Ontario Mining – Page 305 – Republic of Mining

Far North Act Will Impair Our Economy – by Harold Wilson

October 4, 2010September 29, 2010

Harold Wilson is president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce.

On Sept. 15, numerous business representatives, prospectors, municipalities and other organizations participated in a rally at Queen’s Park at a rally organized by First Nations to protest the proposed Far North Act.

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce received unanimous approval in April from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce delegates on our resolution to have the act withdrawn.

Despite many other long-awaited government initiatives, such as the Northern Growth Plan and the Wood Supply Competition, the Far North Act is first on the agenda when the legislature convenes. Why is it such a big deal?

A group of dogmatic environmental “stewards” ensconced in the
premier’s inner circle, who do not know, nor care to know, how to
grow an economy, are dictating our economic future.

Mine exploration and development throughout northwestern Ontario is new money flowing into our economy. This is private sector money, raised from investors. Regardless of the diversified nature of our local economy, we benefit markedly by development of our natural resources. There are already important tangible examples of how increased exploration and prospecting is adding to the economy of Thunder Bay.

A few recent ones include: Activation Laboratories’ expansion, the expansion at WiskAir of its fleet of helicopters and now its hangar, the arrival of Porter Airlines, Cliffs Resources –a huge mining player in the U.S. — will soon be setting up shop in Thunder Bay. These activities are threatened by the Far North Act and other regulatory impediments to mining in our region.

Moreover, while government officials have stressed that this act is primarily to address issues expressed by the First Nations, the Far North Act is not supported by the First Nations leadership in Northern Ontario. In fact, they have already rallied against it.

Go North, to Find Ontario’s Next Economic Boom in the Ring of Fire Mining Development – by Livio Di Matteo

September 24, 2010

Livio Di Matteo is professor of economics at Lakehead University. This column was originally published in January, 2010.

While it is simplistic to believe that history repeats itself, economic history is shaped by cyclical demographic and economic factors. Ontario’s economy, despite its current lethargy, is poised for a boom reminiscent of what shaped the province at the dawn of the 20th century.

During the late 19th century, Ontario’s economy was laid low by a global economic slump. Between 1891 and 1901, Ontario’s population growth crawled to a virtual halt and out-migration of its young people to the United States became a chronic lament.

Ontario’s economy was saved during the early 20th century by two booms
that fuelled its manufacturing sector’s growth and ensured that Toronto
became the financial centre of Canada.

Ontario’s economy was saved during the early 20th century by two booms that fuelled its manufacturing sector’s growth and ensured that Toronto became the financial centre of Canada. The first, the prairie settlement boom, saw hundreds of thousands of European settlers flock to the Prairies and form a market for consumer goods produced by central Canadian industry. The second was the forestry and mining resource boom of Ontario’s northern frontier, which generated inputs into southern Ontario industry, created Toronto’s role as a financial centre and created a lucrative source of provincial government revenue via enormous resource rents and royalties.

“[Ontario’s] Far North Act: Blueprint for the future?” – Toronto Star September 24, 2010 Editorial Comment on McGuinty Liberal’s “Far North Bill”

February 11, 2011September 24, 2010

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on Canada’s federal and provincial politics as well as shaping public opinion. This editorial was originally published on September 24, 2010. For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery By detailing …

Liberals push through Far North bill despite First Nations outcry – by Tanya Talaga (Toronto Star-September 24, 2010)

April 6, 2011September 24, 2010

Tanya Talaga is the Queen’s Park (Ontario Provincial Government) reporter for the Toronto Star, which has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on Canada’s federal and provincial politics as well as shaping public opinion. This article was originally published September 24, 2010.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Liberals push through Far North bill despite First Nations outcry

A controversial bill aimed at protecting 225,000 square kilometres in northern Ontario and opening the rest up to development passed Thursday despite fierce First Nations objections. The provincial Liberals argue Bill 191 is a “first in Ontario’s history,” because it calls for First Nations’ approval of land-use plans.

Until now, there were essentially no rules, the government says. But natives say their approval is ultimately meaningless because the government has the power to override their land use decisions. And that, they say, is a violation of their treaty rights.

Many who live and work in the North – from the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce to the Ontario Forestry Association and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) – say the bill will slow down mining and resource development. The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political organization that represents the 49 First Nations that cover two-thirds of the province’s land mass.

However, land-use plans are needed to guide economic development, said Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey. For instance, Jeffrey told reporters, Bill 191 is key to establishing rules to manage development in the resource-rich region known as the Ring of Fire.

Enviro-Babble Threatens Ontario – by Toronto Sun Columnist Christina Blizzard (Originally Published September 22, 2010)

February 11, 2011September 24, 2010

Christina Blizzard is the Queen’s Park columnist for the Toronto Sun, the city’s daily tabloid newspaper.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Commissioner’s annual report highlights how no one can, or should, live up to eco lobby’s standards

It’s pathetic the way we cling slavishly to every utterance of the eco lobby. When the Great Green Gods speak, we all nod our heads like so many Bobblehead dolls.

So it was Wednesday, when Environment Commissioner Gord Miller released his annual report. The problem with self-styled enviro gurus is no government, anywhere, can live up to their standards.

No matter what the government does, it will be slammed for not doing enough. Miller warned there aren’t enough controls over the siting of gas-powered generation plants.

Northern Ontario is “on the verge” of becoming the Wild West — or Wild North, I guess — with mining companies building airstrips and rail lines willy-nilly.

Except, hold on. There’s a flip side.

Ring of Fire Mining Practices Under Attack by Environmental Commissioner of Ontario

February 11, 2011September 24, 2010

The following excerpts are from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s 2009/2010 Annual Report Redefining Conservation

Business News Network Anchor Reporter Andrew Bell interviews Ontario’s Environmental Comissioner Gord Miller (September 22, 2010) about the government’s conflicting goals of protecting half of the boreal forest while encouraging mine development in the red hot Ring of Fire in Northwestern Ontario: http://watch.bnn.ca/commodities/september-2010/commodities-september-22-2010/#clip351264

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

5.1.2. Ring of Fire: Illegal Construction of Mining-related Projects

The Ring of Fire is a roughly 5,120 square kilometre crescent-shaped area of Ontario’s boreal forest that has been subject to intense claim staking, prospecting and exploration ever since copper and zinc were discovered in the area in the late 1990s. After a flurry of exploration activity, the area is now known also to contain nickel, gold, diamonds and potentially the single largest source of chromite in North America. Interest in chromite is extremely high as it is used to make stainless steel. Chromite is also a strategic mineral used in the production of missile components and armour plating. A U.S. mining company reportedly intends to invest approximately $800 million (US) to develop a large open pit mine to extract high-grade chromite near McFauld’s Lake in the Ring of Fire. In March 2010, the Premier noted that this find is the “most promising mining opportunity in Canada in a century.”

In September 2009, a company submitted an application to MNR seeking approval to construct a mining camp and permanent airstrip 18 km west of McFauld’s Lake. The proponent sought permission to develop 81 hectares of Crown land to build an 1,830-metre airstrip, four helicopter pads, a fuelling area, storage facilities and staff accommodations. The key approvals process for this proposed project is the Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) for MNR Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects. Under this approvals process, the proposal was evaluated as a “category B” project in which there is the “potential for low to medium negative environmental effects, and/or public or agency concern.”

Several days after the Class EA process began, MNR staff flew over the site to inspect it. To their surprise, the proponent had already cleared the forest and constructed the mining work camp and airstrip, which appeared to be in active use. MNR halted the Class EA process and issued a warrant under the Public Lands Act to stop the unauthorized occupation and use of Crown land. MNR then began investigating whether any other laws had been broken.

Part Five of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Annual Report 2009/2010 – Modernizing Mining in Ontario

February 11, 2011September 24, 2010

For the entire annual report go to the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario website: Redefining Conservation: Annual Report 2009/2010

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

2010 Amendments to the Mining Act

From Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) Issues

In the 1800s, miners used picks and shovels to find and extract minerals. Embarking out into the wilderness of Ontario, prospectors had “free entry” to access any land that contained Crown-owned minerals. They could stake their claims with wooden posts and acquire mineral leases with no need to consider the interests of property owners or the public. This right of free entry was a fundamental feature of Ontario’s first mining laws and was designed to promote mining activity, create wealth in the province and encourage the settlement of the northern lands.

Much has changed in Ontario since the Mining Act (the “Act”) was enacted in 1869. First, there are many more recognized uses for Ontario’s land than mining. Second, early mines were generally small in scale with a relatively small ecological footprint; modern day mining often involves large-scale and mechanized digging, drilling and blasting, with the potential to have significant environmental impacts. Finally, the public has grown more concerned about our natural environment and the impacts of human activities, expecting environmental risks to be mitigated and mining lands restored.

Although the Mining Act and the concept of free entry may have worked in the 19th century, it is clearly at odds with 21st century land uses and values. Free entry assumes that mineral development is appropriate almost everywhere and that it is the “best” use of Crown land in almost all circumstances, giving mining priority over forestry, commercial development, recreation and tourism, the interests of Aboriginal communities, and the conservation of ecologically significant species and landscape features.

Lack of Mining Oversight Jeopardizes the Far North – Environmental Commissioner of Ontario News Release

September 23, 2010

Toronto, 22 September 2010 – The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario says mining service companies are using claim staking, exploration, and related activities to circumvent the government’s promise to protect half the boreal forest in the Far North. In his 2009/2010 annual report released today, Gord Miller says this is putting the fragile environment of northern Ontario at risk.

Last year, two lines of mining claims hundreds of kilometres long were staked by mining exploration companies to accommodate future rail access leading out of the Ring of Fire, an area known to contain gold, diamonds and potentially the largest source of chromite in North America. “Using mining claims to cut rail lines across a giant swath of the boreal forest nullifies any reasonable discussion about how to plan the protection and the development of northern Ontario,” says Miller.

“Furthermore, the government’s silence on this staking implies that it approves this as appropriate under the Mining Act and its proposed Far North Act.”

The report also found that ineffective government oversight allowed service companies to illegally construct a mining camp and airstrips without approval.

Balance in Far North Bill – Toronto Star September 19, 2010 Editorial Comment on McGuinty Liberal’s “Far North Bill”

February 11, 2011September 23, 2010

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on Canada’s federal and provincial politics as well as shaping public opinion. This editorial was originally published on September 19, 2010.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Beyond romantic notions of caribou running wild across endless tundra, most Ontarians know very little about the northernmost 40 per cent of our province.

Much of the land is barren and beautiful, but it is also facing increasing pressure for development; logging, mining and power companies all see great potential there. The First Nations, who have long called the region home, need a say in determining the future of the land and an assurance that they will benefit economically from its development.

The province, on the other hand, needs to balance these interests with environmental protections for the northern boreal region, a globally significant ecosystem. The provincial government’s Far North Act, Bill 191, would achieve that balance.

So it is unfortunate that the chiefs of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) territory are threatening that there will be “no peace on the land” if the government passes the bill in the coming days.

McGuinty Headed for a Northern [Ontario] Showdown – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun-September 16, 2010)

April 6, 2011September 23, 2010

Christina Blizzard is the Queen’s Park columnist for the Toronto Sun, the city’s daily tabloid newspaper.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

The Liberals’ Far North Act will kill the ‘economic equivalent of another Sudbury’

When mayors, chambers of commerce and aboriginal groups from across the north all converge on Queen’s Park, you know there’s trouble brewing.

That happened Wednesday, as anger over the government’s Far North Act boiled over from the wide landscapes of the north, its boreal forests and mines to the manicured southern lawns of Queen’s Park.

New Democrat Gilles Bisson stormed out of a committee hearing on Bill 191, calling the process a “sham.” He’d asked that the bill not be called for third reading and the government go back to the drawing board.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy, usually a moderate, angrily declared aboriginal people will take “direct action” to protect their rights.

“We will do whatever is necessary to protect our interests, and if that calls for direct action, that’s what’s going to take place,” Beardy said.

Liberals should rethink the [Ontario’s] Far North Act – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun-August 19, 2010)

April 6, 2011September 23, 2010

Christina Blizzard is the Queen’s Park columnist for the Toronto Sun, the city’s daily tabloid newspaper.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Northerners don’t expect government hand-outs, or intrusive legislation from a remote provincial government in the south

The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. Similarly, it seems the highway to God’s country ends in a dead-end created by well-meaning but wrong-headed do-gooders.

Northern Ontario has spectacular landscapes, vast mineral riches, untold tourism potential and resilient, self-reliant folk.

While northerners don’t expect government hand-outs, they also don’t expect intrusive legislation from a remote provincial government in the south.

Yet that’s what’s happening with the Far North Act, which would put half the land north of the 51st parallel out of bounds for development. Worse, the government hasn’t said which 50% of land is off the table.
That uncertainty means mining companies are thinking twice before they invest in the north.

Canada’s Business News Network (BNN) Profiles the World-Class Sudbury Mining Basin – Stan Sudol

June 10, 2015September 22, 2010

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant, who writes extensively about mining issues.(stan.sudol@republicofmining.com) Toronto-based Business News Network (BNN) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel owned by CTVglobalmedia. BNN airs business and financial programming and analysis. You can’t go anywhere in Toronto’s financial district without seeing BNN broadcasting on television screens. On September 17, 2010, …

Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) Receives $1 Million to Support Labour Market Research – by Ryan Montpellier

September 20, 2010

Ryan Montpellier is the Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)

On September the 17th, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, announced funding of $1 million to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) in support of mining-related labour market information (LMI), under the Council’s Mining Workforce Information Network (MIWIN) project. The funding will be used to build a counter cyclical strategy for industry, enhance supply side information and establish a mining LMI centre of excellence, all requested by industry.

Launched in 2007, MIWIN now provides accurate and timely labour-market information to the mining industry and its stakeholders. This entails forecasting future hiring requirements in the sector, by occupation and region, based on a number of factors including productivity, turnover, retirement rates and fluctuations in commodity prices — the largest driver of employment in the sector.

The Canadian mining industry faces several labour market challenges and tens of thousands of skilled positions must be filled in the next decade to keep the industry robust. Despite impressive increases in the participation of various demographic groups (e.g., Aboriginal peoples, women and new Canadians), employers are still faced with an aging workforce and a looming labour shortage.

Russian Hydrology Student Particpates in De Beers Peatlands Reseach at Northern Ontario Diamond Mine

November 5, 2015September 15, 2010

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.

Russian graduate student Yulia Orlova hopes to take lessons she is learning about muskeg at De Beers Canada’s Victor Mine home to better understand the dynamics of Siberian peatlands. She came to Canada last year and started her Masters in Geography at the University of Toronto. Ms. Orlova is researching the impact of mine dewatering and mercury in peatlands under the direction of U of T professor Brian Branfireun. This is one of the major research projects De Beers Canada’s Victor Mine is helping to sponsor.

The 26 year old native of St. Petersburg graduated from St. Petersburg State University with a degree in hydrology. She worked for three years both for the Russian government and a non-governmental environmental agency before continuing her studies in Canada.

“There is expertise in Canada on peatlands and funding support and there were more opportunities to do research in my area.” – Russian Hydrology Student Yulia Orlova

“I wanted to come to Canada to study here,” said Ms. Orlova. “There is expertise in Canada on peatlands and funding support and there were more opportunities to do research in my area.” To complete her thesis on the hydrology of the James Bay lowlands, she collects and tests water samples from streams around the mine site and carries out analysis of the results and examines water chemistry.

Along with the academic component of her studies, Ms. Orlova, like all students and professors on the Victor site, is regularly engaged in safety training and orientation sessions.