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City of Greater Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk “State of the City Address” – June 21, 2012

 Caruso Club, Sudbury, Ontario

Check Against Delivery

Good afternoon everyone. Bonjour tout le monde. This certainly has been an amazing few weeks in the mining capital of Canada with great investment news and scientific celebration.

Recently, in the span of about ten days we had the Cliffs decision to locate a $1.8 billion chromite smelter in our city, …the official opening of the internationally renowned SNOLAB research facility,

… and a provincial government announcement that Sudbury has been approved for a casino that may be built downtown, further contributing to the centre’s renewal.But first, I would like to start off with an amazing number: $6.3 Billion!

That is the current value of mining investment, confirmed or planned for Sudbury, over the next five years or so. This only includes capital projects by Vale, Cliffs, KGHM and Xstrata Nickel.

That six billion dollars does not include potential investments by the growing supply and service sector, government and
many other non-mining activities that will tap into these enormous projects.

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Sudbury booming, but city’s image needs a makeover, mayor says – by Sudbury Northern Life Staff (Sudbury Northern Life – June 21, 2012)

 

http://www.northernlife.ca/

State of the City address highlights economy, challenges

Without a doubt, Sudbury is booming. That was the main message Mayor Marianne Matichuk delivered during her State of the City address, June 21.

But even as the city’s economy is flourishing, skilled labour shortages abound as companies compete to attract workers. The problem for Sudbury, the mayor said in her speech at the Caruso Club, is the city’s image, which, according to Matichuk, isn’t good.

The “stereotypical ideas” of the city are apparently impacting companies’ abilities to attract workers here. “People still think of moonscape, pollution and low-tech mining,” she said. “They still think we have no culture except Sudbury Saturday Night drinking and bingo.”

One of council’s top priorities, Matichuk said, was to change that image. This will be achieved through improved communications and marketing, the redesigned tourism website, and soon-to-be-redesigned economic development sites. She also encouraged all Sudburians to be “ambassadors” for the city.

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Vale moves forward on Victor-Capre project in Sudbury – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – June 2012)

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.

Two-for-one mining

Vale is proposing a new nickel-copper-PGM mine in Sudbury that has the potential for a 10-year life with an estimated production of 5,000 tonnes per day, and a projected workforce of 500.
 
The Victor-Capre project, located 25 km northeast of Sudbury near the community of Skead, is comprised of two properties, Victor and Capre, which the company is looking to combine into one operation. The project, which is situated 2.5 km from Xstrata’s Nickel Rim South Mine, is currently in the pre-feasibility stage to determine the viability of an advanced exploration program. If the study results are favourable, advanced exploration development could begin as early as mid-2013.

“We have been doing exploration out here for quite a while, but now with copper prices the way they are and the outlook for copper quite positive, it makes the project more attractive,” said Angie Robson, manager of corporate affairs for Vale’s Ontario operations. “Vale as a whole wants to increase its copper output and so this is an important project for that.”

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Trouble for [Ontario] human-bear relations – by Michael Commito (Toronto Star – June 15, 2012)

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.

Michael Commito is a PhD candidate in the history department at McMaster University. His dissertation focuses on the history of big-game management, notably bears, deer and wolves, in Ontario and New York state.

The number of negative interactions between humans and black bears in Ontario has risen sharply this season, raising concerns about the management and welfare of the species across the province. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recently shifted its emphasis from an active bear management model to one focused on personal responsibility on the part of citizens.
 
These cuts most notably affect Bear Wise, the provincial body established in 2004 to oversee human-bear interaction in the province. These include a significant reduction in the number of bear technicians, cancelling the trapping and relocation of nuisance bears and on-site visits to landowners experiencing conflicts with bears. Recent incidents highlight the problem associated with trimming the province’s bear monitoring services while still trying to care for the animals’ welfare.

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CMHC NEWS RELEASE: Sudbury Employment Growth to Fuel Housing Gains

June 14, 2012 08:15 ET
 
SUDBURY, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – June 14, 2012) – According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Spring Housing Market Outlook report for the Sudbury Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), both the resale market and new construction activity will be buoyed by vibrant employment growth in 2012 and again in 2013 in Greater Sudbury.

“Significant expenditures in mining infrastructure combined with a host of other construction projects will be key to increasing employment numbers that will support the housing industry on all fronts,” stated Warren Philp, CMHC Northern Ontario Market Analyst. After a solid year in 2011, MLS® sales are expected to increase nearly eight per cent reaching 2,700 units in 2012 and 2,800 units in 2013. Average MLS® prices should climb 5.5 per cent this year and a further 2.5 per cent next year,” said Philp.

Single-detached housing starts are forecast to grow three per cent to 330 units in 2012 and 370 units in 2013. Starts of semi-detached, row and apartment starts will subside only slightly to 240 units from the lofty 274 units last year.

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Province open to mining inquiry: Lougheed – by Darren MacDonald (Sudbury Northern Life – June 13, 2012)

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Joins with former mayor to call for review of Ontario’s mining industry

Two heavyweights in Sudbury’s political life are putting politics aside to fight together for a provincial inquiry into Ontario’s mining industry. Jim Gordon, a former Sudbury mayor and Progressive Conservative MPP, and Gerry Lougheed Jr., a prominent Liberal supporter, are asking Sudburians to support a postcard campaign calling on Labour Minister Linda Jeffrey to launch the inquiry.

Lougheed said he believes the province will move forward if the public shows they support it. He has printed up 10,000 postcards and would love to print up 10,000 more.

“I’m very confident the minister is open to hearing all voices on this,” Lougheed said Wednesday morning. “In fact, I think they’re giving us this window to let the public show its support.”

It has been more than 30 years since the last inquiry, and Lougheed said mining has undergone huge changes since then, including radical changes in technology that has revolutionized the way miners work, as well as ownership changes. Both major mining operations – Vale and Xtstrata – are owned by huge, multinational corporations.

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Sudbury mine life could be extended by ‘hundreds more years’ – CBC Radio Sudbury (June 11, 2012)

 http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/
 
International mining conference focuses on mass mining techniques
 
A different style of mining could extend the life of nickel and copper mines in Sudbury — and companies are talking about it at a conference in the city this week. Mass mining is a method of extraction that accesses low grade ore directly below an open pit mine.

Greg Baiden, one of the conference organizers, said mass mining is cheaper than going underground and requires a much smaller workforce. It also extends the life of an existing open pit mine — something that’s definitely appealing to cost-conscious companies.
 
“It could make a huge difference,” Baiden said. “You know, you could be mining in Sudbury for hundreds more years with all the ore — all the stuff that’s currently not ore, that’s up there that’s low grade.”
 
The conference, considered one of the premier mining conferences in the international mining community, only takes place every four years. It is taking place at Laurentian University this week.

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Sudbury plays host to world’s miners – by Heidi Ulrichsen – (Sudbury Northern Life – June 11, 2012)

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Mass mining makes low grade deposits profitable

The fact that Laurentian University is hosting the International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining June 10-14 is a pretty big deal, according to the chair of the conference.

“Getting this conference into Canada is a huge deal,” Greg Baiden, a Laurentian University engineering professor and the owner of a local mining technology firm called Penguin Automated Systems, said. “The fact that Sudbury and Laurentian got to host it is an even bigger deal. All the big mining schools were vying to get access to it.”

About 700 delegates and exhibitors from more than 30 countries are attending the conference, which is being held in Canada for the first time. Federal Minister of Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver was on hand to open the conference.

He highlighted the importance of the mining industry to Canada’s economic growth and long-term prosperity, adding that Greater Sudbury is a centre of job creation and innovation in the mining sector.

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Sudbury needs to be aggressive: LU prof – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – June 9, 2012)

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

Sudbury is “drifting along” and needs to get more creative if it wants to take advantage of Northern Ontario’s resource boom, a Laurentian University economics professor said Friday. David Robinson said he came to that conclusion after comparing job growth so far this year in Sudbury and Thunder Bay.

Robinson pointed the finger directly at city councils of recent years for not being for ward-thinking enough. “We’re just drifting along,” he said. “There was a time in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when the leaders in this community were very, very enthusiastic. (Now), they spend their time on tiny things that prevent them from dealing with the big picture.”

For example, Robinson said Greater Sudbury will be the last of the big cities in northeastern Ontario to get working on a transportation plan. He said the 20-minute drive out to the Greater Sudbury Airport from the city core doesn’t cut it when Thunder Bay’s airport is located next to hotels. “We are not competing with Thunder Bay for access to the North,” he said.

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Cliffs fills labour pool – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – June 5, 2012)

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

Cliffs Natural Resources is early in the process of developing its chromite mine in the Ring of Fire, but it’s not too soon to begin scouting for the hundreds of workers it will need to develop its Black Thor deposit and process the ore from it.

Cliffs has a talent acquisition system that is part of an automated central repository that lists all of the jobs available with the Cleveland-based company.

The posting lists hundreds of jobs that will be available in Northern Ontario, some of them at least three years from now, as it gears up to start mining its rich chromite deposit and building a ferrochrome smelter near Sudbury.

Pat Persico, the company’s director of global communications, says the project has generated a great deal of interest throughout the North. When the company has held open houses, many have people inquired about how to apply for jobs.

With the automated system, potential applicants visit Cliffs’ website, under the Careers section, and create a profile online. Applicants will be asked questions about their history and experience and can upload resumes.

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Wolf Lake mining claim gets renewed – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2012)

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

The Ontario government has extended mining exploration rights on the largest remaining stand of old-growth red pine forests left in the province.

In a much-anticipated statement Thursday, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci made clear it was his government’s obligation to extend long-standing mining claims in Wolf Lake.

Under Ontario’s Living Legacy land use strategy, Wolf Lake’s Forest Reserve designation allows the mining claims and leases held by Flag Resources in the Wolf Lake area north of Greater Sudbury to continue.

“The company has met the renewal criteria established under the Mining Act and is entitled to have its lease renewed,” Bartolucci said. Located 50 kilometres northeast of Sudbury, Wolf Lake lies in the Temagami district. It is beloved by hikers and canoeists for its soaring stands of 300- year-old red pines and deep blue lakes.

Naomi Grant, of the Wolf Lake Coalition, said extending the claim clearly runs counter to the ministry’s own guidelines. “According to public records, very little activity has occurred on this lease for the past 30 years,” she said.

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE STATEMENT REGARDING CHARGES UNDER THE ONTARIO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT STEMMING FROM THE FATALITIES AT STOBIE MINE IN JUNE 2011

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, May 31, 2012 – Vale today released the following statement regarding charges issued by the Ontario Ministry of Labour this afternoon under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges stem from the Ministry’s investigation into the deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram at Stobie Mine in June 2011.

“We have received and are in the process of reviewing the charges served by the Ministry of Labour stemming from the tragic deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram in June 2011. Vale has been charged with nine counts and a staff employee has been charged with six counts under the Act.

As this is a very serious matter, we need to consider the charges very carefully before we determine how we will proceed. Until that time, and as this is now before the court system, we will not be commenting further on this matter.

Our own investigation concluded that there were a number of factors contributing to the tragic deaths of Jason and Jordan.

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NEWS RELEASE: BMO – Let’s Create 4,000 Jobs Together in Sudbury by 2016

BMO releases report on outlook for economy, housing and labour market in Sudbury

– Sudbury’s unemployment rate expected to drop to 6 per cent by 2016; back to pre-recession lows

– Strong commodity demand and industry expansion will generate growth in mining sector

– Sudbury Chamber of Commerce: City is on the Move

– BMO offering support to Canadian businesses by making $10 billion in credit available over next three years

For the entire report, click here: http://www.bmonesbittburns.com/economics/reports/20120531/SR120531.pdf

SUDBURY, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – May 31, 2012) – The next four years will bring 4,000 new jobs to Sudbury, according to a new report released today by BMO Capital Markets Economics.

The report on Sudbury is the latest in a series of economic and business overviews for various cities across Canada that will be published by BMO throughout the year.

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Boom goes Sudbury – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – May 31, 2012)

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

The next four years will bring 4,000 new jobs to Sudbury, an economic forecast released Wednesday predicts, but it will not be your grandfather’s economic boom.

The forecast, from the economists at BMO Capital Markets Economics, predicts the kind of rapid, game-changing growth for Sudbury last seen in Alberta — both good and bad — its authors say.

Sustainably strong commodity prices coupled with the maturation of Sudbury’s economy — clearly the centre of Northern Ontario’s booming mining cluster — will lead the way, says Robert Kavcic, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. “Employment in Sudbury has recouped all of the declines suffered during the recession,” he said.

“The city’s small labour pool makes statistics like the jobless rate volatile, but the underlying trend is clearly improving.” Even at 7%, Sudbury’s jobless rate remains below Ontario’s, a feat achieved in 2007, and a stark turnaround from about 15 years of a consistently high local unemployment rate, he said.

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Honourable John Rodriguez – Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury – State of the City – 2010

Imagine a City

[Check Against Delivery]

June 17, 2009

Madam President, Mister Chair, Colleagues and Friends

I am pleased and honoured to be here this afternoon to present the 2010 Mayor’s State of the City address.  I want to express my appreciation to the Chamber and its members for providing this forum and I want to thank the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation both for sponsoring this event again this year and for their ongoing contribution to this city.  Since its opening in 1999, the Slots at Sudbury Downs have transferred more than $21 million to their host municipality.

This is my fourth State of the City address and it is an important annual opportunity to take stock of where we have been and where we hope to go as a municipality and as a community.  The past twelve months have been challenging in many ways but have once again demonstrated our community’s resiliency and our unrelenting collective commitment to build for the future.

As I prepared these remarks, I was reminded of a phrase from Michael Ondaatje’s iconic novel about the history of Toronto, In the Skin of a Lion.

‘Before the real city could be seen,” Ondaatje wrote, ‘it had to be imagined.” 

As you came in today, you will have noticed the displays of architectural concepts around the room.  This is where imagination comes to life and a city is born.  Of course imagination and city-building are pursuits not limited to those in the architecture profession, and this community has been truly blessed by those who imagined the city such that we can see it today. 

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