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Ontario Mining

Doug Ford says this mining region is a top priority. Ottawa doesn’t necessarily agree – by Alex Ballingall, Tonda MacCharles and Kristin Rushowy (Toronto Star – July 12, 2023)

https://www.thestar.com/

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

OTTAWA—Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

It’s the latest sign the Trudeau government isn’t yet convinced the region in the province’s vast, environmentally sensitive northern peatlands is the best place for new mining, even as it tries to make Canada an international powerhouse in critical minerals needed to power the global shift to a greener, low-carbon economy.

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Nyabeze appointed MICA network director – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 11, 2023)

https://www.sudbury.com/

Chamirai (Charles) Nyabeze is well-known for his role as vice-president of Business Development and Commercialization with the Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation

Well-known Sudbury mining industry executive Chamirai (Charles) Nyabeze has been appointed as Network Director for the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator Network (MICA).

Nyabeze’s new role was announced on June 22 and officially commenced on July 6, said a news release from MICA. The appointment comes with the full support of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), where Chamirai has been a member for the past 11 years, the release continued.

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The EV battery gold rush is here. Here’s how Canada can access its untapped resources. – by Virginia Heffernan (MACLEAN’S Magazine – July 10, 2023)

https://macleans.ca/

“If Canada can find a way to sustainably mine and supply metals to EV manufacturing hubs in North America, the country will be spinning green gold”

Canada’s EV sector is booming. In 2022, GM Canada opened the country’s first full-scale EV manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The federal government is offering billions of dollars in subsidies to Volkswagen and Stellantis to build EV battery plants in the province.

More than 86,000 EVs were registered in Canada in 2021, compared to around 19,000 in 2017. Battery charging infrastructure is improving rapidly too: Telus and the Australian EV company Jolt announced plans to build 5,000 charging stations in five years across Canada.

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‘Shovels in the ground faster’: Frustrated by long delays, Doug Ford plans to push other premiers to support better co-ordination with Ottawa for big infrastructure projects – by Kristin Rushowy (Toronto Star – July 10, 2023)

https://www.thestar.com/

Frustrated in particular by the decade-plus of delays to the Ring of Fire critical mineral project in northern Ontario Ford is hoping to get the country’s 12 other provincial and territorial leaders on side at the Council of the Federation.

Ottawa needs to work with provinces so that big infrastructure projects can get going faster, says Premier Doug Ford in what will be his main push as he heads to the annual summer meeting of provincial and territorial leaders.

Frustrated in particular by the decade-plus of delays to the Ring of Fire critical mineral project in northern Ontario — as well as slowdowns on others in dealing with two levels of government — Ford is hoping to get the country’s 12 other provincial and territorial leaders on side at the Council of the Federation, which runs Monday to Wednesday in Winnipeg.

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Battles brewing as Ontario, Canada push Ring of Fire mining to boost EV plan – by Colin D’Mello & Isaac Callan (Global News – July 8, 2023)

https://globalnews.ca/

The lawyer representing a number of First Nations communities opposed to the Ford government’s plans for the Ring of Fire is cautioning that the province’s long-term electric vehicle battery manufacturing strategy might be a “fool’s errand.”

Premier Doug Ford agreed to enter into a pact with the federal government to offer hefty subsidies to companies that choose to build lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles in Ontario, seen as the next frontier in the province’s auto manufacturing strategy. Both governments have poured billions into packages to tempt car makers to set up in the province.

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Highest of honours for Sudbury’s Leo Gerard – by Staff (Sudbury Star – June 30, 2023)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Governor General Mary Simon names union leader a Companion of the Order of Canada

Leo W. Gerard, the Sudbury miner who went on to lead the United Steelworkers union, has received this country’s highest civilian honour – Companion of the Order of Canada.

Governor General Mary Simon, who bestows the Order of Canada, said in a release that Gerard is being recognized “for his vast and influential work in labour advocacy, notably as the seventh International President of the United Steelworkers union.”

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Let’s Not Forget the Extraordinary, World-Class Chromite Deposits in Ontario’s Ring of Fire – by Frank Smeenk (Originally Posted on June 18, 2020)

With practically all of the attention in the Ring of Fire focused on nickel and copper, I thought it might be important to repost Mr. Smeenk’s excellent column on the globally significant chromite resources in this extraordinary mining camp. Roughly half of chromite production is mined in South Africa which is becoming more politically unstable with electricity shortages and rail transportation problems becoming more frequent. The importance of reshoring manufacturing to North America as well as developing more critical mineral mining makes Mr. Smeenk’s column very timely. – Stan Sudol

Frank Smeenk is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KWG Resources Inc.

HOW MUCH BALONEY IS IN THE RING OF FIRE SANDWICH?

Stainless steel is approximately 18% chrome and 8% nickel with iron constituting most of the remaining 74%. A decade ago, the private Chinese enterprise Tsingshan Group, started to establish facilities in Indonesia to produce large quantities of nickel pig iron to make stainless steel there by adding ferrochrome melt made with coal-generated electricity.

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Former Sudbury mining leader is back on board with Vale – by Len Gillis (Sudbury.com – July 7, 2023)

https://www.sudbury.com/

The appointment of Mark Cutifani as chair of the newly formed Energy Transition Metals Board with Vale Base Metals takes effect this month

A well-known former Sudbury mining executive is back in the news and is taking on a new role as chair of the newly formed Energy Transition Metals Board with Vale Base Metals, which calls itself one of the world’s largest producers of responsibly-sourced nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals.

Mark Cutifani was previously chief operating officer (COO) at CVRD Inco, but he left Sudbury in 2007 to become chief executive officer (CEO) of AngloGold Ashanti, and then became CEO of mining giant Anglo American, one of the largest mining companies on the planet.

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The Drift: Smaller is greener and cheaper for Sturgeon Falls-area palladium mine developer – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 5, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

New Age Metals rolls out revised economic assessment for its River Valley PGM project

The company that once hawked its River Valley project, east of Sudbury, as the “largest undeveloped primary PGM resource in North America” has come back with a revised mine plan.

Inflation and a number of other uncertainties forced New Age Metals to go back to the drawing board last spring to sketch out new plans for a potential platinum group metals mine in the West Nipissing-Sturgeon Falls area.

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Ontario starts pre-development work for new, large-scale nuclear plant – by Allison Jones (Toronto Star/Canadian Press – July 5, 2023)

https://www.thestar.com/

TORONTO – Ontario is looking to build the first new, large-scale nuclear plant in more than 30 years in order to meet the province’s growing electricity demands. Energy Minister Todd Smith announced Wednesday that the government is looking at a new plant to generate up to 4,800 megawatts — enough to power 4.8 million homes — on the site of Bruce Power’s current generating station on the shore of Lake Huron in Tiverton, Ont.

Bruce Power will now start community consultations and conduct an environmental assessment for federal approval to determine the feasibility of another nuclear plant.

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Mining the Northwest: How Northern Ontario’s first lithium mine and refinery project could come together – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 4, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Avalon Advanced Materials gets back on the hop in striking partnership deals, expediting government approvals to feed the electric vehicle industry

Zeeshan Syed claims Avalon Advanced Materials is out to create a “catalytic event” in selecting a site in Thunder Bay to place Ontario’s first proposed lithium processing refinery. After years of much talk and little action, the Toronto-based junior miner took a great leap forward in June with the announcement that a former forest products mill site in the city’s north end is the spot for a lithium hydroxide conversion plant.

Avalon also introduced a joint venture partnership with Antwerp-headquartered Sibelco, a deal that brings $63-million to the table to bring Separation Rapids, its Kenora-area lithium deposit, into production by late 2025, early 2026.

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Workers in construction, mining most impacted by opioid-related harm: research – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – June 30, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Findings are part of the ongoing research of Opioid-related Harms Among Ontario Workers study

Previously injured workers in sectors including construction, mining and forestry are more likely to end up in the emergency room or to be hospitalized due to opioid-related harm than workers in other sectors in Ontario.

That’s according to findings from Opioid-related Harms Among Ontario Workers, an ongoing research project being conducted by the Institute for Work & Health and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre.

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Treaty 9 Nations press ahead with lawsuit on mine development – by Staff (Timmins Today – June 24, 2023)

https://www.timminstoday.com/

Communities want “dual decision-making regime” established to govern traditional territories

Northern Ontario Business – Attempts by government to expedite mining-related development in the Ring of Fire have prompted a lawsuit against the Crown by 10 First Nations in northwestern Ontario and the Far North.

After threatening legal action last April, a coalition of Indigenous communities in the Treaty 9 territory will challenge, what they claim is, “unilateral decision-making” by Canada and Ontario to spur development with their consent on their traditional territories in the James Bay region.

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OPINION: The Ontario treaty deal is a game-changer for Indigenous rights – by Ken Coates (Globe and Mail – June 23, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ken Coates is a distinguished fellow and director of Indigenous affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

The $10-billion settlement announced this week between the Robinson-Huron First Nations, Ontario and the federal government signals a tectonic shift in Indigenous-government relations that extends far beyond the large sum awarded in this specific case.

The financial settlement, compensating First Nations in northern Ontario for more than a century of being denied a just portion of revenues generated by development on traditional lands, is a major precedent that will be useful to Indigenous peoples in western Canada.

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Vale Sudbury opens door on its high-tech operations centre – by Len Gillis (Northern Ontario Business – June 22, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Hundreds of residents attend open house to see what the future holds for Sudbury’s largest mining company

Hundreds of Sudbury residents got a close-up look June 20 at how the largest mining and refining company in Sudbury is moving forward with new technology. The event was the annual Vale community open house, an event that had been cancelled for a couple of years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The venue was Vale’s North Atlantic operations headquarters building in Copper Cliff, also known as the former engineering building.

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