Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 224

Ring of Fire: Matawa chiefs want to be in centre of talks – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – March 6, 2014)

March 7, 2014

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

Many Ontarians are frustrated with the slow pace of development in the Ring of Fire, but the Matawa Chiefs Council represented by former Ontario premier Bob Rae feels that way for a different reason.

The chiefs, who represent nine first nations located near the chromite deposits, want greater recognition of the need for human and social development on reserves in remote communities and the need to get moving on that, said Rae.

They’re frustrated the Ontario and federal governments are suddenly interested in their region “not because of the appalling social conditions on reserves,” said Rae, “but because of the possibilities of major mining development.”

His clients are telling him, “if you’re going to discuss mining development, you’re going to discuss our development,” Rae said Thursday afternoon, before he was to deliver a talk that evening at Laurentian University for the Goring Family Lecture Series.

Rae was to speak on the topic Mining and First Nations: Sustainability is the Only Option. Earlier in the day, Rae met with aboriginal and other community leaders to discuss related issues.

First Nations must be equal partners in Ring of Fire, Rae – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – March 06, 2014)

March 6, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Ontario has lagged behind other provinces – namely Quebec and British Columbia – when it comes to its dealings with First Nations, said Bob Rae. The former Premier of Ontario, and interim leader for the federal Liberal leadership, became the chief negotiator for the Matawa First Nations – representing nine Native governments – last year.

In his first role outside of the political arena on Parliament Hill, Rae has worked to develop a framework that would form the basis for a partnership between the Ontario government, the Matawa First Nations and the companies seeking to profit from the Ring of Fire.

Prior to a speech at Laurentian University – scheduled for Thursday night – Rae told Northern Life that Quebec and BC have have been much more open than Ontario to sharing management decisions with First Nations and granting authority to regional governments.

“If you look at the kinds of agreements that have been signed in other provinces you see very clearly that you’re looking at a way of not simply consulting with First Nations, but of giving First Nations the ability to take real responsibility for the building and management of infrastructure, the making of economic and social decisions, and participating fully in decisions affecting the natural environment,” Rae said.

Women in Mining chapter starts in Sudbury – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Mining – March 6, 2014)

March 6, 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 inaugural meeting of Women in Mining Northern Ontario, Jan. 30, in Sudbury marked a “pivotal moment” for the sector, said the event’s keynote speaker.

Samantha Espley, general manager of mines and mills technical services with Vale’s Ontario operations, said it is important to inform young girls and women about the career opportunities. Women represent only 16 per cent of Canada’s mining workforce – the lowest proportion for any sector in the country.

Most women who work in the mining industry do not have technical roles, but occupy traditional office jobs in administration and human resources departments. Women in Mining Northern Ontario hopes to eventually increase female representation in the industry to 50 per cent.

Espley, who earned her engineering degree from the University of Toronto in 1988, said the industry has progressed a lot for women since she first started her career.

Primero takes over Black For mine, mill [Timmins] – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – March 6, 2014)

March 6, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Black Fox mine employees began meeting with their new owners this week.

On Wednesday, Primero Mining Corp. completed a deal to acquire all assets of Brigus Gold including the Black Fox mine and mill located in Black River-Matheson, as well as the adjacent Grey Fox mine property. The agreement was initially announced in December.

“The company was created about three-and-a-half years ago,” said Joseph Conway, Primero president and chief executive, who was at the Days Inn in Timmins to meet with mine staff. “It was through a buyout of an asset from Goldcorp in Mexico. It was a producing mine and it was running at 90,000 ounces a year but it was under-capitalized and since then we’ve been reinvesting back into that operation and are now producing about 160,000 ounces a year.”

While Primero plans to continue that trend of investing in its assets, Conway admitted they will be a little less bullish about bringing Grey Fox into production. The previous owner, Brigus Gold, had talked last year of pulling Grey Fox into production by the first half of 2015.

Six years and waiting [Northwestern Ontario Mining] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (March 5, 2014)

March 6, 2014

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

IN the investment game, the worst scenario is a lack of confidence. If the money gets nervous, the chances for success begin to wither. The mining industry is beginning to lose faith in Ontario. Despite enormous new potential on top of its valuable status as a gold mine, so to speak, a series of delays has turned the mining world wary. Can Ontario confirm its own future as a key mining jurisdiction or will it preside over its own decline at the hands of indecision?

The Ring of Fire mineral belt semi-circling James Bay was first explored in 2002 by DeBeers, looking for diamonds. Instead, it found copper and zinc. This led to an exploration rush that by 2008 had uncovered a multi-billion dollar deposit of an extremely rare mineral called chromite — the first commercial quantities anywhere in North America.
The mining and investment world went wild with anticipation and major companies moved in to map the deposit and prepare to exploit it under Ontario’s mining rules.

That was six years ago. Since then, the biggest player, Cliffs Natural Resources, wooed by municipalities from Thunder Bay to Sudbury to be the site of a giant smelter, has turned away. Its move followed similar expressions from junior exploration firms stymied by conflicting and moving signals on how to play the game.

A new ONTC must move forward – by John R. Hunt (North Bay Nugget – March 4, 2014)

March 6, 2014

http://www.nugget.ca/

The mountain has laboured and produced a plan. The ONTC rail unions and management have got their act together and sent their plan for a new ONTC to Toronto.

Both sides agree that change is necessary and it appears that the unions have accepted some reduction in the labour force. However, this will be achieved through attrition. The plan will be studied by Northern Development And Mines Minister Michael Gravelle and his advisory committee.

The success or failure of this plan is of vital importance to North Bay although the minister is apparently considering a number of options.

The unions are afraid that Ontera, the ONTC’s communication wing, may be sold before a decision is reached. This would be grossly unfair and if Ontera is profitable it makes little sense to sell it.

It should be remembered that the Ontario Northland Railway pioneered long distance telephone service in the Northeast.

FedNor invests in snag-removing robot – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – March 5, 2014)

September 5, 2018March 5, 2014

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

Penguin Automated Systems got a big shot in the robotic arm this week. The Greater Sudbury firm received $1 million from the federal government, via FedNor, to develop and commercialize its new Hang-up Assessment and Removal Robotic System, designed for use in the mining industry both here and abroad.

Greg Rickford, minister of state for science and technology and for FedNor, announced the funding on Monday, much to the delight of Greg Baiden, chief executive at Penguin ASI.

“The funding is really helpful,” said Baiden, reached on Tuesday. “The timing is really great for our business. It’s going to help us create a new product that is in need around the world today, so it’s really quite something.”

Penguin’s remote-controlled hangup assessment and removal system is designed to address safety hazards in managing rock hangups, as the robot will be able to enter confined spaces, measure, drill and load explosives for remote detonation.

Noront Resources pursues Ring of Fire despite setbacks – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – February 28, 2014)

February 28, 2014

If all goes to plan, Noront Resources could begin work on its Eagle’s Nest project in the Ring of Fire by 2017, said the Paul Parisotto, the company’s chairman and director.

Despite a number of obstacles that have brought development of the Ring of Fire to a near halt, Parisotto said he remains optimistic about his company’s stake.

“We’re very committed to building this mine as soon as we possibly can,” Parisotto said Thursday, at a forum organized by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to coincide with a new report critical delays in the Ring of Fire.

“Things have moved slowly for a number of reasons,” Parisotto said. “That’s in the past. We are where we are today.” The Eagle’s Nest project includes nickel, copper and platinum group elements, and the company’s Blackbird Deposit contains high-grade chromite.

Noront has poured around $200 million into the Ring of Fire so far, where the company has its only mining properties.

NAN Grand Chief – Mining Opportunities and First Nations – interviewed by Jame Murray (Netnewsledger.com – February 27, 2014)

February 28, 2014

http://www.netnewsledger.com/ THUNDER BAY – Nishnawbe-Aski Grand Chief Harvey Yesno is looking at the issue of mining and the opportunities for First Nations in Nishnwabe-Aski territory in Northwestern and Northern Ontario. The NAN Grand Chief is looking toward governments, both Canada and Ontario to step up and honour the treaty agreements. Grand Chief Yesno also makes …

Frustration boils over at meeting in Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 28, 2014)

February 28, 2014

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

Executives with two companies with the largest stakes in the Ring of Fire say they would rather live with decisions by the Government of Ontario they disagree with than have the province make no decisions at all about transportation and other key issues.

Frustration over the slow pace of developing the Ring of Fire boiled over at a meeting Thursday at Dynamic Earth at which a report was unveiled highlighting the economic benefits of mining the chromite deposits in the James Bay Lowlands.

The report, Beneath the Surface: Uncovering the Economic Potential of Ontario’s Ring of Fire, was presented to an invitation-only crowd at an event sponsored by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.

The report by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce shows the Ring of Fire would generate up to $9.4 billion of gross domestic product in the first 10 years, create up to 5,500 jobs annually and generate $2 billion in government revenue. The executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association, Dick de Stefano, asked a panel of five people, including executives from Cliffs Natural Resources and Noront Resources, if they were ready for the province to decide what type of transportation system should be built.

Residents anxious for redeveloped mine property – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – February 28, 2014)

February 28, 2014

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – As a neighbouring property owner, Luc Murray has a vested interest in the long-term plans for the Hollinger mine pit site.

“This is a piece of land that nobody can use right now,” said Murray, whose business, OK Tire and Auto Service, sits directly adjacent to the mine pit property. “It’s land that is right in the middle of the city. It’s a big blank spot there.”

For Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines, the open-pit project represents an opportunity to profit from some of the residual lower grade ore that is still buried there. Murray sees a longer-term benefit with some old hazards being removed and the land being converted into a greenspace the whole community could enjoy.

“The way they are doing it right now, it’s going to be beneficial for everybody,” said Murray, who was among the members of the public who attended an open house hosted by Goldcorp at the McIntyre Ballroom Thursday.

Trish Buttineau, co-ordinator of communications and corporate social responsibility, explained, “Even though we’ve just started mining, we’re already starting the planning for closure and the hope is the community will get together and give us their ideas and tell us what they’d like to see.

Time to make some big decisions [Ring of Fire] – by Rob Learn (North Bay Nipissing News – February 26, 2014)

February 26, 2014

http://www.northbaynipissing.com/northbaynipissing/

NIPISSING – Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle knows he has work to do.

“We need to make some decisions on infrastructure,” said Gravelle in an interview with the News about the Ring of Fire mining find in the remote James Bay region of Northern Ontario.

Once touted as the biggest mining find of the century in the province, the development has stalled over the past year with drilling activity almost stopping completely and global mining giant Cliffs Natural Resources saying it’s pulling out of the region.

But Gravelle says work is still being done around the Ring of Fire and the most important ingredient is getting it right. “We’re all eager to see the project move forward, but we’re also eager to see that we do it in the right way,” said Gravelle.

At the moment the Ring of Fire project is in the bureaucratic wash cycle simultaneously going through consultations/negotiations with First Nations, and environmental assessment and the number crunching analysis of how to get the ore from a remote challenging terrain to market.

Sudbury mine layoffs reduced – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 26, 2014)

February 26, 2014

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

Even one job layoff is one too many, says the area co-ordinator for United Steelworkers. But representatives with KGHM International and USW Local 2020 have worked together to pare down what could have been the loss of 70 unionized jobs at KGHM’s McCreedy West Mine to 25 layoffs.

The company gave employees notice in January as many as 70 production and maintenance workers could lose their jobs at Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore Xstrata) exercised a 30-day cancellation clause in its commercial contract with KGHM to process McCreedy West nickel ore.

KGHM spokeswoman Kristina Howe said Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations indicated its processing facilities were at capacity and that it had a surface capacity, so it didn’t require additional custom feed ore.  Myles Sullivan, USW area co-ordinator, said the company and the union had until Feb. 16 to figure out how to minimize job losses caused by that contract cancellation.

Some employees were given buyouts, “contractors are gone” and “a few hiccups” are still being worked out, said Sullivan, but no more job losses are expected at this time.

Province mum on Capreol refinery – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – February 25, 2014)

February 25, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Uncertain future for the project tied to Cliffs involvement in the Ring of Fire

The province has been silent on the future of a proposed $1.8-billion refinery in Capreol, that would have been tied to Cliffs Natural Resources’ involvement in the Ring of Fire.

Cliffs stopped work on its $3.3-billion Ring of Fire development in 2013 due to a number of major hurdles. Those included a lack of agreements with First Nations in the area, and a lost appeal to the Ontario Mining Commission late last year that would have allowed the company an easement on the property to begin planning the necessary infrastructure.

When asked about the future for the planned refinery in Capreol, Michael Gravelle, Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development and Mines, said the province needs to make decisions on transportation and infrastructure in the Ring of Fire before it can move on to proposed projects like the refinery.

“They are one company,” Gravelle said about Cliffs. “There are other companies with very specific proposals and interests in the Ring of Fire.” Junior miner KWG Resources Inc. owns land in the Ring of Fire area that could be used for a transportation corridor.

Vale’s Totten Mine opens after three-year delay – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – Feb 21, 2014)

February 24, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

It started as a hole in the ground, but after a $760-million investment, Vale’s Totten Mine had its official opening Friday.

Dignitaries from around the province, including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk, and Michael Gravelle, the province’s minister of Northern Develoment and Mines, gathered around the ceremonial ribbon to welcome Vale’s sixth mine in the Sudbury region, and its first to open in nearly 40 years.

Subury MPP Rick Bartolucci, Ontario’s former minister of Northern Development and Mines, had was not present at the ceremony due to a prior commitment. “The 200 jobs that are being created as a result of the Totten Mine will support families and will fuel the economy of this region,” Wynne said at the grand opening.

The premier said the provincial government has an important role to play in developments like the Totten Mine by creating a regulatory environment that encourages businesses to invest and prosper.

The mine was supposed to open in 2011, but a number of factors, including the global economic crisis in 2008 and 2009, slowed Vale’s progress.