Sudbury Basin – Page 59 – Republic of Mining

Wynne for the North? – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – January 28, 2013)

January 28, 2013

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

Rick Bartolucci, Sudbury’s Liberal MPP, said Kathleen Wynne has “very strong interpersonal skills” and the two enjoyed a good relationship in the cabinet of outgoing premier Dalton McGuinty.

Bartolucci supported another cabinet minster, Sandra Pupatello, in the leadership campaign to replace McGuinty. Asked whether his support of Pupetello would cause a problem for him now that Wynne is party leader, Bartolucci said no.

“We’re a Liberal family,” he said. “We’re an incredibly united family. I look forward to serving” in whatever capacity Wynne may ask.

Bar tolucci, who has been Sudbury MPP since 1995, has been a cabinet minister since 2003, serving in a number of portfolios, but mostly as minister of Northern Development and Mines. During the leadership campaign, Wynne said she would create a northern cabinet committee and put more emphasis on northern infrastructure — such as roads and bridges — and transportation.

She also said she would be committed to completing the widening of Highway 69, from Sudbury to Parry Sound, to four lanes, and making sure the so-called Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich area in the Far North, is developed. One of the companies active in the Ring of Fire, Cliffs Natural Resources, wants to open a smelter in Capreol to process chromite mined in the Ring of Fire.

Another $500 K for Laurentian’s school of mines – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – January 17, 2013)

May 7, 2013January 17, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

The founding executive director of Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines is no stranger to the city. In the past, Bruce Jago has worked as an applied mineralogist and exploration director at Inco Ltd. and as the vice-president of exploration at Wallbridge Mining.

Most recently, Jago, who holds a PhD in geology, served as the CEO of Miocene Minerals in Vancouver. “This is the third time I’ll have lived in Sudbury,” he said, speaking to reporters after a Jan. 16 press conference at which his appointment was announced.

“This opportunity came up to come back east, and our family is in Ontario. It’s an amazing opportunity. So, third time lucky. I think we’re going to stay here for a long time.”

The school of mines, created last June, will focus on developing interdisciplinary majors and minors, creating new executive programs for those already in the industry, networking with other schools of mines, doubling the enrolment in mining-related programs by 2020 and continuing to improve student experience.

Beyond introducing Jago, university officials announced at the press conference the school of mines executive director position is being funded through a $500,000 gift from Franco-Nevada Corp.

Franco-Nevada is an $8-billion gold royalty company. David Harquail, the company’s CEO, said he was convinced to provide the funding because the company earns about 10 per cent of its revenues from mines in the Sudbury area.

Founding director [Goodman School of Mines] appointed – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – January 17, 2013)

May 7, 2013January 17, 2013

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

A veteran mining executive has been appointed founding executive director of Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines.

Bruce C . Jago — most recently the president, CEO and director of Miocene Minerals Ltd. of Vancouver — was introduces as the new ED at a press conference Wednesday.

“We couldn’t be more pleased Bruce Jago will be bringing his vision to the Goodman School,” Laurentian president Dominic Giroux said in a release. “His experience in the field, in Canada and abroad, his work with First Nations, his deep roots in mining and his belief in the industry all make him an ideal choice for this important founding position.”

Jago is a professional geologist and experienced mining executive who has worked with such companies as Wallbridge Mining (vice-president, exploration), Inco Limited (applied mineralogist, exploration manager), Temex Resources (project manager, diamonds) and Harry Winston Inc. (project geologist).

” The world’s mineral resources must be developed efficiently, sustainably and equitably, so all stakeholders receive maximum benefit,” Jago said. “There is no better place in the world for this multi-disciplinary approach to mining education, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to lead this exciting venture.”

NEWS RELEASE: LAURENTIAN CREATES FIRST RESEARCH CHAIR IN OPEN-PIT MINING – Canadian company IAMGOLD funds position with $1.25M investment

January 28, 2013January 15, 2013

(L to R) Stephanie Fontaine (2nd Year Mining Engineering Student), Ramesh Subramanian (Laurentian University), Gordon Stothart (IAMGOLD), Dave Brown (IAMGOLD), Philip Gaultier (IAMGOLD), Albert Nelmapius (IAMGOLD), Pierre Pelletier (IAMGOLD), Stephen Letwin (IAMGOLD), Tracy MacLeod (Laurentian University), Dominic Giroux (Laurentian University).

SUDBURY, ON (January 14, 2013) – The Bharti School of Engineering at Laurentian University in Sudbury will establish Canada’s first Research Chair in Open-Pit Mining, with the support of a significant investment from Canadian mining firm, IAMGOLD Corporation.

The company’s investment of $1.25M, dedicated to the creation of a Research Chair, was announced by IAMGOLD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Letwin at a celebration at Laurentian University this afternoon.

“This investment represents a critically-important enhancement of our research capacity at the Bharti School. This new Research Chair will attract more cutting-edge knowledge to our mining engineering programs, and will certainly augment our international reputation in mining,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director of the Bharti School of Engineering.

“The future of the mining industry depends on our ability to step up the pace of innovation and this has to start with educational programs and research opportunities specializing in advanced mining techniques,” said Steve Letwin, IAMGOLD’s President and CEO. “Creating Canada’s first Research Chair in the highly specialized field of open-pit mining, positions Laurentian University as a leader in mining research.

Vale cut not ‘fatal’ to city’s economy – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – January 12, 2013)

January 12, 2013

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

Vale’s decision to cut in half the proposed $2 billion it would spend on a massive pollution-reduction project at the Copper Cliff Smelter site will affect local mining supply and service companies, but it’s not a fatal blow, says Dick DeStefano.

DeStefano, executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association, said local companies had about a 25% of Vale’s Clean Atmospheric Emissions Reduction project, which will now cost $1-billion. The members reaction, he said, is the work will be made up somewhere else.

“I haven’t heard one complaint because they made a business decision,” said DeStefano. “No one has called me up saying ‘I am losing a pile of money.’ Our guys are saying ‘let’s move on. There are other markets in other places. If we don’t see it here, there are others. We have to live with it.’”

DeStefano said the good news Thursday is the increased push to develop the Victor-Capre Mine and the Copper Cliff Mine brownfield site, which he said, could lead to $500 million-plus of investment at each site, more than making up for the lost $1 billion from Clean AER.

While he accepts that the Clean AER announcement was a business decision, DeStefano said the Copper Cliff Smelter could run into problems down the road when it operates with just one furnace.

Vale cuts don’t concern SAMSSA director – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – January 11, 2013)

January 12, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

‘Other places besides Vale’ to do business

Local mining supply and service companies won’t be majorly impacted by Vale’s decision to downscale its Clean AER project and move to one furnace at its Copper Cliff Smelter, said Dick DeStefano.

The executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) said his members were only winning about 25 per cent of the Clean AER contracts anyway. A website dedicated to Clean AER contracts hadn’t posted any new jobs up for grabs for the last three months, DeStefano said.

But with Clean AER’s scope being cut from $2 billion to $1 billion, he said he’ll never know how many contracts his members could have won. “There will be no tenders put out, and you won’t know,” he said. So far, DeStefano hasn’t received any phone calls from members who are losing contracts because of the cuts.

Companies that specialize in servicing the smelter may be hurt by the company’s decision to shut down one of its furnaces, but again, he said he doesn’t see a large overall impact on his membership.

DeStefano estimates other Vale projects, such as the Victor Capre Mine and the Copper Cliff Deep project, will be worth about $2 billion anyway, and will provide many contract opportunities for local companies.

Vale scales back [in Sudbury] – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – January 11, 2013)

January 11, 2013

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

Vale announced Thursday it will slash spending on a massive pollution-reduction project in Sudbury, as it moves from a two-furnace to one-furnace operation at its Copper Cliff smelter.

“A move to a single furnace is years away, but preparation for this move will mean changes to the Clean AER Project in the immediate future,” Vale said in a statement. “The outcome of this move to a single furnace, combined with adjustments to the Clean AER Project, will be reductions in annual (sulphur dioxide) emissions more than 50% greater than contemplated in the original Clean AER plan, at approximately half the capital investment.”

The changes will see the cost of the Clean AER project reduced from $2 billion to $1 billion. The company’s operating costs will also be reduced, but by how much remains to be seen, said Angie Robson, Vale’s manager of corporate affairs.

“Vale has moved from what was once a growth strategy to really focus on generating value rather than production volume and also ensuring that each of our operations are self-sufficient and able to stand on our own two feet,” Robson said.

“Changes in our asset footprint, such as the commissioning of the Long Harbour project in Newfoundland, and decisions to optimize and redistribute some of the flow of our raw materials, have created conditions for moving from a two-furnace operation to a single-furnace operation for our smelter … We see it as the next logical step in our evolution here in Sudbury.”

Union, company [KGHM] working together – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 11, 2013)

January 11, 2013

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

A joint team of three people each from KGHM and United Steelworkers Local 2020 is working to reduce the number of union members who will be laid off when Podolsky Mine ceases production March 29.

Poland-based KGHM posted a notice Wednesday at the mine, as required under the Employment Standards Act, that 70 hourly rated positions would be cut when the mine closes.

That doesn’t mean 70 union jobs will be lost, said Wess Dowsett, area co-ordinator and staff representative for USW.

Six jobs were saved Thursday when the committee met for the first time. It decided to retain at least half a dozen employees for a year and keep the mine located north of Capreol on care and maintenance.

“There is always the possibility the closure will be delayed again or it may reopen in the near future,” said Dowsett, so the company will maintain the mine so it can reopen in short order if need be.

The fact KGHM is putting Podolsky on care and maintenance gives the union hope it may return to production in the future.

Cutting to one furnace at Copper Cliff – by Staff (Sudbury Northern Life – January 10, 2013)

January 10, 2013

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Citing volatile market conditions and cost challenges, Vale announced today that it plans to move to a single-furnace operation at its Copper Cliff smelter. The move will have immediate effects on the company’s $2-billion Clean Atmospheric Emissions Reduction (AER) project.

In mid-October, facing weaker metal prices, Vale undertook a comprehensive review of all its projects and operations. The first step, announced Oct. 18, was that operations at its Frood site of the Stobie Mine would be suspended as of the end of the year.

Although 85 jobs were affected by the decision, there were no layoffs. At the time, Vale said it remained committed to the Clean AER project, although it shifted the completion date from late 2015 to 2016.

The goal of the changes, said Base Metals CEO Peter Poppinga, was to “deliver a business model that is simpler, self-funding and self-sustaining.” The Base Metals division could no longer expect to rely on financing from Vale’s larger iron ore business, he said. By the end of this year, the division is expected to fund itself entirely.

Today’s statement said moving to a single furnace at Copper Cliff is the next logical step. Vale does not expect that to happen before the end of 2016.

Vale Statement About Sudbury Clean AER Project – (January 10, 2013)

January 10, 2013

In the face of volatile market conditions and operating cost challenges affecting the broader mining sector, work began last year to reinvent the business model for Base Metals through a comprehensive review of all projects and operations. A wide range of opportunities are being explored to drive value in the business.

Changes in our asset footprint, such as the commissioning of our Long Harbour project in Newfoundland, together with decisions to optimize and redistribute the flow of raw materials, have made the move from a two-furnace operation to a single-furnace operation at our Copper Cliff Smelter the next logical step for the business. The current and future mine plans in Ontario do not support a two-furnace operation.

A move to a single furnace is years away, but preparation for this move will mean changes to the Clean AER Project in the immediate future. The outcome of this move to a single furnace, combined with adjustments to the Clean AER Project, will be reductions in annual SO2 emissions more than 50% greater than contemplated in the original Clean AER plan at approximately half the capital investment. This represents a significant investment of $1B in our Ontario operations while reducing sustaining capital requirements by $1B over the next two years.

We do expect that over the next several years there will be fewer jobs in the smelter complex with a change to a single furnace – but given the lead time we will look for ways to minimize any impacts.

[KGHM Sudbury] Podolsky Mine closing – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – January 10, 2013)

January 10, 2013

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

KGHM International Ltd. has begun issuing layoffs to about 70 people who work at Podolsky Mine located north of Capreol.

A company official said Wednesday the mine will close by the end of the first quarter of 2013. The company had originally planned to close the mine by the end of 2012. She said layoffs shouldn’t come as a surprise, since KGHM International Ltd. announced in November plans to shutter the mine.

“There is nothing left to mine,” she said. KGHM International and Steelworkers Local 2020 will now meet to discuss how the layoffs should be implemented.

Quadra FNX — which merged with Polish company KGHM Polska Mied S.A. in 2012 and now operates as a subsidiary, KGHM International Ltd. — began commercial production at Podolsky Mine of copper, nickel, gold, platinum and palladium in 2008.

In November, the company said despite exploration work, it could find no reserves at Podolsky. President and CEO Paul Blythe said then the company decided to focus on its more promising projects.

14-ton rock killed Coleman miner: Report – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 9, 2013)

January 9, 2013

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

The Ministry of Labour has three weeks to complete its investigation into the Jan. 29, 2012, death of development miner Stephen Perry at Coleman Mine, and to determine if charges should be laid under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.

A joint investigation by Perry’s union, United Steelworkers Local 6500, and Vale showed the 47-year-old miner died after a 14-ton piece of rock broke from the wall, or face, he was working on at the 4,215-foot level of the main ore body at the mine in Levack.

The investigation, which wrapped up last April but was not released publicly, produced 15 recommendations to avert similar tragedies from occurring. The investigation concluded Perry, who had 16 years’ experience, died while operating a piece of machinery to load explosives into holes in the face when the piece of loose rock broke free from the wall and crushed him.

The president of USW Local 6500, Rick Bertrand, said Perry did everything he was supposed to do while working in the area.

Bertrand hasn’t seen the results of the Labour ministry’s investigation, but said Tuesday he doesn’t expect the ministry will lay charges in Perry’s death. It has one year after a fatality to investigate and decide if it will lay charges.

BMO bullish on Sudbury, Canadian economies – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – December 11, 2012)

December 12, 2012

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

In the next 12 months, Canada will see changes in the housing market, commodity prices and a focus on the big story – household debt — the managing director and deputy chief economist of BMO Capital Markets says.

But Douglas Porter has other concerns. “By this point, Dec. 11, I thought we’d have a lot more clarity on at least one critical issue for the Canadian economy. I thought we’d have more information on the NHL lockout,” he joked.

On Tuesday, Porter spoke to about 100 people at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce luncheon about “Outlook 2013: looking beyond the cliff,” what the Bank of Montreal sees for the world’s major markets over the next 12 months.

Overall, Porter said, the outlook is positive. “If I were to speak to you just a little more than 12 months ago, the markets were actually in a fairly sour mood and we were worried about a downturn. But over the last year, the markets have swung much more to the optimistic end of the spectrum.”

The biggest risk for the global economy, he said, is still the European debt crisis. While great strides have been made on that front, there is still the possibility of a downturn.

NEWS RELEASE: Northern Superior Resources Inc. Named [Quebec] 2012 Prospector of the Year

November 27, 2012

November 22, 2012 08:00 ET

www.nsuperior.com

SUDBURY, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Nov. 22, 2012) – Northern Superior Resources Inc. (the “Company” or “Northern Superior”) (TSX VENTURE:SUP) is pleased to announce that it has been named the 2012 “Prospector of the Year” by the Association L’Exploration Miniére du Québec (AEMQ). According to its web site, “each year the AEMQ recognizes and honors the dynamism and entrepreneurship of companies and individuals involved in the development of Quebec’s mining and exploration industry.”

Specifically, the AEMQ “Prospector of the Year” award is presented to “highlight the importance of a new discovery that produced a significant ripple effect on exploration activities with regard to both the property itself and the surrounding area” and was awarded to Northern Superior in recognition of the importance of the Croteau Est Gold discovery in the Chapais, Chibougamau and Oujé-Bougoumou regions of Quebec.

Since commencing operations on the Croteau Est property in August of 2011, Northern Superior’s exploration programs have defined and continue to expand a gold-bearing alteration corridor that extends to at least 450 m depth, is at least 1,000 m in length and 50 to 150 m in width. The alteration corridor and associated gold mineralization (75.44 g/ t over 4.80 m; 8.16 g/ t over 19.55 m, as examples) remains open along strike in both directions and at depth (see press releases March 1, June 11, October 8, November 12, November 20, 2012).