Sudbury Basin – Page 36 – Republic of Mining

No justice for Sudbury miner, union says – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 27, 2016)

October 27, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

United Steelworkers is slamming the Government of Ontario, the attorney general and police for not pursuing a criminal investigation into the April 6, 2014, death of Paul Rochette and the critical injury of Justin Stewart at Vale Ltd.’s Copper Cliff Smelter.

The union is calling out the parties for allowing Vale to enter a plea Monday in the Ontario Court of Justice on several charges laid in 2015 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Vale was fined $1 million after pleading guilty to four charges, and supervisor Greg Taylor was fined $3,000 after pleading guilty to a single charge.

Vale had been facing nine charges and Taylor three. Two other supervisors had five charges between them. All charges but the ones to which Vale and Taylor pleaded, 12 in all, were withdrawn so no trial was held.

10 years after takeover, Vale predicts ‘bright future’ for Sudbury mines (CBC News Sudbury – October 26, 2016)

October 26, 2016

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

Glencore declines to comment on 10th anniversary since Falconbridge purchase

Despite low nickel prices and rising costs, Vale is forecasting a bright future for its Sudbury mines. This week marks 10 years since the Brazilian iron ore company took over Sudbury-based Inco.

Stuart Harshaw is now Vale’s vice-president of Ontario Operations, but he started his career with the old Inco.He says his company has been good for Sudbury over the last decade and is quick to list off $4 billion in investments in local infrastructure, that he says would have been more difficult for a smaller company.

Most of the last decade has seen gloomy times for the mining sector, with slumping metal prices and rising costs with miners going deeper and deeper into the earth.But Harshaw predicts a rosy future for Vale operations in Sudbury, while acknowledging that changes lie ahead.

Vale got off light: Family, co-worker of Rochette – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 26, 2016)

October 26, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The question begs to be asked after Monday’s sentencing of Vale Canada Ltd. to $1 million in fines in the April 2014 death of Paul Rochette: Was justice served? The family of the 36-year-old millwright doesn’t think so. Nor does the man injured while working with Rochette to free a large metal pin from the jaws of an ore crusher at the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.

Their efforts went tragically wrong when the pin let go and flew off, killing Rochette and seriously injuring millwright Justin Stewart, then 28. Stewart’s name had not been made public, at his request, until he appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice and read a victim impact statement. His injuries were always characterized by Vale as “facial lacerations.”

One look at Stewart tells you it was far more serious than that. He remained in hospital 11 days, was off work six months and to this day cannot remember what occurred near the No. 87 conveyor.

$3M boost for Sudbury’s Laurentian University engineering building – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – October 25, 2016)

October 25, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

This past summer, centenarian Lily Fielding helped celebrate the opening of Kivi Park, the new multi-use sports and outdoor park located on the site of the former Long Lake Public School and also the city’s largest park, made possible through the donation of 300 acres of land by Fielding and her family.

On Monday, Fielding and several family members visited Laurentian University’s Brenda Wallace reading room, named after her late daughter, to make another sizable donation — $3 million — toward the university’s $60.7-million proposal for strategic investment funding announced by the federal and Ontario governments Sept. 23.

As a result, Laurentian has decided to name a proposed state-of-the-art facility the Clifford A. Fielding Research, Innovation and Engineering Building in honour of her late husband.

Vale fined $1M in worker’s death – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 25, 2016)

October 25, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale Canada Ltd. was fined $1 million plus court costs and a 25 per cent victim surcharge Monday after pleading guilty to four charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the death of Paul Rochette.

The 36-year-old millwright was killed on the job April 6, 2014, while trying to remove the head of a moil or large steel pin that was stuck in the jaws of a machine called a Farrell crusher on a conveyor belt in the smelter complex.

The millwright with whom Rochette was working, Justin Stewart, suffered critical injuries when the head of the moil let go. Vale supervisor Greg Taylor, acting as a worker that day, pleaded guilty to one count of working in a manner that could endanger himself or another worker. He was fined $3,000 plus court costs and the victim surcharge.

Both Vale and Taylor were given four months to pay their fines.

[Sudbury/Vale slag pour] Accent: Lore of the pour – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 22, 2016)

October 24, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Dave Patterson, who led members of USW Local 6500 through the second longest
strike in its history, from Sept. 15, 1978 to June 7, 1979, remembered the
parking lot overlooking the slag dump was called “the passion pit” and that
it drew people from all over the city to watch slag pouring. “Yeah right,”
said Patterson.

A sight that once drew Sudburians and visitors like moths to a flame is now caught in rare glimpses when travelling in the Big Nickel Road-Highway 144 area.

Lance Melnek lives in the Valley and spies it some days when driving to work in Copper Cliff about 6 a.m. There’s a spot on Big Nickel Road, near the entrance to a Fisher-Wavy property, where Melnek sometimes sees slag being poured at Vale’s No. 4b slag dump, depending on weather conditions.

Six more orders issued at Vale North Mine – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 20, 2016)

October 20, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Work is continuing at Vale Ltd.’s Copper Cliff North Mine to address the latest health and safety infractions identified by the Ministry of Labour after one of its inspectors visited the mine.

A ministry investigator issued six more orders at the mine last week, where 39 previous orders were issued. Vale has three orders to maintain equipment, materials and protective devises in good condition, namely wood guides and two electrical issues.

It has also been ordered to support electrical cables to meet requirements of the Ontario Electrical Safety Codes; to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker; and to meet requirements for providing audible and clear signals.

[Sudbury Basin] Charges in miner’s death – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 20, 2016)

October 20, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Tears will be shed today by hard-rock miners at Nickel Rim South Mine, by the union that represents them, and by friends and family as they mark the one-year anniversary of the workplace death of a man who was beloved.

Richard Pigeau, 54, was killed Oct. 20, 2015, when he was struck by a piece of machinery while working in the mine owned by Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore).

Just days before this sombre anniversary, the Ministry of Labour laid seven charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act against Glencore Canada Corp. and two against a supervisor after a one-year investigation into Pigeau’s death.

People, innovation the “new normal” in mining – by Ella Myers (Northern Ontario Business – October 19, 2016)

October 19, 2016

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Pragmatism, innovation, and people dominated the early discussions at the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability/Mine Operations Conference (MeMO) in Sudbury, Oct. 17. The heads of Sudbury’s three leading mine operations led off the first session of the two-day conference, discussing how to lead and manage in a volatile economy.

The conference brings together mine operators to share information on reducing costs and increasing productivity and improving safety and reliability in mining. It is run by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).

Rather than focusing on optimistic predictions of when the current downturn will end, the panelists focused on how they are adapting to the low nickel prices and demand, by driving for innovation and maximizing the potential of people at their companies.

‘Gathering of minds’ at mining conference – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – October 17, 2016)

October 17, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The miners are coming. Sudbury is playing host for the next few days to about 500 delegates of the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Mine Operators conference, underway at the Radisson hotel. Sudbury often hosts mining conferences, which makes sense when you consider that more than 16,000 people throughout the city work in the sector.

“I can’t think of a better place to host an event like this than the community of Greater Sudbury,” deputy mayor and Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer said Sunday. “We are Canada’s mining capital – mining, environmental rehabilitation and mining supply and service are the cornerstones of our local economy. Together, the mining companies, along with the mining supply and service industry here in Sudbury, employ more than 16,000 people.”

Sizer also pointed out that Sudbury’s three post-secondary institutions train students to work in the sector. They go onto make careers across the country.

NEWS RELEASE: CEMI’s Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction delivers industry & economic value

October 6, 2016

Setting the stage for large scale mining operations, now and in the future

Sudbury, ON (October 6, 2016) – CEMI (Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation) and Rio Tinto celebrate the completion of the Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC) at CEMI. This $10M investment in Canada’s mining innovation was created to undertake research in support of Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future™ programme with a focus on underground mining infrastructure and footprint reliability.

This state-of-the-art research and knowledge centre played a role in the development and implementation of innovative step-change research and technology development for underground mines, designed to minimize delays and create value through speed and geo-risk mitigation. The results of this collaborative centre have set the stage for large-scale mining operations, now and in the future. CEMI 2016 Annual Report

Since being established in December 2010, the RTC-UMC interacts and collaborates with academics, consultants and representatives from a consortium of Rio Tinto operations worldwide.

Sudbury celebrates Stompin’ Tom – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – October 3, 2016)

October 3, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudburians who came together last month to celebrate an iconic musician and one of his most iconic songs now have their own music video.

Downtown Sudbury, the Townehouse Tavern and local businessman Colin Firth unveiled Sudbury Celebrates Stompin’ Tom at the Townhouse on Saturday night. The video includes a spirited rendition of Sudbury Saturday Night, performed by a boisterous crowd that gathered on Grey Street, near the bronze statue of the late Stompin’ Tom Connors, on Sept. 24.

It also includes commentary from Tannys Laughren, who was a member of the Stompin’ Tom statue committee; Paul Loewenberg, manager at the Townehouse; and Firth, a driving force behind the community event last month. “It was a couple months of getting it all together and we finished up the final video just in the last day or so, and I’m very excited,” Firth said, a few hours before the video’s premiere.

Losing Inco and Falconbridge: Ontario could have acted – BNN Andrew Bell Interviews Mining Analyst Ray Goldie (BNN News – September 23, 2016)

September 30, 2016September 27, 2016

http://www.bnn.ca/commodities/ Ten years ago, Canadian mining giants Inco and Falconbridge went into foreign hands. Independent mining analyst Ray Goldie, author of the book Inco Comes to Labrador, says Ontario could have done more to keep the head offices in this country.

[$27 million mining research facility] Big payday for LU – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – September 24, 2016)

September 26, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Laurentian University has a few more dollars to add to its coffers, after yet another funding announcement on Friday.

The university received $21.1 million from the federal government, as well as $6.3 million from the province — for a total of $27.4 million — to build a new research, engineering and innovation centre at its Ramsey Lake Road campus. The 47,000-square-foot centre will be used to house labs, lecture theatres, a shop and collaborative spaces, as well as shared equipment.

“It will provide space for researchers from the university’s seven faculties, for research and innovation,” Dominic Giroux, the university’s president, said. “We’re being purposeful in designing this new research and innovation space that cuts across the disciplines.”

NEWS RELEASE: CANADIAN AND ONTARIO GOVERNMENTS INVEST $27.4 MILLION IN INFRASTRUCTURE AT LAURENTIAN

September 23, 2016

(L to R) Jennifer Witty, Chair of the Board of Governors at Laurentian University, Members of Parliament Marc Serré and Paul Lefebvre, Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, Energy Minister and Sudbury Member of Provincial Parliament Glenn Thibeault, Dominic Giroux, President and Vice-Chancellor Laurentian University.

Part of $60.7 million project to include a new Research, Innovation and Engineering Building

SUDBURY, ON (SEPTEMBER 23, 2016) – The federal government will invest $21.1 million and the Ontario government will invest $6.3 million towards research and innovation infrastructure at Laurentian University. As part of a broad capital program totalling $60.7 million to be completed by March 2018, this $27.4 million investment is earmarked for the immediate construction of a new 47,000 sq ft Research, Innovation and Engineering Building. The announcement was made today by Members of Parliament Marc Serré and Paul Lefebvre, Deputy Premier Deb Matthews and Energy Minister and Sudbury Member of Provincial Parliament Glenn Thibeault.

“The significant support of $27.4 million received today from this joint federal-provincial announcement, the largest infrastructure announcement in Laurentian’s 56-year history, allows for the expansion of much needed research and innovation space in our region,” said Jennifer Witty, Chair of the Board of Governors at Laurentian University. “With this investment, we will build the infrastructure required to support education and research, foster innovation, and create opportunity for students while strengthening the economy.”