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Ontario Mining

Goldcorp OMA member provides $100,000 to support the homeless

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 Goldcorp has donated $100,000 to the Good Samaritan Inn in Timmins in support of the homeless. For the past 11 years, the Good Samaritan Inn has provided shelter, clothing and food for the people in need in this Northern Ontario community.

This major financial contribution from Goldcorp’s Porcupine Mines, combined with community fundraising and the support of many volunteers has given Good Samaritan Inn the means to acquire a new building. For Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines, the decision to help out was an easy one, said Marc Lauzier, General Manager of Goldcorp’s Porcupine Gold Mines. “Goldcorp is proud to support such a worthy cause and needed service that makes Timmins a strong, healthier community.”

On any given night, the Good Samaritan provides refuge for up to 42 people. According to a recent study by Laurentian University, it is estimated that there are 720 homeless individuals in Timmins including 257 youth under the age of 15.

“Goldcorp is proud to be partnering with the Good Samaritan Inn and supporting the purchase of a new building to provide shelter for the homeless,” said Mr. Lauzier, “Supporting this excellent community-based group, the dedicated volunteers and the important work they are doing is one way we can do just that.”

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NEWS RLEASE: OMA-CLRA mine reclamation symposium goes to Cobalt

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 and the Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA) are combining forces again. This successful collaboration is working on the sixth annual Ontario Mine Reclamation Symposium and Field Trip, which is scheduled for June 18 to 20, 2013. The organizers are holding the event this year in the community of Cobalt, which in many respects is the genesis of Canada’s hard rock mining industry.

At this time, the organizing group is seeking abstracts for presentations to be made at the symposium on June 18. The workshop will highlight the historic and current status of mining in the Cobalt region, the latest in research and rehabilitation practices and updates on specific mine reclamation projects. Those wishing to make presentations should contact Bryan Tisch at btisch@nrcan.gc.ca or 1-613-943-8746 before May 22.

The event will also include a one-day field tour of mine sites and rehabilitation work in Cobalt. A reception and banquet will include the presentation of the Tom Peters Memorial Mine Reclamation Award and the presentation of the $5,000 student bursary. Nominations for the Tom Peters Memorial Reclamation Award can be made up until May 31, 2013. Information and entry details are available from Mr. Tisch.

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[Thunder Bay’s] Fort William First Nation prepares for mining opportunities – by Karen McKinley (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 26, 2013)

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

A mining boom is coming to Northwestern Ontario and one First Nation is eager to encourage business ties for everyone in the region.

Fort William First Nation is hosting a mining conference March 25-26 to allow companies, businesses and anyone interested to meet and discuss potential employment they could share with the region. Several mining companies are to attend, as well as speakers and training organizations to encourage people to consider a career in the sector.
The event is free and open to the public.

“We are having this conference because we want to be ahead of the game,” Walter Bannon, Fort William First Nation communication and research officer, said in an interview on Monday. “A study from Lakehead University shows there will be around nine mines operational in Northwestern Ontario in the next five to seven years.”

Bannon said the community and region want to be prepared for eventual business and employment opportunities.
The conference is being presented from the point of view of First Nations, but it is open to all interested in getting involved in the mining industry.

The First Nation has also invited the District Catholic School Board, Confederation College, Lakehead Public Schools and Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School to bring students to the conference. The goal is to show students who may want to find work in mining what courses they need.

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NDP want northern Ontario mine to bolster local steel industry – by Jody Foster (CBC News Hamilton – February 25, 2013)

 http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/

Changes to Mining Act required to turn Ring of Fire chromite into Ontario stainless steel

The provincial NDP wants to see a vast mineral deposit in northern Ontario used to benefit the province’s steel industry rather than offshore interests. The so-called Ring of Fire mining area in the James Bay Lowlands is believed to contain about a quarter of the world’s chromite, the main ingredient in stainless steel.

American company Cliffs Natural Resources is the biggest player in the Ring of Fire. Its most recent investor update shows nearly half of the raw ore mined in northern Ontario is destined for China, while the rest will be shipped to a proposed smelter in Sudbury.

NDP MPP Gilles Bisson said Ontario should develop its own stainess steel industry, instead of sending the raw ingredients overseas.

“Rather than having jobs at the mine and maybe 300 jobs at a ferrochrome facility [in Sudbury], we could end up having tens of thousands of jobs in the stainless steel industry,” Bisson said.

‘You can’t just feed chromite into Stelco or Dofasco’

The Timmins-James Bay MPP admits the plan would take a change in the Mining Act, allowing Ontario to force companies to process minerals within the province.

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Accent: City builds rep as mining [research] hub – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – February 23, 2013)

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

A giant 3D television displayed two separate animations of coloured rectangle s that appeared at seemingly random areas on the screen. The coloured rectangles — and they covered the entire spectrum of a rainbow — represented different mine areas, and appeared on screen in the order they should be developed.

The animation was a visual representation of mine scheduling and showcased the differences between a schedule that was put together manually, and another that was created by an algorithm developed at Laurentian University.

Scheduling ore extraction at a mine may seem like a mundane task at first, but tweaking the extraction order for peak mine performance can increase the net value of a mining operation by up to 20%.

Researchers at Laurentian’s Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO) developed a software solution called the schedule optimization tool, or SOT for short.

The technology helps mining companies save time and money before they start digging for minerals, and has been used by a number of companies, including Vale and Xstrata.

Lorrie Fava, MIRARCO’s program manager of ventilation and production optimization, said the program cuts down greatly on the amount of time companies need to dedicate to scheduling a new mine site.

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Cliffs plays political waiting game – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 22, 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

Cliffs Natural Resources could scale back into its spending in the Ring of Fire if “uncertainties” associated with its chromite mine project in the James Bay lowlands aren’t ironed out with Queen’s Park.

With provincial negotiations in a stalemate, the Cleveland-based miner is re-evaluating this year’s budget to advance its $3.3-billion Black Thor chromite project. The company has set aside $60 million to complete its feasibility study of its proposed open pit mine, roughly 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

“I can’t really go to the board of directors and ask to them to move out of the feasibility phase of the project until we’ve wrapped up some of these uncertainties,” said Bill Boor, Cliffs’ president of ferroalloys.

While Boor remained confident the feasibility study will be wrapped up as planned by late summer, some next-phase construction moves may be put on hold. “What’s possible is we might demobilize some of that effort and not be prepared to move into execution at the end of feasibilty.”

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Business savvy: Wabun First Nation communities establishing successful mining ventures – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – February 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

Wabun First Nation communities are reaping the benefits of a mining boom by establishing successful business ventures in the service industry.

“We are starting to see some real business-like profit and the regular capitalistic type of progress that the other communities have enjoyed,” said Jason Batise, economic development and technical services advisor for Wabun Tribal Council. “For too long, our communities sat and watched other communities be successful.”

The council is headquartered in Timmins and serves the communities of Beaverhouse, Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, Flying Post, Matachewan and Mattagami.

Matachewan First Nation, located west of Kirkland Lake, has created some successful platforms, including a venture that provides temporary housing for Aurico employees at its nearby Young-Davidson Mine. The company, Ednysian, provides a 300-bed facility with full meal service and housekeeping.

“Ednysian is Ojibway for a place to be when you are not home,” he said. “It has been an extremely successful business model and is profitable and I think our service is great.”

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NEWS RELEASE: OMA member BESTECH supports African humanitarian effort led by Sudbury woman

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 BESTECH has committed $5,000 to push Jacqueline Villeneuve closer towards her goal of raising $15,000 to support orphaned and abandoned children in Kenya. Ms Villeneuve, who is from Sudbury and attended Confederation Secondary School, founded Zawadi La Tumaini in 2010 to provide shelter, food and education for needy children, many who have been orphaned through HIV/AIDS.

Ms Villeneuve, who is now 19, lives in Nairobi. The Zawadi La Tumaini Centre for needy children is scheduled to have its official opening on March 1, 2013. BESTECH Co-Chief Executive Officer Marc Boudreau first supported this humanitarian effort of Ms Villeneuve after hearing her interviewed on a local radio station four years ago.

“Right away, I thought: I have to help this kid,” said Mr. Boudreau. “I was so moved by the passion that exuded from this 15-year-old girl (at the time) who was focused on helping children in a different continent. She was a fantastic speaker! Jacqueline’s words and tone demonstrated her selfless character and her commitment.”

“As an owner of a firm that operates internationally, I am often dealing with intelligent executives, engineers and other professionals in various parts of the world,” said Mr. Boudreau. “I believe it is important to embrace the opportunity to provide education to our future brilliant global business leaders who will one day operate in the same fields as BESTECH.”

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Rail over roads the way to go for Ring of Fire: Study – by Jeff Labine (tbnewswatch.com – February 22, 2013)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Railway infrastructure, and not an all-season road, is the best option for Ring of Fire development a recently released study concludes.

KWG Resources Inc. released the study, conducted by international engineering firm Tetra Tech WEI Inc., Thursday that compared the capital and operating costs of a railroad and an all-weather into the massive chromite deposited in the lower James Bay area.

The estimated cost for a roadway is $1.05 billion compared to the $1.561 billion for a railroad. While the initial cost of railway infrastructure may be greater than that of an all-season road, the study suggests rail services come with long term savings because of shipping costs.

If 5 million tonnes per year are shipped it’s estimated that operating costs per tonne would be reduced to $6.33 for the railroad and $69.28 for trucking. Noront Resources Ltd. Chief Operating Officer Paul Semple heard about the study but hadn’t had a chance to look it over before tbnewswatch.com contacted him Thursday afternoon.

While he agreed the long-term savings of a rail line would be greater than an all-season road, Semple said the big question is by how much.

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Clement steps in [to the Ring of Fire] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (February 22, 2013)

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

MINERS have tried. The Ontario government has tried. Now it’s the federal government’s turn to search for a way through the minefields hampering development of Northern Ontario’s highly-promising Ring of Fire mineral deposits. Ottawa appears to have given up hope that players already at the table can agree on how to proceed. Many discussions to date have been acrimonious as mining groups, First Nations and provincial representatives grappled with staking rights versus treaty rights. Exploration teams have been ordered off land claimed by First Nations.

The province has tried and, in most cases, failed to facilitate agreements on issues that fall under its jurisdiction. There are notable exceptions but the success stories are fewer than the harsh disagreements over who can do what, where and when.

Prime Minister Harper this week assigned Tony Clement, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) to broker environmental, industrial, transportation and other issues alongside the expectations of First Nations. He must respect court decisions around the duty to consult those communities and be mindful of the fact this isn’t solely his responsibility.

While both senior governments have aboriginal, infrastructure, resources and northern development departments, Queen’s Park governs the central issue of land use while Ottawa bears responsibility for lands under treaty. In this case, it’s much the same land.

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OMA member profile: Lake Shore Gold — newer producer on Timmins golden block

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 Lake Shore Gold Corp. exemplifies findings in the recent economic impact study “Mining: Dependable and Dynamic for Ontario’s Future.” This report, which demonstrates among other things that mining boosts communities, was produced by University of Toronto economists Peter Dungan and Steve Murphy.

Lake Shore Gold produced more than 85,700 ounces of gold in 2012 and it is a newer bullion producer in the Timmins camp – production began two years ago. The company operates its Timmins West complex and Bell Creek complex, where its mill is located, and it is developing the Fenn-Gib project, which is located about 60 kilometres east of Timmins.

The Fenn-Gib project has potential to be developed as an open pit gold mine. Exploration results from the property near Matheson show an indicated resource of 1.3 million ounces of gold and 800,000 inferred ounces of gold.

In 2012, the company spent $138.5 million on supplies and services in Timmins and a further $90 million was spent outside the Timmins area. “We are really trying to keep our dollars as close to Timmins as we possibly can,” said Dan Gagnon, Senior Vice President Operations at Lake Shore Gold. “Sixty-one percent of our spending was in Timmins and of the non-local spending of $90 million, roughly $53 million was spent in Northern Ontario.”

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NEWS RELEASE: Tetra Tech Trade-Off Study Favours Rail to Ring of Fire

Click here for the Tetra Tech Trade-Off Study: http://www.kwgresources.com/_resources/Rail_vs_Road_Tradeoff_Study_Report_FINAL_11Feb2013.pdf

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Feb. 21, 2013) – KWG Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KWG) (“KWG”) has released a study that it commissioned by the international engineering firm Tetra Tech WEI Inc. to compare the capital and operating costs of both a railroad and an all-weather road to the Ring of Fire. The study estimates the capital costs for a roadway at $1.052 billion and a railroad at $1.561 billion. If 3 million tonnes per year are shipped, operating costs are estimated at $10.50 per tonne for the railroad and $60.78 per tonne for trucking on the road. If 5 million tonnes per year are shipped, it is estimated that those operating costs per tonne would be reduced to $6.33 for rail and $59.28 for trucking.

The complete study has been posted on the KWG website: www.kwgresources.com and should be read in its entirety to understand the assumptions made by the authors of the study in order to derive the foregoing conclusions.

About KWG: KWG has a 30% interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit and the right to earn 80% of the Black Horse chromite where resources are being defined in a drilling program this winter. KWG also owns 100% of Canada Chrome Corporation which has staked claims and conducted a $15 million surveying and soil testing program for the engineering and construction of a railroad to the Ring of Fire from Exton, Ontario.

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Optimistic start: Area chiefs meet with minister Tony Clement – by Jamie Smith (tbnewswatch.com – February 20, 2013)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

THUNDER BAY — Peter Moonias says he’s feeling optimistic after a meeting with the federal government. Moonias, chief of Neskantaga First Nation, and other Matawa leaders met with lead Ring of Fire federal Minister Tony Clement in Thunder Bay Wednesday at the Travelodge Airlane.

Moonias made headlines last year when he said he was willing to die in order to stop development in the Ring of Fire unless the provincial government started meaningful consultation with First Nations.

But if industry shows a willingness to work together, so can the communities, he said. He added that the first step is to get the federal and provincial governments to understand that First Nations are treaty partners not stakeholders.

Another brief news clip from February 21, 2013: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Video/26653/Clement-Matawa

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Lack of transportation plan hurting Ring of Fire financing – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 20, 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

The lack of a coherent plan to develop transportation infrastructure in the Ring of Fire is hurting the exploration financing scene in Ontario, insists a leading international business law firm.

Fasken Martineau issued a December bulletin that the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has taken the position not to list companies with exploration projects in global regions where there is no authoritative plan to move raw and bulk product to market. This pertains to junior miners operating in Ontario’s Far North, the firm said in a statement.

The bulletin states, historically, a National Instrument 43-101 technical report establishing “economically interesting grades” of mineral resources on a property was usually good enough to satisfy the TSX. But not anymore.

Fasken said the TSX now wants assurances that bulk products, such as concentrate, can be shipped to market by roads, rail or via port facilities. “We understand that the TSX has recently turned down the listing application of several companies in the Ring of Fire and in Quebec, because of concerns about the availability of infrastructure.”

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Judge calls [DeBeers mine] blockade an act of extortion – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – February 21, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The ongoing blockade outside the Victor diamond mine is not an Aboriginal protest but an act of extortion, a Timmins Superior Court judge declared Wednesday.

Judge Robert Riopelle said the men who are spearheading the blockade are not fighting for constitutional rights, land claims, treaty issues or anything that would benefit the community of Attawapiskat.

These are “individuals with private financial interests, holding a large multinational corporation to ransom,” Judge Robert Riopelle. “It smells of coercion.” Riopelle felt there was sufficient basis for the Ontario Provincial Police to lay criminal charges against the six demonstrators who have prevented access to the mine site since Feb. 11.

The hearing on Wednesday was hastily called late Tuesday, at the request of De Beers Canada, as a followup the injunction order that was made on Friday. Its purpose was to provide direction on enforcing the order.

Riopelle had issued the order, demanding the barricades be removed from the ice road and prohibiting any further obstruction of access to the mine site by the demonstrators.

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