Ontario Mining – Page 27 – Republic of Mining

Mining claims have jumped 30% in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire area since 2022 – by Sarah Law (CBC News Thunder Bay – December 11, 2023)

December 11, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

More than 31,000 mining claims are now registered in the area, data shows

Mining claims staked in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire area have risen by 30 per cent since last year, according to online mining data from the provincial government. The crescent-shaped mineral deposit in the James Bay lowlands has been eyed as a critical source for Ontario’s burgeoning electric vehicle battery industry for years.

But surrounding First Nations say there hasn’t been proper consultation about mining projects on their territories. A number of rallies have been held at Queen’s Park in Toronto this year by members of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance, calling out the province’s free-entry mining system and demanding a meeting with Premier Doug Ford.

Northwestern Ontario lithium miner paints a picture to production – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 7, 2023)

December 8, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Green Technology Metals meets with strategic investors to fund $1.2-billion lithium development

A key economic study posted this week by Australia’s Green Technology Metals “validates” their potential to become a large-scale lithium player in northwestern Ontario and Canada. With a proposed two-mine lithium operation valued at $1.2 billion in the works, the hunt is on to secure both private and government funding to make the mines and a Thunder Bay lithium refinery a reality.

Green Tech gave investors and stakeholders a better idea of what their mining and processing operations could look like with the release of a preliminary economic assessment (PEA), Dec. 7.

Newmont pours 8,000th gold bar at Musselwhite mine – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – December 6, 2023)

December 8, 2023

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

The world’s largest gold miner, Newmont has announced another milestone at its Musselwhite mine, in Ontario – 5 million ounces of precious metal production

The world’s largest gold miner, Newmont (NYSE: NEM; TSX: NGT), has announced another milestone at its Musselwhite mine, in Ontario, where it has poured the 8,000th gold doré bar since the operation started with commercial production in 1997.

The mine, one of the world’s largest producers of the metal in Canada and globally, has churned out more than five-million ounces of gold in the last 25 years.

Science North CEO says changes made to manage capital projects after audit of Go Deeper project – by Kate Rutherford (CBC News Sudbury – December 08, 2023)

December 8, 2023

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

Provincial auditor general says cost of model mine project has tripled from original $5 million

The CEO of Science North said changes have been made at the science centre to take into account recommendations from the provincial auditor general’s probe of their Go Deeper project at Dynamic Earth.

Ashley Larose wants the public to know that while the budget has grown, the project is not operating at a deficit and all policies were followed in the development of the model mine at Dynamic Earth in Sudbury, Ont. Larose said the auditor’s report is based on information provided by the organization.

Area covered by mining claims in Ontario’s ‘Ring of Fire’ increased by 30 per cent in one year – by Krista Hessey (Global News – December 4, 2023)

December 5, 2023

https://globalnews.ca/

The so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ in Ontario’s far north is expanding in size as mining claims spike in the area. More than 31,000 mining claims have been registered to date, an increase of 28 per cent in a year, according to analysis by Wildlands League, a non-profit conservation group.

The rise in the number of mining claims coincides with more land being taken up by surface rights owners. The claims now cover 626,000 hectares of the remote northern landscape, up 30 per cent from September 2022. The area is now nearly 10 times the size of the City of Toronto or double the Greater Sudbury area, the group says.

To achieve a green transition, do we need more mining? – by Zachary Gan (Hamilton Spectator – November 30, 2023)

December 5, 2023

https://www.thespec.com/

As we build more electric vehicles, Ontario’s government must recall what we stand to lose in the climate crisis.

We all know that swapping our gas-guzzling cars for electric vehicles is a crucial step in the fight against climate change.

But how much should we sacrifice in the name of getting more EVs on the road? For Ontario’s government, the answer: quite a lot. In fact, the government’s latest actions call into question whether the EV transition is about fighting climate change at all.

Glencore’s ties to Sudbury run deep. So is its future here – by Hugh Kruzel (Sudbury Star – December 2, 2023)

December 2, 2023

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Top company official tells chamber of commerce deep mining is the key to Glencore’s future operations in Sudbury

The man who leads Glencore’s Sudbury operations told the city’s business leaders this week that his company remains committed to this region, Canada and mining. Peter Xavier, a company vice-president, acknowledged that Glencore Sudbury’s Integrated Nickel Operations will soon close its Nickel Rim South mine, but that should not be a surprise.

Nickel Rim South Mine will close in late March as it goes into care and maintenance mode. The Skead-area mine’s employees will be reassigned to other Glencore operations in Sudbury, such as the Craig/Onaping project. “Mines have a life,” Xavier told the 128th annual general meeting of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “We all know mining one site is finite.

Cat Lake First Nation is ready to take on Doug Ford’s government over unsustainable mining development – by Matteo Cimellaro (National Observer – November 27, 2023)

November 30, 2023

https://www.nationalobserver.com/

When the chief of Cat Lake First Nation gave a button to Ontario’s minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development, he apologized. “This is what the activities up until now have amounted to,” said Chief Russell Wesley to Greg Rickford. “I told him: ‘It’s on. I’m sorry, but it had to come to this and here’s a button.’”

The button, presented by Wesley to Rickford, was displayed Wednesday in a Cat Lake First Nation press release. It shows lynx standing tall over a caricature of Ontario Premier Doug Ford on a bulldozer. The art is a dig at Ford’s promise to develop mining in the North, even if he had to “hop on a bulldozer myself.”

Australians confident in the future of idled White River gold mine – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – November 27, 2023)

November 30, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

More gold, more mines to be discovered at Sugar Zone, says Silver Lake Resources

Australian miner Silver Lake Resources is keeping the faith in its idled Sugar Zone gold mine, north of White River.

At its Nov. 25 AGM, the company regards Sugar Zone to be in its relative infancy and believes there’s “significant runway” to prove up more gold while they take a year of down time to tune up the mine’s performance.

Three of Canada’s major critical mineral projects are in Sudbury – by Staff (Sudbury Star – November 22, 2023)

November 27, 2023

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

They are Glencore’s Onaping Depth project, Vale’s Copper Cliff Deep project and KGHM’s Victoria Mine project

The federal government has launched a $1.5-billion fund for critical minerals infrastructure, while simultaneously highlighting close to 500 projects nationwide that are generating jobs and growing a greener economy. The funding announcement this week coincided with the release of an annual report on major projects underway across the country in the fields of energy, forestry and mining.

Three of the big mining projects are in Sudbury: Glencore’s Onaping Depth project, with an estimated capital cost of $1 billion to $2.5 billion; the Copper Cliff Deep project being pursued by Vale, pegged at $750 million to $1B; and a revived Victoria Mine project being undertaken in the Whitefish area by Polish company KGHM, at a projected cost of $1B to $2.5B.

Will the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund have impact? The miners behind 3 northern projects hope so – by Aya Dufour (CBC News Sudbury – November 22, 2023)

November 27, 2023

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

Companies say the money could help accelerate production timelines for priority metals

The long-awaited Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) launched on Monday, and several northern Ontario mining companies are hopeful their projects will be selected by Ottawa.

With $1.5 billion available over the next seven years, there is a lot of money at play. Up to $300 million is available in the first call for proposals, which ends in late February. The program has two streams. One focuses on pre-construction and project development, and the other looks at infrastructure deployment.

Electra Battery Materials waiting on funders to help launch Temiskaming cobalt refinery – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 23, 2023)

November 27, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Toronto plant developer looks to lock up US$60 million to start supplying North American battery manufacturers

Electra Battery Materials will continue to hold off on completing the last phases of construction its Temiskaming cobalt refinery until it can secure the remaining US$60 million to finish the job.

“We’ll be very careful before we press start,” said Trent Mell, the company’s president-CEO in a recent conference call and webcast on its third-quarter performance. Most of the refinery’s remaining equipment, ordered and fabricated overseas, has arrived on site but won’t be installed until project financing comes through.

Crumbling graphite price puts Hearst-area mine development on hold – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 21, 2023)

November 22, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Zentek delays stock market listing, exploring partnerships while waiting for markets to improve

Last spring’s “soaring demand” for graphite has apparently crash-landed to earth. The optimism expressed last May by Zentek, a Guelph-based graphene technology, to develop its graphite deposit near Hearst has dramatically waned as the market for graphite and battery metals “has deteriorated significantly.”

In a news release, Zentek management said its plans to bring its highly pure Albany graphite deposit, near Constance Lake First Nation, into future production, are on hold. In May, Zentek transferred its Albany deposit to a new subsidiary, Albany Graphite Corp., with big plans to raise project financing for a potential mine through a non-brokered private placement and to get the company listed on a Canadian stock exchange.

Researchers bring the ‘Sudbury method’ to Peru, to help clean up mine waste (CBC News Sudbury – November 18, 2023)

November 20, 2023

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

Scientists say work in Sudbury to rehabilitate the landscape damaged by mining is recognized worldwide

Researchers from northern Ontario are in Peru where they are sharing their knowledge of what has become known as the “Sudbury method.” The Sudbury method refers to the community’s work over decades to rehabilitate a landscape damaged by mining and smelting.

“Sudbury has become recognized almost globally now for taking one of the most damaged landscapes on planet Earth and through a lot of work by citizens, community members, industry and government, turning it into actually a really, really nice place to live,” said Graeme Spiers, an emeritus professor in environmental and earth sciences at Laurentian University.

Nipigon lithium companies look to partner for exploration and production – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 15, 2023)

November 17, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Rock Tech, Imagine Lithium see ‘synergies’ in teaming up to feed proposed North Shore refinery

Some consolidation could be in the cards for two lithium explorers near Lake Nipigon. Rock Tech Lithium, the promoter of a lithium refinery on the north shore of Lake Superior, has inked a memorandum of understanding with its exploration neighbour, Imagine Lithium, to team up and collectively bring their properties into production.

That partnership could come in the form of a merger and acquisition arrangement, a commercial partnership, and joint development of their respective projects.