Global delegates converge on Sudbury to chart a path forward in mining – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – October 11, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Australian mayor shares his community’s experience of growth in the ore-rich Pilbara at the OECD conference

The City of Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is a hive of mining-related activity. Known for its rich iron ore deposits, the region has a population of just over 24,000 people. Karratha alone generates a whopping $20 billion annually in gross domestic product (GDP).

Put in other terms, each person working in the region contributes $375 per hour to the GDP; that’s in comparison to the national average of $56 per hour. “That’s how important our region is to the national economy of Australia,” said Daniel Scott, mayor of the City of Karratha, while speaking in Sudbury this week.

Read more

Ontario stonewalling marine conservation area, proponents say – by Nicole Stoffman (Timmins Daily Press – October 11, 2024)

https://www.timminspress.com/

Bourgouin: ‘The province should be at the table with Mushkegowuk Council’

A proposed marine conservation area in the James Bay Coast is being hindered without the support of the province, Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Leo Friday says. The Mushkegowuk National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) would protect 86,000 square kilometres of federal waters in the Hudson and James Bays and 20 kilometres of coastal buffer zones under provincial jurisdiction.

The federal waters have been approved for conservation by the Ministry of the Environment, but without Ontario’s approval of the 20-kilometre buffer zone, the NMCA could still proceed but will be “very limited,” according to Lawrence Martin, director of Mushkegowuk Council’s lands and resources department.

Read more

Ottawa announces nearly $25M in federal investments for critical mineral projects in northern Ontario – by Jonathan Migneault (CBC News Sudbury – October 10, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Around $8.4M in conditional funding to be available to projects in the northeast

Ottawa continues to invest heavily in the critical minerals sector in northern Ontario. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson announced nearly $25 million in federal funding for critical mineral projects during visits in Thunder Bay and Sudbury this week.

“There are enormous opportunities in Ontario for critical minerals,” Wilkinson told CBC News. In the northeast, those investments included $8.4 million in conditionally approved funding provided through the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) for several companies.

Read more

‘Proud northern miners’: Detour Lake gold used for mint’s new coin – by Marissa Lentz-McGrath (Timmins Today – October 11, 2024)

https://www.timminstoday.com/

It’s the first time that a Northern Ontario mine is being used for the initiative

If you ever wanted to own gold poured right here in Northern Ontario, now’s your chance. The Royal Canadian Mint has launched its 2024 single-sourced gold maple leaf coin. It’s crafted entirely from gold poured from Agnico Eagle’s Detour Lake mine.

Detour Lake is located about 300 kilometres northeast of Timmins, this is the second time Agnico has teamed up with the Royal Canadian Mint for the bullion — a coin made from highly refined precious metal. It’s the first time a Northern Ontario mine is featured in the program.

Read more

Will the Ottawa fund one Northern Ontario lithium refinery or four? Wilkinson plays coy – by Lindsay Kelly (Sudbury.com – October 11, 2024)

https://www.sudbury.com/

Federal minister says Canada must pick up the pace of critical minerals development, without cutting environmental corners

Canada needs to speed up the pace of mining-related development if it wants to be a critical minerals leader on the global stage. That was the message from federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson during an Oct. 9 appearance in Sudbury.

Speaking at the 2024 Conference of Mining Regions and Cities, hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Wilkinson noted Canada’s global ranking in the top five producing countries for 13 major minerals and metals, including palladium, gold, platinum and nickel.

Read more

Is Ontario holding back the Ring of Fire? Federal natural resources minister says so – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – October 8, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Accused of stalling Far North mineral development, province says it waits on $1-billion commitment from Ottawa

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Ottawa offered a $40-million sweetener to entice Queen’s Park for a formal sit-down to discuss how to make progress in the Ring of Fire. So far, Wilkinson said, they’ve been rebuffed by the province.

“To date, Ontario has not taken us up on that, but I continue to urge Ontario to do that. I think it’s an important conversation, but there are really important issues to be addressed before we actually talk about mines.”

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: Wyloo and Metalshub Partner for Green Nickel Transparency (October 1, 2024)

Wyloo and Metalshub have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve transparency of the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials, pricing and provenance in international nickel markets.

Wyloo intends to use Metalshub for the sale of its low-carbon nickel and nickel concentrate products following a re-start of its Kambalda, Western Australia nickel operations. The collaboration also aims to develop a price index for low-carbon nickel concentrate and nickel sulphate, to be referenced in future sales contracts.

Wyloo CEO, Luca Giacovazzi, said the collaboration would set a new global standard for sustainably produced nickel products and enable greater transparency of low carbon nickel pricing.

Read more

Mining the Northwest: Ottawa drops $14 million to help move critical minerals to market – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – October 7, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Four northwestern Ontario mining proponents snag funding for road, transmission line and engineering work

Four copper and lithium mine developers in northwestern Ontario, collectively, will be pocketing almost $14 million in federal funding to build access roads and power lines into their future mine sites.

Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson delivered the news in Thunder Bay, Oct. 7, that $13.8 million is earmarked for five mining-related projects – including two with Sudbury’s Frontier Lithium – that will facilitate the mining and movement of these critical minerals for processing and eventually to the electric vehicle supply market.

Read more

Sagamok Anishnawbek takes the plunge into underground mining – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – October 3, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Z’gamok Enterprises acquires majority ownership of Sudbury contractor Legend Mining

New ownership is at the helm of Legend Mining. Z’gamok Enterprises Inc. (ZEI) has acquired a 51-49 per cent controlling interest in the Sudbury mining contractor. The deal, a year in the making, was finalized Sept. 4.

Diving into underground mining services had been something the organization has been thinking and strategizing about for a decade. ZEI, an economic development organization owned and operated by Sagamok Anishnawbek is located south of Massey on the north shore of Lake Huron. It runs three businesses that collectively employ 130.

Read more

Wyloo CEO makes Timmins stop to talk Ring of Fire – by Maija Hoggett (Timmins Today – October 3, 2024)

https://www.timminstoday.com/

Efforts to get the province to the table to talk about conservation planning processes remain at a stand-still

TIMMINS – With a nickel mine in Ontario’s Far North aiming to be in production in six years, the Timmins business community had a chance to learn more about the project. Wyloo CEO Kristan Straub talked about the ongoing work at the proposed nickel and chromite mine in the Ring of Fire today (Oct. 3) at the Timmins Chamber’s State of Mining series.

The proposed Eagle’s Nest Mine is located 500 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay in a minerally enriched area of the James Bay wetlands.

Read more

Industry leaders converge in Sudbury for annual mining conference – by Staff (Sudbury Star – September 29, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Several big companies planning to launch or expand operations in city

Sudbury’s role as a vital mining hub was highlighted during a three-day conference last week, and the city was proud to be part of it. “The conversations we’ve been having this week at MINExpo confirm what we’ve always known – Greater Sudbury is a critical player in the global mining industry,” said Mayor Paul Lefebvre in a release. “Hearing first-hand from these industry leaders that we are vital to their expansion plans is a testament to the strength of our community and the sector.”

Lefebvre and city representatives met with a number of key industry leaders, including original equipment manufacturers, potential national and international investors, as well as local organizations, to explore collaboration and expansion opportunities.

Read more

Inside the Fight for the Ring of Fire – by Laura Trethewey (MACLEANS Magazine – September 30, 2024)

https://macleans.ca/

In Ontario’s hinterlands, a battle is brewing between First Nations, prospectors and the provincial government over a multi-billion-dollar motherlode of metals

Coleen Moonias grew up in the 1980s in Lansdowne House, a tiny Ojibwe community in northwestern Ontario. In winter, when the temperature plunged to 50 below zero, the interior walls of her home glittered with frost. Her parents hung blankets as insulation.

In summer she foraged with her cousins for berries, fending off swarms of mosquitoes that rose from the surrounding peatlands. The nearest neighbouring community was nearly 100 kilometres away; Coleen’s entire world was this small place bound by blood and marriage. But Lansdowne House was sinking into Attawapiskat Lake, and so, when Coleen was eight years old, its residents moved to a new location nearby, which became Neskantaga First Nation, home to about 400 people.

Read more

MineConnect casts a wider net across Ontario – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – September 25, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Regional mining supply association expanding to become province-wide presence

A Northern Ontario mining supply group is expanding its membership reach across Ontario. MineConnect Supply and Services Association announced at the MINExpo International Conference in Las Vegas this week that it plans to broaden its membership base across the province, calling it a “significant milestone in the organization’s growth journey.”

MineConnect, which has an office presence in Nevada, said in a news release that the expansion to include Ontario members will enhance the group’s market presence and should boost domestic and international partnership opportunities for the both organization and its members.

Read more

‘There will be nobody … monitoring the land’: Grand chief urges Ontario to meet – by Maija Hoggett (Timmins Today – September 20, 2024)

https://www.timminstoday.com/

‘Despite our best efforts to work with the province of Ontario, we have yet to see meaningful signals of their willingness to work with us’

If Ontario doesn’t come to the table soon, years of work to protect the land and water of the Far North are at risk. Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday issued a statement today urging Premier Doug Ford to meet with their chiefs. They want the province to agree to immediately protect the coast of Western James Bay and southwestern Hudson Bay, and the North French River.

The ask isn’t for money, in 2022 the federal government committed $800 million to create up to four Indigenous-led conservation areas, including Mushkegowuk.

Read more

Sudbury students with ‘rocks in their blood’ get together after 50 years – by Hugh Kruzel (Sudbury Star – September 16, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Laurentian geology graduates from 1974 gather in Wahnapitae to share memories and renew friendships

You may have attended a high school reunion; the reasons may be complex and often include renewing lost friendships or just bringing back youthful memories. For some, it is a reoccurring annual, five-year or even decade theme on the map of life.

What if it was your university graduating class? The program that set you off on a career and shaped your life? It was a cool wet day off the backroads of Wahnapitae, but it didn’t quench the spirit of the event. Dwayne Car, who hosted the get-together, had set up a tent and fire pit to chase away the chill.

Read more