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Quebec Mining

QC Copper and Gold injects new life into Opemiska in the Abitibi – by Stan Sudol (Northern Miner – October 29, 2020)

https://www.northernminer.com/

The Chibougamau-Chapais region, 750 km north of Montreal, is part of the largest Archean greenstone belt in the world. The belt, better known as the Abitibi, is 150 km in width, and stretches for 650 km from just west of Timmins in Ontario to Chibougamau in Quebec.

Explorers started travelling through the Chibougamau wilderness, a territory with abundant fur-bearing animals, fishing and hunting as early as the mid-1600s, but it wasn’t until the late-1800s that prospectors began to take note of the region’s mineral potential.

While there was some drilling and a small amount of mine construction in the first half of the 1900s, two world wars, a great depression and the region’s isolation prevented any significant mineral development. But in 1950, the Quebec government finished a 240 km road connecting the Chibougamau camp to St.-Felicien in the province’s Saguenay region.

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Gold exploration booms in La Belle Province – by Alisha Hiyate (Canadian Mining Journal – October 2020)

http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

A combination of prospective geology, a mining–friendly culture, and generous exploration incentives have made Quebec a popular destination for explorers. A climbing gold price has made it especially so for precious metals juniors.

With 275,000 metres of drilling planned for 2020, Osisko Mining, profiled in our September issue, is certainly the most active gold explorer in La Belle Province, but it’s far from the only company busy at work. Here’s a look a few at some of the other most active gold exploration projects.

Amex Exploration – Perron

In September, Amex Exploration added four drill rigs at its Perron property and increased the program to 300,000 metres from 100,000 metres. The junior is working toward a maiden resource at Perron, located 110 km north of Rouyn-Noranda, near the village of Normétal.

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New hope for Kami iron ore project, with Labrador MHA cautiously optimistic – by Terry Roberts (CBC News Newfoundland-Labrador – November 18, 2020)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

An agreement that will see the Kami proposed mining site in Labrador sold to a company with an operational mine across the border could see raw ore head to Quebec for processing, says MHA Jordan Brown.

Brown, a New Democrat who represents Labrador West in the House of Assembly, said he is cautiously optimistic but worried that economic benefits from what mining experts call a world class iron ore project may not stay in the region.

“This close proximity does bring some concern that some benefits will not come back to the people of Labrador, and may potentially benefit Quebec workers over Labrador workers,” Brown said.

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Quebec Solidaire wants to partially nationalize industrial mining – by Staff (Canadian Press/CTV News – November 15, 2020)

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/

QUEBEC CITY — Accusing the CAQ government of wanting to offer Quebec’s minerals to private companies as an ‘open bar,’ Quebec Solidaire proposed to partially nationalize mines of lithium and graphite, metals used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

The party drew a parallel between its proposal and the nationalization of hydropower, which allowed the province to control the resource, according to Vincent Marissal, Quebec Solidaire representative for Rosemont.

“This is the best solution for Quebec,” he said. The province is expected to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Quebec Solidaire said the province should act fast to regulate extraction of the minerals required for manufacturing.

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Iamgold suspends production at Quebec gold mine after earthquake – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – November 2, 2020)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Iamgold Corp. has suspended mining at its Westwood gold mine in Quebec after yet another earthquake hit the site on the weekend, the latest in a long list of seismic events over the past few years to affect both production and reserves.

On Monday, the Toronto-based gold company said in a statement that an earthquake occurred at the underground mine around 2:30 p.m. on Friday. All underground employees were safely brought to the surface but Iamgold did not specify how long the process took.

Natural Resources Canada said the quake measured 3.8 on the Richter scale, and was “lightly felt” by residents of Preissac, Que., in the Abitibi region.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ottawa and Quebec Invest in Clean Technology for Quebec’s Mining Industry (November 2, 2020)

MONTREAL, Nov. 2, 2020 /CNW/ – The governments of Canada and Quebec are announcing a contribution of nearly $3.6 million for Propulsion Québec, Quebec’s industrial cluster for electric and smart transportation, to help innovation in Canada’s mining industry. The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary Paul Lefebvre, made the announcement today along with Quebec’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonatan Julien, and Quebec’s Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Benoit Charette.

This investment will support the design and development of an electric propulsion system for a 40-ton mining truck, along with a battery solution technology and a fast-charging infrastructure adapted to mining operations. The project has the potential to eliminate the burning of more than 80,000 litres of diesel annually per vehicle, eliminating more than 220 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The solutions developed will be tested and validated in real-world conditions in a quarry in Val-d’Or as well as in the facilities of the Nouveau Monde Graphite mine in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, a forward-looking mining company planning to build Canada’s first all-electric open-pit mine.

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Iamgold halts Westwood mine following earthquake – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – November 2, 2020)

https://www.mining.com/

Canada’s Iamgold (TSX IMG), (NYSE: IAG) said on Monday it had suspended operations at its Westwood underground mine in southwestern Québec, Canada, following a seismic event at the operation last week.

The Toronto-based miner said the movement occurred at around 2:30 pm Eastern time on Friday October 30th, adding that it was looking into the incident’s cause.

All employees present at the time of the unspecified seismic event had been safely brought above ground, the company said.

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Yamana Gold buying out Northern Quebec’s Monarch Gold in C$152 million deal – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – November 2, 2020)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Mining activity in Northern Quebec continues to heat up, with Yamana Gold increasing its footprint in the Abitibi region after it announced it would buy Monarch Gold’s Wasamac property and the Camflo property and mill.

Announced Monday, under the agreements of the friendly takeover, Yamana will purchase all outstanding Monarch shares in a cash and equity deal valued at approximately C$152 million.

“The acquisition provides Yamana with a high-quality project with a significant mineral reserve and mineral resource base and excellent potential for further expansion.

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Quebec Cree say top court’s decision a victory for Indigenous communities – by Susan Bell (CBC News Canada North – October 29, 2020)

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

The Quebec Cree Nation government says the Supreme Court of Canada’s refusal to consider an appeal in connection with a $200 million lawsuit against the government of Quebec gives more power to Indigenous communities across Canada to stop resource projects in their tracks. It said it also strengthens the legal notion that social acceptability is an essential requirement for developers.

In a decision released Oct. 15, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by Strateco Resources, which sued over Quebec’s 2013 decision to stop a uranium project near the Cree community of Mistissini that didn’t have local or Cree Nation government support.

Both the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the notion that the province was allowed to consider social acceptability in refusing to issue a permit to Strateco’s Matoush Project.

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Rio Tinto-owned company in dispute with Federal Government over Kakadu uranium mine – by Cathy Van Extel and Scott Mitchell (Australian Broadcasting Corporation – October 20, 2020)

https://www.abc.net.au/

The Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu is looming as the next great test of mining giant Rio Tinto, following the international outcry over the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan caves in the Pilbara.

A subsidiary of Rio Tinto is in dispute with the Federal Government over paying for scientific monitoring of the mine, which is on the edge of world heritage wetlands and will close in January 2021.

Under an agreement with the Federal Government, the site must be rehabilitated by 2026.

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Quebec town of Asbestos votes to change name to Val-des-Sources – by Eric Andrew-Gee (Globe and Mail – October 20, 2020)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The town of Asbestos, Que., has finally chosen a new name: Val-des-Sources. The former mining community two hours east of Montreal, long synonymous with the carcinogenic substance it produced for more than a century, will make the change pending provincial approval.

Municipal officials decided to rechristen the town last year as a way of spurring economic development, long stalled by the grim associations of its namesake mineral.

The new moniker, which refers to the valleys and bodies of water of the surrounding landscape, as well as the figurative source of future hopes, received 48 per cent of first-place votes in a ranked ballot with six options.

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After years of debate, Asbestos, Que. is getting a new name in hopes it will help the economy – by Eric Andrew-Gee (Globe and Mail – October 19, 2020)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The owners of Moulin 7, a microbrewery in Asbestos, Que., are not embarrassed by the name of their town. In fact, the pub, run by high-school friends Yan St-Hilaire and Danick Pellerin, is downright asbestos-themed.

The beer selection includes White Gold, a nickname from the mineral’s heyday. A photo of the gaping Jeffrey Mine hangs behind the bar. The pair once even made a batch of suds from the bright blue water that started to fill the pit once operations stopped nearly a decade ago. (They tested it; it was asbestos-free.)

But despite their defiant pride in the town’s past, they are among the residents who support its rechristening. The brewers are about to get their wish.

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3 mining operations build on-site COVID-19 labs in northern Quebec – by Susan Bell (CBC News North – October 7, 2020)

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

Move means some Cree workers can see family for the first time in months

From June to September, Michelle Polson didn’t get a single cuddle or kiss from her two young children, daughter Payton, 10, and son Keyton, 8.

Like other Cree working in the mining sector, Polson’s life consisted of a brutal routine of 14-days working, followed by 14-days self-isolation, as required by the Cree Nation Government’s COVID-19 restrictions. And it’s not just workers in the mining sector.

Under the restrictions, all mines, exploration sites, forestry camps and Hydro-Quebec work sites are considered “at risk zones” and require Cree workers to self-isolate for two weeks when they finish their shifts, as a way to protect vulnerable populations in Cree communities from COVID-19.

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Asbestos’s name isn’t its only problem — there’s also the gigantic mine – by Colby Cosh (National Post – September 23, 2020)

https://nationalpost.com/

There is no shortage of horror stories about international reactions to the name of Asbestos, Quebec, although these mostly take the form of folklore.

At this point in history, I’m pretty sure the town of Asbestos in Quebec is more famous for trying unsuccessfully to change its name than it is for being the location of a gigantic asbestos mine.

In November, the Asbestos town council voted to commence the name change that local businessmen and entrepreneurs had wanted since the turn of the century, although mere citizens weren’t so keen.

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Canadian Town of ‘Asbestos’ Close to Name Change – by Devin Golden (Mesothelioma Guide – September 22, 2020)

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What’s in a name? The people in a small Canadian town called “Asbestos” will tell you that a lot of baggage is in theirs. Fortunately, the town’s leaders and residents are taking steps to put their troubled identity behind them.

The town in southeastern Quebec is changing its name, and hopefully its asbestos reputation along with it. The four options on the table currently are:

-Phenix, for the mythical bird reborn from fire
-Apalone, an endangered turtle species
-Trois-Lacs, a neighborhood in the town
-Jeffrey, the name of the town’s largest asbestos mine deposit

The town’s mayor announced these four finalists last week in a city council meeting. The residents will vote on the town’s new name in October.

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