Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications – Page 255

Economic potential Northwestern Ontario – by Matt Vis (tbnewswatch.com – September 25, 2013)

September 25, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Economic prospects for Northwestern Ontario are looking strong, say experts attending the fourth annual Prosperity Northwest conference.

The event, a one-day forum and trade show, was hosted by the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce at the Valhalla Inn Wednesday and featured speeches from business executives as well as a collection of business exhibits.

François Lecavalier, vice-president of acquisitions and partnerships in the mining and metallurgy department of Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin, was one of the invited speakers. Lecavalier addressed the divisive Ring of Fire development and stressed the need for all parties to be operating on the same page.

“The Ring of Fire has the potential to help economic growth in Canada and Ontario over the next decades, but it won’t happen if there isn’t the necessary infrastructure to get the resources out,” Lecavalier said prior to his presentation.

“This will only happen if there is real partnership between the mining companies, both levels of government and the First Nations communities.

Vale fine should go to families, Steelworkers prez says – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – September 24, 2013)

September 25, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

The $1,050,000 fine imposed by the courts on Vale last week in the 2011 deaths of two miners should be directed to their families, said Steelworkers Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand.

Vale will be paying the fine to the City of Greater Sudbury. That’s because the company was charged and pleaded guilty to three offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which are tried in Provincial Offences Court.

Provincial offences were downloaded to the city in 2001, and as such, any fines meted out by the courts are paid to the city.

Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed June 8, 2011 after they were buried by an uncontrolled released of muck, sand and water from an ore pass at the 3,000-foot level.

“With the $1 million that’s going to be coming to the city, the first thing that goes through my mind is that the families should be compensated somehow,” said Bertrand, whose union represents Vale miners.

Fifty Shades of Gold – by Frank Holmes (Frank Talk – Insight For Investors – September 23, 2013)

September 25, 2013

http://www.usfunds.com/

Goldman Sachs created a stir recently when it forecasted that gold would fall to $1,000 an ounce by the end of 2014, as the firm expected the Federal Reserve to reduce its bond buying program. Goldman also suggested that gold miners might want to hedge their output, locking in 2013 prices.

HSBC analysts have also been bearish on gold, although the firm admits that lower gold prices tend to draw out tremendous demand from emerging markets, especially China. Because of that demand, HSBC believes gold will end 2014 at around $1,435 an ounce, says MarketWatch.

Keep in mind that “Goldman Sachs does things that are good for Goldman, not you,” says Bryon King from Agora Financial. Things can change quickly in the gold market, as investors saw when, only days after Goldman’s assertion, the Federal Reserve surprised everyone by announcing it would continue purchasing $85 billion worth of bonds. Gold investors cheered as the precious metal shot up the most in 15 months.

Unlike many commodities, there are many shades to gold, such as the Love Trade’s buying gold for loved ones and the Fear Trade’s purchasing gold as a store of value.

Southern Ontario should fix own problems – by John R. Hunt (North Bay Nugget – September 17, 2013)

September 25, 2013

http://www.nugget.ca/

I sometimes wish Vic Fedeli would stop doing it. Every time the MPP for Nipissing exposes another Liberal plot to rip off the taxpayers to pay for Dalton McGuinty’s follies my blood pressure goes sky high.

For some strange reason he also brings back memories of rabbit hunting on Boxing Day. In many parts of England it was the custom for farmhands to down tools the day after Christmas after the cows were milked. Then armed with ferrets and nets they pursued the elusive bunnies.

Most farm labourers had a pet ferret and when they went to a pub for a drink they often carried it in a vest pocket. When they lined up at a bar for a drink tiny ferret heads with black eyes and pointed noses peered out of pockets to enjoy the proceedings.

The English countryside was divided into fields by hedges growing on banks of earth into which the rabbits tunneled and built their nests. The hunters dropped nets over the exits after putting a ferret inside.

There were bumps and squeaks. The rabbits exploded into the nets and were converted into rabbit stew to supplement wartime rations.

Tories seek to rescue North from red tape – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – September 25, 2013)

September 25, 2013

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

Government red tape has impeded development in Northern Ontario – especially for the mining and forestry industries – according to a new white paper report by the Progressive Conservative Party.

“We want the government to move a little more efficiently,” said Paula Peroni, the Progressive Conservative candidate for Sudbury.

Peroni said the standstill on Cliffs Natural Resources’ plans to develop the Ring of Fire was a “perfect example” of a company that has been blocked by red tape. “The Ring of Fire needs to be a priority, not just for Sudbury and Northern Ontario, but for this whole province,” she said. “In my opinion, we are 10 years behind on this project.”

But mining analyst and Sudbury Star columnist Stan Sudol said the complications for the Ring of Fire project go far beyond government policy. “The Ring of Fire is a very complicated development that includes resource revenue sharing with First Nations, environmental approvals, transportation and power infrastructure challenges, just to name a few issues, on top of Cliffs’ current financial constraints and reduced global demand for all commodities,” he said in an email to The Sudbury Star.

PoV: $1-million fine should not be placed in general revenues – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – September 21, 2013)

September 24, 2013

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

Whatever happens to the $1,050,000 million fine levied against Vale Canada after the deaths of two Sudbury miners in June 2011, it should not go into the city’s general revenues.

That would be an abomination.

Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, died after they were struck by a run of muck that fell from an ore pass on the 3,000-foot level of the mine. Chenier had previously voiced concerns about excess water in the area, which may have loosened the rock.

The company faced nine charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and a supervisor faced six more. On Tuesday, the company pleaded guilty to three charges, admitting it “failed to take reasonable precaution in preventing the movement of material through an ore pass where hazardous conditions existed.” The remaining charges were dropped, as were the charges against the supervisor.

The fine, $350,000 on each count, plus a $250,000 victims surcharge, is believed to be the largest ever of its kind in Ontario. While the $250,000 will go to a provincial fund for victims of crime, the Labour ministry has indicated the $1,050,000 fine goes to the city, which plans to place the money in general revenues.

Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on Yukon mining to affect entire country – by Ana Komnenic (Mining.com – September 23, 2013)

September 24, 2013

http://www.mining.com/

Last week the Supreme Court of Canada decided that it would not challenge a Yukon court’s ruling that current land-staking practices defy the constitution. The final legal decision has the industry riled up as it assesses what this means for the mining sector. By the looks of it, the ruling could change the way miners operate across Canada.

The Supreme Court last week rejected an appeal by the Yukon government over a lower-court’s ruling that Class 1 mineral exploration programs must “consult with” and “accommodate” the Ross River Dena Council – a First Nation – before allowing exploration to take place. The provision will amend the Territory’s Quartz and Placer mining acts.

Most Canadian jurisdictions operate under a “free entry” system whereby companies can acquire exploration rights by ground-staking – a process which requires no advance government approval.

Last year the Yukon Court of Appeal ruled that “free entry was incompatible with the Crown’s duty to consult aboriginal people before making rights to Crown land available,” explains Barry Barton, an internationally recognized expert in mining law and author of Canadian Law of Mining.

Denver Gold Forum Keynote Speaker Calls For ‘Honest Money’ Based On Gold – by Allen Sykora (Kitco News – September 23, 2013)

September 24, 2013

http://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Denver – The masses would never consider allowing the size of a kilogram to fluctuate, the founding editor of the New York Sun told the 2013 Denver Gold Forum on Monday. That’s because nobody would know whether they were getting the appropriate quantity of any product they might purchase in kilograms.

Yet, the U.S. dollar is allowed to “float” under a fiat currency system, with the end result that the value of the greenback has fallen sharply in the last half century, said veteran financial journalist Seth Lipsky. Such a move would have dismayed the founding fathers of the U.S., who clearly felt the dollar should be tied to precious metals, he said.

Lipsky gave a keynote speech titled “Mainstreaming the Gold Standard” at the 2013 Denver Gold Forum. He called on the U.S. to return to some kind of gold standard, and urged those attending the Gold Forum not to be shy about entering the political fray.

In an interview ahead of his speech with Kitco News, Lipsky described the New York Sun as an online newspaper standing for limited government, free enterprise, strong foreign policy and “sound and honest money,” carrying more editorials on the gold standard than any other newspaper in the U.S. A book, “It Shines For All,” includes many of the editorials from the Sun for a gold standard and was distributed to those attending the speech.

Province won’t get involved in Stobie Mine deaths – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2013)

September 24, 2013

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

Despite demands from the Ontario Federation of Labour, unions and others, the provincial government has no plans to reopen a criminal investigation into the deaths of two Sudbury miners in 2011.

The federation, which represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario, has reacted angrily to $1 million fined levied against Vale in a Sudbury courtroom last for the deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram on June 8, 2011.

It called on Attorney General John Gerretsen to press the Crown to lay charges and demanded that Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur use her powers under the Police Services Act of Ontario to impose province-wide directives and guidelines requiring criminal investigations of every workplace tragedy to determine whether employer negligence was at fault.

Greater Sudbury Police investigated Fram’s and Chenier’s deaths, but determined no criminal charges were warranted. And in an email statement to The Star, Meilleur gave no indication the provincial government plans to intervene. “This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased,” she said.

Labour board rules against fired Sudbury Steelworkers – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2013)

September 24, 2013

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

Provincial arbitrator William Kaplan has ruled against three Steelworkers fired during the union’s year-long strike against Vale Ltd.

As a result, they won’t be getting their jobs back. USW Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand said the three men – former local vice-president Patrick Veinot, current treasurer Jason Patterson and former member Michael French – won’t be rehired by the company.

The three were dismissed in January 2010 during the union’s strike against Vale after company officials said they violated Vale’s code of conduct when an incident occurred in the community.

A striking Steelworker who crossed the picket line and went back to work was accosted by the three members. Criminal charges were laid against the three because of the incident, although Veinot and Patterson were cleared of any wrongdoing.

French was convicted and was forced to write a letter of apology to the victim. The union received the decision on the workers’ fate Friday, said Bertrand. “It’s been a tough few days.” He and his members are “all shocked, outraged and very disappointed” with Kaplan’s decision, contained in his 73-page ruling, said Bertrand.

Chromite mine, Capreol smelter uncertain: Cliffs – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2013)

September 24, 2013

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

Three months after Cliffs Natural Resources stopped work on the Ring of Fire, the company has hit another roadblock.

Its application for an easement over claims staked by KWG was rejected two weeks ago. A Cliffs’ official isn’t sure where the company will go from here, or when it can get the project up and running.

“Unless a solution to that is found, it’s kind of a showstopper, potentially,” Bill Boor, the senior vice-president of global ferroalloys, said Monday. “I’m not saying that we’re resigned to that fact – we’re trying to pursue what options are available – but this ruling … as it stands today (means) we don’t have the land to develop the project.”

Cliffs made the request to the Ontario and Mining Lands Commissioner for exclusive rights to an area from the Ring of Fire to Nakina, a town about 260 kilometres from Thunder Bay. KWG, as well as a number of smaller mining companies, have staked claim to portions of that region.

Cliffs wants the land to build a road, while KWG is pushing for a rail line out of the Ring. “We were fairly confident that it made sense to allow the easement application to go forward, so I was a bit surprised by the decision,” said Boor, adding it’s possible they will appeal the ruling.

Province must settle this [Ring of Fire] dispute – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (September 22, 2013)

September 23, 2013

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

A BUSINESS dispute over access to the Ring of Fire mineral belt has escalated to the point where the major player now claims the future of the entire development is threatened. Boardroom machinations are common in business but this goes far beyond a private enterprise spat. Determining how best to bring heavy chromite ore out of a vast tract of muskeg goes to the heart of a mining prospect so rich it stands to transform the moribund Northern Ontario economy and help the province itself recover economically.

So this impasse cannot be allowed to stand. It has to be solved and the province, as governor of mining activity, is the only party that can do it if lengthy court action is to be avoided. So far, however, Ontario has kept its hands off the dispute. That, too, cannot last.

Cliffs Natural Resources and KWG Resources cannot get past a tiff over land control. KWG’s search for diamonds led to the discovery of a mother lode of chromite, essential to stainless steel-making. It and Cliffs, a much bigger company, wound up partners but Cliffs eventually acquired a KWG partner and became the dominant Ring player intent on developing its Black Thor project including a road to bring ore out.

The road, using a desirable ridge of high ground seen as the key transportation corridor out of the Ring, would pass over some KWG claims. KWG remains fixed on its Big Daddy deposit and proposes instead a railroad.

First Nations seek economic partnership with NEOMA – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – September 23, 2013)

September 23, 2013

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – First Nations and municipalities in the North face many of the same challenges in terms of economic development.

Now, it appears two key groups are ready to come together to foster growth. Mushkegowuk Council, which represents eight First Nation communities, has approached the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) to develop a growth strategy.

Deputy Grand Chief Les Louttit of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) spoke to NEOMA members on Friday. Mushkegowuk Council is part of NAN, which represents 49 First Nations across Northern Ontario.

“We would like to propose an official entity of some kind to partner with NEOMA and Mushkegowuk Council,” Louttit said. “We would have an organization together, with people from your and our organizations, to foster business development, to take advantage of future business opportunities and economic development from the mining, forestry and tourism sectors.”

At the request of Mushkegowuk Council, NAN helped develop a proposal. This plan is currently being reviewed by Mushkegowuk Council and its member First Nations.

Family has mixed feelings about Vale plea deal – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – September 21, 2013)

September 23, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

The sister of one of two Vale miners killed on the job in 2011 said in some ways, she’s glad lawyers representing the company and the Crown were able to come to a plea deal agreement for charges laid in the wake of the tragedy.

At least it saved her family the pain and stress of going through the full trial, Briana Fram said. Vale pleaded guilty to three charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and was fined $1,050,000 on Sept. 17 in the deaths of Briana’s brother, Jordan Fram, as well as his co-worker, Jason Chenier.

The company originally faced nine charges, while supervisor Keith Birnie faced six. The remaining charges against Vale were dropped as part of the plea deal. The charges against Birnie were dropped after the Crown received information as part of trial submissions, and felt there was no reasonable chance of conviction.

While in some ways she’s glad not to have to go through a full trial, which was due to start in late October, Briana said she would have liked to see Vale held to account on all the charges. “We are happy they pled guilty, but it’s hard, because those charges were just so easily dropped,” she said. “That’s the way the judicial system is.”

Cliffs won’t abandon chromite project: Kilgour – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – September 21, 2013)

September 23, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

There’s so much money to be made from the Ring of Fire and so many dollars have been invested already that it’s unlikely Cliffs Natural Resources will abandon its plan to mine and process chromite in Northern Ontario, said Dave Kilgour.

The Ward 7 city councillor represents Capreol, which was chosen by the Ohio miner last year as the place it wants to build a $1.8-billion facility to process ore from its Ring of Fire mine.

The Cliffs project has been plagued with setbacks in recent months. The company temporarily suspended the environmental assessment process in June due to delays with the process at the provincial and federal levels. It’s also facing challenges related to land surface rights and negotiations with the province.

Then, earlier this month, the Mining and Lands Commissioner denied Cliffs the right to a road easement across the mining claims of KWG Resources, which it had been seeking to build an ore haul road out of its deposits in the James Bay region.