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Ontario Mining

Mining is back on several fronts [Ring of Fire] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (February 14, 2010)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was originally published on February 14, 2010.

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

BUSINESS CYCLES tend to raise and lower the economies of the communities in and around which they operate. Stable business benefits everyone, but even that comes with surprises.

Forestry is an example of an industry with an impressive track record that came up short when the recession deflated demand for its products. A U.S. recovery will eventually raise demand for lumber, pulp and paper, but never again to the same degree. The Internet has seen to that. Still, forestry is evolving with new products, including biomass to fuel the green energy revolution. Value-added opportunities continue to abound, if only they will be developed by entrepreneurs, encouraged by government.

Government is notoriously slow to react to the prospect – even the signs of change and there is a series of recurring jokes about how many studies there are at one time that seek to broaden the economy of Northern Ontario.

While that process drags on, there are new glimmers of hope for the North even as forestry flounders. Mining has always been the other big northern lynch pin and its own down time is apparently on the verge of a very big upswing. Two of them, actually.

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Future may be here in a week [Ring of Fire] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (February 11, 2010)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was originally published on February 11, 2010.

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

IT WOULD be difficult to overstate the importance of the so-called Ring of Fire, a huge, horseshoe-shaped geological structure in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario. In just 30 months it has gone from a single drill hole to the probable jewel in the crown of a regional economic recovery.

The nearest communities to the ring of high-grade nickel-copper-platinum-palladium, chromite, vanadium and gold are the First Nations of Marten Falls and Webequie which are naturally angling to share the wealth. Much has been done to achieve that objective but lately, it appears the First Nations are not happy. An early partnership between Marten Falls and Noront Resources, the area’s key exploration company, for example, came apart this winter when the band council authorized members to block Noront planes from landing near their camps.

Everyone in Northern Ontario – most particularly First Nations anywhere near mineral deposits – must fervently hope that Marten Falls and Webequie don’t send companies packing from the Ring of Fire like another band further north did earlier. It cost Ontario taxpayers $5 million in company compensation, but the loss in this instance would be almost incalculable given the ring’s potential.

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Thunder Bay a link to ‘Heartlandia’ – by Livio Di Matteo (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This column was originally published on June 01, 2009.

Economics Matters

For much of its economic history, Thunder Bay’s lake head role made it a transshipment point and transportation node that enabled it to reap the benefits of east-west economic flows – in particular, the grain trade. Thunder Bay’s role as the gateway to the west is about to get an important boost given the continued economic growth in western Canada and particularly the central interior North American economic region of Heartlandia.

Heartlandia – comprising Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North and South Dakota and Minnesota – is a region at the cross roads of the North American continent and indeed the world.

Heartlandia covers 2.4 million square kilometres with a population of nearly 9 million people and a GDP of about US$405 billion. This economic region contains agricultural production activities, food processing, forestry, petroleum, potash, uranium, coal, mineral and hydroelectric resources as well as substantial manufacturing, research and service capacity.

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Quadra FNX is Focused on Copper – by Stan Sudol

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant, who writes extensively about mining issues.(stan.sudol@republicofmining.com)

Michael Winship is a familiar name in Northern Ontario’s hard-rock fraternity

“It’s all about copper at Quadra FNX,” chief operating officer Michael Winship told a packed audience at a lunch presentation hosted by the CIM Toronto branch January 20th.

The red metal, a key indicator of global economic strength, has soared over the past few months from a low of US$2.85/pound in July 2010 to around US$4.35 in January. (It hit an all time low of about US$1.25 in December 2008 during the last recession.)

Winship provided an overview of future investments that the newly merged company will be making in the next few years to take advantage of the booming demand for copper.

In March of 2010, Vancouver-based Quadra Mining Ltd. and Sudbury-based FNX Mining Company Inc. announced a friendly merger that combined Quadra’s open pit and metallurgical expertise and FNX’s underground mining and exploration prowess.

Quadra FNX operates three open pit copper mines in Nevada, Arizona and northern Chile, while its three underground mines, Podelsky, Levack and McCreedy West, are located in the northern range of the Sudbury Basin.

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Power costs must be addressed for Northern Ontario industries – by Brian MacLeod

Brian MacLeod is the managing editor for the Sudbury Star, the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. This column was published on February 10, 2011. bmacleod@thesudburystar.com

Duguid’s response to what could be an enormous long-term economic
boost for Northern Ontario is lukewarm by comparison.
(Brian MacLeod – Feb/18/2011)

The Ontario government had better not fiddle when it comes to dealing with Cliffs Natural Resources’ attempts to develop the Ring of Fire chromite deposit in Northern Ontario.

An opportunity lost now would resonate for decades.

The 5,100-square-kilometre tract of land, centred about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, is thought to contain one of the world’s largest deposits of chromite — a key ingredient in the production of stainless steel.

The economic potential is staggering, but there are major roadblocks that could diminish those benefits. As many as 500 people could be employed at the mine, up to 300 people in transportation and up to 500 jobs could be created at a chromite processing plant.

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For the North from the North [Leo Bernier – Emperor of the North] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (June 29, 2010)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was published on June 29, 2010.

LEO Bernier was a big man from a little town who emerged as the first home-grown northern politician to genuinely matter in Ontario government. A senior cabinet minister in the sturdy Tory government of Bill Davis, Bernier saw to it that Northern Ontario finally got noticed in provincial affairs. It is his lasting legacy and one that successive governments have maintained, if not always honoured in full.

First elected in 1966 to represent Kenora under John Robarts, he worked to equalize northern services and opportunities with southern standards, but never thought that he had to move south to accomplish it. Born in Sioux Lookout and raised largely in Ear Falls, he settled into Hudson, a town of 600 where the family business became its mainstay. It was there that he continued to live until his death Monday at 81.

Fittingly, Bernier entered politics after a succession of frustrating trips to Queen’s Park lobbying on behalf of his home town. “I always came back from Toronto downhearted,” he told The Chronicle-Journal for a look back at his career in 1999. “I saw the lack of concern and the lack of sympathy for the North.”

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Natural resources still hold potential – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (December 20, 2010)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was published on February 6, 2011.

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

EVEN as Thunder Bay and other Northwestern Ontario communities press ahead with knowledge-based industry initiatives there remain opportunities in traditional natural resources industries, but not all of them. Embracing high-tech knowledge business is essential to securing the future of northern communities.

Thunder Bay in particular is growing spectacularly in its health care research sector. Just as in other regional communities, with a number of its forest industries idled, new pursuits are essential to maintaining and growing the local economy.

A new study by the Conference Board of Canada confirms that the natural resources sector — and the industries that support it — provide the strongest potential for Northern Canada’s future economic development.

This report, Mapping the Economic Potential of Canada’s North, is one of a series of studies for the Centre for the North.

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Time for North [Ontario] to take control – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (February 6, 2011)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was published on February 6, 2011.

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

Provincial energy policy has punished the North with electricity prices that haven’t been able to match competing jurisdictions nearby. And yet, the North produces all of the electricity that it needs at a real price that is far lower than that which is being charged its industrial, business and residential users. (Thunder Bay Chronicle Editorial – Feb/06/2011)

THE TIME has never been better for Northern Ontario to take control of its own destiny. Discontent with provincial policy has rarely been stronger in the North which has been given a strong new hand to play in the form of major mining opportunities.

This region has shipped its resource riches and the bulk of their profits to southern Ontario and beyond for many decades, even as they provided the province with a major part of its revenue. One provincial government after another promised to facilitate value-added manufacturing of forest products but the logs and lumber, as well as much raw mine product, left here. Paper mills that did thrive are now mostly closed due in large part to provincial energy policy that helped to render them uncompetitive.

A slow provincial reallocation of forest resources is beginning to show some results, but the woods industry will never be what it was. The Northern Growth Plan remains to be written but from what is known about it so far, we should not expect a breakthrough in innovative thinking at Queen’s Park.

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Get the price of power down [Ring of Fire smelter] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (February 8, 2011)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario. This editorial was published on February 8, 2011.

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

THE MESSAGE could not be clearer, the opportunity greater nor the time shorter for the Thunder Bay area. Cliffs Natural Resources, the major player in the giant Ring of Fire chromite deposit far north of here, has all but told the provincial government that it will build an electric arc furnace to process an estimated 70 million tonnes of ore in Northern Ontario if it can afford the electricity.

“At current provincial power rates, there isn’t a location in Ontario that is economically viable for Cliffs to build the ferrochrome production facility,” the company’s ferroalloys president Bill Boor said last week.

The ferrochrome furnaces would need 300 megawatts of power and “only a few” places in Northern Ontario meet these requirements, however, Sudbury is representative of a “technically feasible site,” he added. That is, it has the power supply, mining history and allied business.

“Representative of a feasible site” is pretty open-ended, and encouraging for alternate sites.

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Toronto Stock Exchange is an international leader in the mining world

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.
 

While discussions on the proposed merger of the Toronto Stock Exchange with the London Stock Exchange continue, perhaps it is time to simply note the accomplishments of the TSX and its role as the leader in global mining sector capital markets. Economic and political merits and demerits of the planned transaction will be discussed in many quarters. Without weighing in on either side of the issue, let’s take a closer look at the TSX.

Today, the TSX and its venture exchange combine forces to be world leaders in mine financing. In the period from 1999 to 2009, the TSX and venture exchange (TSX-V) handled 80% of mine financings in the world and 36% of total equity capital raised globally in the mining sector. In 2009 alone, they accounted for 84% of world mine financings and 34% of total equity raised.

According to materials from the TSX website, as of December 31, 2010, 1,531 mining companies are listed in Toronto – more than any other stock exchange. In 2010, there were more new mining listings – 208 – in Toronto that on any other exchange. More than 200 industry market analysts cover TSX mining companies.

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[MiningWatch Canada Ring of Fire report] Power requirements a concern – by Carol Mulligan

Carol Mulligan is a reporter for the Sudbury Star, the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

For the MiningWatch Canada report written by Joan Kuyek, please click here: Economic Analysis of the Ring of Fire Chromite Mining Play

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

The author of an economic analysis on the Ring of Fire chromite deposits urges Ontarians to ask a couple of basic questions about the benefits of developing the resource.

What will it cost taxpayers of the province of Ontario for every job that is created? And, is the cost worth it?

Joan Kuyek wrote the report for MiningWatch Canada, a national non-profit organization that examines mining and its effects on communities. Formerly of Sudbury and now living in Ottawa, Kuyek was commissioned by MiningWatch to conduct a preliminary review of the economics of mining the rich chromite deposits in Northern Ontario.

In the opening paragraph of her 20-page report, Kuyek said there is no experience in chromite mining or ferrochrome production in Canada.

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Ontario’s mining sector safety performance continued to improve in 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.

Ontario’s mining industry continues to show steady progress in improving its safety performance.  According to provisional statistics released recently, Ontario’s mining sector’s lost time injury rate was 0.5 per 200,000 hours worked in 2010, compared with 0.6 in 2009.  This shows a 17% improvement and continued advancement in the goal of creating safer workplaces.

In 2010, the total employee hours worked in the mining industry was about 28.6 million by 16,200 employees.  The total medical aid frequency for mining in 2010 was 4.5 per 200,000 hours worked, compared with 5.8 in 2009 – a 22% improvement.

A more dramatic improvement was made by the industry in reducing the severity of incidents.  In 2010, lost work days per incident were 12, compared with 74 days in 2009 – an 84% improvement.

In 2009, mining was the second safest industry in Ontario behind education.  The average lost time injury rate for all sectors in 2009 was 1.3.  Mining was significantly better than the average and safer than sectors such as the electrical industry, pulp and paper, forestry, health care, construction, agriculture and transportation.

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Interesting Times in the Ring of Fire – James Murray (January 28, 2011)

Founded in 2006 by James Murray, NetNewsledger.com offers news, information, opinions and positive ideas for Thunder Bay, Ontario, and for Northwestern Ontario. This column was originally posted on January 28, 201.  newsroom@netnewsledger.com

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

THUNDER BAY – The news that there are issues over development brewing in the Ring of Fire should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the issue closely. Both the Matawa First Nations and the Nishanawbe Aski Nation have been sounding the alarm bell for months. It appears a wake-up call that the McGuinty government has simply hit the snooze button and rolled back to nap mode over.

Perhaps one of the realities are that politically, the McGuinty government has made the determination that there are more votes in ridings that may matter more to them than in the far north, as Toronto often sees our region?

The First Nations are likely more aware of the opportunities that the chromite in their traditional territory can represent, and realize that the potential bounty if allowed to be squandered will leave them ever further behind in a society that already has plenty of hurdles before their people.

Some of what appears to be happening, and likely missed by some is the degree of communications and new technology is allowing First Nations to share information with each other from across the region, the country and the world. That means instead of operating in a communications blackout that First Nations are aware of far more today than ever before.

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[Ring of Fire] Communications Issues Need To be Addressed for A Solid Future – by James Murray (February 5, 2011)

Founded in 2006 by James Murray, NetNewsledger.com offers news, information, opinions and positive ideas for Thunder Bay, Ontario, and for Northwestern Ontario. This column was originally posted on February 5, 2011. newsroom@netnewsledger.com

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

THUNDER BAY – The signals are all on the table for anyone willing to read them. First Nations in Northwestern Ontario are not prepared to accept lip service from the provincial government on the Ring of Fire. The issue is one that has been coming for sometime now, and has not been covered all that much in the main-stream media. Comments from Matawa First Nations leaders, and Nishinawbe Aski Nation leaders have ranged from frustration to anger. Already there is word of blockades on-going to stop activity related to mining exploration.

To quote a famous movie line from Cool Hand Luke – “What we have here is a failure to communicate”.

Now too be sure, no politician is likely to agree with that statement. There has been lots of talking going on, but for communication to happen, there must be both a sender and a receiver. It is looking more all the time that there is lots of talking, but not much listening. We have years of what appears to be lip service paid by Premier McGuinty. The Premier is likely damaging the ability of his Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry to actually achieve anything substantive. McGuinty has poisoned the well with years of happy promises that he has not delivered on.

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PDAC Mining Meeting Means Millions to Metro Toronto

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 Ontario Mining Association salutes fellow industry organization the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada for its upcoming annual international conference, which is projected to pump more than $45 million into Toronto’s local economy.  The PDAC, which started in 1932, will be holding its International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange from March 6 to 9, 2011 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).

Last year, this global event, which brings the world’s mining industry to Ontario’s capital, attracted a record 22,000 registered delegates.  More than 25% of the participants were international coming from 118 different countries.  At the trade show, 357 companies and governments occupied 608 booths and 584 companies participated in the investors’ exchange.

The PDAC reports that for this year, registrations are running well ahead of last year’s pace and downtown hotels have sold out faster.  Already, 10 major downtown hotels with room rates from $159 to $254 per night are posting no vacancy signs during the convention.  Delegates seeking accommodation are being forced to move further afield from the MTCC.

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