Sudbury Basin – Page 46 – Republic of Mining

AUDIO: Vale expects to miss 2015 sulpher dioxide emissions target (CBC News Sudbury – July 20, 2015)

July 20, 2015

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

Company says it has some emissions credits banked from past improvements to its process

Nickel giant Vale doesn’t expect to meet its sulphur dioxide emission targets this year, a decade after they were set.

Vale was granted a five-year extension, and has until the end of this year to get its annual emissions down to 66 kilotonnes.

The company reports it’s currently emitting about 150 kilotonnes, but is aiming to be down to 20 kilotonnes by 2018 — when $1 billion worth of upgrades are completed at its Copper Cliff smelter.

“There’s going to be a couple steps,” said Dan Legrand, Vale’s director of process technology. “The big one will occur in 2018 when we start capturing all of the converter gas.”

Vale has made other changes to its emissions process — racking up government credits that allow it to miss the emissions deadline without penalty. The Ministry of the Environment is keeping a close watch.

Several rounds of layoffs expected at Lockerby Mine: union – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – July 8, 2015)

July 9, 2015

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

First Nickel Inc.’s Lockerby Mine in Sudbury will see several rounds of layoffs in the coming months, says the union representing the workers.

Anne-Marie MacInnis, the president of Mine Mill Local 598/Unifor, said the company sent out layoff notices to around 26 workers last week, and is expected to reduce its workforce more in the next few months.

“They’re going to be on care and maintenance in November,” MacInnis said. Under care and maintenance, the company would only need a skeleton crew to maintain infrastructure at the mine site.

MacInnis said the company has agreed, as per the collective agreement, to set up a re-adjustment centre for employees who have received layoff notices. The centre would give them resources to find new jobs.

“They said they would provide a couple computers to allow people to do job searches,” she said.

Wallbridge Mining reports promising find near Capreol – by Staff (Sudbury Star – July 3, 2015)

July 3, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Wallbridge Mining Company says it has uncovered what it is calling massive sulfide nickel-copper and platinum group metals mineralization on one of its Sudbury properties.

“The Parkin properties have high quality near-surface exploration targets and also have significant potential at depth evident from the presence of a surface resource and a past producing mine, as well as significant mineralization intersections at depth in the Milnet 1500 Zone,” Marz Kord, president and CEO of Wallbridge, said in a release.

“We are working to attract new partner financing to advance the Parkin properties and in the meantime we add value by further exploration on the properties.” The Parkin properties are located north of Capreol.

Wallbridg said the properties (Parkin, Milnet, CBA Parkin, and Parkin East) cover a 9.4-km strike length of the Parkin Offset dyke, which hosts nickel, copper, and platinum group metals mineralization, including:

[Sudbury, Ontario] Global Lessons from a Hard-Rock Mining Town: Dr. John Gunn at TEDxLaurentianU

June 27, 2015

Published on 28 Feb 2014 Dr. Gunn presents an inspiring talk on our northern mining town Sudbury. He educates us on our history of pollution, and it’s decline and the impact Sudbury’s smoke stack plays. He illustrates the link between clean air and clean water and further explains the impact and global lessons from …

Moonscape to greenbelt: Conference celebrates regreening – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – June 9, 2015)

November 5, 2015June 10, 2015

http://www.northernlife.ca/

www2.laurentian.ca/sudbury2015

Sudbury world-renowned for its remediation program

Researchers from as far away as Russia and Norway will gather in Sudbury for the sixth Mining and Environment International Conference at Laurentian University June 20-25.

“The goal this year is to really celebrate the successes of the Sudbury regreening program,” said Graeme Spiers, an associate professor with Laurentian’s faculty of the environment, and one of the conference organizers. “Sudbury is recognized globally for this. The citizens of Sudbury should be really proud of what the city has done.”

The “Sudbury Method,” as some have termed the city’s regreening effort, which began in 1978, has served as a model for jurisdictions around the world to remediate environments damaged by mining, smelting and other industrial activities.

Tough times at First Nickel in Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – June 10, 2015)

June 10, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

First Nickel had no choice but to stop developing an underground ramp at its Lockerby Mine because of low nickel prices and large worldwide stockpiles of nickel.

Before the end of the year, the company’s board of directors may have other tough decisions to make.

FNI president and chief executive officer Thomas Boehlert said continuing ramp development wasn’t economically viable because the company was spending millions on it. For now, FNI will continue to mine nickel and copper on and above the 6,800-foot level of the mine.

Boehlert expects that ore will be mined out by some point in the third quarter of this year, although he said FNI will prolong that for as long as it can based on nickel prices and the company’s production rate , “with safety being the No. 1 objective, particularly during this period of time.”

It is almost inevitable FNI will have to place the mine on care and maintenance or even close the operation, remove the buildings and reclaim the site. Mining companies are required by law to present plans to government for how they would decommission a mine and how much it will cost to do so before they begin operation.

Covergalls clothing line featured in Women Who Rock fashion show – by Lisa Wright (Toronto Star – June 8, 2015)

June 8, 2015

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Embarassing trips to the porta-potty spark clothing line by Sudbury woman.

Alicia Woods’ eureka small business idea came via the call of nature. She was a mile underground touring a Sudbury nickel mine 15 years ago in a bulky, oversized pair of men’s coveralls as part of job shadowing for her future sales position for a mining equipment manufacturer.

“I thought, ‘Uh-oh, what if I have to use the washroom?’ It was all men down there and all they had was a porta-potty, and I had all this gear on,” she recalls.

As her career in the industry grew, Woods found herself on numerous trips to mine sites across North America, but she discovered not even the smallest gear fit her petite frame.

NEWS RELEASE: Ionic Engineering – Talos Steel Joint-Venture Opens New Office in Santiago, Chile

June 8, 2015

www.ionic-eng.com

(Greater Sudbury, June 8, 2015) Ionic Engineering and Talos Steel, both of Lively, in the heart of the Sudbury Mining Cluster, have joined forces to launch a new venture in South America. Based in Santiago, Chile, the new company, known as Ionic Tecnologias Spa will represent the interests of both companies.

Chile is a leader in copper production and is home to some of the largest mining projects in the world. Both Ionic Engineering and Talos Steel have been working in Chile for years. “A local presence will greatly improve our responsiveness to customers as well as allow us to maintain regular contact with some of our best clients” says Steve Matusch, President of the Ionic group of companies.

Talos Steel is a high-quality industrial fabricator specializing in mining projects. “Pairing our industrial know-how with Ionic’s automation experience really puts this new venture in a very unique competitive position” claims Frank Grossi, Vice President of Talos Steel. Grossi continues “Mining companies from Canada, and the Sudbury basin in particular, are very well respected abroad. We are building a strong brand around Ionic Tecnologias”.

Ionic Tecnologias has a mandate to provide fast, affordable and quality solutions for this growing sector. “There is no doubt that this venture will be successful,“ continues Matusch, “provided that we deliver a quality product for a competitive price, we believe that this market will be one of growth and prosperity”.

NEWS RELEASE: First Nickel Discontinues Lockerby Mine Ramp Development

June 8, 2015

TORONTO: June 8, 2015. First Nickel Inc. (“First Nickel”, “FNI” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: FNI) announces the discontinuation of underground ramp development at its Lockerby nickel/copper mine, located in the Sudbury basin in Ontario (“Lockerby”).

As disclosed in the Company’s filings for the first quarter of 2015, considering low nickel prices and production levels of the Lockerby mine, the Company has evaluated a range of options from continuing the current operating plan at Lockerby to discontinuing ramp development and mining only the ore remaining on and above the 6800-foot level. Primarily as a result of continued weakness in nickel prices, the Company has decided to discontinue ramp development at this time.

The remaining economic ore on and above the 6800-foot level is expected to be mined out in the third quarter of 2015, at which time the mine will either be put on care and maintenance or closed. The accounting implications of this change will be reflected in the Company’s interim financial statements for the second quarter of 2015, which will be filed in early August.

Mr. Thomas M. Boehlert, President and CEO of FNI, commented, “Our employees at Lockerby have worked long and hard to make the mine a success.

[KGHM International] Energy plan to help new Sudbury mine – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – May 15, 2015)

May 15, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A provincial government program to help new or expanding companies create jobs and cut electricity rates will help move the development of KGHM International’s Victoria Mine project forward.

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli was in Sudbury on Thursday to announce details of the two-year-old Industrial Electricity Incentive (IEI) Program and how it will benefit the mining company.

The IEI Program captures surplus electricity capacity in Ontario and “redelivers” it to the industrial and business community in the form of significant cost discounts, helping them be more competitive, said the minister.

Sudbury can “legitimately be called the mining capital of the world,” Chiarelli told a small audience. Ensuring mining companies and industry have access to a reliable and affordable source of electricity is a priority for his government.

Existing northern miners, such as Glencore and Vale, are already benefiting from the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program, which is cutting about 25% of their electricity costs.

Sudbury family ‘overwhelmed’ by recommendations – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – May 8, 2015)

May 8, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A coroner’s jury went beyond the eight recommendations jointly submitted at an inquest into the deaths of two men at Vale’s Stobie Mine and added 16 of its own to improve mine safety in Sudbury, in Ontario and throughout Canada.

The three-woman, one-man jury accepted eight recommendations suggested and agreed upon by Vale, United Steelworkers Local 6500, the Ministry of Labour and the families of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram.

The first recommendation was that the Ministry of Labour implement the recommendations of the Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review regarding water management in mines and the internal responsibility system.

The review was struck in December 2013 in response to pressure by families and mine workers for an inquiry into mine safety after the Sudbury men’s deaths. Chenier, 35, and Fram, 26, were killed when a run of muck overcame them while they were working at the 3,000-foot level near the No. 7 ore pass.

Sudbury should be proud of jury’s work: coroner – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – May 8, 2015)

May 8, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The community owes a debt of gratitude to the work of the jury that made 24 recommendations to make mining safer in Ontario at the inquest into the deaths of two Vale workers. Presiding coroner Dr. David Eden said the issues surrounding the deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram were complex and of great concern to the community.

The “very well-considered and essential questions” and “thoughtfulness and thoroughness” of the recommendations displayed the highest level of dedication and commitment on the part of the three women and one man who sat on the jury, said Eden.

A fifth juror had to drop out a week into the two-week inquest because of medical reasons. Eden read the recommendations Thursday at the Sudbury Courthouse. “The community that you represent here should be proud of your work,” Eden told the jury.

The jury answered five basic questions that are at the heart of every coroner’s inquest. They determined that Chenier, 35, and Fram, 26, were involved in an accident and were presumed to have died June 8, 2011, about 10 p.m. The men were pronounced dead by the attending coroner early the morning of June 9.

Sudbury Steelworkers ratify new contract with Vale (Sudbury Star – May 1, 2015)

May 1, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

United Steelworkers locals 6500 and 6200, representing production and maintenance employees in Sudbury and Port Colborne, have voted to accept a new five-year contract, Vale announced Friday.

The new agreement takes effect on June 1. When the polls closed earlier today, 76.7% of members in Sudbury and 87% of members in Port Colborne had voted in favour of the new five-year deal.

“We are extremely pleased with the outcome,” Mitch Medina, Vale’s lead negotiator, said in a release. “A new five-year agreement, delivered a month before the old contract expires, points to a maturing in our labour relations. By the time the new contract expires in 2020 we will have enjoyed an unprecedented full decade of labour peace.”

The new five-year deal contains improvements in contract language, wages, benefits and pensions. USW Locals 6500 and 6200 represent 2,800 production and maintenance employees in Sudbury and Port Colborne.

Superintendent warned about water levels – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 29, 2015)

April 29, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A former superintendent at Stobie Mine who toured the underground facility the day two men were killed at its 3,000-foot level said he left the mine about noon with concerns about excess water and plugged drain holes.

Larry Lauzon was brought in June 8, 2011, to offer advice to superintendent Keith Birney about safety practices. Stobie routinely experiences constant problems due to water being funnelled from surface.

Stobie supervisor Jason Chenier, 35, and miner Jordan Fram, 26, were killed by a run of tons of muck on the 3,000-level. The incident is believed to have occurred about 9:45 p.m.

Lauzon testified Tuesday at the seventh day of the coroner’s inquest into their deaths that he noticed on his tour varying depths of water accumulation at several levels of Stobie’s B division, where the men were overcome by muck. He talked with Birnie, cautioning him to take water issues seriously, and spoke with workers they encountered on their tour about safe mining practices.

As he was leaving the mine, Lauzon said he looked for the mine manager to see if he was aware of water conditions in the mine.

Day of Mourning: Labour vows to ‘fight for the living’ – by Connor Pringle (Sudbury Star – April 29, 2015)

April 29, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Workers who were killed, injured or suffered illnesses from workplace conditions were mourned Tuesday during the 31st Annual Day of Mourning hosted by The Sudbury and District Labour Council and United Steel Workers Local 6500.

The Annual Day of Mourning recognizes workers killed, injured and who suffered illnesses while on the job.

“It’s a day to make a commitment to protect the living and to prevent future injuries and fatalities,” said Alain Arseneault, co-chair of maintenance/electrical for the Health, Safety and Environment Committee.

The day started 31 years ago, according to Arseneault, with April 28 chosen as that is the date the Ontario government proclaimed the first comprehensive Workers Compensation Act in Canada.

The Sudbury region was the first region to declare April 28 as the official Day of Mourning in Canada and across the world. The Steelworkers local says 44 deaths have occurred on company property since the first Day of Mourning.