Ontario Mining – Page 315 – Republic of Mining

MININGWATCH NEWS RELEASE: What Kind of Environmental Assessment for Ontario’s “Ring of Fire”?

October 14, 2011

Oct 12, 2011

The “Ring of Fire” is an area of northern Ontario that has seen a rapid growth in mineral exploration and potential developments in recent years. Two projects, Cliffs’ chromite project and Noront’s copper-nickel project, have filed descriptions with federal authorities – the first step in initiating an environmental assessment. The proponents of the projects have also volunteered to have their projects designated under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (mining projects are not required to undergo an EA in Ontario).

Both projects are large and complex with massive infrastructure development, power supply, and processing facilities that are part of the proposed developments. The projects each propose a different permanent road corridor and a there is a third proposal for a railway.

The concerns about the proposed projects are many and include:

•The way that these first developments will open up the region to additional developments and the cumulative effects of these projects.
•Meeting infrastructure needs of remote First Nations communities;
•Providing meaningful economic development opportunities for First Nations; and northern communities;

NEWS RELEASE: Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund Helps Aboriginal Communities to Become “Mining Ready”

October 14, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund is a non-profit Aboriginal corporation providing loans, tools and business support services to Aboriginal entrepreneurs looking to start, expand or acquire a business in remote, rural and urban communities across Northern Ontario.

Mining Ready Summit: Preparing Aboriginal Communities for Mining-Related Business Opportunities www.miningready.com

Thunder Bay, ON, October 14, 2011– Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF) is proud to announce the first annual 2011 Mining Ready Summit in Timmins Ontario, on October 25 & October 26, 2011. The Summit will bring together Aboriginal businesses, community leaders, industry, government, contractors and mining related service providers, to help Aboriginal communities prepare for mining related business opportunities.

“As the situation stands today, there is clearly a missing link between Aboriginal businesses and industry. NADF wants to encourage new relationships to bridge these gaps. This can only be achieved by coming together to learn about each others respective goals and needs. The Mining Ready summit will ensure that both sides bring new knowledge, evidence, lessons learned and best practice into mining development talks,” says NADF Special Initiatives Advisor, Brian Davey.

Future glitters for [Timmins] Lake Shore Gold – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – October 14, 2011)

October 14, 2011

The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

Company set for major expansion of Timmins operations

Lake Shore Gold reported higher commercial production from its Timmins operations and is poised for a bright future.

The Timmins Chamber of Commerce hosted its Inside Their Business Luncheon Thursday at the Days Inn. Guest speaker Dan Gagnon, vice-president and general manager of Lake Shore Gold Corp, discussed key assests in the Timmins area, including the Timmins West Complex, the Bell Creek Mine and Bell Creek Mill.

“I’m grateful to talk about Lake Shore and our operations. I think we have a good story, and I’m always looking forward to sharing it with the community, because we are here to stay,” said Gagnon.

He reported higher commercial production from the company’s 100% owned Timmins Mine in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the first two quarters. Total gold poured year-to-date was more than 60,016 ounces, while gold sales in the third quarter totaled 16,570 ounces at an average price of US$1,726.

Public hearings lacking for Ring of Fire – CBC News Website (October 12, 2011)

October 12, 2011

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

Mining Watch Canada says ‘largely paper process’ shuts out public input

A spokesperson with Mining Watch Canada says the environmental assessment underway for the biggest project in the Ring of Fire will shut many people out. He’s alarmed that public hearings are not being held for Cliffs Natural Resources proposed chromite mine north of Thunder Bay.

“[It’s] largely a paper process of submitting written comments, reviewing documents and providing written feedback back and forth,” said Ramsey Hart, Mining Watch’s program co-ordinator.

He said he can’t understand why the government wouldn’t call public hearings into such a massive project — as it has for a new mine near Marathon.

Cliffs’ project includes the construction and operation of a chromite mine, an all-season road south from the mine to the rail line near Nakina and a smelter, which could be located near Sudbury.

Environmental assessment begins on Cliffs’ [Northern Ontario chromite] project – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – October 12, 2011)

October 12, 2011October 12, 2011

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. hcarmichael@thesudburystar.com

For the web’s largest database of articles on the Ring of Fire mining camp, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

A federal environmental assessment is underway for Cliffs Natural Resources’ Black Thor chromite deposit in the Ring of Fire area of northwestern Ontario.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has announced that based on information it has received, an environmental assessment is required. The project, the agency also said in a release, is subject to the environmental assessment requirements of the Ontario government.

Celine Legault, an agency spokeswoman in Ottawa, said Tuesday the assessment could take a year or more, depending on how long Cliffs takes to put together its own environmental impact study.

“We are calling it the Cliffs Chromite Project,” she said. “It will involve the construction, operation and commissioning of one open pit operation with a projected 30-year mine life.”

Republic of Mining.com – Stan Sudol CBC Radio Thunder Bay Ring of Fire Interview (October 11, 2011)

October 12, 2011October 11, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 CBC Radio – Thunder Bay Superior Morning radio host Lisa Laco: “Stan Sudol has his own ideas about how to develop the Ring of Fire. Sudol authors the blog Republic of Mining:” http://www.cbc.ca/superiormorning/episodes/2011/10/11/the-ring-of-fire/ This interview was the result of my “Mining Marshall Plan for Northern Ontario”. Click here to read: Mining Marshall …

NEWS RELEASE: NAN WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR A POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

October 12, 2011October 8, 2011

For the web’s largest database of articles on the Ring of Fire mining camp, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Friday October 7, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy congratulates Premier Dalton McGuinty and will continue to strive for a positive working relationship with the returning official government of Ontario and bring forward the issues affecting the people of Nishnawbe Aski.

“NAN is mandated to work with all political parties and all levels and therefore we will continue to push for meaningful dialogue with the elected officials of Ontario,” said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy.

Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals managed to secure a third straight mandate, but fell just shy of a third straight majority. The Liberals had won 53 ridings, one short of the 54 needed for a majority. The Liberals had captured 37.6 per cent of the popular vote, with the Progressive Conservatives close behind at 35.4 per cent. NDP support was at 22.7 per cent.

Minority may mean Northern [Ontario] voice will be heard – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 8, 2011)

October 8, 2011October 8, 2011

The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

A minority Parliament might just be what it takes for the North to be heard in Queen’s Park, said Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren following Thursday’s provincial election which saw the Liberals win government for a third time.

“In a perfect world I would love to see the three parties roll up their sleeves and work together on the issues facing the North,” Laughren said. “That’s why people elect minority Parliaments, not because we want another election in 18 months time.”

While Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals were short only one seat from achieving an historic third-consecutive majority, Laughren is pinning his hopes that on issues facing the North, that the deciding vote incorporates a Northern voice.

“In many cases, Northern leaders have been going to all kinds of different sessions related to mining, endangered species and land use, and talking about the challenges and in many instances it does not appear that we’re being listened to,” Laughren told The Daily Press.

Court dismisses Inco [Port Colborne] lawsuit – by Christine Dobby (National Post – October 8, 2011)

October 8, 2011

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

The Ontario Court of Appeal has dismissed an environmental class-action lawsuit and reversed an award of $36-million to a group of Port Colborne residents who claim their property values took a hit because of emissions from a nearby Inco Ltd. refinery.

In a decision released Friday, a three-member panel of the court unanimously ruled that the plaintiffs did not prove that Inco was liable to them. Even if they had succeeded on that front, the court said, the plaintiffs failed to show any actual loss to Port Colborne’s property appreciation rates.

On top of throwing out the claims, the court ordered the plaintiffs to pay $100,000 in costs to Inco.

In one of the first class-action lawsuits to go to trial, Judge Joseph Henderson of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 6, 2010, ordered Inco to pay three subgroups of plaintiffs a total of $36-million in damages.

Now owned by Vale Canada Ltd., Inco operated a nickel refinery in the small town on the north shore of Lake Erie from 1918 to 1984.

Election Eve: Looking Ahead at Post-Election Northern Ontario – by Livio Di Matteo (October 4, 2011)

October 5, 2011

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

The time has comes to take stock of the implications for the North of the potential outcomes of the October 6th provincial election. According to the polls, it is a close race and the possibility of a minority government is high. At the same time, polls do not always fully predict the outcome and much depends on the concentration of party support across the various ridings, as well as the actual voter turnout. What can we expect the morning after?

Whatever party forms the government, expect to see the donning of sackcloth and ashes as it suddenly becomes apparent that the economy is on the verge of recession, the stock markets have dropped 20 percent and the province’s coffers are bare as a result of a massive deficit. All those rosy revenue forecasts that were going to see the budget balanced by 2017 will now go out the window. Expect to see announcements of government expenditure cuts, freezes and restructuring as well as the discussion of temporary “revenue enhancements.” A Liberal or NDP backed government will likely favor revenue enhancements over expenditure cuts while a Conservative government is more likely to favor cuts or restructuring.

Should the Liberals win another majority, it will be interpreted as a vindication for their program of policies, especially their job creation strategy focused on Green Energy. As for the North, it means the Far North Act will stay in place. For the North, a Liberal majority win will put it in an odd situation.

Rails to the Ring of Fire – Stan Sudol (Toronto Star – May 30, 2011)

September 5, 2016October 5, 2011

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

For the web’s largest database of articles on the Ring of Fire mining camp, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

“The Ring of Fire railroad should be subsidized by
governments as the huge economic impact will benefit
the economy for decades to come, help balance budgets
and alleviate aboriginal poverty in the surrounding
First Nations communities.” (Stan Sudol)

Notwithstanding the recent correction in commodity prices, near-record highs for gold, silver and a host of base metals essential for industry confirm that the commodity “supercycle” is back and with a vengeance.

China, India, Brazil and many other developing economies are continuing their rapid pace of growth. In 2010, China overtook Japan to become the world’s second largest economy and surpassed the United States to become the biggest producer of cars.

In March, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney remarked: “Commodity markets are in the midst of a supercycle. . . . Rapid urbanization underpins this growth. . . . Even though history teaches that all booms are finite, this one could go on for some time.”

Quebec’s visionary 25-year “Plan Nord” will see billions invested in northern resource development and infrastructure to take advantage of the tsunami in global metal demand and generate much needed revenue for government programs.

In Ontario, the isolated Ring of Fire mining camp in the James Bay lowlands is one of the most exciting and possibly the richest new Canadian mineral discovery in more than a generation. It has been compared with both the Sudbury Basin and the Abitibi Greenstone belt that includes Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Noranda and Val d’Or.

[Sudbury-based research organization] CEMI takes a new approach to mining innovation – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – September, 2011)

October 4, 2011

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.

Holistic mining

It sounds more like a reference to a new-age healing trend, but a novel approach to mining that will focus on holistic practices is poised to put Sudbury’s Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) on course to change the face of the industry.

In July, CEMI received $823,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC) to instate a Research Chair for Holistic Mining Practices, vice-president Douglas Morrison, whose scope of work will include the expansion of research opportunities and attraction of innovation in mining.

It’s holistic because the research and innovation opportunities will encompass a greater spectrum of considerations than the technical aspect of mining, explained CEMI president and CEO Peter Kaiser.

“You can’t think anymore just technical, little gadgets. You can’t just think of cost reduction. You need to think safety, environmental, permits, Native issues,” Kaiser said. “If you want to succeed, it’s no more just a technical problem and ‘How do I bring a ton of ore out of the ground.’ You need a more holistic approach.”

MINING WATCH NEWS RELEASE: Northern Ontario First Nation Calls On McGuinty to Stop Mining Activity on Sacred Burial Sites

October 3, 2011

For more information go to: www.kitchenuhmaykoosib.com/landsandenvironment/

Sep 27, 2011

Source: Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation

Ontario’s inaction violates freedom of religion; threatens to spark new conflict

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) — KI Chief Donny Morris is urgently calling on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to intervene to stop mining exploration activity on a sacred KI ancestral burial site. Mining exploration company God’s Lake Resources has staked new claims in violation of KI’s well publicized moratorium and has worked the site in spite of being informed that multiple sacred KI graves are within the claim area. Government officials say that they are powerless to stop God’s Lake from working their claims in spite of KI’s Indigenous Title, Rights, and sensitive spiritual connection to the area. This growing conflict closely mirrors the events that led to the jailing of Chief Morris and five other KI leaders in 2008 for refusing to allow platinum mining exploration on their homeland.

“Our ancestors deserve a place where they can rest undisturbed. People everywhere understand that cemeteries are sacred places. But in Sherman Lake, they want to put a gold mine on one,” said Chief Morris.

Can’t wait forever (New KI mining conflict) – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (October 2, 2011)

October 3, 2011

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

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation has a reputation for making demands. But what does it want?

KI, formerly called Big Trout Lake, insists it wants to share in a resurgent mining boom in the Far North, but on its own terms. So far, those terms remain elusive.

Miners and First Nations need to negotiate terms acceptable to both, with oversight by the province which is responsible for mining and Crown land. Such talks have led to several successful partnerships here in the North but other relations are strained or broken.

KI forced mining exploration company Platinex to cease operations 60 kilometres from the community over allegations the band had not been properly consulted or respected concerning its traditional territory. In 2009 the province agreed to pay $5 million to Platinex to give up its mining claims. The signal to the mining industry was clear; the loss of jobs and revenue to KI, incalculable.