Twitter

Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

Drilling marks the path for a mine reboot in Red Lake – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 27, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

West Red Lake Gold Mines taking the patient approach before resuming production at the Madsen Mine

West Red Lake Gold Mines president-CEO Shane Williams was very guarded in talking about the blue-sky gold potential of the company’s Madsen Mine property in northwestern Ontario .

The Vancouver company is not rushing the dormant underground mine back into production but is taking a patient approach in its reboot of an operation that entered creditor protection in the fall of 2022 under the Pure Gold Mining banner.

Read more

Berens River bridge, road funding will be regional catalyst for northwest First Nations – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 22, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Spring construction start will bring road access to seven remote communities and a proposed lithium mine

The wheels are finally starting to roll on the planned construction of the long-overdue Berens River bridge and an initial 25-kilometre stretch of all-season road to reach Pikangikum First Nation, north of Red Lake.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP and cabinet minister Greg Rickford announced Aug. 21 that the province is partnering with the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority and the federal government to build the bridge and an all-season road to Pikangikum.

Read more

Pentagon invests US$20 million in Temiskaming cobalt refinery project – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 20, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Electra Battery Materials pockets Defense Department funding to finish refinery construction

Electra Battery Materials has snagged a US$20-million ($27.4 million) grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to finish construction of its cobalt refinery in the Temiskaming area.

It’s a huge endorsement for a small and ambitious Toronto company that most investors and industry watchers would have to undertake a Google search on to find out its particulars. Electra is out to displace China as the world’s dominant player in critical minerals processing.

Read more

Northwestern Ont. lithium explorer inks strategic development partner – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 20, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Green Technology links with global battery giant EcoPro to joint venture on Nipigon-area lithium mine and Thunder Bay refinery

Australia’s Green Technology Metals has found a South Korean development partner to bring its two lithium deposits in northwestern Ontario into production and help build a refinery in Thunder Bay.

Perth-based Green Tech announced a strategic partnership with South Korean battery giant EcoPro Innovation through a framework agreement that involves an $8-million investment (Australian dollars) into the junior miner.

Read more

Mining the Northwest: North Shore phosphate deposit could have open-pit potential – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 16, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Higher-grade resource has Nuinsco Resources examining a quarry operation

A northwestern Ontario junior miner, eager to get into critical minerals mining, has posted a substantial boost in the grade of the phosphate rock at its exploration property northwest of Marathon.

Toronto-based Nuinsco Resources believes it has a more valuable and higher-grade asset than originally reported in 2022 since adopting a five per cent cut-off grade for mineralization at its Prairie Lake deposit.

Read more

‘Massive investments’ coming for Far North infrastructure, says Ford – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 12, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Province set to announce news on Ring of Fire road infrastructure in September

It may be curtains for the Terrace Bay pulp mill under the AV Group flag, but Premier Doug Ford suggested late last week bigger and better developments are in store for northwestern Ontario.

Ford was in Thunder Bay at the LiUNA Local 67 training centre on Aug. 9 to drop $17 million from the province’s Skilled Development Fund toward training and facility upgrades to support the mining, construction, energy and forestry industries. Agnico Eagle Mines pocketed $10 million for training partnerships with Matachewan First Nation, Taykwa Tagamou Nation and Moose Cree First Nation.

Read more

Mining regulatory regime called ‘appalling, insulting, discriminatory’ by lawyer for five communities – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business –  August 12, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Six Northern Ontario First Nations are challenging the province’s Mining Act in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, arguing it is unconstitutional and overrides their treaty and Charter equality rights.

The leaders of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, Aroland First Nation, Attawapiskat First Nation, Fort Albany First Nation, Ginoogaming First Nation, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug filed a notice of application with the court on Aug. 9.

Read more

First Nations declare opposition to nuclear waste project – by Mike Stimpson (NWO News Watch – August 7, 2024)

https://www.nwonewswatch.com/

A deep geological repository would be bad news for the environment and people of Northwestern Ontario, according to the AKRC.

SIOUX NARROWS – The Township of Ignace has said yes to a nuclear waste repository project, but five First Nations in the Lake of the Woods area say no way.

Storing nuclear waste between Ignace and Dryden would endanger the region’s ecosystem and violate their rights as Indigenous peoples, according to a declaration from the Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council (AKRC).

Read more

Plans announced to mine old silver tailings at Gowganda – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 8, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Company is confident that high-grade silver can be found in the tailings that were not completely processed more than a century ago

There is a plan to revive a silver mining operation near Gowganda, north of Sudbury. Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. announced Aug. 6 that it is seeking permits from the Ontario Ministry of Mines to proceed with the recovery of silver tailings from the historic Castle silver mine.

The plan is to reprocess the old tailings from the site to recover silver that got past the older technology from years gone by.

Read more

Agnico Eagle eyes 2030 mine startup for Larder Lake-area deposit – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 7, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Gold company spending US$300 million on exploration ramps at Upper Beaver, Detour Lake

Agnico Eagle is spending a combined US$300 million on two exciting gold projects in northeastern Ontario to lengthen its life in the Abitibi gold belt.

Heading into the next decade, the Toronto gold company has plans to build two underground mines by expanding its Detour Lake mine, northeast of Cochrane, and develop its Upper Beaver Project, north of Larder Lake. To Agnico, both Detour and Upper Beaver are considered low-cost, long-life projects with solid returns and blue sky potential.

Read more

Kinross prepared to take the Red Lake plunge – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 6, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Gold company to carve out exploration decline to drill for high-grade gold at depth

Kinross Gold is laying the groundwork for an underground mine with its Great Bear project at Red Lake. Construction of an exploration decline is in the works for next year to move the drill rigs underground and chase high-grade gold at depth, according to its 2024 second quarter results released July 31.

Down the road, Kinross wants to start production at Great Bear in 2029. Prep work for the decline begins in the second half of this year once all the permitting, engineering and procurement is done. Breaking ground on the advanced exploration decline — known as the AEX program — starts in mid-2025.

Read more

Timmins nickel developer has a gold deposit to sell – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 30, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Aston Minerals taking calls on 1.5-million-ounce gold deposit to bankroll its nickel exploits

Aston Minerals, an aspiring nickel mine developer in the Timmins area, is looking to swing a deal on a gold deposit at its Eldeston Project.

The Australian junior miner has designs on developing an open-pit nickel mine, 60 kilometres south of Timmins and wants to use the money from a sale of the gold asset to put back into advancing its Bardwell nickel-cobalt deposit.

Read more

Vale Base Metals names new CEO – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 23, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Former Barrick, Xstrata executive Shaun Usmar to steer Brazilian miner’s nickel, copper operations

Shaun Usmar, a mining executive with more than three decades of global experience, has been selected CEO of Vale Base Metals. He succeeds Deshnee Naidoo, who stepped down last March. Usmar will assume his new role at the end of this year and will be based in Toronto.

Vale Base Metals is a spinoff of Brazil’s Vale SA and runs its global base metals assets. It is one of the world’s largest producers of nickel, copper and cobalt with Canadian operations in Sudbury, Thompson, Man, and Voisey’s Bay, Labrador.

Read more

Construction begins on Sudbury’s newest mine – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – July 19, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Development on phase one of Magna Mining’s Crean Hill project now underway

On an old brownfield site west of Sudbury, earth-moving equipment has started carving out the early structure of what will eventually become the city’s newest nickel-copper mine.

Work on Magna Mining’s Crean Hill project, located about a 30-minute drive west of Sudbury, got underway in mid-July. A warm, sunny afternoon on July 18 gave company executives the perfect opportunity to show off their development plans to a group of visitors.

Read more

Canada Nickel outlines new million-tonne nickel resource near Timmins – Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 19, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

BHP’s pain in mothballing Australian nickel mines is Canada Nickel’s gain, says CEO Mark Selby

Bad news for global miner BHP is great news for Canada Nickel and its ambitious plan to roll out a series of nickel projects in the Timmins area over the next decade, including a new one-million tonne resource south of the city.

“One hundred per cent,” said Canada Nickel CEO Mark Selby in a recent interview with CRUX Investor in reacting to the blue sky opportunity he sees for his company on the news that BHP is shutting down its Western Australian nickel projects until 2027, blaming plummeting metal prices and world oversupply of nickel.

Read more