Ontario Mining – Page 231 – Republic of Mining

Horwath says chromite mined in the North should be processed in the North – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – April 26, 2013)

April 30, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Andrea Horwath says people are much more valuable resources than chromite. The NDP leader on Friday said in her mind that means resources mined in Northern Ontario should also be refined in the province.

“If you’re good enough to dig stuff out of the ground, you’re good enough to process it,” Horwath told the region’s leaders on Day 2 of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association’s annual general meeting.

“I believe unless government policy on processing and electricity changes, the benefits of the Ring of Fire are not going to trickle down to the Northwest.”

The current government simply isn’t laying down the infrastructure needed to ensure the multi-billion dollar mining project moves forward, and Horwath said there are no guarantees that First Nation communities will be engaged in either mining jobs or supply-chain spinoffs if and when the Ring of Fire ever gets off the ground.

“We’re concerned that there’s been a real lack of engagement in that regard, and that things are dragging on.” Pointing to electricity rates in both Manitoba and Quebec, Horwath said there is no way for Ontario to compete if something isn’t done.

North Ontario not yet ready – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (April 29, 2013)

April 30, 2013

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

A SECOND look at Northwestern Ontario’s latest mining boom confirms the good news contained in the first. It also accentuates the fact that the region is woefully short of the mining readiness that is the plan.

Last fall, a business group examined nascent mining developments across the North. They focused on nine of the most promising, including the big Ring of Fire belt. They found $135 billion in unmined metals and minerals, 13,000 new jobs in the Northwest alone and potential tax revenue to all levels of government totalling $16 billion.

The study also identified three potential pitfalls: Aboriginal involvement, labour market dynamics and infrastructure in terms of roads, rail and electricity.

At the annual Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference last week, Thunder Bay’s Mining Readiness Strategy confirmed the rosy outlook as well as the fact much remains unready. Thunder Bay is smart to have a powerful strategy group looking into the opportunities and challenges. But the task will require immense participation by all communities in the region, especially First Nations which stand to benefit as much as any.

Ontario is showing remarkable new interest in Northern Ontario since Kathleen Wynne became premier. But a province that desperately needs economic development cannot succeed without a reliable power supply. The two reports into mining confirm the apparent disconnect between power planners and power needs.

Hudak wants less bureaucracy – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – April 27, 2013)

April 29, 2013

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

Reductions in government red tape and bureaucracy are amongst the keys to prosperity for Northern Ontario, said Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak during a recent visit to Sudbury.

Hudak said there 300,000 rules and regulations in Ontario that make it more difficult for the private sector to prosper. His party has proposed to cut those regulations by at least a third if he is elected premier.

Hudak offered his prescription for the province’s ills, and Northern Ontario’s in particular, during a town hall meeting with Conservative supporters at College Boreal on Saturday, April 27.

He said he wants to remove barriers to development in the north and singled out the Far North Act as a prime target to be abolished. “The Far North Act is nothing but a massive regulatory wall that it is going to bring development in the far north to a screeching halt,” Hudak said.

The act protects around 225,000 square kilometres – or around 21% of Ontario’s land mass – of boreal forest from development. The Liberal government passed the Far North Act in 2010, and Hudak said it has impeded the mining and forestry sectors.

Ontario Conservatives say action needed in Ring of Fire – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – April 26, 2013)

April 26, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says he’s convinced Northern Ontario is the province’s next frontier.

Hudak, who is expected to try to force an election after the minority Liberal government releases its budget next week, on Friday said as it stands there are too many obstacles in place for the Ring of Fire to prosper.

He’s worried the project will lie dormant if changes don’t happen in a hurry. “This isn’t once-in-a-lifetime. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. It’s billions of dollars of chromite, copper, nickel and zinc that could provide jobs for 100 years or more,” Hudak said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. What the oil sands are to Alberta, what potash is to Saskatchewan, the Ring of Fire could be for our great province of Ontario.”

But talk is cheap. Action is needed, meaning a strong plan and the leadership to light up the Ring of Fire, Hudak said, promising to deliver an all-season access road to the project, located some 550 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

The road would benefit not only the mining companies, but the First Nations communities surrounding it. Hudak also promised to make the development a cabinet priority.

Ontario NDP say mine and refine in Ring of Fire – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – April 26, 2013)

April 26, 2013

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

“I believe unless government policy on processing and electricity changes, the benefits of the Ring of Fire are not going to trickle down to the Northwest.”

NEWS RELEASE: Northwest Ontario communities extend welcome mat to responsible mining

April 26, 2013

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.

A recently released detailed study shows that municipalities in Northwestern Ontario are receptive to and welcoming of responsible mineral development and the benefits it can provide. “Advantage Northwest Mining Readiness Strategy” (MRS) shows that projected mine development can create 10,000 jobs and between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in economic revenue to the area annually over the next decade.

Much of the work involved in the MRS examines 10 mining projects – nine advanced exploration projects and one mine expansion. It also examines spin-off activities. “From the discussion, it is evident that there is massive potential for current as well as prospective new supply services to enter or expand their involvement in the mining supply chain and achieve substantial growth.”

The projects on which the MRS is based are mineral developments of several Ontario Mining Association members. They include Goldcorp, Cliffs Natural Resources, Noront Resources, Rainy River Resources, Rubicon Minerals, Claude Resources, Osisko Resources, Stillwater Mining Canada and North American Palladium.

Golden opportunities ahead: mining report – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – April 26, 2013)

April 26, 2013

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

Northwestern Ontario’s burgeoning mining sector is expected to create 10,000 full-time jobs over the next decade and bring in up to $1.7 billion in overall economic revenue each year over the same period, says an exhaustive report.

But Thunder Bay’s Mining Readiness Strategy also warns that the city, the province, outlying municipalities and Aboriginal agencies have a lot of work to do to prepare for the boom: energy needs, housing shortages, aging roads and sewers, and worker training are all areas that need to be quickly addressed.

The overall buoyant outlook in the report suggests that the region will not be left out when the province’s economic recovery kicks in, as was the case during the forestry crash.

Spearheaded by Thunder Bay’s Community Economic Development Commission, the study was deemed complete Thursday and posted to the city’s website.

The rosy forecast is based on 10 new mines or major expansions, nine of which are in the advanced stage of exploration, including the Ring of Fire, Stillwater Canada’s proposed copper and palladium mine near Marathon and Goldcorp’s Channel Gold project at Red Lake.

The duty to consult [in Ring of Fire] needs support – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – April 25, 2013)

April 26, 2013

http://wawataynews.ca/

The tragedies of multiple suicides in Neskantaga, and the First Nation’s declaration of a state of emergency, should be a wakeup call for everyone involved in trying to push the Ring of Fire ahead.

If there ever is a time for people working in government and in the mining industry to step back and look at the big picture, this is it. Seven tragic deaths have shaken the community of 420 people over the past year. Another 20 people tried to end their own life but failed. Everyone is exhausted, emotionally and physically.

Meanwhile, as councilor Roy Moonias said, Neskantaga is under “overwhelming pressure” from mining companies and governments who want to negotiate with the community on the Ring of Fire mining development.

The situation taking place now is a repeat of what happened in December. At that time Neskantaga was also dealing with youth suicides. A crisis intervention team was in the community. Meanwhile the deadline to respond to the terms of reference on Cliffs’ Natural Resources environmental assessment was coming up quick.

At that time Neskantaga’s only option, if it wanted to respond to an environmental assessment on a project that could profoundly change northern Ontario, was to ask for an extension in light of “exceptional circumstances”.

[Ring of Fire] Be Canada’s Next Oil Sands – by Daniel Tencer (The Huffington Post – April 26, 2013)

April 26, 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

Ontario’s “Ring of Fire” mining project promises to be the economic equivalent of another oil sands, Treasury Board President Tony Clement says.

Clement, who was recently appointed the federal government’s point man on Northern Ontario development, said the giant mining project — which faces delays and opposition from some First Nations groups — would eventually expand to be worth $120 billion, when taking into account all the economic activity the planned mine and smelter would generate.

Clement made the comments at an editorial board meeting at The Huffington Post Canada on Thursday, during which he also discussed the controversy over the temporary foreign worker program, the Conservatives’ negative ads and what it means to be a politician in the age of social media (see below).

But it was his comments on the Ring of Fire — the name given to a massive planned chromite mining project some 400 kilometres north of Thunder Bay — that caught many at the meeting by surprise.

“You’re looking at $120 billion, right in line with the oil sands or some of these other major developments,” Clement said of the project, noting that other minerals besides chromite (an ingredient in stainless steel) have been found in the area, including nickel and copper.

NEWS RELEASE: Ontario miners pay their fair share of taxes

April 25, 2013

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.

With reduced mineral demand and commodity prices at the forefront of business news, the Ontario budget to be tabled next Thursday will want to look at the competitiveness of Ontario’s mining industry. Temporary dips in prices are an expected part of the cyclical nature of mining. However, policy and program stability and continuity from the provincial government can go a long way to ensuring the industry continues to thrive.

Government support for mining in this way seems to be working. The province continues to attract the largest share of mineral exploration investment dollars in Canada, employment is rising and new projects are under development. Yet, it cannot be stated often enough that the prices for Ontario’s mineral commodities are set in international markets. Miners are price takers. They cannot raise the prices of the goods they sell, so they must put a lot of energy into cost control.

A tremendous amount of upfront capital and long-term planning are required in mine expansions and new development. These decisions require confidence that the government places a priority on mining and that governmental actions will be consistent. Now is the time for the government to stay the course with regards to cost pressures affecting the mining sector.

Ontario Mining Association Response to Toronto Star April 22, 2013 Opinion Piece – by Chris Hodgson

April 25, 2013

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.

Chris Hodgson is the President of the Ontario Mining Association

With regards to the article from mining opponents published April 22nd, [Getting a fair share for Ontario’s mineral resources] Ontario’s mining tax is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg with regards to the sector’s economic contribution to the province. The mining tax is in addition to all corporate taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, permitting fees and other business taxes. In 2011, revenues to the three levels of government from the mining industry in Ontario exceeded $1 billion.

Benchmarking the cost to mine in Ontario with other jurisdictions requires apples to apples comparisons. Jurisdictions with higher mining tax rates have lower hydro costs and the governments cost share on infrastructure. In Ontario, we pay one of the highest rates in North America for electricity, and mining companies use their own capital for necessary infrastructure. Ontario’s tax rates are working. Ontario is seeing its share of Canadian exploration and mine development budgets grow in comparison to other provinces.

A 2012 University of Toronto study on the economics of mining, showed the sector in Ontario employs about 27,500 people directly, and another 50,000 indirectly in the fabrication and processing of minerals, while the mineral sector cluster employs close to a total of 200,000 people.

Mine prospects good: mayor – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – April 22, 2013)

April 23, 2013

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

Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas says he feels reassured about the prospects for a new copper and palladium mine near town following a face-to-face meeting last week with senior Stillwater Mining Company officials.

Dumas and other municipal officials met in Marathon with Stillwater corporate development vice-president Terry Ackerman and newly appointed Marathon project manager Clark Gilbert.

“From the town’s point of view, the meeting went very well,” Dumas said in an interview. The town had learned about a New York City-based minority shareholder group that vows to take Stillwater in a different direction should shareholders vote in favour of installing a new board of directors in a vote set for May 2.

The Clinton Group says Stillwater should focus on its existing operations in Montana, and that projects like the proposed Marathon mine should be reviewed.

Dumas said he’s confident shareholders will agree that the future of Montana-based Stillwater includes a new Marathon mine.

Ring of Fire activity heating up- Too hot to handle or just what junior resource sector needs? – by Junior Mining Network.com (April 22, 2013)

April 23, 2013

http://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/

When someone mentioned the term ‘Ring of Fire’ in the past it was typically associated with the volcanic activity outlining the Pacific Ocean.

Being that this area is home to roughly 75% of the worlds active and dormant volcanoes, the name seemed fitting.
Over the last decade however the term Ring of Fire has been given a new postal code- the James Bay Lowlands of barren northern Ontario.

Major discoveries, including the Black Thor chromite deposit by KWG Resources Inc. (TSX.V: KWG) in 2006 (now being developed by Cliffs Natural Resources [TSX: CLF]) and Eagle’s Nest deposit by Noront Resources Ltd. (TSX.V: NOT) in 2007, have transformed the once ignored swamplands into what is quickly becoming one of the most active exploration regions in all of North America.

Nearly 40 junior mining companies have tied up over 30,000 mineral claims across a 5,000 square kilometer area of prospective Archean terrain buried by younger Paleozoic sediments, which is now known among investor circles as the new Ring of Fire.

The term ‘Ring of Fire’ was initially coined by former Noront President and CEO Richard Nemis who, being a lifelong Johnny Cash fan, fittingly named the region after the songwriter’s 1963 best hits album because of the rimmed geological structure of the region.

Confining processing to Ontario hurts mining – by Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – April 20, 2013)

April 22, 2013

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

Michael Gravelle is the Liberal Minister of Northern Development and Mines

I appreciate the concerns raised by Carlos Santander-Maturana in his letter of April 17 (Priorities Lie Elsewhere). However, our government members voted against the private member’s bill, the Mining Amendment Act, precisely because we want to protect and encourage job growth in the mining sector.

Creating a protectionist environment by requiring all ore mined in Ontario to be refined in the province would neither protect the important mining jobs we have, nor encourage further investment in this key sector.

Ontario is one of the leading mining jurisdictions in North America and benefits greatly from the ability to move minerals across borders. Many other jurisdictions currently take advantage of the expertise and resources available in Ontario, shipping their minerals here for refinement.

Four of Ontario’s five largest mineral processing facilities receive two-thirds or more of their feed from outside the province and their economic viability, as well as the jobs they create, depend very much on the movement of minerals from outside of Ontario. This could be threatened under the protectionist environment this act would have led to.

Priorities lie elsewhere – by Carlos Santander-Maturana (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – April 17, 2013)

April 22, 2013

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

I am quite disappointed with my area MPPs who voted to defeat Bill 43, the Mining Amendment Act, which would add value to our extracted mineral resources by ensuring that the ore and minerals remain in Ontario for refinement (Chronicle-Journal, April 12).

What is really disturbing is the fact that our region could have benefited by the capital investment, and therefore the job creation, in smelters and secondary economic activities so important to our weakened industrial economic base.

Compared to value-added manufacturing, the non-renewable natural resources sector requires far fewer workers per $1 million-worth of output. Between 2001 and 2011, direct mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector employment increased by only about 90,000 while manufacturing employment dropped by 466,000.

Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, said the proposed legislation would have removed “flexibility” for the mining corporations interested in our natural resources.