Archive | Sudbury Basin

$40M sought for mining network – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – June 25, 2020)

June 25, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin, Sudbury Laurentian University – Mining Faculties and Research

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

The fate of a proposal by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation seeking $40 million in federal funding for its Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) could be known soon.

The MICA initiative aims to connect regional mining clusters to cross-section innovation centres to create a national mining innovation ecosystem.

“Next week, we have a meeting with the government to tell us whether or not it’s going to get approved, to figure out the next step,” said Charles Nyabeze, CEMI’s vice-president of business development and commercialization Wednesday. Continue Reading →

Glencore donates $40K to United Way’s community response fund – by Darren MacDonald (CTV News Northern Ontario – June 22, 2020)

June 24, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Glencore, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/

SUDBURY — Glencore in Sudbury has donated $40,000 to boost a special fund created by the United Way Centraide North East Ontario.

Dubbed the Local Love in a Global Crisis Community Response Fund, it now totals more than $300,000.

“We are grateful to Glencore and all of our supporters for their generosity and compassion during these uncertain times,” United Way executive director Mary Lou Hussak is quoted as saying in a news release Monday. Continue Reading →

Vale confirms Mark Travers as executive director of base metals – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – June 1, 2020)

June 3, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Sudbury Basin, Vale

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Mark Travers has been confirmed as Vale’s executive director of base metals. Travers has held the position on an interim basis since March 2019 after the resignation of CEO Fábio Schvartsman and three of the company’s senior executives.

The resignations were prompted by the collapse of a tailings dam in Brazil that killed 186 people.

“I am committed to leading the base metals’ business transformation to create a bright future on the strengths of our ongoing efforts to become a safe, reliable and sustainable operator,” Travers said in a statement from Vale. Continue Reading →

MINERS FOR CANCER DONATES $100,000 TO THE NORTHERN CANCER FOUNDATION COVID-19 SUPPORT FUND (May 15, 2020)

May 15, 2020 in Sudbury Basin

(L to R) Anthony Keating, President and CDO of Foundations and Volunteer Groups at HSN, and Tannys Laughren, Executive Director Northern Cancer Foundation (middle), seen here accepting a $100,000 donation from Miners for Cancer President, Wayne Tonelli (right) and Miners for Cancer Vice-President Mandy Brosseau (back).

http://www.minersforcancer.ca/

Sudbury, May 15, 2020 – Yesterday, Miners for Cancer announced a $100,000 donation towards the Northern Cancer Foundation’s COVID-19 Support Fund.

These funds will go towards the purchase of 58 new and very vital Infusion System + Full IV-EHR Interoperability pumps needed on the frontline to provide quality cancer patient treatment to our community’s most vulnerable patients.

“These pumps are primarily used in the cancer center to safely and efficiently deliver IV fluids, blood infusions, and drug therapies to patients receiving cancer treatment,” said Tannys Laughren, Executive Director, Northern Cancer Foundation. “Our current pumps were at end of life – and we desperately needed them to meet the Northeast Cancer Centre needs – even more so now in the current COVID-19 crisis.” Continue Reading →

Sudbury: Expect more earthquakes as mines dig deeper, Vale says – by Casey Stranges (CBC News Sudbury – April 27, 2020)

April 28, 2020 in Canadian Media Resource Articles, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

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

Mining giant Vale says seismic activity around its Sudbury-area mines is likely linked to its deep drilling operations, and it’s a possibility that more incidents will follow.

Natural Resources Canada recorded two earthquakes last week. A 3.6 MN (magnitude) tremor hit Creighton Mine Thursday morning, and a 3.0 MN quake forced Garson Mine to stop operations Friday night and all day Saturday.

According to Natural Resources Canada’s website, it’s unlikely that any quake that registers below 5 MN would cause damage above ground, though tremors were felt as far away as Lively. Continue Reading →

Building blocks to a better battery for mining vehicles: Stacktronic to test new battery system in Sudbury – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 1, 2020)

April 1, 2020 in Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A Kitchener-based startup has developed a new battery system for electrifying underground mining vehicles, and Sudbury is poised to play a key role in moving the technology toward commercialization.

Stacktronic has created a modular battery system that can be pieced together like Lego blocks to produce a battery of any size, any shape and any capacity, depending on the needs of the vehicle.

It’s a solution that could potentially save time and money for mining operations. It began as a capstone project for a group of mechanical engineering students in their final year studying at the University of Waterloo, noted Keith Teeple, one of the founders. Continue Reading →

NEWS RELEASE: Vale Donates $100,000 to the Sudbury Food Bank’s Cash for Cans Campaign (March 30, 2020)

March 31, 2020 in Corporate Social Responsibility, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin, Vale

Sudbury, ON – Vale is responding to the Sudbury Food Bank’s call for financial support during the COVID-19 crisis, with a $100,000 donation to its Cash for Cans campaign. The donation is intended to support skyrocketing demand for food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Vale has a long history of support for the Sudbury Food Bank,” said Danica Pagnutti, Corporate & Indigenous Affairs Specialist for Vale’s Sudbury Operations. “The Sudbury Food Bank is seeing new clients every day during this crisis and we really wanted to support the growing demand for their important community service.”

The Sudbury Food Bank is a central distributor of food to 44 food banks and meal providers across the City of Greater Sudbury. These agencies currently support 8,000-8,500 people per month and that number is expected to grow exponentially with the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue Reading →

Glencore shutters Quebec mines; operations in Sudbury continue – by Staff (Sudbury Star – March 27, 2020)

March 27, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Glencore, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Quebec Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Glencore said Thursday its Raglan nickel and Matagami zinc operations in Quebec will be on care and maintenance for the next three weeks. Nickel from Raglan is shipped to Glencore’s Sudbury operations, where it is processed. Operations in Sudbury will continue to run.

“The government of Quebec has ordered all non-essential businesses to close in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Accordingly, our Raglan (nickel) and Matagami (zinc) operations in Quebec will be on care and maintenance for the next three weeks,” Glencore said in a statement. “In Ontario, the government has issued a similar decree, but mining has been designated an essential business and therefore our assets can continue to operate.”

The company said it is halting operations at its smaller mines around the world due to government restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus but added its larger operations were not materially impacted. Continue Reading →

No plans to shutter Vale or Glencore operations in Sudbury due to COVID-19 – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – March 18, 2020)

March 18, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale has no plans to curtail or suspend its Greater Sudbury-area operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“There has been no discussion of suspending operations in our North Atlantic Operations other than Voisey’s Bay and that there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 amongst Vale employees to date,” Vale spokeswoman Danica Pagnuti said Tuesday. “In terms of Vale’s efforts to address COVID-19, since late January Vale has been taking all necessary measures to support the prevention of the COVID-19 at its sites. “

Pagnutti said a technical crisis committee and another executive committee were created to manage the actions resulting from this pandemic. To ensure everyone’s safety, all worldwide non-essential business trips have been cancelled or postponed until further notice, and the same approach is being taken for events. Continue Reading →

Vale & NORCAT VR training partnership. Extraordinary ways to the do the ordinary – by Len Gillis (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – March 2020)

March 17, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Sudbury Basin, Vale

https://www.sudburyminingsolutions.com/

With all the excitement over virtual reality (VR)and how it can change the workplace with high tech opportunities, mining company Vale has partnered with innovation leader NORCAT in Sudbury to carry out a very necessary part of business.

Jason Bubba, NORCAT’s director of training, said Vale is launching a new program that takes advantage of NORCAT’s extraordinary training centre to do something quite ordinary – training new hires.

“What we’re building right now are virtual reality pre-operational check programs for three pieces of underground equipment — for a forklift, for a scissor deck and for a utility vehicle,” said Bubba. “So these pieces are for entry-level workers so they can be trained on the equipment that they’re first going to use when they go to work for Vale.” Continue Reading →

Steve Matusch, president of Ionic Technology Group, has died at 52 – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – March 13, 2020)

March 17, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Mining Supply and Services Sector, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Steve Matusch, the founder and president of Ionic Technology Group in Sudbury, has died at the age of 52. Matusch died while in hospital on Wednesday, March 11, following an illness. He would have been 53 in November.

Respected and well-known throughout the Northern Ontario mining service and supply industry, Matusch founded Ionic Engineering Ltd. in 2000 with the goal of offering the best innovative solutions to problems faced by industry.

Ionic’s general manager, André Dumais, said five years ago, Matusch developed primary sclerosing cholangitis, which led to a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer in 2018. In an effort to combat the illness, Matusch had undergone a live liver transplant, an experimental surgery, in November. Continue Reading →

NEWS RELEASE: SHAFT BOTTOM BOYS SMASH GUINESS WORLD RECORD AT CREIGHTON MINE

March 9, 2020 in Corporate Social Responsibility, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin, Vale

SUDBURY, MARCH 9, 2020 – It was a rocking Sudbury Saturday morning in Creighton Mine’s 7200-level garage as the Shaft Bottom Boys brought the Guinness World Record for deepest underground concert back to Sudbury with a rousing Canadian content filled performance, 7200 feet underground.

The 47-minute set had Vale employees’ steel-toed boots tapping along to some rock and roll classics, including Canadian favourites the Tragically Hip and Blue Rodeo, and of course the band got their set going with an ode to Stompin’ Tom Connors ‘Sudbury Saturday Night’. The Shaft Bottom Boys even penned an original tune in honour of the event titled ‘Creighton Deep’ and handed out song lyrics to encourage the audience of 50 to participate.

Ripley’s Entertainment and official representatives of Guinness World Records along with members of Science North’s Board of Directors and Miners for Cancer were on hand to support the event, as funds raised will flow towards the two charities. Science North intends to use the funds to send an additional 1,000 underserved children across Northern Ontario to their Summer Science Camps. Continue Reading →

THE DRIFT 2020: The Sudbury story: City’s regreening program has valuable lessons for the world – by Colleen Romaniuk (Northern Ontario Business – February 28, 2020)

March 9, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Mining Environmental Accidents, Pollution, Tailing Dams and Abandoned Mines, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Four decades ago, countries around the world were using the word ‘Sudbury’ as a unit of pollution. The city was the single largest point source of sulfur dioxide emissions in the 1960s, producing about 2.5 million tonnes per year.

According to John Gunn, director of the Vale Living With Lakes Centre at Laurentian University, that’s bigger than all of Europe today. “Countries were saying, how many Sudburys do you produce?” said Gunn. “And the answer to that question wasn’t one. It was less than one.” Air quality, however, was the tip of the iceberg.

The region had been reduced to a barren wasteland (often referred to as a moonscape) after only a few decades of mining and smelting. Local vegetation was devastated by acid rain and logging, as Sudbury earned a reputation of being one of the most infamous disasters in North America. Continue Reading →

Vale hiring blitz draws a crowd – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – February 26, 2020)

February 26, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Sudbury Basin, Vale

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Copper Cliff may have experienced its first-ever traffic jam on Tuesday as hundreds of people flocked to the hamlet for the Vale hiring pop-up.

More than a thousand hopeful applicants attended the employment event on day one, which saw the mining company recruiting for underground miners; supervisors; tradespeople; equipment technicians; engineers; technologists; and support staff.

Traffic was backed up at one point to the arena and it took nearly 40 minutes to reach the Copper Cliff Club from Jube’s Bar + Grill. Most people spent another 45-60 minutes waiting in line in the cold, just to enter the building. Continue Reading →

Sudbury’s iconic Superstack easing into retirement – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – February 19, 2020)

February 19, 2020 in Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Nickel, Ontario Mining, Sudbury Basin, Vale

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

One of two new, smaller stacks already in operation

The long plumes that used to flow from the Superstack in Copper Cliff have been reduced to wisps as the mega chimney nears retirement and two mini versions take over.

You could call it a passing of the baton, although in this case it’s more like breaking one really big one in half. In fact, each of the replacement stacks is closer to a third of the size of the original.

The Superstack stretches 1,250 feet in height and is more than 100-feet-wide at its base. The new stacks are much slimmer and top out at 450 feet. Lights now adorn the shorter towers and one is already emitting puffs of smoke. Continue Reading →