelan (Onotassiniik Magazine – Spring 2014)

March 20, 2014

http://onotassiniik.com/

The figure seemed so high, Leonard Rickard double-checked his calculations. Rickard, Aboriginal affairs manager for Detour Gold Corporation, had been asked to determine the value of Aboriginal participation in construction of the company’s Detour Lake gold mine.

To find the answer, Rickard pored over all contracts associated with building the mine, line by line. He discovered – and confirmed upon double-checking – Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures had done more than $400 million worth of the construction work.

Surprised when presented with the information, Rickard’s supervisor also wondered whether this extraordinary level of Aboriginal involvement had really been achieved or if the number reported was just the result of a typo.

“People assumed I meant to say $40 million, something in that area,” Rickard recalls, “but to be able to say we did $400 million was quite amazing … certainly well above what we had anticipated.” It’s also a big share of the $1.5 billion total cost of construction.

The open-pit Detour Lake mine is located 185 kilometres northeast of Cochrane on a site that had been mined previously, most recently by Placer Dome in the late 1990s.

Chilcotin Crossroads – by Bill Gallagher (First Perspective – March 19, 2014)

March 19, 2014

http://www.firstperspective.ca/

Bill Gallagher is a lawyer, strategist and published author of Resource Rulers: Fortune and Folly on Canada’s Road to Resources

B.C.’s road to resources traverses the Chilcotin, a vast central region that has now seen more political and project fallout than perhaps anywhere else in Canada. At its heart lies picture-perfect Fish Lake, the site of Taseko Mines (twice proposed / twice denied) gold-copper open pit mine project. It was just in the business news for all the wrong reasons: “Harper rips Taseko’s B.C. mine proposal: environmental report ‘damning’ Harper says” (Financial Post headline Mar 4 2014).

Four years ago, that proposed mine was ground-zero where the political careers of former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell and former federal environment minister Jim Prentice collided as they tried to navigate this treacherous intersection of aboriginal rights, determined miners, eco-activists and panel reviews. Campbell had wanted this project – but Prentice denied it – as a direct result both walked away from politics in the immediate aftermath. That happened in late 2010, after Prentice turned ‘thumbs-down’ on the (1st) Prosperity Mine because there was a ‘scathing’ joint panel review. Premier Campbell resigned 24 hours later; then Prentice did likewise.

It was strident native opposition to the proposed mine that was ‘the elephant in the room’ – then and now – more so than rampant eco-activism.

Ring of Fire will depend on business case, not government: FedNor – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – March 18, 2014)

March 19, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

FedNor playing quiet role setting building blocks for development

Future development of the Ring of Fire will depend more on the business case for companies to develop the rich mineral deposit, than the role government has to play in the region, said Aime Dimatteo, director general of FedNor.

Dimatteo addressed the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, and echoed Bob Rae, now the chief negotiator for the Matawa First Nations in the Ring of Fire, regarding the government’s role in the region.

“It is a business decision,” Dimatteo said. “Bob Rae is very right, in that at the end of the day the businesses will make the decisions on whether they’re going to go forward with these projects.”

But in late 2013, Cliffs Natural Resources halted its $3.3-billion Ring of Fire development due to a number of hurdles including delays in the environmental assessment process and negotiations with the province of Ontario.

Couillard Announces Plan Nord +, Says PQ Government ‘Killed’ First Plan Nord – by Alex Létourneau (Kitco News – March 14, 2014)

March 17, 2014

http://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Quebec Liberal Party leader Philippe Couillard announced the ‘Plan Nord +’ this morning in Val d’Or, Quebec, which is an extension of the original Plan Nord.

Former Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s Plan Nord mining project, released in May 2011, was expected to create 20,000 jobs annually for the province and generate over $80 billion over a 25-year period.
In a telephone interview with Kitco News this afternoon, Couillard said that bringing the Plan Nord back to the table was a no-brainer.

“We’re putting most of it back as it was, because it was an excellent plan of sustainable development for Quebec,” Couillard said. “Unfortunately the Parti Quebecois (PQ) basically killed it when they came into office. They have a hostile attitude towards the mining industry, and private activity in general, so it wasn’t long before the signal was sent that this was over.”

The original Plan Nord covered an area of 1.2 million kilometers squared – an area twice the size of France, to put it in perspective – above the 49th parallel, a vast territory boasting a wide range of minerals including, but not limited to, gold, platinum group metals, iron ore, nickel, cobalt, zinc, lithium, vanadium, rare-earth metals, uranium and diamonds.

Northern Growth Plan stunted – by Elaine Della-Mattia (Sault Star – March 14, 2014)

March 17, 2014

http://www.saultstar.com/

It was designed as a plan that would be the blueprint for growth across Northern Ontario for the next 25 years. However, since it was first released in March 2011, communities have not seen much action to implement the plan, penned as something to give government priorities, initiatives and investments in the North.

There have been suggestions that the comprehensive plan takes time to implement and it must be done in steps and stages, but few communities, to date, have seen any action.

Sault Ste. Marie CAO Joe Fratesi said that while the Northern Ontario mayors met with Premier Kathleen Wynne and senior cabinet ministers in Timmins last fall, Sault Ste. Marie and other communities have not seen much movement.

The group is to meet again in Thunder Bay in April with Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle. Mayor Debbie Amaroso said the Ministry of Transportation has never said when its study on the North’s transportation needs would be completed, despite her asking the question at the Timmins meeting.

Engineer mines industry experience for first book – by Morgan Ian Adams (Enterprise-Bulletin – March 13, 2014)

March 13, 2014

http://www.theenterprisebulletin.com/

COLLINGWOOD — Engineer Tom McCavour has tapped into a lifetime of experiences in the mining industry to craft his first book. McCavour launched his book, Bloody Diamonds, in the third floor community room of the municipal building at Ste. Marie and Simcoe in November.

Bloody Diamonds follows the stories of Sarah and and Sam from childhood through to adulthood, and their experiences with the diamond mining industry in Africa and Canada’s north.

Sam escapes the civil war in Sierra Leone and is employed as a geologist by a South African diamond mining company, while Sarah is an Inuit and an environmentalist; while they meet as adversaries in the Northwest Territories, the two fall in love.

McCavour is a retired engineer whose career took him to Canada’s northern territories and to Africa. His work up north led to the development of the Diavik diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories.

The mining aspect of his book “came naturally,” said McCavour, 83. “But it took a lot of (work) to make it chronologically and geographically correct.”

Wabauskang to attack Ontario’s ability to delegate aspects of aboriginal consultation to industry at Supreme Court (Kenora Daily Miner and News – March 11, 2014)

March 12, 2014

http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/

Wabauskang First Nation has decided to use its hearing with the Supreme Court of Canada to challenge the Province of Ontario’s ability to delegate the carrying out of aboriginal consultation to mining companies, rather than having the Ministry of Mining and Northern Development deal with First Nations themselves.

Wabauskang was granted a hearing at the Supreme Court in October to settle its long-standing fight with Rubicon Minerals over a proposed mining project inside the First Nation’s territory. With the hearing set for sometime during the week of April 14, Wabauskang, the provincial government and Rubicon have all submitted outlines of their arguments to the court for the justices to consider.

The aboriginal community will still be making the argument that the federal government’s approval is required before treaty land can be appropriated for development use, something the Crown is allowed to do according to Treaty 3. But the First Nations lawyers have also added another argument which says the provincial government went too far when it delegated the responsibility for conducting mandatory consultations with them, and so, the plan for the mine project which has been approved by Ontario is invalid.

Numbers show mining still king in Sudbury – Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – March 12, 2014)

March 12, 2014

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

Sudbury is still very much a mining town, even if the definition of one has changed. “It’s a primary structural element of this community,” said Dick DeStefano, executive director for the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Centre. “It’s a wealth creator.”

He’s not surprised by the numbers in a recent report by the Ontario Mining Association, which underline not only the industry’s importance to the provincial economy, but also Sudbury’s importance to the industry.

According to the OMA report, in 2011, roughly 36% of mining employment in Ontario was here in Sudbury, while employment northeastern Ontario accounted for 30%.

That’s compared to 19% in Northwestern Ontario and 15% for southern Ontario, including jobs at non-metal mines and mining company offices. Some 27,000 are employed directly in mining, and another 50,000 indirectly, in fabrication and processing of minerals in the province.

Northern Ontario’s mine supply and service sector, worth an estimated $5.6 billion per year, provides another 23,000 jobs. They’re good jobs, too. The average weekly wage in mining is 60% higher than the average industrial wage in the province, according to the OMA report.

NASA is offering $35,000 in awards to asteroid hunters – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – March 10, 2014)

March 11, 2014

http://www.mining.com/

The US space agency, in partnership with asteroid-mining firm Planetary Resources, said Monday it will give away $35,000 in awards over the next six months to citizen scientists who can develop improved algorithms to find space rocks that could pose a threat to our planet — or at least be of interest to scientists and cosmic mineral prospectors.

The first contest in the series will kick off on March 17. Prior to the kick off, competitors can create an account on the contest series website and learn more about the rules and different phases of the competition.

Managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, the entire contest series runs through August and is the first contest series contributing to the agency’s Asteroid Grand Challenge.

“For the past three years, NASA has been learning and advancing the ability to leverage distributed algorithm and coding skills through the NASA Tournament Lab to solve tough problems,” said in a statement Jason Crusan, NASA Tournament Lab director. “We are now applying our experience with algorithm contests to helping protect the planet from asteroid threats through image analysis.”

First Nation takes proactive approach with mining companies – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – March 10, 2014)

March 10, 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.

Wahnapitae First Nation has taken a proactive approach to promote environmental sustainability in its dealings with mining companies like Vale, Glencore and KGHM. Since the early 1990s, the First Nation, located northeast of Sudbury, has worked to develop relationships with mining industry partners.

Cheryl Recollet, Wahnapitae First Nation’s environmental coordinator, said her department has developed in-house capacity over the past 15 years to conduct environmental assessments for mining companies who work near their reserve boundaries.

In 2012, Wahnapitae First Nation’s sustainable development department founded Tahgaiwinini Technical and Environmental Services Group. The company has four technicians and two advisers on staff, who provide mining companies with a variety of environmental management services.

The technicians are trained to use geographical information systems to map the low of groundwater, plumes of air pollution, and provide information on the First Nation’s territory, species at risk, and traditional hunting territory.

MTO in midst of pan-Northern transportation strategy – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 10, 2014)

March 10, 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.

A provincial plan to access the Ring of Fire may be lacking, but for almost three years the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has been quietly working on a major pan-northern planning exercise to support future regional economic development.

Known as the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy, the multi-year study is directly tied into the Liberal government’s implementation of the Northern Growth Plan.

“It’s definitely a first for the MTO in Northern Ontario,” said Tija Dirks, the ministry’s director of transportation planning, of the comprehensive process which began in 2011. “The scope of the issues that we’re looking at is much broader. We’re truly looking at the transportation system and not just the highway network.”

The MTO hired consultants to interview more than 100 people from the mining, forestry, manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors, together with input from First Nation, Métis and municipal leadership.

Commentary – Do Ontarians really want the Ring of Fire? – by Wendy Parker (In Support of Mining.com – March 8, 2014)

March 10, 2014

http://insupportofmining.wordpress.com/

Recent news reports tell us that people are becoming frustrated with the glacial pace of development of Ontario’s Ring of Fire mineral zone. Do tell.

Truth be known, sensible folk became frustrated with Ring of Fire drama some time ago. Many packed up their attention — and their investment dollars — several moons ago. Momentum has stalled. Activity has slowed. The “Wild West” show has moved on.

In fact, the Ring of Fire has become a wet blanket. Instead of generating excitement about Ontario’s mineral potential, it whispers of our many shortcomings. It insinuates that we may be “all hat, no cattle” when it comes to undertaking big-time developments.

Of course, all is not lost. There is talk of some progress on two critical fronts — First Nations participation in the development and infrastructure priorities. A breakthrough on either could rekindle enthusiasm.

But time is running short. We are often reminded that the Ring’s minerals won’t rot in the ground. That’s true. But they may not remain “ores” worth mining. And the opportunity to exploit them will wax and wane over time. As the Mackenzie Valley pipeline taught us, the “waxing” can be short-lived; the “waning” can span generations.

Ontario serves up miner with Statement of Defence – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 6, 2014)

March 7, 2014

The Ontario government says it’s not liable for any damages incurred by a Sudbury-based junior miner after a dispute between the company and a First Nation forced it to abandon exploration work in northwestern Ontario.

The province submitted its Statement of Defence with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Jan. 21 in response to a $110-million lawsuit filed against the Crown last October by Northern Superior Resources (NSR).

The company accuses the government of failing in its legal duty to consult with the Sachigo Lake First Nation after a series of disagreements with the band caused the company to suspend exploration on a promising gold property in late 2011.

In an 18-page document outlining its position, the government said the company’s claims for compensation are “exaggerated, excessive, remote” and should be dismissed. The government contends Northern Superior’s decision to stop exploration was their decision and the Crown is not responsible for any demands made on the company by Sachigo, or the company’s decision to reject them.