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Safety first at Xstrata – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 24, 2011)

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

Xstrata Nickel made the decision Monday to halt production in Sudbury and take what it calls safety pauses at two mines to reverse an increasing injury rate at the operations.

Marc Boissoneault, vice-president of Xstrata Nickel’s Sudbury operations, said the decision to send home employees at Fraser and Nickel Rim South mines was “abrupt,” but it was necessary to uphold his company’s first value — health and safety above all.

Production and maintenance workers at Fraser Mine were sent home Monday and workers at Nickel Rim South had a four-hour talk on safety before they were sent home.

The union representing the workers, Mine Mill Local 598/C AW, said Tuesday its members were concerned because they didn’t know how long they would be off work or if they would be paid for scheduled shifts they didn’t work.

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The Honourable Joe Oliver, P.C., M.P. – Minister of Natural Resources Mining Day Speech (Ottawa, Canada – November 22, 2011)

This speech was given by the Honourable Joe Oliver, P.C., M.P. – Minister of Natural Resources to the Mining Day on the Hill Luncheon, Economic Council of Canada and Mining Association of Canada

Check against delivery

“For example, the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario is an
emerging mining region, where 26 exploration companies
have mineral claims covering almost 500,000 hectares.  
Analysts estimate that there are $50 billion in qualified
resources for chromite and $10 billion for base-metal
and platinum group metal deposits.” (Honourable Joe Oliver –
Canadian Minister of Natural Resources)
 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by thanking the Mining Association of Canada and the Economic Council of Canada for the invitation to speak with you today.
 
I also want to congratulate the Mining Association and its members for organizing this event. It’s a great occasion to recognize just how much this industry contributes to our prosperity — and why it’s important we all work together to make sure this sector continues to succeed.
 
As you know, I recently returned from a week-long trip to Japan and China. My main objective was to help broaden and deepen Canada’s trade and investment relationship in two of the world’s largest economies.
 
In meetings with senior political and business leaders, I promoted Canada’s potential for investment, exploration and development, and the opportunities for Canadian mining companies to do business in the Asia-Pacific.

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WEBEQUIE FIRST NATION (WFN) POSITION PAPER [Ring of Fire] – November 23, 2011

COMMUNITY POSITION STATEMENT

Webequie First Nation (WFN) re-affirms that it has a right to determine its own community-based processes, community-driven initiatives, and community-led negotiations with commercial entities as well as with the different levels of government as its relates to the traditional, historic, ancestral, and customary areas of Webequie First Nation. This right is supported by the Canadian legal framework, the WFN Consultation Protocol, the WFN Lands & Resource Policy, and WFN Members.

It is well known that any project activities within a First Nation’s traditional area will require direct engagement and consultation with that First Nation
community. The following quotes from Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Matawa reinforce this point:

“It is the prerogative of the First Nation government to determine their consultation processes and the Crown should be responsive to the process requirements of the First Nation”(1)

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NEWS RELEASE: Webequie First Nation Reaffirms Community Rights in Ring of Fire

Thunder Bay, ON, November 23, 2011 – The Chief and Council of Webequie First Nation is reaffirming its community rights and local autonomy with respect to decision-making processes in the Ring of Fire.

Today, Webequie First Nation released two independent documents; a Community Position Paper and a Consultation and Accommodation Protocol, which both clarify and outline for industry, government and the public that the membership of Webequie First Nation will determine their own community-led negotiated process as it relates to the traditional, historic, ancestral, and customary areas of Webequie First Nation.

Chief Cornelius Wabasse of Webequie First Nation says; “Following recent reports in the media and consequent enquiries, Webequie First Nation would like to remind all those who wish to work with our First Nation and, particularly commercial entities, that they must have direct engagement and consultation with our First Nation before and above any other agency.

We, the Webequie First Nation people, are the primary contact and exclusive decision-makers for our community, not any third party or external organization.” 

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Xstrata gives [Sudbury] workers a time out – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

Hundreds of employees at Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser and Nickel Rim South mines were sent home from the job Monday for what the company is calling a “short safety pause” after an increase in safety-related incidents at the two operations. Mine Mill Local 598/CAW president Richard Paquin said about 300 workers at Fraser Mine have been told to think about safety for an “indefinite” period of time while the company devises a plan to make the mine safer.

About 250 employees at Nickel Rim South were sent home Monday after sitting through a four-hour safety talk, he said. While Paquin said he has no problem with Xstrata wanting to draft a plan to make its workplaces safer, the question is whether members will be paid for the unexpected time off. Union and Xstrata officials began talking Monday night and spent all day Tuesday discussing the issue, said Paquin.

He was waiting to hear from Xstrata today about whether it intends to pay members or not. The union has sought legal advice on the matter. Xstrata spokeswoman Yonaniko (Iyo) Grenon issued a brief statement Tuesday afternoon in response to questions from The Sudbury Star prompted by calls to the paper from union members about being sent home.

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Clean air project sparks interest – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

A computer game called Minecraft, in which players place blocks to build anything you can imagine, has piqued the interest of a Grade 8 student who now wants to be a miner when he grows up.

Brian Lepage, 13, was part of a group of students from Copper Cliff Public School who attended the annual open house of Vale Ltd. at the Copper Cliff Club on Tuesday. Lepage said he has always been interested in minerals and mining so he loves the game and wants to have a career in the mining field.

He was excited about attending the mining giant’s community event. “I’ve found a couple of minerals myself,” said Lepage, “pyrite and silver or copper.” The teenager said he’s “one of those people” who wants to see how gold, nickel and other minerals are mined.

Lepage was among dozens of area residents expected to attend the open house. Last year’s open house attracted 150 visitors and Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson said the company was expecting more to attend this year.

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Cliffs wants to ship [chromite] to China – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

A plan to sell chromite concentrate from the Ring of Fire area to Asian refineries has raised concerns in Northern Ontario.

Cliffs Natural Resources, the company behind one of the Ring of Fire discoveries in northwestern Ontario, said it wants to meet a growing international demand by selling some of the partially processed chromite material, called concentrate, to refineries in China. This will not change its plans to build a smelter in Northern Ontario — possibly in Sudbury — which is a component of the company’s chromite project base case.

While the Ontario Mining Act states that ore mined in Ontario must be processed in Canada, Cliffs said the company will build a plant to process crude ore into concentrate, which officials believe will satisfy the mining law.

“We believe that concentrate is an established product in world markets and the material mined will have undergone significant value-added processing,” Pat Persico, the senior manager of global communications for Cliffs, said in an email.

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[Cliffs Natural Resources] Miner plans on shipping chromite to Asia – CBC News Canada (November 21, 2011)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Cliffs Natural Resources says sending concentrate to Asia will help make its Ring of Fire project more viable

Cliffs Natural Resources said it plans to send some of the chromite it mines in the Ring of Fire to refineries in Asia, despite the Ontario Mining Act stipulation that ore mined in the province must be processed in Canada.

Bill Boor, senior vice president with Cliffs, said the company will seek an exemption to the Act, if necessary.

He said the economic viability of the project depends on being able to sell chromite to world markets in different forms — both ferrochrome and concentrate. “Selling concentrate is … an acknowledged value-added product within the world market that’s already existing,” Boor said.

He added the company will process material at the mine site — upgrading the chromite ore to concentrate, and that most of what Cliffs mines will end up being refined at the ferrochrome smelter it plans to build in northern Ontario.

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Chromite competition [Thunder Bay/Greenstone] Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (November 18, 2011)

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

THUNDER BAY and Greenstone have both made their pitches to host the facility that will process chromite ore from the Ring of Fire, Ontario’s most promising mineral deposit in years. Both sent delegations Wednesday to the Cleveland offices of Cliffs Natural Resources, the key player, and both came away confident they’d made the case for this important development.

Both have benefits and drawbacks, and without knowing what went on in Cliffs’ boardroom it is impossible to ascertain who may now enjoy an edge. But Greenstone appears to have put more effort into selling itself. It hired former Ontario energy minister now consultant George Smitherman to bring his influence to bear. It is also working with a public relations company.

Greenstone issued an opinion piece to this newspaper timed to coincide with Cliffs’ open house in Thunder Bay Monday and the trip to Cleveland two days later. It made a compelling case involving proximity to the proposed ore transfer point and a regional energy grid which is the key to such a power-hungry development.

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Fighting for the [Ring of Fire] smelter – by Special to the Sudbury Star (Sudbury Star – November 18, 2011)

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

THUNDER BAY — Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins and Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs agree the ferrochrome processor that is to be part of the Ring of Fire development needs to be in northwestern Ontario, whether it is Thunder Bay or the Township of Greenstone.

Hobbs and Collins, along with other local leaders, returned to Thunder Bay on Wednesday following a trip to Cliffs Natural Resources headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, where they pitched Thunder Bay’s case as a potential site for the processor.

“The pitch was just that Thunder Bay may not be the base case, but it is the best case,” Hobbs said shortly after returning to the city. Sudbury is currently Cliff’s base case, but Hobbs said northwestern Ontario will only benefit if chosen as the site.

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The pitch is made [for Ring of Fire refinery] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (November 17, 2011)

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

Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins and Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs agree that the ferrochrome processor that is to be part of the Ring of Fire development needs to be in Northwestern Ontario, whether it is Thunder Bay or the Township of Greenstone.

Hobbs and Collins, along with other local leaders, returned to Thunder Bay on Wednesday following a trip to Cliffs Natural Resources headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, where they pitched Thunder Bay’s case as a potential site for the processor.

“The pitch was just that Thunder Bay may not be the base case, but it is the best case,” Hobbs said shortly after returning to the city. Sudbury is currently Cliff’s base case, but Hobbs said Northwestern Ontario will only benefit if chosen as the site. “There will be no benefit in this region if it goes to Sudbury,” he said.

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Development and delay [Ring of Fire/XL Oil Pipeline] Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (November 16, 2011)

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

TWO LARGE resource development proposals in this country highlight the difficulties in balancing economic opportunity with environmental protection. The addition of economic uncertainty and cultural considerations makes this balancing act even tougher.

Here in the Northwest, the proposal to develop the huge Ring of Fire chromite project is the subject of dispute over what form of environmental assessment is suitable. A comprehensive study of Cliffs Natural Resources’ proposal, by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, is already under way. First Nations in the James Bay Lowlands withdrew their support of the project when the federal government opted not to conduct a higher-level joint review panel EA.

Matawa First Nations claims the comprehensive study EA provides “no realistic opportunity for First Nations to participate.” It says the current process will fast track the EA process for government and Cliffs, but put First Nation communities and their lands at serious risk.

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Noront’s [Ring of Fire] mine proposal under microscope – by Northwest Bureau (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – November 16, 2011)

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

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is accepting public comments on the proposed Eagle’s Nest project in the Ring of Fire. Noront Resources Ltd. has proposed a base-metal mining project in the area, in the James Bay Lowlands.

The agency has prepared draft environmental impact statement guidelines that identify potential environmental effects to be addressed and information that needs to be included in the proponent’s statement.

The federal and provincial governments are co-ordinating their respective processes for the comprehensive environmental assessment of the project.

Noront is proposing an 11-year, 2,960-tonne-per-day, underground nickel-copper-platinum mine, to be located 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

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Cliffs outlines plans for [Sudbury Chromite] processing plant – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – November 16, 2011)

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

Sudbury wants a ferrochrome facility. This was made clear to Mayor Marianne Matichuk at the Cliffs Natural Resources open house in Capreol on Tuesday.

“Most of the people I’ve talked to are very positive. They’re just like, ‘When are they coming?’ People are open to having this in their community,” Matichuk said about a proposed ferrochrome production facility that may be built at the Mountain Moose Mine site outside of Capreol.

While the Greater Sudbury location is one of many possibilities, Cliffs has marked it as a base case for the project. Although community support is there, Matichuk is worried about how Ontario’s hydro rates may affect Sudbury’s chances of getting the plant.

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Quebec mining film festival will salute Ontario community leaders

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 second annual Mining Film Festival run by IDNR-TV will salute two Ontario mining community leaders and several Quebec officials to emphasize the mineral sector links and shared geology between Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec. This event is being held on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at the Cinema du Parc in Montreal. 

The festival’s aim is to act as a platform on which mining and natural resource industries can be viewed objectively and realistically and to raise awareness of one of Canada’s most important industries. Films will highlight major changes taking place in the sector, technological innovations and sustainable mining practices. 

Vic Power, who was Mayor of Timmins from 1980 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2006, will be presented with a tribute trophy for his positive influence on the growth and development of his city and region. Also, Tom Laughren, the current Mayor of Timmins, will receive a certificate of recognition. “IDNR-TV and Arcelor Mittal Canada Mines wish to acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by these regional leaders in building bridges and fostering cooperation between the francophone and anglophone communities that are central to the development of natural resources and the local mining industry.” 

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