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Quebec Mining

Strateco starts legal action against Quebec uranium moratorium – by Henry Lanzenby (MiningWeekly.com – April 22, 2013)

http://www.miningweekly.com/

TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Quebec-based Strateco Resources on Monday said it had started a series of legal actions against the province’s environmental agency to assert its uranium exploration rights.

Strateco, which owns and was developing the Matoush uranium project located within a First Nation reserve, said following the moratorium on the issuance of permits for uranium projects announced late in March by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks (MDDEP) Yves-François Blanchet, it had served the MDDEP with a notice for damages and interest set at an initial amount of $16-million.

This sum represented the loss in the company’s market capitalisation since the Minister’s announcement.

Strateco on Monday said it held Blanchet liable for damages caused by his “misconduct” up until this time, and that it had given instructions for legal proceedings to be instituted to obtain compensatory and punitive damages.

Strateco reserved all rights to any future claims in the event of undue delays, which were currently subject to continue and lead to irreparable losses for the Matoush project, and added that an additional amount would be added to the claim.

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NEWS RELEASE: 10,000 people sign a petition opposing any increase in mining royalties

QUÉBEC CITY, April 9, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – The Québec Mining Association (QMA) has made public a petition asking the Québec government to review its plan to change the mining tax regime in Québec. To date, over 10,000 people have shown their support for the mining industry by signing the petition.

The wording of the petition is clear: “I am not against mining royalties, but I believe they must allow a form of mineral resource development that is profitable and economically acceptable. A change to the current tax regime could lead to mine closures and the postponement of several key projects; it could also drive away investors and lead to a loss of jobs throughout Québec. I am therefore opposed to any change to the mining tax system.”

“The fact that 10,000 people have taken the time to sign the petition to indicate their support for the mining industry shows that the population is on our side and that people appreciate the positive impact of our industry in Québec. It is interesting to note that the messages of support we have received come from all across Québec, and not just from the mining regions,” says Josée Méthot, QMA President and CEO.

The Québec Mining Association believes that the Forum on mining royalties provided an opportunity for discussion, and a way for mining companies to make their voices heard. “Our goal is not to frighten people, but the risk of lost investment is real, and the damage caused to the Québec economy could be far greater than the benefits derived from an increase in royalties.

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Mon oncle Antoine: Of Asbestos Mines and Christmas Candy – by André Loiselle

http://www.criterion.com/

Every decade since 1984 the Toronto International Film Festival has conducted a poll of film scholars, critics, and directors to determine the ten best movies in the history of Canadian cinema. This top-ten list has changed somewhat over the years, as the tastes and preoccupations of respondents have shifted and a few new masterpieces have displaced old classics.

But one thing has remained constant: in all of these polls, one title has invariably topped the list, unmoved by passing trends. It is Claude Jutra’s Mon oncle Antoine (1971), which for the last twenty-five years has held the official title of “best Canadian film ever made.” While some might claim that other films are equally deserving of this distinction, no one would deny that Jutra’s bittersweet tale of a boy’s coming-of-age in 1940s rural Quebec is one of the greatest cinematic achievements ever to come out of Canada.

By the time he directed Mon oncle Antoine, Claude Jutra (1930–86) was already a well-known filmmaker in Quebec. The son of a renowned Montreal radiologist, Jutra was a gifted student who had completed medical school by the tender age of twenty-one. He never practiced medicine, though, for his passion had always been cinema, and he devoted all of his spare time and energy to the seventh art. Encouraged by his family to pursue his artistic vision, he started making shorts when he was still a teenager, and before turning twenty had already won a Canadian Film Award for best amateur film.

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Mon oncle Antoine – Full Movie (Mining Movie – 1971)

Mon oncle Antoine by Claude Jutra, National Film Board of Canada

 This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Mon oncle Antoine is a 1971 National Film Board of Canada (Office national du film du Canada) French language drama film. Québécois director Claude Jutra co-wrote the screenplay with Clément Perron and directed what is one of the most acclaimed works in Canadian film history.

The film examines life in the Maurice Duplessis-era Asbestos region of rural Québec prior to the Asbestos Strike of the late 1940s. Set at Christmas time, the story is told from the point of view of a 15-year-old boy (Benoît, played by Jacques Gagnon) coming of age in a mining town.

The Asbestos Strike is regarded by Québec historians as a seminal event in the years prior to the Quiet Revolution. Jutra’s film is an examination of the social conditions in Québec’s old, agrarian, conservative and cleric-dominated society on the eve of the social and political changes that transformed the province a decade later.[1]

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Quebec imposes moratorium on uranium development – by Kevin Dougherty and Monique Beaudin (Montreal Gazette – March 28, 2013)

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

QUEBEC — No permits for the exploration or mining of uranium in Quebec will be issued until an independent study on the environmental impact and social acceptance of extracting uranium has been completed, Environment Minister Yves-François Blanchet announced Thursday.

Blanchet has asked Quebec’s Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement to examine the issue of uranium development and uranium waste in general, with hearings throughout the province.

“Some people fear uranium more than iron or gold,” Blanchet said, explaining the BAPE will have full latitude to recommend all possible scenarios, from a permanent moratorium to determining safe ways to develop the heavy metal, used to fuel nuclear reactors and build nuclear bombs.

“As far as I know, this stuff is radioactive,” Blanchet said, adding he cannot predict the outcome of the study. “It might not be dangerous and it might be. This is the kind of issue that the Bureau will address.”

As a first step Thursday, Blanchet announced he has ordered scientific studies to prepare for the BAPE panel, which would begin its work in the fall, reporting in about a year.

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Quebec imposes moratorium on uranium exploration and mining – by Henry Lazenby (MiningWeekly.com – March 28, 2013)

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Quebec-focused uranium explorer Strateco Resources on Thursday denounced an announcement made by Quebec Environment Minister Yves-François Blanchet, effectively placing a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in the province, and ordering an impact study on the exploration and development of the mineral.

The Minister’s announcement followed ongoing legal proceedings aimed at forcing the provincial government to make a decision on the company’s flagship Matoush project, which is located east of James Bay on The James Bay Cree Nation’s Eeyou Istchee reserve.

Last year, after two years of public hearings, the James Bay Cree Nation enacted a permanent moratorium on uranium exploration, mining, milling and waste emplacement on their territory on the east shore of James Bay, known as Eeyou Istchee.

Despite this moratorium, federal regulators, including the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, allowed Strateco’s Matoush uranium project to proceed within this Cree territory. Nevertheless, before this project could proceed, provincial authorisation was also required, for which Strateco had already been waiting for two years.

The company in January filed a court order to force the Quebec government to make a decision on its exploration project in the province’s Otish Mountains.

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MAC, AMQ decry proposed Quebec mining taxes – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – March 26, 2013)

Marilyn Scales is a field editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication. She is one of Canada’s most senior mining commentators.

Quebec’s reputation as one of the best places to explore for and mine minerals has taken a beating recently. From 2007 to 2010 the Fraser Instituteranked it as the best jurisdiction, but it slipped to fourth in 2011 to fifth in 2012.

There remain many resources yet to be discovered in the province, but the political climate is one reason Quebec is losing favour. First there was the re-election of a Parti Quebecois government in September 2012. That led to uncertainty that Plan Nord would be carried out as originally outlined.

Now comes word that the province is proposing a new tax regime. Two new levies are expected – a 5% tax on the gross value of annual production and a 30% royalty on “super-profits”. Quebec already jacked up its business tax rate in 2010 when it raised taxes on profits to 16% from 12%. High taxes are a major disincentive for any kind of business.

Both the Mining Association of Canada (Mining.ca) and the Association du miniere du Quebec (AMQ-inc.com) have been vocal in their opposition to new taxes in Quebec. As MAC rightly points out, global competition for mining investment is fierce. Investors will look elsewhere – to Europe, Latin America and Africa – where the prospect of making a reasonable profit exists. Without continued investment, Canada stands to lose significant royalties to government, well paying jobs in mining, and the many spinoff business opportunities a mine brings to a community.

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NEWS RELEASE: Canadian mining industry asks Quebec government to heed their warning New royalty regime would stall province’s economic growth and industry’s competitiveness

OTTAWA, March 25, 2013 – As the Quebec government prepares to table a new mining tax regime this week that would significantly heighten mining taxes and royalties, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is warning that a new royalty regime would worsen the province’s investment appeal with detrimental economic effects to Quebec and Canada’s economy as a whole.

It is expected that this new proposed tax regime would put in place two new levies – a five per cent tax on the gross value of annual production, as well as a 30 per cent royalty on “super-profits”. Quebec is already a high tax jurisdiction in many respects, and as recently as 2010, saw the former government raise the taxes on profits to 16 per cent from 12 per cent.

“The new regime would tarnish Quebec’s reputation as a mining-friendly jurisdiction for investment,” said Pierre Gratton, MAC’s President and CEO. “Moreover, from a global mining company standpoint looking to build its next project, I am concerned that there will be little distinction between Quebec and the rest of Canada, thus harming the country’s reputation as a whole.”

Competition for mining investment is fierce on a global scale. Canada competes against other global mining countries that are equally touted for having rich mineral deposits, such as countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. With so many other countries at play, a mining company will simply overlook Canada for another mining jurisdiction considered more competitive from an investment standpoint.

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Quebec Innu file $900-million lawsuit against Iron Ore Co. of Canada – The Canadian Press (Globe and Mail – March 21, 2013)

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.

MONTREAL – Two Quebec Innu communities have filed a $900-million lawsuit against the Iron Ore Co. of Canada, claiming the miner has violated its rights for nearly 60 years.

The Innu First Nations of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam (Uashaunnuat) and Matimekush-Lac John (MLJ) said the IOC, which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto, caused harm by operating a large mining complex and railway on traditional territory (Nitassinan) in northeastern Quebec and Labrador since the 1950s without their prior consent.

The mining complex and activities are located in the communities of Schefferville, Labrador City and Sept-Îles.

“IOC and now Rio Tinto are the companies that have inflicted the most harm on the Uashaunnuat and MLJ and caused the most damage to our Nitassinan,” vice-chief Mike McKenzie of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam said in a statement on Wednesday.

The lawsuit and a motion seeking an injunction to stop all mining activity were filed Monday in Quebec Superior Court. They claim that IOC’s mines and other facilities have ruined the environment, displaced members from their territory and prevented them from practising their traditional way of life.

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Industry decries PQ’s mining royalties plan – by Robert Gibbens (Montreal Gazette – March 15, 2013)

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

MONTREAL – Miners often say there only two kinds of mines — the ones that you can finance and the ones you dream about.

Natural Resources Minister Martine Ouellet had a difficult task in trying to convince about 500 people at the Quebec government’s forum on mining royalties Friday that the planned changes to mining taxes won’t hit the industry’s competitive power.

Ouellet said the Parti Québécois government wants to increase royalties “particularly where returns are truly exceptional” to ensure there is “always compensation to be paid to extract a resource that belongs to all Quebecers.”

The forum, held at the Hautes Études Commerciales, was the last step in the Marois government’s resource industry consultation process before tabling a new mining law in the National Assembly, possibly next week. Legislation to set a 5 per cent tax on minerals extracted from the ground plus a 30-per-cent royalty on profits will follow. These moves come after the Liberal government already raised the tax on profits to 16 per cent from 12 per cent in 2010.

Industry speaker after speaker told the forum the immediate effect of the tax increases would be to hamper project financing and hit new exploration even further, reduce the lifespan of existing mines and jobs, and spell lower income for the province.

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MINING WATCH CANADA NEWS RELEASE: Algonquins of Barriere Lake Affirm Opposition to Copper One’s Rivière Doré Project and All Claim Staking and Mineral Exploration in their Territory

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Source: Algonquins of Barriere Lake

(Rapid Lake, Quebec) Today, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake are re-affirming their opposition to the proposed exploration activities of the junior mining company Copper One (TSX-V: CUO) within their unceded traditional territory. Copper One’s Rivière Doré project is within the area of an existing co-management agreement that Barriere Lake signed with Quebec and Canada in 1991 (the Trilateral Agreement).

The Trilateral Agreement was negotiated in a spirit of coexistence with Quebec and Canada in order to share the responsibility and benefits of sustainably managing a portion of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake’s traditional territory. Mining was not a consideration in the agreement and there has not been a process established by which claim staking, mineral exploration or mining could be considered within our territory. Despite a well-established body of case law (for example the recent decisions in Ross River Dena Council and Wahgoshig First Nation) the Quebec government has not fulfilled its duty to consult, accommodate and seek our consent for claim staking or mineral exploration.

In the last decade, both Canada and Quebec have failed to uphold the spirit and letter of the Trilateral agreement. As a result the people of Barriere Lake have been forced to spend considerable resources and put themselves at risk of harm and legal retribution defending their land. The government owes the community the duty to consult and obtain the consent of Barriere Lake prior to any mineral exploration. As the duty rests with the government of Quebec, the community sees no reason to negotiate with Copper One, a private party that established an interest in Barriere Lake’s territory without consent.

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Hindalco, Vedanta in race to buy Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Company – by Dev Chatterjee (Business Standard – March 15, 2013)

http://www.business-standard.com/home-page

Rio Tinto is selling the Canada-based company to reduce its debt

Mumbai – Two of India’s biggest conglomerates, Hindalco, owned by Aditya Birla Group and Vedanta of Anil Agarwal are in race to buy Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Company based in Canada, bankers say. Apart from these two Indian conglomerates, metal companies from across the world are in the race to buy the company which is valued at close to $1.7 billion.

Bankers said both groups are interested in the company which has iron ore reserves in Canada and a railway line to transport the ore. At present initial talks are on, a banker said. In January, billionaire L N Mittal sold off his 15% stake in several iron ore mines to South Korea’s Posco for $1.1 billion. Rio Tinto has hired Credit Suisse and Canadian Imperial Bank to sell its 59% stake. Rio Tinto is selling the company to reduce its debt.

In an interview to this newspaper, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal had said the group is actively looking at iron ore, oil and gas and coal reserves all over the world. “We want Sesa Sterlite to be as big as Rio Tinto and we will buy energy resources including coal and iron ore reserves wherever we get the right opportunities and valuation,” he had said. Agarwal had not hinted at any specific target but said they are open to all opportunities.

When contacted, a top official of Vedanta group said today they have not made any bid for Iron Ore Company. A Birla spokesperson refused to comment on “market speculation.”

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As clouds gather in Quebec, tax talk adds to miners’ pain – by Sophier Cousineau (Globe and Mail – March 13, 2013)

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.

MONTREAL — The Pointe-Noire iron ore pellet plant will go silent by next summer, and 165 workers will be out of a job. In the boom town of Sept-Îles, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.’s decision to idle its plant shouldn’t be a tragedy. But it is an omen of the bad days to come for a Quebec mining industry that has been hit by setbacks.

A month ago, Canadian National Railway Co. shelved the feasibility study it undertook to build a $5-billion railway. The 800-kilometre line would have shipped iron ore from the new mines developed in the Labrador Trough to Sept-Îles and its deep water port on Quebec’s Lower North Shore. The uncertainty surrounding those mining projects has for now killed what was to become one of the province’s biggest infrastructure projects.

Uncertainty is also hanging over Iron Ore Co. of Canada and its Montreal headquarters. Its controlling shareholder, Rio Tinto PLC, is looking to sell its 58.7-per-cent stake in the country’s biggest iron ore producer to lighten the massive debt load it took on when it acquired the ultra-expensive Alcan.

It is against this grim backdrop that the Quebec government will hold a forum on Friday to discuss how to change the province’s mining regime. The Parti Québécois feels that Quebeckers have historically gotten a raw deal – and few people outside the mining industry would dispute this.

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NEWS RELEASE: Uranium mines in Quebec: First Nations, municipalities and citizens unite their voices for a moratorium

March 11, 2013

QUEBEC CITY, March 11, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – Two years to the day following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, First Nations, municipalities and Citizen groups unite their voices, asking the Quebec government to announce a moratorium on uranium mines. They also ask the Government to quickly act on its promise to hold a generic environmental evaluation on uranium in Quebec.

Uranium is a radioactive metal used in the production of nuclear energy and bombs. Its extraction and use pose significant health and environmental risks. Moratoria are already in place in British-Colombia, Nova Scotia and in the Commonwealth of Virginia. “Quebec must follow these examples. Their decisions were based on strong analysis and despite pressure from industry, they wisely decided to shut the door on uranium mining for health, security and environmental reasons,” confirms Ugo Lapointe from Québec meilleure mine.

Many communities are claiming their opposition to uranium mining in Quebec. The Cree Nation of Mistissini (James-Bay / Eeyou Istchee), in Northern Quebec, is one of them. “As protectors of the largest fresh water lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini, we strongly oppose any uranium development. It goes against our way of life and our beliefs. As opposed to other form of tailings, such as that from the Stornoway mine also on our territory, waste from this type of mine stays radioactive for thousands of years, and that is socially unacceptable. We are all here today to say out loud that uranium should not be mined in Quebec” said the Mistissini Council Chief Richard Shecapio.

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Politics could affect mining-industry summit – by Peter Hadekel (Montreal Gazette – March 5, 2013)

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

MONTREAL — The big summit meeting on universities and colleges held last month in Quebec seemed to leave no one satisfied by the time it was over. It was more of an occasion for posturing and politicking than for an honest look at the future of higher education.

Well, you can forgive companies and investors for feeling a bit nervous about the mining-industry summit planned by the Parti Québecois government for March 15. Politics could again cloud the outcome of a meeting that is crucial to the future of the province.

Mining is one of the few promising avenues of industrial development in Quebec right now. But investment is currently on hold amid uncertainty about the future royalty regime and regulatory environment that will apply in Quebec.

Investors and mining companies are so concerned that they are planning their own meeting on March 13 to make sure their voices are heard. “Our clients are worried,” says Michel Rathier, a consultant at KPMG-Sécor. He is attending the annual meeting of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto this week, where there’s growing concern about a slowdown across the industry.

“Everybody is worried about the investment climate — both big players and smaller ones. The capital is there, but it’s just not being invested right now.”

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