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Ontario Mining

Exclusive: Tesla looking at “opportunities for industrial facility, mineral extraction” in Ontario – by Emma Jarratt (Electric Autonomy – May 1, 2023)

https://electricautonomy.ca/

Tesla gives more hints about the nature of its plans for a Canadian facility in new lobbyist registry documents filed last month, Electric Autonomy exclusively reveals

Tesla is seeking “opportunities for industrial facility, mineral extraction” in Ontario, per new documents filed with the Ontario government, Electric Autonomy can report.

The lobbyist registry, updated in April, indicates that the mineral-hungry automaker is interested in taking more control over its electric vehicle battery supply chain and Ontario is a preferred location.

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Changes to Mining Act expose cracks in Ontario’s duty to consult with First Nations – by Aya Dufour (CBC News Sudbury – April 27, 2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Ministry of Mines says it engaged with First Nations after Bill 71 was introduced

A First Nation chief was sitting at his desk when he received an email from the Ministry of Mines informing him that the government was working to amend the Mining Act. This was the first he was hearing of Bill 71.

Craig Nootchtai represents the community of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, near Sudbury, Ont. The email explained that, if it passes, the Building More Mines Act will bring changes to mine closure planning, to the recovery of minerals from mining waste and to staffing positions within the ministry.

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We all know Canada has natural resources. So what are we doing with them? – by Matt Gurney (TVO Today – April 27, 2023)

https://www.tvo.org/

OPINION: Justin Trudeau promises we are a nation that can be a good trading partner and provide raw materials. We’ve heard that one before

The prime minister is in New York City on Thursday, touting Canada as a reliable trade partner and, specifically, as a source for raw materials, including minerals and other precious metals that are essential to building out a clean economy.

There is also a lot of pressure on the Western allies to “friendshore” their critical national-security supply chains in an era of renewed great-power competition and armed conflict. You can see why Canada — rich in resources, far from invading armies — is a natural country to step up and meet the needs of our allies while growing our own prosperity at home.

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First Nations suing provincial, federal governments over broken treaty promises – by Aidan Chamandy (Northern Ontario Business – April 27, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Once a 60-day notice period is up, the claimants may seek injunctions against resource extraction projects

Several First Nations launched a lawsuit against the federal and provincial governments that could have massive implications for the future of resource extraction and Crown-Indigenous relations in Ontario and Canada.

The 10 First Nations are all from Treaty 9 territory, also known as the James Bay territory, which covers a huge swath of Ontario from Timmins north to Hudson’s Bay and west to northern parts of the Manitoba border. They’re looking to end the government’s “unilateral jurisdiction and decision-making control” throughout the region, according to a statement by the law firm Woodward and Company.

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Ministerial visit highlights mining investments, and tensions – by Ian Kaufman (Northern Ontario Business – April 24, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A visit to Thunder Bay by Ontario’s finance and mining ministers highlighted new mining investments, but also demonstrated serious concerns over inadequate consultation from some First Nations

THUNDER BAY — Two high-profile provincial ministers visited Thunder Bay last week, promoting new dollars included in the Ford government’s 2023 budget meant to support mining exploration and development.

The visit also highlighted recent tensions with some First Nations leaders over the government’s approach to mining, with a representative of Gull Bay First Nation speaking out at a press conference on the community’s concerns over new mining exploration in its traditional territory.

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Ontario First Nations launch suit against province, feds over decision-making powers – by Liam Casey (Canadian Press/Global News – April 26,2023)

https://globalnews.ca/

Leaders of northern Ontario First Nations descended upon Queen’s Park in Toronto on Wednesday to deliver a message to the province: they want to be equal partners on any kind of development in their territories.

As part of making their point, the First Nations throughout Treaty 9 territory – which encompasses much of northern Ontario – launched a lawsuit against the province and the federal government, alleging they haven’t been properly consulted on decisions involving their land.

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Can the Crown make land decisions without First Nations consent? Treaty 9 lawsuit argues no – by Logan Turner (CBC News Thunder Bay – April 26,2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

Lawyer calls lawsuit ‘frontal attack’ on colonial idea governments have ‘supreme right to rule’

Several First Nations have announced their intention to take the Ontario and Canadian governments to court, in a lawsuit their lead lawyer says could fundamentally change the way resource and land management decisions are made in the Treaty 9 area.

Leaders from 10 First Nations are at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Wednesday morning to speak at a news conference. They’re filing their notice of action for the lawsuit to Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice.

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DeBeers says there will be few signs of closed northern Ontario diamond mine by year’s end – by Erik White (CBC News Sudbury – April 24, 2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Diamond mining company recognized for reclamation work at former Victor mine near Attawapiskat

Diamond mining giant DeBeers says by the end of this year there won’t be much left at the Victor mine near Attawapiskat in Ontario’s far north. The mine closed in 2019 and the company has been busy decommissioning the site where 500 people once lived and worked.

Senior communications officer Terry Kruger says most buildings have been demolished and the open pit filled with 44 million cubic metres of water and turned into a lake.

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Timmins’ newest gold mine started operations Easter Monday – by Nicole Stoffman (Timmins Daily Press – April 18, 2023)

https://www.timminspress.com/

Gowest seeking local diamond drillers for exploration planned for later this spring

Gowest Gold’s Bradshaw Mine, 42 kilometres north of Timmins, began operations on April 10. The company’s president Dan Gagnon shared the news at a luncheon hosted by the Timmins Chamber at the Porcupine Dante Club on Tuesday.

“We are the new mine in Timmins,” said Gagnon, adding that the mine will produce 200 tonnes of gold ore a day (from which gold is extracted) this year at 5.6 grams of gold per tonne of ore, and ramp up to 1,300 tonnes a day by its third year.

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Australian junior miner grows its lithium bank in northwestern Ontario – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 19, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Green Technology Metals boasts two lithium deposits as Sioux Lookout-area project shows growth potential

Green Technology Metals, an Australian exploration upstart, is boosting its storehouse of lithium resources in northwestern Ontario. The company posted a first-time resource estimate for its Root Project, situated northeast of Sioux Lookout, and one of their two leading properties.

The maiden estimate for Root is 4.5 million tonnes at 1.01 per cent lithium oxide, along with 110 parts per million tantalum pentoxide, all in the inferred category. It stems from an almost 15,000-metre drilling program that the company kicked off on the property last August.

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The cost of salt – by Sam Blakely (Canadian Mining Journal – April 18, 2023)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Salt (NaCl), a nutrient vital to all animal life, is an important natural resource especially in southwestern Ontario. Canada is one of the world’s largest salt consumers thanks to its harsh winters, and Ontario provides substantially more of this salt than all other provinces combined. Most Canadian salt is commonly mined via underground room-and-pillar methods and is used to de-ice roadways.

Table salt, chemical raw materials, and other end uses also represent major portions of overall consumption. The later products are most often produced via solution mining, where fresh water is injected via wells into buried salt deposits to recover a salt-saturated brine. Solution mining also yields valuable underground caverns, often used to store hydrocarbons after salt production ends.

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Analysis: Earning First Nations’ trust on resource projects – by Donna Kennedy-Glans (National Post/Wiarton Echo – April 16, 2023)

https://www.wiartonecho.com/

The Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario is one lynchpin in America’s green energy moonshot. Unearthing mineral deposits more than 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay is essential to Ontario’s future as an electric vehicle manufacturing hub. But what happens if some local First Nations want nothing to do with mining critical minerals?

In western Canada, we’ve struggled at times to develop resources, build energy infrastructure, and export oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) — with the support of Indigenous communities. There’s no straight-forward path. When a successful project emerges, it’s worthwhile taking a closer look.

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Remembering Attilio. He was good for a blast (Soo Today – April 16, 2023)

https://www.sootoday.com/

Attilio Berdusco was recognized for engineering a mammoth pillar blast in the Helen Mine in 1955 and he was a pillar of his community

Some men gain recognition for building their communities. Some get notoriety from destroying things. Attilio Berdusco got to do both; in the best possible way. Attilio (or Tillio as he was often called), was born in the Sault in 1929 to Reno and Pauline Berdusco and was the oldest of eight children.

The family lived at the Parkhill Mine until 1939. When the gold mines closed, Tillio’s father then sought work at the Sinter Plant in Wawa while his mother ran a general store at the corner of Broadway and Laurier in Wawa. Attilio’s name appears in the Sault Star regularly in childhood as he excelled at both sports and academics.

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Major drop in lithium prices could mean cheaper electric vehicles – by Philippe de Montigny (CBC Sudbury – April 17, 2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Key ingredient in batteries down more than 65 per cent after two-year rally

The significant drop in lithium prices since the beginning of the year could mean cheaper electric vehicles (EVs) down the road. After soaring for two years, the price of lithium carbonate — a key ingredient in EV batteries — sank by more than 65 per cent since January, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

“Prices peaked at over $85,000 US in November,” mining industry analyst Jean-Charles Cachon said, a level he deemed “unsustainable.” Today, one metric tonne of the battery-grade lithium salt sells for less than $30,000 US.

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Book excerpt: How the sparks of conflict in Ontario’s Ring of Fire set alight (Northern Miner – April 13, 2023)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Click Here to Order Book: https://amzn.to/3FVk4hK

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 10, “From backrooms to bulldozers,” of Ring of Fire: High Stakes Mining in a Lowlands Wilderness, written by Virginia Heffernan and published by ECW Press. This chapter details how a clash between Indigenous rights, Ontario’s Mining Act and hapless politicians sets the stage for conflict in the mineral-rich region.

Dalton McGuinty was Ontario premier in 2007 when the Ring of Fire was discovered. At the time, the courts were starting to consistently side with First Nations across Canada over the right to be consulted about development on their traditional lands. The province was clumsily playing catch-up.

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