Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 247

Fedeli blames Liberal’s for ‘bungled’ Ring of Fire project – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – November 22, 2013)

November 22, 2013

http://www.nugget.ca/

The provincial Liberals ignored the warnings and bungled an opportunity for billions of dollars of private-sector investment to develop the Ring Fire, says Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.

Fedeli and the Progressive Conservatives were quick to blame the Liberal government Thursday for the decision by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. to indefinitely suspend its planned chromite mine and Caperol processing plant.

“You guys just blew a $10-billion deal of a lifetime,” charged Fedeli during question period, noting Cliffs and other smaller players with interests in the site were prepared to to make that level of investment to mine and ship ore from the remote area in the James Bay Lowlands.

Fedeli suggested the Liberals have instead “dithered” for years on moving ahead with the development of the Ring of Fire. And he said the government did nothing when warned by Cliffs as recently as month ago that the project was in a tenuous state.

Fedeli said he visited the Ring of Fire site three times over the past five year and that each time there was less and less and activity.

Ring of Fire and uncertainty – Thunder Bay Editorial (November 22, 2013)

November 22, 2013

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

IT would be easy to slip into despair over the interruption in Northern Ontario’s prosperous mining promise with the indefinite suspension of operations by leading player Cliffs Natural Resources.

It would be easy to start casting more blame on suspects including the provincial government for dithering and First Nations for holding up production with varying demands for consultation, among others.

There is plenty of blame to go around but money talks loudest in ventures of this size and a company this big is a hostage to its share price. That is dictated by the ebbs and flows of the market and commodity prices which are slumping.

Would Cliffs have shifted into neutral — it has not shut off the engine — if frustration over the pace of talks with government, First Nations and competitors had not been complicated by the lowered world price of the chromite that it seeks to extract from the remote north of Ontario and other minerals that it mines elsewhere?

Ring of Fire development a more distant possibility – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – November 21, 2013)

November 22, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

With the announcement on Nov. 20 that Cliffs Natural Resources has suspended its work on the Ring of Fire, the project could take until 2020 to get underway, said Dick DeStefano, executive director of the Northern Ontario Mining Supply and Services Association.

“Chromite is not ready for the market because of logistics, negotiations with the Native communities and government investments in infrastructure,” DeStefano said.

But Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said he remains hopeful the provincial government can facilitate progress for the $3.3-billion project.

“We have to do everything in our power to help move this project along.” Bartolucci was Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development and Mines when he announced Cliffs’ development of the Ring of Fire would include a $1.8-billion refinery near Capreol.

“As late as a couple weeks ago when I spoke to Cliffs, the decision to locate the processing facility in Sudbury was a business decision,” Bartolucci said. “It was a very wise and well-thought-out decision.”

Capreol plant now uncertain: Cliffs – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 22, 2013)

November 22, 2013

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

There is no guarantee — if and when Cliffs Natural Resources resumes work on its Ring of Fire chromite project — that it will build a ferrochrome processing plant in Sudbury, says a company spokeswoman.

The Cleveland-based company announced Wednesday it is indefinitely suspending work by the end of December on plans to mine chromite in the Ring of Fire and process it at the former Moose Mountain Mine site north of Capreol.

It has sunk $500 million into the project, but won’t invest any more capital given the uncertainty around the timeline for the project and the risks associated with infrastructure to develop its three deposits 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, said company spokeswoman Patricia Persico.

Many people weren’t surprised at the announcement Wednesday, as Bill Boor, Cliffs’ senior vice-president of global ferroalloys, had been warning for months his company was increasingly frustrated with its dealings with the Government of Ontario.

Sudbury Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci, who helped broker the agreement with Cliffs to locate the ferrochrome processing plant in Capreol, said while the announcement was disappointing, Cliffs was still committed to the Sudbury site for the plant.

Silver Linings in Cliffs Ring of Fire Rumble – by James Murray (Netnewsledger.com – November 21, 2013)

November 21, 2013

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

Silver Lining in Chromite Storm

THUNDER BAY – Opinion – The announcement by Cliffs Natural Resources on the Ring of Fire should not come as a major shock to anyone who has been following the story. Cliffs has maintained for a long time that the project was in the feasibility stage.

There are several potential silver linings in all of this rumbling. First is it a surprise? Honestly no. This has been coming for a while with Cliffs Natural Resources.

Some of this is due to ham-fisted bungling on the provincial level starting at the very top of the political pyramid. The Premier has not taken this project as seriously as it should have been taken in the view of many.

Ontario has not taken the steps to ensure job training on a massive level was possible. The federal government has stepped up there, but Ontario didn’t.

Updated: Cliffs suspends plans for chromite mine, plant – by Mary Katherine Keown and Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 21, 2013)

November 21, 2013

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

A plan to open a chromite mine in northwestern Ontario and ship the ore to a Capreol plant for processing has been put on hold, along with hundreds of new jobs the development would have created.

On Tuesday, Cliffs Natural Resources announced it will suspend indefinitely its activities in the Ring of Fire by the end of the fourth quarter of 2013.

“As we’ve assessed the current challenges in the region and the costs to continue on the current path, we decided to suspend the chromite project indefinitely,” Bill Boor, senior VP of strategy and business development, said in a release. “Unfortunately, we will reduce the project team staffing, and close our Thunder Bay and Toronto offices, as well as the exploration camp site.”

Cliffs has determined “it will not allocate additional capital for the project given the uncertain timeline and risks associated with the development of necessary infrastructure to bring this project online,” according to its statement.

In June, the company suspended environmental assessments and in October, it announced it was planning to appeal a decision by the Mining and Lands Commissioner, who had dismissed its application to build an all-weather road through land staked by Montreal-based KWG Resources Inc.

Cliffs puts Black Thor project on the backburner – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 20, 2013)

November 21, 2013

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.

The Ring of Fire’s biggest mining player has called an indefinite halt to its chromite project in Northern Ontario. Cliffs Natural Resources announced late Wednesday that is it suspending its $3.3-billion Black Thor chromite mine and mill project, and it is not allocating any further capital to the deposit in the James Bay lowlands for 2014.

All technical work, including the feasibility study, development and exploration activity, is under suspension. The company has not assigned a project restart date.

Cliffs spokesperson Pat Persico said the challenges and uncertainties to advance the project timelines, and the associated risks concerning unresolved infrastructure issues with the Ontario government “really brought us to this decision.”

“We’re allocating capital for the project and there’s a point where we can no longer continue to do that without further clarity and movement in that area.”

City officials in ‘shock and ‘disbelief’ after Cliffs announcement – by Darren MacDonald (Sudbury Northern Life – November 20, 2013)

November 21, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

City officials were stunned Wednesday evening, following the announcement by Cliffs Natural Resources it was suspending all work on its massive Ring of Fire chromite project, including work on a billion-dollar smelter near Capreol.

“The company determined that it will not allocate additional capital for the project given the uncertain timeline and risks associated with the development of necessary infrastructure to bring this project online,” Cliffs said in the release.

“We continue to believe in the value of the mineral deposits and the potential of the Ring of Fire region for Northern Ontario. As we’ve assessed the current challenges in the region and the costs to continue on the current path, we decided to suspend the Chromite Project indefinitely,” Bill Boor, senior vice-president, is quoted as saying.

“Unfortunately, we will reduce the project team staffing and close our Thunder Bay and Toronto offices, as well as the exploration camp site. “We understand this is a hardship for our employees and their families. During this transition, we will be working with this talented team of professionals to explore other opportunities at Cliffs.”

Bartolucci vows refinery will be built in Capreol – by Darren MacDonald (Sudbury Northern Life – November 20, 2013)

November 21, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

The man who was minister of Northern Development and Mines when Cliffs announced it was building a $1.8-billion refinery near Capreol says now is not the time to panic.

“It’s not falling apart,” Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said Wednesday, “although this is not the greatest news we’ve heard in regard to this project.”

Bartolucci said Cliff’s decision to suspend all work on the Ring of Fire — including work on the Moose Mountain refinery — is at least partly due to low commodity prices for chromite. And the recent ruling by the mining commissioner denying Cliffs access to land owned by another mining company to build a road to the site was another blow.

“But I will not end my political career with this project leaving Sudbury,” Bartolucci said, who announced earlier this year he would not run in the next election. “I worked very, very hard to make sure the ferrochrome processing facility was located (in Capreol).”

A coal slurry shame – by Martin Wissmath (Hinton Parklander – November 18, 2013)

November 19, 2013

http://www.hintonparklander.com/

Sherritt International Corp., the company that owns the Obed mine 30 kilometres northeast of Hinton, could now be responsible for the largest coal mining waste-water spill in Canadian history.

But could government regulators and environmental authorities have done more to prevent it from happening?
A billion litres of slurry spilled into the Athabasca River on Halloween when a storage pond at the Obed mine site broke apart.

Slurry is the concoction of materials and chemicals, including coal and thickening agents called flocculents, mixed with the water in the mine storage ponds. Coal mines in Alberta are required to contain liquid runoff to prevent it from pouring into the provincial waterways. Consider this an epic fail.

A spokesperson for Sherritt initially told the Parklander the waste-water consisted of “naturally occurring” materials, but mentioned the extra chemical agents, which are standard for coal-mining storage ponds, after further inquiry.

The spill was innocuously labelled a “sediment release” by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

Space mining is bedrock of Sudbury research venture – by Laura Gregorini (Northern Ontario Business – October 29, 2013)

November 19, 2013

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.

From space mining suits to terrestrial robotics, Sudbury’s Deltion Innovations is immersed in groundbreaking research and development of space mining technologies and techniques.

Although the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) eliminated its Innovation and Prototype Development Department earlier this year, the same work it started in 1995 will continue under the new for-profit corporation, said Deltion CEO Dale Boucher.

“There was no longer any interest by NORCAT to carry on space activity and so we thought there was a good opportunity here for Sudbury. We had developed a good global image and so to continue the work of the department we elected to create this company.”

Among the work it will continue is the RESOLVE project (Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction), started in 2005, which will confirm the presence of hydrogen, potentially in the form of water ice on the moon. The intent is to use the drilling technology developed here in the 2018 Resource Prospector mission to the moon.

Politicians draw to Cliffs refinery site – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – November 18, 2013)

November 18, 2013

Northeastern politicians have beating a steady path to the site of a potential ferrochrome refinery in an outlying area of Sudbury. Cliffs Natural Resources has had a continuous presence in Capreol, where it plans to build a ferrochrome processing facility, said councillor Dave Kilgour.

“Cliffs is in town almost all the time,” Kilgour said. “They’re moving forward and they’re spending money every day.” On Nov. 15, Kilgour joined local MPs Glenn Thibeault and Claude Gravelle, and MPP France Gelinas, on a tour of the proposed refinery site with Cliffs officials.

Gravelle said the site, located near the old Moose Mountain Mine, is remote and no major infrastructure has been been built but representatives from Cliffs did show him the plans for the plant. “They did seem very confident the project is going to move forward,” Gravelle said.

Conservative MPP and finance critic Vic Fedeli, representing Nipissing (North Bay) riding, also visited the proposed site, Nov. 12. “I can see why both Cliffs and the City of Greater Sudbury are excited for this project,” Fedeli said.

Finding solutions as partners in Ring of Fire – by William Boor (Onotassiniik Magazine – Winter 2013/2014)

November 18, 2013

http://onotassiniik.com

Grads looking to political and mining company leaders for opportunities

William Boor is the Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, Cliffs Natural Resources

The following is excerpted from a keynote address by Cliffs VP William Boor at the Ontario Mining Forum in Thunder Bay on June 20.

I think we have come to a time that will prove to be really critical in the history of the Ring of Fire development. …
I stand here talking tonight as a face of “industry” … (and) I know what comes with that. As “industry” I am expected to be self-interested for my company’s shareholders only, interested in keeping as much as possible, and by inference, giving as little as possible.…

But I’m asking you to hear me as a person – a person who believes that development, and particularly mining development, creates the possibility for everyone to succeed together. I believe that my position within industry is a wonderful place to change people’s lives.

Geology, habitats and plants throughout northern Ontario – by Andy Fyon (Onotassiniik Magazine – Winter 2013/2014)

November 18, 2013

http://onotassiniik.com

Andy Fyon is the Director, Ontario Geological Survey, Ministry of Northern Development and Mines

When you walk across the land or boat across the water, do you notice the range of plants growing on different types of land? For example, the plants that grow in muskeg areas are very different from those growing on bare rocky areas. This is a pattern repeated over and over.

While observing this, have you ever wondered if geology plays a role in controlling where different types of plants grow?

There is a strong link between Ontario’s geological history and the location of different types of plants. We know that geological forces shaped the land. And yes, geological forces also created habitats – special places where distinctive plants grow. Obviously, different habitats are home to different plants. So, the type of rock and the type of deposit left behind by glaciers are key factors in determining the distribution and types of some plants.

Ontario’s long and complex geological history created many different habitats that sustain different types of plants in different areas.

Transportation costs key for successful Ring of Fire development [Part 4 of 4] – by Stan Sudol (Sudbury Star – November 18, 2013)

November 18, 2013November 17, 2013

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

Throughout this four-part series, transportation infrastructure has been highlighted as one of the key issues — a host of aboriginal concerns is the other — that must be resolved in order for the Ring of Fire’s world-class mineral projects, conservatively worth about $60 billion and counting, to move forward.

Since Cliffs Natural Resources is a billion-dollar multi-national, it seems to have taken up all the attention or oxygen in the room when discussing transportation issues. I have often heard from a variety of mining and government colleagues that Cliffs has the money and size, so their proposal must be the right one.

Last summer, mining and metals analyst John Tumazos found “the total of metal write-downs from 2008 to 2013 will breach the $200 billion mark this year.”

And let’s not forget that Cliffs took a $1-billion write-down in January for its $4.2-billion purchase of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Ltd. in 2011, as well as another roughly $900 million in other impairments, according to a Globe and Mail report.