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[Miners Unite] Caught ‘off guard’ [by Treaty #3 exploration ban] – by Jodi Lundmark (tbnewswatch.com – April 9, 2012)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

A call to ban mining and exploration companies from Treaty 3 territories has caught members of Miners United off guard.

“I think there’s been some major misconceptions on what Miners United is trying to do and where it wants to go,” said Gary Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospector’s Association.

The group, made up of about 60 companies, is newly formed and Clark said they have only met twice so far. That includes a meeting held two weeks ago.

A March 27 report on the meeting by the Globe and Mail said the companies “shared concerns about the concessions and cash they say native bands expect from companies looking for minerals on Crown lands that are considered traditional aboriginal territory.”

The Grand Council of Treaty #3 issued a release on March 30 stating they strongly disagree with the tactics discussed at the Miners United forum.

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Mining Now – Sit down together, show each other respect, and lets get things done – by James Murray (NetNewsLedger.com – March 30, 2012)

http://netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – It could be suggested that instead of sitting down to work toward real solutions, the Ontario Government has established a platform for what might be a massive fight between junior mining companies and First Nations. Perhaps the epi-centre of that fight has already started in the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (KI).

The McGuinty Government has moved twice now to buy out mining companies, and has moved on its own from what the Chief of KI, Donny Morris is reporting, first to take out lands from mining exploration, and second in buying out the mining companies rather than open talks and sit down with all concerned parties and serve as a responsible government might do.

The solution offered by Minister Bartolucci in first taking all lands in the KI land claim out of contention for mining, and second in buying out the mining company sends the wrong messages to First Nations, miners, prospectors and investors.

Junior mining companies are banding together in a group called Miners United to start working together to oppose some of the efforts by First Nations on land claims. Some of the concerns being raised are because it appears that the McGuinty Government is more interested in the optics of looking good in Toronto rather than working to solve real problems.

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Sudbury wins? [Cliffs Natural Resources ferrochrome plant] – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – April 4, 2012)

 www.thbnewswatch.com

For the video newscast click here: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Video/24256/No-Processor

Mayor Keith Hobbs said the writing’s been on the wall for a year or more, and the message probably isn’t a good one for Thunder Bay. Hobbs was reacting Monday to news that Cliffs Natural Resources’ suggestion the mining giant is still working with its best case scenario location for a much-sought after ferrochrome processing plant and it’s likely Sudbury will be made the official location.

A decision could come in a matter of weeks. Hobbs called the decision disappointing, though hasn’t entirely given up hope the project and 500 jobs can be salvaged for Thunder Bay.

“We wouldn’t be surprised by that,” Hobbs said. “The Northwest, NOMA and the City of Thunder Bay, we were all prepared for that.

“When we went to Cliffs last year in Cleveland and met with them, they told us that when they found out the Kinghorn (rail) line was gone, that we dropped from base case to maybe second base case. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if it went to Sudbury at all.”

Andrew Mitchell, a director of development for Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc., said the final decision will come down to one factor – energy.

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[Ontario First Nations] Bands stymie Ring of Fire plans – Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal Editorial – April 1, 2012

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

IN their budgets this week Ontario and Ottawa placed much stock in the Ring of Fire mineral deposit here in Northern Ontario. The province is anxious for a big boost to an economy wasted by recession. The feds want business to drive the economy. Both singled out the Ring of Fire.

But all is not well in the northern mining patch. First nations are demanding consultation. A legal “duty to consult” has failed in most cases to facilitate successful conclusions to aboriginal claims. Government can’t seem to break the logjam and while some companies have successfully negotiated agreements with neighbouring first nations, others are stymied — and annoyed.

At the mining industry’s recent national conference in Toronto, a splinter group of some 60 junior companies called Miners United met. They are concerned about native demands for concessions and cash. Bands are charging for exploratory drilling and the price often tops $100,000. Junior firms say they cannot afford it.

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Getting ready for the [Northwestern Ontario mining] boom – by Katherine Bruce (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – March 26, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

Note: This is the third of a multi-part series looking at the mining sector of Northwestern Ontario and the Ring of Fire.
Katherine Bruce likes to blow things up.

A professor of engineering technology at Cambrian College, she described her passion for her previous work in the mining sector, especially in the underground pits, to a large group of rapt attendees at the Mining Your Future conference on Feb. 25.

Bruce is one of the post-secondary institution partners working to develop strategies and solutions for the skill and labour shortage facing the mining industry. Confederation College president Jim Madder is also working to prepare students with diverse backgrounds and interests, for both the direct and indirect jobs available in the mining sector.

“Northwestern Ontario has to change its mindset and realize that there are jobs available,” Madder said.

Confederation is committed to preparing students for those jobs and currently offers flexible upgrading programs and outreach, as well as directly applied programs such as the diamond drillers course and an eight-month mining techniques program.

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[NDP Sarah Campbell] MPP calls for talks on changing Far North Act – by Bryan Meadows (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – March 24, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is calling for more consultation on changes to the Far North Act, with a goal of replacing it with new legislation that is more acceptable to Northern Ontario residents.

“The Liberal government didn’t listen to northerners and First Nations in Northern Ontario when they introduced the Far North Act,” Campbell said, in introducing a motion, calling for consultations, to the provincial legislature this week.

“Getting this right will help create economic opportunities and job creation in Northern Ontario and make sure the benefits are shared with the people who live here,” she said.

Campbell’s motion also proposes additional funding for First Nations’ land use planning, a joint co-ordinating body between First Nations and government, a resource revenue-sharing model, and the end to the provision that allows the government to overrule land use plans completed by First Nations.

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An all-party voice for North – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (March 9, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

NORTHERN MPPs from all parties in the Ontario legislature have consistently expressed frustration with the Toronto-centric nature of Queen’s Park. Decisions affecting the North at times fail to take account of northern realities, with the result that Northerners often feel alienated.

 Conservatives and Liberals in power cannot change their opposition past even as they defend the nature of their northern policies. Thunder Bay-Superior North Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle is in just such a pickle this week.

 In opposition against the Mike Harris Tories, Gravelle was seen as a champion of northern causes. He racked up impressive electoral majorities at home because people in his riding viewed him as an effective voice for northern consideration in a legislature dominated by southern members and issues.

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Thunder Bay poised for jobs [Ring of Fire capital and mining boomtown]- Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (March 11, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

STATISTICS Canada confirmed a bleak reality Friday — unemployment remains a critical drag on Canada’s economy and its people. Thunder Bay showed a spark of life and its mayor figures unemployment will soon be a thing of the past.

 Economists had predicted 15,000 jobs would be created nationally in February. Instead, 2,800 positions were lost. The unemployment rate actually dropped to 7.4 per cent, but that’s because there were 37,900 fewer Canadians looking for work last month, many who’ve given up hope of finding a job for the time being.

 Canadians aged 15-24 took a big hit for the fifth straight month. This may be partly due to the fact many employees at or near 65 are opting to stay at work in order to recover their recessionary investment losses or simply to afford to continue living in their homes.

 The federal government is considering raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security from 65 to 67 which will further swell retirement reluctance — and keep more jobs from opening up for youth.

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Barry Third Interview with Ontario Premier McGuinty about Ring of Fire – (Thunder Bay Television/Tbnewswatch.com/ – March 1, 2012)

Barry Third is the news anchor and news director at Thunder Bay television. Tbnewswatch.com is your interactive source for all Thunder Bay news, sports. The site covers the Thunder Bay area as well as Northwestern Ontario and the world. Here is Barry Third’s one-on-one interview with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Video/Default.aspx?art_id=23999

KI ‘wins’ in mining’s loss – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (March 7, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

THERE is frustration bordering on resentment in today’s letter from geologist John Scott concerning the Ontario government’s withdrawal of 23,000 square kilometres of northern land from mining. Curiously, there is not a concurrent level of joy in the response of Donny Morris, chief of the area’s Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, who has been leading prolonged opposition to mining exploration anywhere near KI except on its terms, which remain elusive. Instead, Morris claims he was caught off-guard by Sunday’s announcement by Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci, though his office says it tried several times to make contact. Morris challenged the minister to visit the reserve to discuss the boundaries of the land.

 By Morris’ own count, his band and the province have been discussing the future of this land mass since 2001. There is a time for talking and a time for doing and it appears that Bartolucci has called Morris’ bluff. Unable to settle with KI on how to proceed, and facing mounting pressure from the mining industry for certainty on where it can look for minerals, Bartolucci withdrew this giant chunk of land “to give clarity to the province’s mining exploration industry and avoid future disagreements over the land in question.”

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[Ontario] Gov’t fails mining – by John Scott (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – March 7, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

John Scott is from the Thunder Bay Geological Services

Re Government Move Surprises KI; Huge Chunk of Land Near Reserve Off-limits to Mining — CJ, March 6:
 
Once again the Government of Ontario has failed the people of Ontario and has failed the only industry in the province that is still (?) viable enough the drag the province out of its economic tailspin. The problems with KI are not so great that Premier Dalton McGuinty has to use a club of this proportion to appease the handful, and it is a handful, of KI squeaky wheels.

While generally the area still has to be explored, we know enough of the area to indicate that the mineral potential is conducive to exploration. This is based on the magnetic characteristics of the rocks as well as the geology of the area. The potential for deposits of gold, base metals, copper, nickel and the platinum group metals to be found within the area withdrawn from staking is very high. The development of these Ontario resources would have benefited the entire province; now these potential resources have been removed from the economy of the province to the detriment of all.
 
What would the people living in the Toronto-centered area say if the government did not allow any exploration or development of any kind in an area equivalent to the KI withdrawal centered over Toronto?

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Cliff’s Natural Resources holds open house in Thunder Bay – by Jamie Smith (tbnewswatch.com – March 1, 2012)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Even though developing the Ring of Fire means thousands of jobs, it has to be done the right way an official with Cliff’s Natural Resources says.

The right way means protecting the environment while still maximizing the potential of Cliff’s chromite deposits in the Far North. Cliff’s senior vice-president of global ferroalloys Bill Boor said that’s why his company held an open house in Thunder Bay on Thursday.

“(We have) a real genuine desire on our part to get out and talk to people that are close in any way to the project,” Boor said on the phone Thursday. “We want to have that two way dialogue.” Cliff’s is developing its framework for an environmental assessment for its chromite project so the more feedback it gets from people the better Boor said.

Kate Layfield is a fourth-year Lakehead University student.

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Riches for all from Ring of Fire, says Thunder Bay mayor – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – February 27, 2012)

This article came from Wawatay News: http://www.wawataynews.ca/

“There are enough riches in the Ring of Fire basin for
everyone here, including First Nations,” said Thunder
Bay mayor Keith Hobbs. “The riches in the Ring of Fire
are enough to make Ontario a have-province.”

Representatives from the City of Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation have joined together to call for government investment in infrastructure around the Ring of Fire.

The city and the First Nation say they are working towards making Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario a mining hub, like the Sudbury region.

“There are enough riches in the Ring of Fire basin for everyone here, including First Nations,” said Thunder Bay mayor Keith Hobbs. “The riches in the Ring of Fire are enough to make Ontario a have-province.”

Hobbs said the city is still pushing to host Cliffs Resources processing facility, despite acknowledging that Thunder Bay is not the favourite to get the plant or the estimated 300-500 jobs it would bring.

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Ring of Fire Road – by Jodi Lundmark (tbnewswatch.com – February 22, 2012)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

The Ring of Fire will be top of mind for local delegates heading to the Ontario Good Roads Association Conference in Toronto next week.

“The projects that are up there are going to make this province rich,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs.

The economic impact on Sudbury for value-added services in the mining sector is $5 billion. In Thunder Bay, it’s around $450 million, which the mayor says is a good start, but is just that – a start.

“There’s more businesses coming in all the time; more junior exploration companies are setting up shop in Thunder Bay. We have to make sure it happens on a large scale,” he said.

Hobbs will be joined at the conference by Councillors Joe Virdiramo, Iain Angus, Brian McKinnon, Aldo Ruberto and Ken Boshcoff as well as city manager Tim Commisso and Fort William First Nation’s economic development officer Ed Collins.

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Thunder Bay responds to Drummond Report -by Jamie Smith (tbnewswatch.com – February 16, 2012)

www.tbnewswatch.com

While there are some concerns, the city says it is already following many of the recommendations made in the Drummond Report. Cost containment and finding efficiencies are part of programs the city has been implementing over the last few years mayor Keith Hobbs said.

“It lines up great with what the city is already doing,” Hobbs said at a media conference Thursday afternoon.

What was missing from the massive report, which has recommendations for almost every provincial department, is the massive revenue potential from the Ring of Fire, Hobbs said. While mining potential is mentioned, it wasn’t enough.

“I do think in the Drummond report they really down played it quite a bit. They really need to step up.” City manager Tim Commisso said given that the ring of fire could be one of the province’s largest economic generators, Ontario needs to be a leader when it comes to infrastructure for the project.

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