March: Updates on critical mining in northern Ontario – by By Norm Tollinsky (Canadian Mining Journal – December 21, 2023)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

When George Pirie, Ontario’s mines minister, closes his eyes and imagines what a resurgent northern Ontario mining industry will look like five years from now, he might see new nickel mines in Sudbury and Timmins, a battery industrial park in Cobalt, haul trucks transporting nickel concentrate on the recently completed road from the Ring of Fire, and multiple lithium mines and processing facilities in northwestern Ontario.

It is a good bet that much of the scenario will indeed materialize. The drills are confirming that the resources are there, the environmental assessments are progressing, and meetings with battery manufacturers and the automobile industry are resulting in offtake agreements.

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Science North CEO says changes made to manage capital projects after audit of Go Deeper project – by Kate Rutherford (CBC News Sudbury – December 08, 2023)

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

Provincial auditor general says cost of model mine project has tripled from original $5 million

The CEO of Science North said changes have been made at the science centre to take into account recommendations from the provincial auditor general’s probe of their Go Deeper project at Dynamic Earth.

Ashley Larose wants the public to know that while the budget has grown, the project is not operating at a deficit and all policies were followed in the development of the model mine at Dynamic Earth in Sudbury, Ont. Larose said the auditor’s report is based on information provided by the organization.

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Glencore’s ties to Sudbury run deep. So is its future here – by Hugh Kruzel (Sudbury Star – December 2, 2023)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Top company official tells chamber of commerce deep mining is the key to Glencore’s future operations in Sudbury

The man who leads Glencore’s Sudbury operations told the city’s business leaders this week that his company remains committed to this region, Canada and mining. Peter Xavier, a company vice-president, acknowledged that Glencore Sudbury’s Integrated Nickel Operations will soon close its Nickel Rim South mine, but that should not be a surprise.

Nickel Rim South Mine will close in late March as it goes into care and maintenance mode. The Skead-area mine’s employees will be reassigned to other Glencore operations in Sudbury, such as the Craig/Onaping project. “Mines have a life,” Xavier told the 128th annual general meeting of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “We all know mining one site is finite.

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Three of Canada’s major critical mineral projects are in Sudbury – by Staff (Sudbury Star – November 22, 2023)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

They are Glencore’s Onaping Depth project, Vale’s Copper Cliff Deep project and KGHM’s Victoria Mine project

The federal government has launched a $1.5-billion fund for critical minerals infrastructure, while simultaneously highlighting close to 500 projects nationwide that are generating jobs and growing a greener economy. The funding announcement this week coincided with the release of an annual report on major projects underway across the country in the fields of energy, forestry and mining.

Three of the big mining projects are in Sudbury: Glencore’s Onaping Depth project, with an estimated capital cost of $1 billion to $2.5 billion; the Copper Cliff Deep project being pursued by Vale, pegged at $750 million to $1B; and a revived Victoria Mine project being undertaken in the Whitefish area by Polish company KGHM, at a projected cost of $1B to $2.5B.

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Researchers bring the ‘Sudbury method’ to Peru, to help clean up mine waste (CBC News Sudbury – November 18, 2023)

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

Scientists say work in Sudbury to rehabilitate the landscape damaged by mining is recognized worldwide

Researchers from northern Ontario are in Peru where they are sharing their knowledge of what has become known as the “Sudbury method.” The Sudbury method refers to the community’s work over decades to rehabilitate a landscape damaged by mining and smelting.

“Sudbury has become recognized almost globally now for taking one of the most damaged landscapes on planet Earth and through a lot of work by citizens, community members, industry and government, turning it into actually a really, really nice place to live,” said Graeme Spiers, an emeritus professor in environmental and earth sciences at Laurentian University.

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Two Sudbury mining giants partner as Nickel Rim mine ramps down – by Amanda Hicks (CTV Northern Ontario – November 2, 2023)

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/

Glencore’s Nickel Rim South Mine is winding down operations with an eye on closing in 2024. Vice-president Peter Xavier said the mine has been important to the company since its inception in 2010.

He said exploration extended the mine’s lifespan from 2021 to 2024, but Glencore has been planning its closure for some time. This will create an opportunity to partner with the city’s other mining giant, Vale.

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Glencore says Nickel Rim South mine in Sudbury slowing down, but not closing altogether – by Kate Rutherford (CBC News Sudbury – November 1, 2023)

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

Glencore says feasibility study looking at partnership with Vale is about to begin and will go into next year

It has been a good run at Glencore’s Nickel Rim South mine in Sudbury, but for the time being, mining there is coming to an end. The vice-president of Sudbury operations, Peter Xavier, says the 15-year-old mine will transition to what it calls “care and maintenance” by next spring.

But there is more mining to be done in that area, and the next steps in a potential joint venture with Vale are under the magnifying glass. Xavier explains there’s a portion of the ore body where the property boundaries shared by the two companies intersect, but is difficult for each company to mine separately.

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Mining almost done at Sudbury’s Nickel Rim South Mine – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – October 27, 2023)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Workers will be transferred to other Glencore operations in the city

The last scoop load of nickel/copper ore is expected to be hoisted to the surface at Nickel Rim South Mine sometime in late March as the mine goes into care and maintenance mode. By then, most of the Skead-area mine’s employees will have been reassigned to other Glencore Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Sudbury INO), such as the Craig/Onaping Depth Project.

As of his week, the mine was down to 250 employees as the process has already started. “(The mining) coming to an end,” said Gary Potts, director of Nickel Rim South, during an interview at a community open house on Thursday at the Skead Recreation Centre. “It’s gone three years longer than originally forecast.”

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‘We’re moving the yard sticks:’ economic opportunities opening up for Indigenous communities – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – October 25, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Wahnapitae First Nation lands manager shares expertise during Economic Development Opportunities Forum

When Anthony Laforge had his first dealings with a resource extraction company, it was a crash course in how not to do consultation. The company had submitted its closure plan for a graphite mining operation in the town of Kearney and, as the lands manager for neighbouring Magnetawan First Nation, it was Laforge’s job to review it.

The community was given 30 days to review the plan. But by the time Laforge saw it for the first time, it had already been sitting on the chief’s desk for five days, he recalled. That left Laforge just 24 days to give his assessment on a file that was essentially new for him.

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Regreening Sudbury: VETAC at 50 – work still to be done – by Hugh Kruzel (Sudbury Star – October 25, 2023)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

‘I am really quite amazed by what has happened when you spread some limestone’

Growing up in Sudbury many of us — as teens — roamed across a countryside made barren, blackened and rocky due to years of mining and smelting operations. The more recent generations, however, would have to go looking for examples that remain of that time.Revegetation programs have residents and visitors once again seeing a rolling verdant landscape.

“I am really quite amazed by what has happened when you spread some limestone,” said Peter Beckett, Laurentian University professor emeritus of reclamation, restoration and wetland ecology, and chair of the VETAC regreening advisory panel. “Like magic. Who would have thought?”

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Province urged to shift focus on future mining away from Ring of Fire – by Ron Grech (Timmins Press – September 25, 2023)

https://www.timminspress.com/

Equally promising opportunities cited with existing mining projects near Timmins and Sudbury

The Ontario government is being called upon by an Indigenous-led conservation effort to support existing mining projects rather than opening new ground within the Ring of Fire.

“There are at least six different large nickel projects in the Timmins and Sudbury area,” said Anna Baggio, director of conservation planning with the Wildlands League, which has teamed up with Mushkegowuk Council in support of establishing a National Marine Conservation Area along the James and Hudson Bay coast.

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Sudbury mining firms work together on battery electric issues – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – September 7, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Mining companies and manufacturers meet to find solutions on achieving Net Zero emissions for underground mining by 2030

Several members of the Sudbury mining community will be collaborating next week to take part in a two-day forum on the best ways of moving toward battery electric mining. The event hosted by GMG (Global Mining Guidelines group) will take place at Science North, Sept. 12 and 13.

“Organizers from Vale, Agnico Eagle, Glencore, MacLean, and NORCAT have built a program to enable companies to work more closely together. They want you to participate and be part of the solutions that come out of these events,” said a statement from GMG.

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Laurentian formalizes agreement for innovation cluster – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 25, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Sudbury university joins Lakehead, Nipissing and Trent in singing MOU

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been struck between four Ontario universities to lead innovation in the commercialization of critical minerals, cleantech, and battery electric technologies.

Announced in May, the innovation cluster is being led by Laurentian University in Sudbury, in partnership with Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Nipissing University in North Bay, and Trent University in Peterborough. The cluster is designed to help mining entrepreneurs move their products more easily from R&D to commercialization.

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Sudbury researchers land funding for green mining initiative – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 15,2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

MIRARCO Mining Innovation receive $280,000 from industry innovation network

Sudbury’s MIRARCO Mining Innovation has received $280,000 in grant money from the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network.

The funding is earmarked to help develop a pilot plant in Sudbury that uses a biotechnology process to extract valuable metals out of waste piles at mine sites while simultaneously cleaning up the environment. MIRARCO’s industry partner, BacTech Environment Corp. announced the news on Aug. 14.

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Former Sudbury mining school lead has died – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 11, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Bruce Jago was the founding executive director at Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines

Bruce Jago, the founding executive director of Laurentian University’s renowned Goodman School of Mines in Sudbury, has died at the age of 66. Jago died on Aug. 5, 2023, following “a heroic battle with young onset Alzheimer’s disease,” according to his obituary.

The respected exploration geologist had more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry. He was announced as executive director of the newly minted Goodman School of Mines in January 2013, a position he maintained for six years.

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