Strategic Minerals: Is China’s Consumption a Threat to United States Security? – by Dr. Kent Hughes Butts, Mr. Brent Bankus, and 2nd Lieutenant Adam Norris (U.S. Army War College – July, 2011)

“China’s resulting role in the mineral trade has increased
Western security community concern over strategic minerals
to its highest point since the end of the Cold War….The
U.S. dependence on overseas sources of strategic minerals
essential to sustain its economy and defense sector is more
pronounced than its dependence upon foreign oil….There is
not, for example, a substitute for … chromium in the
production of stainless steel.”
(U.S. Army War College Issue Paper)

 Center for Strategic Leadership,U.S. Army War College

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

No great nation willingly allows its standard of life and culture to be lowered and no great nation accepts the risk that it will go hungry. — Hjalmer Schacht, German Minister of Economics, 1937

The vitality of a powerful nation depends upon its ability to secure access to the strategic resources necessary to sustain its economy and produce effective weapons for defense. This is especially true for the world’s two largest economies, those of the United States and China, which are similarly import dependent for around half of their petroleum imports and large quantities of their strategic minerals.

Because China’s economy and resource import dependence continue to grow at a high rate it has adopted a geopolitical strategy to secure strategic resources. China’s resulting role in the mineral trade has increased Western security community concern over strategic minerals to its highest point since the end of the Cold War.

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Bright future for mining [Northern Ontario] – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – September 24, 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

“Mining is on the agendas … But, that’s because the southern
Ontario manufacturing economy is in serious trouble. While our
major customer (the United States) will probably be going through
a most troubling economic time the next decade or so, the only part
of the Ontario economy that is doing well is the mining sector.”

Sudol said not having a low-enough electricity rate could be the
deal breaker for Cliffs Natural Resources locating its proposed
chromite processing plant in Ontario. “Right now, power rates in
Manitoba and Quebec are 40- 60% lower than Ontario … There’s no
way they are going to locate that refinery in Ontario.” (Mining
strategist Stan Sudol – RepublicOfMining.com)

AT ISSUE: What is the vision for mining in Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario?

Chris Hodgson has good reason to believe things are looking up — way up — for Ontario’s mining sector. That’s primarily because the Ontario Mining Association’s recent vision paper and its 10 recommendations about what the mining sector wants addressed by the province is getting serious attention in the Ontario election.

“It’s a big difference,” he said. “In the late 1990s, it was a sunset industry. Now, it may be the key to getting us out of the hole financially.”

A former minister of Northern Development and Mines in the Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government from 1995-99, Hodgson has been president of the OMA for seven years. The association has 70 members who operate 40 mines and employ 20,000 people.

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[Sudbury] City to make pitch for chromite plant on Monday – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2011)

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

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 fact Sudbury is a global mining centre is one of the compelling reasons Cliffs Natural Resources should build a chromite processing plant and the 400 to 500 jobs it would create in the city.

That’s the pitch Mayor Marianne Matichuk and city staff will make when they meet with Cliffs officials on Monday. “Cliffs is looking at places to establish its smelting operation,” Matichuk said in a release Friday. “To me, there is only one place; here in Greater Sudbury.

“If Cliffs decides to build in Ontario, we want Greater Sudbury to be the only choice for them.”

Earlier this year, Cliffs, a Cleveland-based mining company, looked at different places for the ferrochrome production facility and announced a Sudbury location, Moose Mountain, north of Capreol, as the benchmark site.

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Why Northern Ontario is important for both the leaders and the economy – by Steve Ladurantaye (Globe and Mail – September 23, 2011)

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

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

KENORA, ONT.— The winding roads of Northern Ontario skirt around many of its most valuable assets – mines, forest plots and mills are largely hidden in the countryside and accessible only by dirt roads and trails.

But as the province struggles to pull itself back from economic ruin, those assets aren’t going to stay hidden for long. Residents considering the wealth of riches that wait to be extracted have a sinking suspicion that they will benefit the least from the region’s resource boom.

They are concerned the good jobs – those involving processing and research – will pass them by as Southern Ontario towns position themselves to take advantage of the North’s lack of infrastructure and comparatively low number of skilled trades people.

Once they would have been resigned to their fate – but that’s changing. As the province’s top politicians descend on Thunder Bay for a debate on Friday, all eyes are on the region and its possibilities. It’s a scene also playing out in resource-rich but job-poor communities across the country, particularly in the Northwest Territories and Alberta.

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K.I. vs. Platinex: a ‘worst case’ example of community relations – Canadian Business Ethics Research Network

The Canadian Business Ethics Research Network (CBERN) aims to promote knowledge-sharing and partnerships within the field of business ethics and across private, governmental, voluntary and academic sectors. CBERN also aims to support work from inception to dissemination, from graduate student research and fellowship opportunities to promoting the projects of established professionals.

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

CASE STUDY

•This section presents the now-infamous case in light of the previous discussion of the Aboriginal context to mining in Ontario, and the importance of community consultation in advance of resource development.

On December 14th, 2009 the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry (MNDMF) announced that an agreement had been finalized between the McGuinty Government and Platinex Inc. to settle the junior mineral exploration firm’s litigation against Ontario and the K.I. First Nation (see MNDMF, 2009). This agreement included a $5 million payment to Platinex upon the release of its mining claims in the K.I. traditional territory and the guarantee of a royalty of 2.5% of any future resource revenues from those lands.

The settlement officially ended a dispute that began nearly ten years earlier, exacerbated tensions between Aboriginal communities, the province, and the mining industry, cost millions in legal fees, billions in potential revenue, led to the jailing of six K.I. community members, and changed the lives of hundreds of others who call K.I. home. How did things go wrong in K.I.?

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Look no further [Ring of Fire refinery – Greenstone] – Special to The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (September 21, 2011)

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

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 Township of Greenstone wants to be chosen as the site of a ferrochrome refinery as part of the Ring of Fire development.

George Smitherman, chairman of G&G Global Solutions, said during a presentation on Tuesday that Exton is the most viable site for the chromite refinery.

“At the heart of Exton’s strength is its proximity to the mine site and its relationship with First Nations,” Smitherman, a former provincial Energy minister, said in an interview following his presentation in Thunder Bay.

“What we were able to do is construct a resolution that is a benefit to so many players and brings more opportunities to First Nation communities and is the most environmentally sustainable.” Exton is located on the CNR mainline between Nakina and the Aroland First Nation, and south of the Ring of Fire development.

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GREENSTONE MUNICIPALITY MEDIA RELEASE: New report concludes Exton is viable site for Ring of Fire Refinery

Click here for Technical Analysis Report: Energy Supply Related to Exton Ferrochrome Refinery Siting (September 14, 2011)

Click here for: A ‘Made in Greenstone’ Approach: A vision for the successful supply of energy to a ferrochrome refinery in Greenstone (Exton)

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

THUNDER BAY – September 20, 2011 –  A report released today concludes that siting a ferrochrome refinery at Exton for Ring of Fire minerals is technically, environmentally and economically feasible. George Smitherman and Don Huff were contracted by the Municipality of Greenstone to push for establishing a Chromite refinery at Exton. Exton is located adjacent to the railway in the Municipality of Greenstone between Nakina and the Aroland First Nation.

“Our analysis, with specific emphasis on the viability of supplying electricity to service the proposed arc furnaces concludes that Exton is well positioned to serve as the refinery site,” stated former Ontario Deputy Premier George Smitherman. Smitherman observed, “The Exton site has the significant advantage of fitting with the territorial expectations of First Nations and is economically feasible.”

The Municipality of Greenstone asked that three major themes be addressed:
1. The Exton site must mesh with First Nation aspirations;
2. The viability of supplying adequate power; and
3. Sustainability considerations.

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Sudbury officials ponder Cleveland visit [Ring of Fire smelter] – by Harold Carmichael

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

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 city may be sending a team to Cleveland, the home base of Cliffs Natural Resources, to present Greater Sudbury’s case for landing a smelter to process ore from the company’s chromite deposits in northwestern Ontario.

“There is something in the works,” Mayor Marianne Matichuk said when reached Thursday. “I can’t get into details. We don’t have everything firmed up.”

The Star has learned a team that includes Matichuk and chief administrative officer Doug Nadorozny could be heading to Cleveland as early as Wednesday to present a study about a former industrial site just north of Capreol. “I will be fighting for our community and giving Cliffs a good case for our community,” Matichuk said.

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Northern Ontario Aboriginal youth camps help build a new generation of miners

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.

Congratulations to the dozens of new graduates from three Mining Matters Aboriginal Youth Camps held recently.  With the support of Ontario Mining Association member Noront Resources, these special week long educational camps for Aboriginal youth were held in Webequie, Marten Falls and Thunder Bay.

Close to 100 people graduated from these three programs in Northwestern Ontario.  While most of the participants were children of elementary and high school age, there were a number of adults who took part in the course at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, which did a first-rate job managing and hosting the educational program.

Each camp was five days in length and it offered students the opportunity to gain knowledge about Earth science and the mineral industry through hands-on learning and activities.  The camp involved classroom and field lessons.  Topics covered included basic geology and the structure of the earth, GPS and compass work, prospecting, line cutting, geochemistry, biodiversity, health and safety, mining operations and career options within the sector.

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Liberals come out swinging – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 10, 2011)

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

The Liberals were the first party to offer a plan for the north and they will expand upon it if they are re-elected Oct. 6, says Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci.

A key component of the Grits’ Forward. Together plan is to make the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. a permanent fixture so future governments can’t abolish it, and to boost the fund from $100 million to $110 million.

It has created more than 16,000 jobs in eight years and will create 4,000 more per year for the next four years if the Grits are re-elected, the Sudbury MPP says. Bartolucci also vowed his party would facilitate at least eight new mines in the next 10 years and provide more family health care to underserviced areas of the province.

The Liberal incumbent was flanked by Nickel Belt Liberal candidate Tony Ryma and Timiskaming-Cochrane Liberal hopeful Denis Bonin at a news conference Friday to unveil the plan.

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More questions than answers in Far North Act – by the Sudbury Star Staff (September 10, 2011)

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

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 Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and chambers of commerce from Timmins, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie are calling on the provincial government to address five key issues relating to the Far North Act that will provide more detail and make it friendlier to business.

The chambers issued a joint statement Friday calling upon the party that forms the next government to address what they call weaknesses in the act.

The act sets out a process for community-based land use in the north. First Nations, Northern Ontario municipalities, mining companies and business organizations fear the loss of growth opportunities and the creation of investment uncertainty if parts of the act are not clarified, the chambers said in the statement.

“Over all, we agree with the act and we like it and we see there’s value,” said Julie Denomme, vice-chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.

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Northern Chambers of Commerce challenge province’s Far North Act – by The Timmins Daily Press (September 10, 2011)

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

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 Far North Act affects us collectively and
individually, and we want to ensure that it is
carried out in a responsible and inclusive manner
that respects all northern groups – be they
businesses, municipalities or First Nations.”
(Julie Denomme, vice-chair of the Greater Sudbury
Chamber of Commerce)

The province should reconsider how development is handled in Ontario’s Far North if it is to properly serve the region’s communities, First Nations, and business, according to the Chambers of Commerce of Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

In a joint statement issued Friday, the four chambers agreed that the Far North Act, as passed by the Ontario government in October 2010, fails to consider the needs of those who are most affected by it.

The province’s stated goal of protecting “at least” 50% of the 225,000 square kilometres that make up the Far North was reached without consultation with the region’s First Nations who, through this legislation, are being forced to set aside portions of their land for protection.

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Shoe on the other foot for Thunder Bay’s Gravelle – by Adam Radwanski (Globe and Mail – September 9, 2011)

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

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

THUNDER BAY – For most of his political career, Michael Gravelle has been seen as a fighter for his hometown of Thunder Bay – a little guy, literally and figuratively, standing up to those who would neglect Ontario’s Far North.

This fall, he’s fighting charges that he’s the one doing the neglecting.

Such is the mixed blessing of spending the past four years as Northern Development Minister for a government perceived not to have done enough to develop the region. So what was once one of the safest Liberal seats in the province is now up for grabs, with Mr. Gravelle one of several northern Liberal MPPs fighting for their political lives.

But who the real contenders are in Thunder Bay-Superior North, a sprawling riding that includes half of northwest Ontario’s largest city and some more far-flung communities, is less clear.

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Rails to the Ring of Fire Mining Camp – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – September, 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. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

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

Cliffs endorses Ring of Fire railroad plan

Building a Ring of Fire railroad to move millions of bulk tonnes of chromite is a certainty, said a senior official with Cliffs Natural Resources.

Bill Boor, Cliffs’ senior vice-president of global ferroalloys, who is overseeing the Ohio miner’s project development in the James Bay lowlands, said rail is an inevitability as more mines come on stream in the remote district.

In last winter’s base case for its high grade Black Thor chromite deposit, Cliffs proposed a permanent year-round haul road between the mine site and railway connections near Nakina in northwestern Ontario.

But Boor clarified that one mine alone doesn’t support the mega-investment of a railroad. However, establishing a transportation corridor will improve the economics of other nearby deposits. Once that “scale” is built up, Boor said, “the right answer is to put a railroad in place.

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Far North Act – David Pearson (Northern Ontario Business – September, 2011)

David Pearson is a professor of earth sciences and science communication at Laurentian University. He can be reached at dpearson@laurentian.ca

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. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

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

Hold it Mr. Hudak, hold it, let’s talk about this: “A Tim Hudak government will repeal Bill 191, the Far North Act, which effectively turns the North into a museum by banning development and killing potential jobs.” And while we’re on the subject we should add a comment that appeared in the last edition of this paper: the “First Nations hate Bill 191.”

Central to the Far North Act (Bill 191) are 31 isolated First Nation communities scattered across almost exactly half of Ontario’s land area reaching up to the coast of Hudson Bay. With a total population of just 24,000, of whom half are 16 or under, many families rely on fish, geese, and caribou they catch and hunt for themselves in their communities’
traditional territory. Without those communities there would not be a Far North Act.

The Act sets up a framework for communities to work with the Ontario government in developing land-use plans for their traditional territories based on the values, culture, and aspirations of the members of each community. The Act was also designed to enable communities to benefit from resource development through arrangements and on terms that are acceptable to the community and not simply driven by first-come, first-served external pressures.

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