Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 237

Ontario Exploration lull – by Jamie Smith (tbnewswatch.com – February 22, 2014)

February 24, 2014

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Mining exploration in the province is down more than half from what it was a few years ago, says the head of the Ontario Prospectors Association.

While Ontario announced $1 billion in exploration in 2011, OPA executive director Garry Clark that number included development. True exploration was really closer to $450 million. But today, the province would be lucky if exploration in Ontario is $250 million, the worst Clark has ever seen.

“It’s probably the slowest exploration year we’ve had,” he said. “A lot of people are scared to invest in high risk things right now.”

Typically prospectors would head to other provinces or countries to find work but Clark said lately it’s been slow all over the world. Closer to home, that means a lot of prospectors, drillers and other industry professionals are looking for work.

That also means there’s no one out there making discoveries in the region that could one day turn into mines. “If you don’t have people kicking rocks and drilling diamond drill holes you’ll end up with a glut of time where you don’t have new projects coming on stream,” Clark said.

First Nations opposing mining and exploration in Northern Manitoba – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – February 21, 2014)

February 21, 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.

Northern Manitoba’s Manto Sipi Cree Nation and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation announced their opposition to mineral exploration in their traditional and ancestral territories this week.

Manto Sipi Cree Nation at Gods River issued a press release Feb. 18 stating that it would block mineral exploration and work permits on its ancestral lands in northeastern Manitoba and will not consult with the provincial government until all land disputes are addressed and settled. The press release said the province had recently sent three work permit applications for Mineral exploration to Manto Sipi Cree Nation.

“I have been given a strong mandate to initiate legal, political and defensive action against outside encroachment,” said Manto Sipi Cree Nation Chief Michael Yellowback in the press release. “Manto Sipi Cree Nation will stop all three work permit applications immediately. One of the main issues is that Manto Sipi Cree Nation has exhausted all avenues in dealing with [Mineral Resources] Minister [Dave] Chomiak on Manto Sipi Cree Nation’s land claim which is on an expired mineral claim purportedly held by Jim Campbell. The minister’s legal position and opinion on this Godslith Claim has been refuted by our lawyers, so we will challenge it in court.”

Environment takes precedence at Sudbury Vale’s Totten mine – by Lindsay Kelly (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – November 25, 2013)

February 21, 2014

Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal is a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. This article is from the December, 2013 issue.

Water, emissions priorities for mine design

More stringent environmental oversight of new mine development means more work. But instead of a challenge, it’s actually made the process easier at Totten Mine because it allows Vale to meet industry expectations and be creative in its approach, said senior environmental specialist Allison Merla.

“There’s the opportunity here to do it right, right away,” said Merla, who acted as the environmental co-ordinator for the mine, ensuring Vale’s permits and requirements met current industry standards.

“If you’re looking at a legacy site that has always done something a certain way for years, and they’re working on some of the older permits or legislative requirements, it takes a while to instill that change. Here, we’ve built it right and we’re going to do it right.”

Every aspect of Totten was designed with the environment in mind, starting with its overall footprint. The headframe and main operations have been laid out on top of previous mine workings, while the Victoria Creek pumphouse, from which Vale gets its domestic water, has been retrofitted and upgraded to meet today’s standards.

Ontario Chamber: Ring of Fire must be “national priority” – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 21, 2014)

February 21, 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.

Interested in buying a Ring of Fire bond? The Ontario Chamber of Commerce suggests that could be one way to expedite the lagging development of the series of high-grade chromite and base metals in the James Bay lowlands.

The chamber has released a comprehensive 36-page report – Beneath the Surface – that said the economic benefits to Ontario across all sectors could generate up to $9.4 billion in economic activity over 10 years and sustain 5,500 jobs annually.

“Ontario’s economy is at a historic crossroads,” wrote Alan O’Dette, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber, who called the Ring of Fire one of this province’s “greatest economic development opportunities in a generation.”

But the “glacial pace” at which progress is being made, he said, makes it seem that its development is “no closer than it was several years ago.”

Sudbury Vale’s Totten mine boasts copper, nickel and PGMs – by Lindsay Kelly (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – November 25, 2013)

February 21, 2014

Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal is a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. This article is from the December, 2013 issue.

The mineralization at Vale’s Totten Mine is so rich, ribbons of copper, nickel and precious metal can be viewed at surface just by walking through the parking lot.

“It’s pretty interesting for anybody who likes geology,” said Lance Howland, Totten’s chief mine geologist. “They can go out for their lunch break to look at exactly what’s here, and that’s pretty much what you’d see underground.”

Totten Mine is situated along the Worthington Offset, one of the fractures resulting from the creation of the Sudbury Basin 1.8 billion years ago. Offset deposits like Worthington were formed when pressure caused by molten material cooling around the basin pushed its way into a fracture.

“(The molten material) carried with it the copper, nickel and precious metals, and formed multiple deposits along that string. One of them was Totten Mine,” Howland said. “It’s a pretty unique story and we’ve got some very interesting deposits that a lot of people around the world have come here to see given how unique it is.”

Vale’s Team Totten rises to challenge – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – November 25, 2013)

February 21, 2014

Norm Tollinsky is editor of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal, a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. This article is from the December, 2013 issue.

Ground conditions, water ingress and a 60-year-old timbered shaft among the challenges overcome

When Bob Booth and Gary Annett of the Totten project team hand over the reins to mine manager Dave Pisaric on December 31st, life won’t be near as exciting.

Few mine development projects go exactly as planned. Mother Nature can frustrate the intentions of the most experienced and skilled engineers and geoscientists, as happened at Totten when unfavourable ground conditions and water ingress began bogging things down.

The team stepped it up a notch, hunkered down…and saw it through. Vale decided against the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) approach and kept the project management in house.

Annett, with the ominous title of Totten execution manager, was assigned to Totten in February 2008. A 15-year Vale and Inco mining engineer and alumnus of Laurentian University, Annett worked his way up through operations and spent eight years at the company’s Coleman Mine.

Study shows Ring could generate $25 billion benefit – by Caro Muligan (Sudbury Star – February 21, 2014)

February 21, 2014

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

A new study released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Beneath the Surface: Uncovering the Economic Potential of Ontario’s Ring of Fire, shows the mining development could generate more than $25 billion across numerous sectors in Ontario by 2047.

That would include $2.7 billion in revenues for the financial services sector and $1.2 billion for the wholesale and retail trade sectors.

“Our study makes it clear that the short-and long-term economic impacts of the Ring of Fire extend far beyond mining,” says Allan O’Dette, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “It’s time to broaden the Ring of Fire conversation to include all of Ontario, not just the Far North.”

“The Ring of Fire will generate an estimated $6.2 billion for Ontario’s mining sector in the first 10 years of its development, with much of this mining activity being concentrated in Northern Ontario,” says David Boyce, Chair of the Board, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “Development of the Ring of Fire is important to all Ontarians, regardless of geography. The positive impacts will be felt across the province in the form of increased GDP, job creation, and government revenue.”

Ontario chamber releasing Ring of Fire report – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 19, 2014)

February 19, 2014

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce will be weighing in on the untapped mineral and economic opportunities in the Far North Ring of Fire when it releases a report tomorrow.

The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto will be the venue for the report’s official launch on Thursday followed by a Northern Ontario rollout of cities next week with panel discussions in Thunder Bay (Feb. 26), Sudbury (Feb. 27) and Timmins (March 7).

The Sudbury panel will be held at Dynamic Earth from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The comprehensive report will outline the economic benefits to Ontario estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars.

The report is also intended to showcase this massive mineral opportunity and its spinoffs to southern Ontarians who know little of its potential to generate wealth and jobs in the province, a fact illustrated in an Ontario chamber survey of its own member businesses.

Ontario Grass roots exploration takes a hit – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – February 2014)

February 19, 2014

Norm Tollinsky is editor of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal, a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. This article is from the February 2014 issue.

Not for lack of quality projects

The good times couldn’t continue forever, and they haven’t. After three years in a row of feverish exploration activity in Ontario, 2013 turned in a dismal performance. Estimated exploration and deposit appraisal expenditures for Ontario fell approximately 30 per cent – from $961 million in 2012 to $688.5 million – but the reality is much worse, according to Garry Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospectors Association.

The $688.5 million and the $961 million posted the year before include expenditures on mine development – not just exploration, he complained. Looking at exploration alone, “2013 was the worst year since I’ve been in the business,” said Clark. “I started as a consultant in 1987, and I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, but this is probably the lowest I’ve seen.”

Risk capital dried up, many junior mining companies went dormant, drill rigs sat idle and geologists and prospectors were lucky to find a day or two of work here and there. Clark and others could see it coming despite three straight years of numbers just shy of or exceeding $1 billion.

[Noront] Keeping their eye on the ball – by Rob Learn (North Bay Nipissing News – February 19, 2014)

February 19, 2014

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

KOPER LAKE – Sticking to the basics, keep their eye on the ball and concentrate on making contact is the strategy Noront Resources is continuing as it continues to outpace all others in the most touted mining discovery in a generation – the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario.

CEO and president of Noront Alan Coutts brakes down the complexity of his specific proposal to create a viable mine in one of the remotest parts of the province. “You don’t need to go for the grand slam homerun right away. You just need to get a base hit,” said Coutts.

After years standing in the on deck circle Noront is preparing to take its best swing for that base hit this year applying for permit approvals for a permanent road to the mine site about 500 km north of Timmins. The road would run east-west from Pickle Lake above Thunder Bay running mostly along a route that serves four First Nations communities via winter road.

With a 282 km route to cover across James Bay Lowlands the company is saying it is the best way to push their proposed Eagle’s Nest deposit from very expensive find to an active mine.

SAMSSA celebrates ten years, 2003-2013 – by Dick DeStefano (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – February 2014)

September 7, 2018February 19, 2014

Dick DeStefano is the Executive Director of Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA). destefan@isys.ca This column was originally published in the February 2014 issue of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal.

After 10 years of effort and service, the Sudbury Mining Supply & Service Association (SAMSSA) has become a significant presence in the Northern Ontario mining cluster.

SAMSSA’s annual meeting on December 4th was a testament to the association’s success, attracting 175 representatives from its 140-strong membership of corporate and associated companies and agencies.

There were two special honourees, the announcement of a new board of directors, and the attendance of Vale executives who announced the return of a local purchasing team to Sudbury, much to the pleasure of the audience.

SAMSSA has created a dynamic forum for it members to not only market and promote their expertise globally, but also to establish a community or network to further the members’ common goals.

[Northern Manitoba] Students drill down into minerals and mining – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – February 19, 2014)

February 19, 2014

Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada brings its Mining Matters to Thompson and Nelson House

Students and teachers in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) and Thompson learned about minerals and mining from Feb. 10-14 as Mining Matters, in partnership with Vale’s Manitoba Operations, swept through Northern Manitoba to present its Mining Rocks Earth Science program, sponsored by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto.

“This is incredible,” said Barbara Green Parker, the aboriginal education and outreach programs manager for Mining Matters, a charitable organization in existence since April 30, 1997 that seeks to spread knowledge about Canada’s geology and the careers available in the country’s minerals industry. “This is the largest Mining Matters program that we have ever done. We are maximizing our exposure in Northern Manitoba. It’s a phenomenal amount. We’re very pleased to be in such high demand.”

Parker was in NCN at Nelson House on Feb. 10-11, presenting the Mining Rocks program to students from Grades 4 to 8 at Otetiskwin Kiskinwamahtowekamik Elementary School on Monday and to high school students at Nisichawayasihk Neyo Ohtinwak Collegiate on the morning of Feb. 11, with the afternoon dedicated to a teacher training workshop.

Investment in First Nations Youth the Right Thing – Minister Valcourt (Netnewsledger.com – February 18, 2014)

February 19, 2014

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – Federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Bernard Valcourt addressed the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon today in Thunder Bay. Here is what the Minister said:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the warm introduction. It gives me great pleasure to speak with you today.

Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs et je vous remercie d’être ici avec avec nous aujourd’hui pour discuter du Plan d’Action Économique 2014. As a Minister in Prime Minister Harper’s Government, it is my privilege to meet with you to discuss our Government’s Economic Action Plan 2014.

I am proud to confirm that our Government is on track to return to balanced budgets in 2015, with new measures that will create jobs and opportunities. We are on track to balance the budget while keeping taxes low and protecting the programs and services Canadians count on.

Since the inception of Canada’s Economic Action Plan in 2009, Canada has achieved the best job creation record and one of the best economic performances in the G-7 over the recovery. Economic Action Plan 2014 builds on this record of achievement with positive measures to grow the economy and help create jobs by;

Cliffs stands by Halverson – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 19, 2014)

February 19, 2014

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

Though some shareholders of Cliffs Natural Resources have been calling for his replacement, the Sudbury native who put the brakes on what had been expected to be the first operating mine in the Ring of Fire has been given a promotion.

Cleveland-based Cliffs last week elevated Gary Halverson so that he is the company’s CEO as well as president. Halverson, 55, was hired in November as Cliffs’ president and chief operating officer.

“We are confident that Gary is the right candidate to lead Cliffs, given his proven experience with international and long-term mining operations and understanding of the global commodities industry,” said a Cliffs news release.

A few days after Halverson was hired, Cliffs announced that it was stopping all pre-development work on a proposed ROF chromite mine about 550 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Chromite is a key ingredient in stainless steel.

Earlier this month, as Cliffs endured mounting criticism from shareholders over its falling stock price, Halverson cut $90 million from the company’s exploration budget and announced the idling of its Wabush iron-mine in Newfoundland.

How A Chicago-Born, Backwards Hat-Wearing Former Steve Jobs Instructor Plans To Dominate South African Mining [Robert Freeland] – by Tommy Humphreys (Business Insider – February 18, 2014)

February 18, 2014

http://www.businessinsider.com/

The reality distortion field, made famous by Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson, is a personal intensity and vision so powerful it bends people to your will, convincing them of a project’s higher purpose. Isaacson describes this capacity for influence as a notorious trait of Steve Jobs, who, as founder and CEO of Apple, managed to ship mountainous innovation that consistently redefined the relationship between art and technology.

An interesting footnote here is the fact that Robert Friedland, one of the world’s most successful global resource developers, taught Jobs about the reality distortion field when Jobs was a college student in 1972. And he’s used it to promote a ton of successful mining ventures over the past 35 years—he’s found and developed them on nearly every corner of the globe. And became a multi-billionaire in the process.

I was actually on a trip with Friedland last week, touring three of his latest mining projects in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I didn’t realize how privileged I was to be included in the crew, which consisted of members of Friedland’s family and a few investors, until on his Gulfstream jet on the way there, his 39-year-old geologist son Govind looked at me puzzled, then joked to his dad, “What is a blogger doing here?”