AuRico Gold’s official opening of the Young-Davidson Mine spruces up regional economy

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.

Approximately 850 people were on hand for the official opening of Ontario Mining Association member AuRico Gold’s Young-Davidson Mine recently.  The new precious metals producing operation, which completed its first gold pour in April, is located near Matachewan in northeastern Ontario about 60 kilometres west of Kirkland Lake.

Rain didn’t spoil the enthusiasm of visitors from taking mill tours and visits to the open pit and a display site for underground mining equipment.  Guests included employees and their families, contractors and suppliers, seasonal cottagers, local First Nations residents, politicians from various levels of government and special guests associated with the history and development of the Young-Davidson property.

Various departments at the mine, including geology, environment, surveying and mine rescue, had booths set up to showcase what they do on the job.  A gold bar was on site, which proved to be particularly popular for photograph opportunities.  The local newspaper “Northern News” reported that “Young-Davidson employees, who were leading tours and at various displays, volunteered their time to be there.  That shows the pride the employees have in the mine.” 

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OMA Noront member helps strengthen foundation for high school video competition

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 Noront Resources is busy this summer broadening the foundation for future So You Think You Know Mining video entries.  The company is spearheading The Mining Movie Making Summer Camp in several Aboriginal communities in partnership with DAREarts, Engage Learn and the OMA.

The hands-on community based program provides three days of sharing stories about rocks, minerals, the environment and traditional territories.  Then students work to collaborate and create their own Aboriginal community video, which hopefully becomes a future entry to the OMA’s SYTYKM high school video competition.

The first camp, which was held earlier this month, involved more than 40 students from the Simon Jacob Memorial Education Centre in the Webequie First Nation.  The second camp was held in the Marten Falls First Nation and later in August a camp is scheduled to be held in the Long Lake #58 First Nation.  In the Fall, the team aims to take the program to other communities in the Ring of Fire area.

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Aboriginals readied for workforce – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – August 2012)

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.

As the fastest growing segment of Canada’s population, Aboriginals represent a great resource for filling any shortages in the workforce now and in the future.
 
“I sit in meetings and sometimes hear talk about how we need to access immigrants and I cringe,” said Nancy Beaulieu, Wabun Tribal Council’s employment and training co-ordinator. “We have such a great resource available here when it comes to the Aboriginal population, especially with the mining industry.”
 
With several memorandums of understanding and impact benefit agreements being signed between First Nations and mining companies, more opportunities are now available.

Some barriers do exist but they are being addressed. Employment and training programs offered by Wabun Tribal Council and others such as Mushkegowuk Council, which both have offices in Timmins, are trying to meet the employment needs of their people and of the employers.

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NEWS RELEASE: Debut Concludes Agreement With Aroland First Nation and Appoints Martin Doyle to the Board of Directors

TORONTO, ONTARIO – (Aug. 23, 2012) – Debut Diamonds Inc. (the “Company” or “Debut”), (CNSX: DDI), is very pleased to announce that it has concluded an Exploration Agreement with the Aroland First Nation (“Aroland”) in connection with the Company’s Nakina diamond exploration project located north of Nakina, Ontario.

The agreement includes benefits for the community of Aroland provided by way of Debut financial contributions in support of certain social and cultural programs, and also includes employment and service related business opportunities. In return, Aroland has approved and will continue to support the Company’s exploration activities for the duration of the project. The agreement provides for the proper handling and protection of any sacred or other culturally significant sites, and contains comprehensive plans for the prevention, mitigation and remediation of any environmental impacts which may result from the Company’s exploration activities in the field.

Chris Meraw, President of Debut Diamonds states, “Our agreement with Aroland emphasizes the need for mutual respect and a positive relationship between the parties during all phases of the project and while this approach not only brings economic opportunities to the community, it also provides an element of certainty for the company’s exploration work in the area.”

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NAN council seeks new approach [resource development] – by Doug Diaczuk (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – August 23, 2012)

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

The newly-elected grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation will continue to work at creating more engagement with government when it comes to resource development. During a press conference on Wednesday, Harvey Yesno said that chiefs in the NAN territory want a different approach to communicating with the government.

“Today things have changed,” Yesno said told the media. “The issue on the table is resource development that is happening in the communities but there is no meaningful engagement that is happening. We would like to see the governments walk and talk, and we want to participate in that.”

Yesno also spoke about creating a balance for all First Nations when it comes to revenue sharing. On issues relating to land, Yesno emphasized that there needs to be consent and First Nations shouldn’t have to protest to protect their lands.

“We aren’t going to protest and just let things happen,” he said. “We have to protect it. Protest sometimes raises a voice, but most times things just go on. I think that’s the difference.”

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Biodiversity initiative: Copper mine helps restore sturgeon population in Timmins river

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 Copper Canada, Kidd Operations (Xstrata) through its financial and in-kind support of the Mattagami Sturgeon Restoration Project is giving new life to a fish species designated as of “special concern” by the province.  Indications are that Xstrata, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Power Generation, Timmins Fur Council and Club Navigateur, is experiencing success in re-establishing the lake sturgeon population in a section of the Mattagami River watershed.

Lake sturgeons are descendants of a prehistoric fish going back to the Mesozoic Era (dinosaur age).  The fish appear to be much the same today as 100-million year old fossils, which have been found.   The Mattagami River flows north through Timmins into the James Bay drainage basin, which is part of the lake sturgeon habitat.

This fish, due to habitat loss and over fishing, had disappeared from a section of the Mattagami River between two hydro dams.  To help re-establish the species, 50 adult sturgeons were transferred back into this habitat in 2002.  Thirteen out of this original group of fish were marked with radio transmitters to monitor movement and potential spawning areas.

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[Northwestern Ontario] Leaders want action on mining infrastructure – by Bryan Meadows (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – August 22, 2012)

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

Northwestern Ontario municipal leaders are outlining their priorities this week during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario annual conference in Ottawa. One of those priorities, being touted by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, is that the province lead plans for mining infrastructure in the region.

“Northwestern Ontario is on the cusp of a mining explosion, and we need to ensure that both government and opposition members recognize the full impact of these developments for the province,” NOMA president Ron Nelson said Tuesday.

“This is not just a northern project as it has the potential to drive the economy of Ontario for decades to come,” he said, adding that “the province needs to take the lead by planning, developing and owning the roads and energy infrastructure that is needed to support mining developments in the Northwest.”

“It will be expensive, however,” Nelson said, “the return on that investment through provincial tax revenues over the next 100 years will be immense.”

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Vale says ‘no plans’ to shut down operations – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – August 20, 2012)

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

As senior mining analyst at Salman Partners, an investment dealer, Raymond Goldie keeps a close eye on the nickel industry. But he’s finding it difficult to keep tabs on Vale, one of the world’s largest nickel producers.
 
That being said, Goldie is predicting Vale could be planning a production shutdown because of the low price of nickel. Nickel has fallen to below $7 a pound, something that could prompt other companies such as Xstrata Nickel and Norilsk to cease production for awhile as well, he said.
 
Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson said a planned maintenance shutdown is now underway at the company’s Greater Sudbury operations. Robson said the company has no other plans. “We don’t speculate on rumours, but there are no plans to shut down operations,” she said.
 
Goldie and other mining analysts who used to follow the former Inco Ltd. closely are finding it more difficult to do that now that it’s owned by the Brazil-based mining giant.

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Drop in nickel prices temporary, profs say – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – August 18, 2012)

This article came from Northern Life, Sudbury’s biweekly newspaper.

There may have been a drop in nickel prices in recent months, but there’s not much to worry about in the long term, as prices are likely to rise again, according to two Laurentian University professors.

A year ago, nickel prices stood at roughly $10 a pound, and now they’re sitting at around $7 a pound. Jean-Charles Cachon, a professor of strategy in Laurentian’s school of commerce, said the market has dipped because the Chinese government is buying less metals right now.

That’s because they’ve stockpiled a lot of metals over the last five years. “If they stop purchasing, then it has a huge impact on prices,” Cachon said. “My understanding is this is what’s happening right now.”

But Dave Robinson, an economics professor at Laurentian, said he thinks nickel prices are going to go back above their current levels quite soon. “I can’t see them staying down,” he said. “The long-run story is we’re going to get high prices.”

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Glenecore-Xstrata a possible Vale suitor? – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – August 18, 2012)

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

Should Vale put its base metals division up for sale, there would likely be only one buyer with deep enough pockets – the soon-to-be-merged Xstrata and Glencore.
 
“If that merger goes through, the merged Xstrata/Glencore International plc would be a real huge entity,” mining analyst Stan Sudol said. “Certainly, they could afford to buy the base metal assets of Vale.
 
“It’s a merger the Sudbury Basin would welcome. There are enormous amounts of synergy that couldn’t be realized because of it being two entities. Ninety-five per cent of the area’s nickel operations would be unified.”
 
Six years ago, the former Inco and the former Falconbridge held merger discussions. If that had happened, most of Sudbury’s mining, milling and smelting operations would have been owned by one company.

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Will Vale sell [base metals divison]? – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – August 18, 2012)

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

Six years after buying Inco Ltd. for $19.4 billion, speculation is growing that Brazil-based Vale may be considering unloading its base metals division, which includes nickel operations in Greater Sudbury.

Such a dramatic development can’t be ruled out, said Stan Sudol, a mining analyst who also operates the mining news website Republic of Mining.

Vale’s base metals division could be worth about US$30 billion, almost a third of Vale’s estimated $95-billion total market capitalization, said Sudol. Yet the base metals division may only contribute as little as 5% to the company’s profits.

That’s a scenario Vale executives in Brazil may not be inter-e sted in continuing much longer, especially if world nickel prices and demand continue to slump, he said.

“(Vale) might be saying, ‘This is a complicated business. We are dealing with underground mines. But our specialty is open pit.’ Then, there’s the fact that while Sudbury mining technology is among the best in the world, there’s a whole different culture (with Vale), as much of their business is open-pit mining versus underground mining.”

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Vale gets new blood [in Sudbury] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – August 17, 2012)

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

The shortage of skilled tradespeople is paying off for two-dozen apprentices at Cambrian College. The apprentice millwrights and heavy-duty equipment technicians are starting work this month at Vale Ltd.’s Sudbury operations.
 
It is not unusual for Vale to hire 20-40 apprentices in a year, said Garwin Pitman, superintendent of learning and development maintenance at Vale.
 
But it is out of the ordinary to hire that many at one time, he said. Pitman was inter viewing potential apprentices Thursday just after the announcement was made in the morning at Cambrian College.
 
Mining and other industries are experiencing a shortage of skilled tradespeople, partly because there are so many new projects in development. Vale is looking to hire another three dozen tradespeople, some of them apprentices, this fall, said Pitman.

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Trial gets started over [Vale Sudbury] miner deaths – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – August 15, 2012)

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

The first court appearance Tuesday of Crown counsel for the Ministry of Labour and an agent for lawyers representing Vale Ltd. and one of its supervisors officially launched what is expected to be a protracted, complicated trial on charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
 
Vale is facing nine charges under the act and supervisor Keith Birnie is facing six charges after an almost yearlong investigation by the Labour ministry into the June 8, 2011, deaths of two men at Stobie Mine.
 
It only took minutes for a justice of the peace in the Ontario Court of Justice to adjourn the matter until Sept. 12, when a judge will begin hearing the case in the criminal division of provincial court. Vale and the supervisor are charged with failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent the movement of material through an ore pass at Stobie Mine where Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed.
 
The men died after being overcome by a run of 350 tons of muck from the No. 7 ore pass of the century-old mine while they were working at the 3,000-foot level. Birnie is facing charges similar to the ones laid against his employer.

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Queenston Mining eyes 2016 gold pour at flagship project – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – August 2012)

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.

Queenston Mining has been focused the last few years on making the transition from an exploration company to a mining one. Its flagship project – Upper Beaver – and surrounding properties are located east of Kirkland Lake near the small community of Dobie.
 
President and CEO Charles Page, one of the founding members of the company that was established 20 years ago, said he always knew “they had something valuable.”
 
“We have had this property a long time but when we first put it together, gold was $400 an ounce and then it went down to about $260. It didn’t make sense at those gold prices so we kept adding more ground and doing some exploration along the way.”
 
The company plans to sink a shaft at Upper Beaver next year and expects its first gold pour in 2016. In 2007, Queenston raised sufficient capital to allow it to move Upper Beaver to the next stage and to further explore the surrounding deposits.

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OMA member profile: Rubicon’s Phoenix Gold Project [Red Lake] — new mines from old sites (5)

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 Ontario Mining Association member Rubicon Minerals Corporation, like the reference of its name to Roman history, there is no turning back as it advances its Phoenix Gold Project in Red Lake towards adding to the 26 million ounces produced in this historic gold area.  Rubicon acquired control of the property in 2002 and it has a bullion production target of the first quarter of 2014.

“This is an interesting and exciting project, which has a history,” said John McDonald, Mine Manager.  “It is not often that you can jump relatively quickly from advanced exploration, to mine development and potential production in a short time period.”

Rubicon inherited some infrastructure from what was known as the old McFinley Mine site, which never really was a gold producer.  Claims were first staked on this property in 1922 and initial underground exploration took place in 1956.  From 1982 to 1989, further exploration was carried out, a shaft was built, three underground levels were developed in the mine, a 150-ton-per-day mill and tailings compound were built and bulk sampling was done on a satellite target, which lies approximately 500 metres away from the eventual discovery.

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