Ontario Mining Association – Page 18

Ontario’s mining sector safety performance continued to improve in 2010

February 11, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario’s mining industry continues to show steady progress in improving its safety performance. According to provisional statistics released recently, Ontario’s mining sector’s lost time injury rate was 0.5 per 200,000 hours worked in 2010, compared with 0.6 in 2009. This shows a 17% improvement and continued advancement in the goal of creating safer workplaces.

In 2010, the total employee hours worked in the mining industry was about 28.6 million by 16,200 employees. The total medical aid frequency for mining in 2010 was 4.5 per 200,000 hours worked, compared with 5.8 in 2009 – a 22% improvement.

A more dramatic improvement was made by the industry in reducing the severity of incidents. In 2010, lost work days per incident were 12, compared with 74 days in 2009 – an 84% improvement.

In 2009, mining was the second safest industry in Ontario behind education. The average lost time injury rate for all sectors in 2009 was 1.3. Mining was significantly better than the average and safer than sectors such as the electrical industry, pulp and paper, forestry, health care, construction, agriculture and transportation.

PDAC Mining Meeting Means Millions to Metro Toronto

February 10, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

The Ontario Mining Association salutes fellow industry organization the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada for its upcoming annual international conference, which is projected to pump more than $45 million into Toronto’s local economy. The PDAC, which started in 1932, will be holding its International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange from March 6 to 9, 2011 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).

Last year, this global event, which brings the world’s mining industry to Ontario’s capital, attracted a record 22,000 registered delegates. More than 25% of the participants were international coming from 118 different countries. At the trade show, 357 companies and governments occupied 608 booths and 584 companies participated in the investors’ exchange.

The PDAC reports that for this year, registrations are running well ahead of last year’s pace and downtown hotels have sold out faster. Already, 10 major downtown hotels with room rates from $159 to $254 per night are posting no vacancy signs during the convention. Delegates seeking accommodation are being forced to move further afield from the MTCC.

OMA Member Profile: Detour Gold — New Ontario Mines From Old Sites

February 2, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member Detour Gold is involved in one of the most significant projects in the province turning a former mine site into one of the largest gold mines in Canada. Detour Gold is investing more than $1.2 billion to bring the property into production by early 2013.

The mine is located at the end of a paved road approximately 150 kilometres east and north of Cochrane, Ontario, about 10 kilometres west of the Quebec border. Current studies indicate the property contains mineral reserves of 11.4 million ounces of gold. The feasibility study calls for a 16 year mine life with an average annual gold production of about 650,000 ounces. (Detour Gold has just announced an update on its mineral reserves to 14.9 million ounces, a 31% increase. This is expected to increase the mine life to 21 years. )

“Our team has advanced this mineral project in a responsible and efficient manner,” said Gerald Panneton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Detour Gold. “Construction of the mining facilities started in November 2010 on this important project for the economy of Northern Ontario, providing significant employment for local and surrounding communities.”

OMA Member Profile: Northgate Minerals – New Mines for Old Ontario Sites

February 1, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member Northgate Minerals is building one of the province’s newest gold mines upon the foundation of past producers. The company is investing $339 (U.S.) million to construct the Young-Davidson Gold Mine. Production is scheduled to start in early 2012 and plans call for annual production of 180,000 ounces of gold over a 15 year mine life. Recent exploration results show promise of increasing the 2.8 million ounce reserve, which would extend the mine’s operation beyond that time frame and allow Northgate to increase annual gold production.

Young-Davidson is located near Matachewan in northeastern Ontario and is about 60 kilometres west of Kirkland Lake. The site covers the operations of two historic gold mines, which produced about 1 million ounces of the precious metal from the mid-1930s to mid-1950s. Northgate purchased the Young-Davidson property in 2005.

“Our vision since the moment we stepped onto the property has been to build a financially robust and long-life gold mine in one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world,” said Ken Stowe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northgate. “Once production commences in 2012, Young-Davidson will become the new cornerstone of our company.”

Leading Pollster Nik Nanos to Address OMA’s Annual Meet the Miners Invitees

January 24, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

More than $10 billion in capital expenditures are planned by Ontario’s mining sector.
We are not sure other private sectors of the economy can match this level of recent
activity on the capital spending front. (Ontario Mining Association – January, 2011)

One of Canada’s leading public opinion analysts Nik Nanos will be the luncheon speaker at Queen’s Park for the Ontario Mining Association’s Meet the Miners day on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. The Meet the Miners event involves OMA member companies and their employees and it is designed to help shine the spotlight on the industry in provincial government circles.

The mining industry can’t take the members of the Legislature to the mines but, in a fashion, it can take the mines to the members of the Legislature at least one day a year. Mining is extremely important to the future prosperity of Ontario.

Ontario electors will be going to the polls on Thursday, October 6, 2011 for the next provincial election. Mr. Nanos is recognized as a top-flight public opinion pollster. He is president and founder of Nanos Research, the successor company to SES Research, which he started in 1987.

Barrick Donation Boosts Health Care in Northwestern Ontario

January 20, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member Barrick Gold’s gift of $150,000 to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will enhance health care services in Northwestern Ontario. Matching support for some components of this donation by the Ontario Trust for Student Support increases the size of the gift to $235,000.

“This gift is in keeping with our policy and objective of giving back to the community,” said Jamie Sokalsky, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Barrick Gold. “We want to share our success in the communities where we operate.”

Barrick Gold owns and operates Hemlo Mines in Marathon, which includes the Williams Mine and the David Bell Mine. The donation was made earlier this week at a ceremony. The funds will be used for a number of purposes. The bulk of it ($100,000) will be employed to support the NOSM.

Rare Earths Provide Ontario With a Rare Economic Opportunity

January 7, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

The burgeoning global markets and growing high-tech applications for rare earth elements provides Ontario with an opportunity to expand its mining – and manufacturing — sectors. The 17 rare earth elements with strange sounding names are essential to the production of items such as permanent magnets, rechargeable batteries, electric and hydrogen vehicles, lasers and the miniaturization of electronic devices among others.

As markets and applications expand, supply is strained. Worldwide demand for these elements is expected to outstrip supply by 40,000 tonnes annually unless new sources are developed. The Ontario Mineral Deposit Inventory documents more than 200 known rare element and rare earth element mineral occurrences across the province.

The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry says rare element and rare earth element minerals are among the non-traditional metals being targeted for exploration in Ontario. Areas with rare earth development potential in the province would include Bancroft, Elliot Lake, Hearst, Kenora, Marathon and Moosonee.

Xstrata Helps Raise Operatic Voices in Mining Communities

January 7, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member Xstrata Nickel is a “Major Sponsor” of the Canadian Opera Company helping to bring productions to communities far from singing distance of traditional major performing centres. The Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour takes student-friendly operatic performances to classrooms in Ontario – and beyond.

Throughout Xstrata’s sponsorship of the COC, it has assisted in bringing operatic education, art and culture to cities such as Sudbury and Timmins in Northern Ontario and other communities in which it has mining operations. This year, the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour ventured further afield and brought its production of Cinderella to communities near Xstrata Nickel’s Raglan Mine in Nunavik, Quebec.

The Raglan Mine is located in the Arctic region of Quebec north of the 60th parallel of latitude. The mine site is situated more than 1,800 kilometres north of the home of the COC at University Avenue and Queen Street West in Toronto. Undaunted by geography and climate, five singers, one music director, one stage manager, two COC staff and a photographer headed to Nunavik.

OMA Contributes to Skills Canada Ontario Career Blog

January 6, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

The Ontario Mining Association is participating in Skills Canada Ontario’s blog www.skillswork.blogspot.com/ to promote awareness in skilled trades and technology career paths in the mineral industry. The OMA is contributing to this communications forum to help students better understand the employment prospects offered by the mining industry.

“The OMA has been an active partner with Skills Canada Ontario for more than five years. In 2010, the OMA celebrated its 90th anniversary and it is one of the longest serving trade organizations in the country,” said the OMA. “We represent companies engaged in responsible exploration, extraction and processing of Ontario’s mineral resources.”

“Like other sectors, mining foresees a future demand for technologically smart and skilled people. The flip side of this need for industry is boundless opportunity for young people embarking on training for future employment. In some ways being a partner with an educational organization like Skills Canada Ontario is like being a member of a health club – the more you use it, the more you get out of it.”

The 2010 Tom Peters Memorial Reclamation Award

January 2, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

This posting came from the Ontario Mining Association’s 90th Anniversary Publication (October/2010): http://www.oma.on.ca/en/resources/OMAat90three.pdf

The 2010 Tom Peters Memorial Reclamation Award was given to the Penokean Hills Field Naturalists (PHFN), the City of Elliot Lake and Rio Algom Limited for the work they did in converting the Milliken tailings management area (TMA) into a 182-ha wetland that includes marsh, bog and shoreline, as well as mature mixed forest.

The Milliken mine and mill operated from 1958 to 1964, producing 5.7 million tonnes of tailings to the Stanleigh TMA. During this period an estimated 76,500 tonnes of tailings were released to Sheriff Creek in an area later rehabilitated to form the Milliken TMA, This 17-ha area was remediated in the late 1970s. Drainage channels were installed on part of the tailings. The flat area that remained was covered by three feet of sandy gravel to form a ball field while the rest of the tailings area was flooded to form a wetland. The field was transformed in 1978 into an equestrian practice and competition field. In 1997, a berm was constructed at the outlet of the wetland to ensure the tailings remained saturated. In 2000, the berm and spillway were upgraded to safely cope with a probable maximum precipitation event.

In 1990, Erwin Meisner of the Penokean Hills Field Naturalists, asked Rio Algom whether it would consider transforming Sheriff Creek Park into the Sheriff Creek Bird Sanctuary. (The naturalists recognized the diversity of bird habitats that had evolved in the area.) With the support of Rio Algom, the PHFN secured support from the city and established a bird sanctuary at the park. In 1996, PHFN and Rio Algom entered into a “Stewardship Agreement” that identi¬fied operational objectives and prescribed activities for the sanctuary.

Ontario’s First Nations Have Become Key Stakeholders in the Mining Sector

January 2, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

This posting came from the Ontario Mining Association’s 90th Anniversary Publication (October/2010): http://www.oma.on.ca/en/resources/OMAat90three.pdf

The Aboriginal Relations Committee was formed in 2006 to improve communications between the mining industry and First Nations, and to assist the government to develop consultation models to match evolving court decisions.

Jeremy Wyeth, De Beers’ representative at the Ontario Mining Association, was the first to suggest that the association set up the committee and served as its first chair. He later went on to be the OMA Executive Director for 2007 and 2008. The current chair is Jonathan Fowler, a geologist who has worked at De Beers for 42 years, 28 of which have been spent in Canada.

As an exploration geologist, Fowler was usually one of the first people De Beers sent in to investigate remote areas. In the field, he would talk to hunters and trappers and tell them about the work De Beers was planning. This practice evolved into communicating with local communities then with community leaders. Due to the remoteness of the exploration projects, the locals Fowler dealt with were usually First Nations.

Ontario Mining: From the Past to the Future – by OMA President Chris Hodgson

January 2, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

This posting came from the Ontario Mining Association’s 90th Anniversary Publication (October/2010): http://www.oma.on.ca/en/resources/OMAat90three.pdf

Perhaps no industry plays a greater proportionate role in helping to develop First Nation capacity than mining. In Ontario there are in excess of 40 Impact Benefit Agreements

that have been signed between First Nations and mining companies. The industry is playing an expanding role in providing employment and entrepreneurial

opportunities for Aboriginals. – OMA President Chris Hodgson, Oct/2010

This year, the Ontario Mining Associ¬ation is celebrating its 90th anniver¬sary – a worthy measure by any yardstick. We thank The Northern Miner for this special publication to acknowledge the OMA’s anniversary and for sharing in the association’s landmark occasion.

Celebrating important anniversaries provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the past for individuals and organizations. These anniversaries also give impetus to look where we are today and to measure accomplishments of how much progress has been made. However, they should also be used to look to the future and predict where we may be at anniversaries yet to come.

The OMA is one of the longest-serving trade organizations in the country and its strength rests with its dedicated member companies.

Since 1920, there have been 15 different Canadian prime ministers, 17 different Ontario premiers and 32 different Ontario mines ministers. In 1920, we lived in a world without televisions, computers, internet, satellite communi¬cations, high-level medical diagnostic equipment, cell phones, super highways and global airline routes. Mankind has provided the ingenuity, and mining has provided the materials to create these advances in modern society.

Ontario Mining Association Helps Create a Safer Mining Workplace Through Better Training

December 29, 2010

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

This posting came from the Ontario Mining Association’s 90th Anniversary Publication (October/2010): http://www.oma.on.ca/en/resources/OMAat90three.pdf

The Safety and Training Advisory Committee was formed in 2001 to provide the industry with a single voice concerning safety and training recommendations to the Ontario Mining Association’s board of directors and various safety associations, and to provide a sounding board for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ (MTCU) Mining Tripartite Committee. The tripartite committee consists of labour, management and government, and meets at least four times a year to discuss changes to the common core training program.

The mandate of the committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the OMA board of directors and industry employers on issues related to health and safety and employee training. When new legislation is proposed or there are changes to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards that affect the mining industry the committee discusses these changes.

Fred St. Jean is chair of the OMA’s Safety and Training Advisory Committee. He is currently superintendent of safety for Vale, Ontario Operations. His technical background is in mines engineering and he has worked underground in various capacities including supervisor, safety supervisor and general foreman operations.

St. Jean is proud of the fact that many of the committee members are active on other provincial health and safety fronts including the Mining Legislative Review Committee and its subcommit¬tees, the Mining Tripartite Committee and the Safety Association Advisory Committee. He acknowledges that he has “a very talented committee with a very experienced, enthusiastic, and very well-connected group of people on health and safety matters in the province.”

Ring of Fire’s Noront Resources Brings Santa and Hockey Stars to First Nation Community of Webequie

November 3, 2015December 22, 2010

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

For video footage of the Noront Reources Christmas trip to Webequie: http://www.mikawaa.com/christmascard2010/

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Ontario Mining Association member Noront Resources employed a little magic to fly in Santa bearing gifts and two former National Hockey League stars to Webequie last week. Webequie, which has no year round road connections and a population of 800, is located 540 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

“This is the second year for the Noront Christmas Cheer Event in which every child in the community under the age of 12 receives a gift,” said Leanne Hall, Vice President Human Resources and “special assistant” to Noront’s Santa. “We started in 2009 giving gifts to children instead of sending cards to help make the children feel special and this year we provided 200 gifts in Webequie.”

It is estimated that $155 million have been invested in mineral exploration in
the Ring of Fire area. In Canada, mining is the largest private sector employer
of Aboriginals, who comprise 7.5% of the mining workforce — up from 3.6% in 2006.
– Ontario Mining Association – December 22, 2010

Former NHL players Todd Harvey and Todd Hlushko came with Santa on the flight from Thunder Bay. They spoke with students and stressed the “stay in school and believe in yourself” message, signed autographs and showed evidence of their sporting success. Mr. Harvey, who was born in Hamilton, won gold medals in 1994 and 1995 at the World Junior Hockey championships and Mr. Hlushko, who was born in Guelph, won the Olympic silver medal in hockey in 1994. As well as playing for different NHL teams, Mr. Hlushko played for a number of years for teams in Germany.

Todd Hlushko and Todd Harvey with Webequie child - Photo by Engage Learning

“I had never visited a community like Webequie before,” said Mr. Harvey. “It was an outdoor rink and we had to shovel off the snow before skating. It was old school, like pond hockey, and through the day we probably had a couple of hundred kids on the ice. We ran clinics concentrating on skating, stick handling and shooting and also had a community skate.”