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HISTORY: Timely look-back at local pioneer prospectors – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – January 12, 2018)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Jan. 8th marked the last day for “physically” staking a mining claim in Ontario. As part of the modernization of the mining act, Ontario will move to an on-line mining claim registration process.

Sure, we can’t stop progress; sure, we can’t live in the past; sure, we can’t blah, bah, blah. At the risk of sounding like some romanticized Luddite, the adventure that was prospecting and its impact on the development of Northern Ontario is now just another bit of history.

But that glamourized bit of our history is what seems to interest people; after all, tourists visit Dawson City, Cobalt and Timmins with the hope that they will somehow be able to relive those thrill-seeking times. And what exciting times they were…

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[Timmins Goldcorp] PGM aims to build larger milling facility – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – January 12, 2018)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – The skyline around the Dome Mine property is likely to see a dramatic change. With the recent closure of the Dome underground workings, the company is preparing to remove all the existing infrastructure and familiar surface buildings at that site.

Those changes were part of the presentation revealed to the Timmins Chamber of Commerce lunch event by Marc Lauzier Thursday. Lauzier is the mines general manager for Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM).

The chamber audience consisted mainly of mining supply and service representatives who seemed assured to hear that PGM is still in business as strongly as ever in the Porcupine Camp despite the Dome underground shutdown and especially with the prospect of the new Century Project.

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Timmins Sage Gold ramping up operations (Timmins Daily Press – January 9, 2018)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Sage Gold Inc. the company that has 100% ownership of the Clavos Mine in Timmins, reports that its bulk sampling program has so far yielded almost 800 ounces of gold and expects to mill even more this month despite the unexpectedly cold temperatures in the past two weeks.

The information contained in a news release said the bulk sample so far represents what the company called “lower grade pre-stope development rock” mined by Sage and well as broken rock left by the previous mine operator, St. Andrew Goldfields Ltd.

“To date, the company has completed three mill runs between October and December 2017, as part of its bulk sampling program, yielding approximately 790 ounces of gold,” the company stated in its release.

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Timmins Dome mine story still hasn’t reached an end – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – January 9, 2018)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – The closing of the Dome Mine underground operations at the end of December is but one chapter in the overall story that is Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM), according to Marc Lauzier.

As the mines general manager for PGM, Lauzier said it is not yet time to fully close the book on the Dome story, or the bigger story of PGM in the Porcupine Camp.

Lauzier was commenting Monday on the final shutdown of underground work at the historic Dome mine and what that operation has meant for the community over the past century.

“I think it has had an impact on the whole region,” said Lauzier. “The Dome has been open since 1910 I believe. I mean, that’s 107 years. How many communities can say they’ve had 107 years of active mine life from the same gold mine?”

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City hopes to tie leash on Noront plant in 2018 – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – December 30, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – With Timmins making a hard push to convince Noront Resources to locate its ferrochrome production facility here, 2018 is shaping up to be a potentially significant year for this city.

“When you look at the Ring of Fire and Noront, there is probably no more crucial time to celebrate our successes,” said Timmins Mayor Steve Black. “This has been the heart of mining in Ontario for a century now and will likely be for another century going forward.

“We have the expertise, we have the supply sector, we have the people, we have the goodwill. When you look at Timmins versus some of the other communities that are in that race … there is no community that is as positively supporting of mining as Timmins is.

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Document lists all mines that used McIntyre Powder – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – December 29, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – The McIntyre Powder Project has obtained a document that outlines all the mines in Ontario where aluminum dust was used in an ill-fated attempt to protect workers from developing a lung condition known as silicosis.

At the time, the mines were unaware of the potential toxic effects of having their workers inhale aluminum dust particles.

At least a dozen mines from Timmins and the immediate surrounding area are listed in that document, which Janice Martell, of McIntyre Powder Project, said was obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

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Legendary Timmins Dome underground operations ended Dec. 31: ‘It’s just amazing what this mine has done for the community’ – by Maija Hoggett (Northern Ontario Business – January 2, 2017)

Legendary Dome Mine Timmins Ontario (Wiki Photo)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

The final day of 2017 marked the end of an era at a Timmins mine. More than 100 years after the Dome underground mine started, work permanently ceased on Dec. 31.

Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM) announced the closure, which directly affects about 140 people, in August. To mark the end of the historic operation, mine general manager Marc Lauzier said each crew enjoyed cake, a photographer took keepsake photos for interested crew members, and the workers received a memento to bring home.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our crews; they’ve done a phenomenal job, they’ve kept their heads up right until the end, and the morale is actually better than it could be,” Lauzier said.

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How J.P. Bickell helped shape Toronto, from Famous Players to the Maple Leafs – by Sammy Hudes (Toronto Star – December 7, 2017)

https://www.thestar.com/

John Paris Bickell’s life began with loss. But it would never hold him back. Born in Molesworth, Ont., and raised in Toronto, Bickell, most commonly known as J.P. or Jack, would grow up to run his own brokerage firm by 23, become a millionaire before 30, serve as an owner and director of the Toronto Maple Leafs — spearheading the construction of Maple Leaf Gardens — and contribute significantly to the war effort.

His influence touched the mining, banking and movie industries in Canada and his philanthropy profoundly impacted medical research and children’s health for years to come. Yet for Bickell, household name status never quite came, even in death.

“If anybody in Canada has owned gold, silver, flown in a plane, been in a sporting event, been in a hospital or benefited from medical research, been in a movie theatre, you have been touched by J.P. Bickell,” says Graham MacLachlan, who co-authored a book published in September titled J.P. Bickell: The Life, the Leafs and the Legacy.

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Gowest aims to unlock refractory gold potential of legendary Timmins Camp – by Henry Lazenby (MiningWeekly.com – November 14, 2017)

http://www.miningweekly.com/

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Little-known exploration and development company Gowest Gold is preparing to become the newest gold producer in the legendary Timmins Gold Camp, which, since its discovery in the early 1900s, has produced almost half of all the gold mined in Canada.

The TSX-V-listed company is moving its North Timmins gold project – host to the Bradshaw deposit – through the permitting process, with a view to start commercial production during the first quarter of 2019. It expects to ship first ore to a nearby plant before the end of the year as part of a 30 000 t bulk sample.

Gowest CEO Gregory Romain told Mining Weekly Online in an interview that the company is unlocking an opportunity in the Timmins Gold Camp by being one of the first to look into the potential of developing the refractory and sulphide ores in the region, something most other district participants overlooked in their quest for the “low-hanging fruits” that made the region famous.

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Timmins confident it will get plant – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – November 14, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

TIMMINS – Timmins feels it may have an edge in its bid to win the attention of Noront Resources. Noront is looking around Northern Ontario for the best location of a ferrochrome smelter. A news conference was held at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) office Monday afternoon to outline some of the city’s plans.

Noront Resources is the Canadian junior mining company with the biggest claim to the major chromite and nickel discoveries in a remote region located in the James Bay Lowlands. It is the incredibly rich mining area known as the Ring of Fire, where the value of the minerals has been estimated in the tens of billions of dollars.

Timmins is one of four Northern Ontario locations that was shortlisted by Noront earlier this year and invited to submitted proposals. The other cities are Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.

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Timmins invited to bid for ferrochrome plant – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – November 8, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Timmins is taking a new step forward with the plan to attract a new ferrochrome production facility, according to new information released by the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) this week.

Because TEDC had previously submitted information to Noront Resources (TSXV:NOT) that company has now invited Timmins to submit “a compelling case proposal” in a bid to win over Noront which continues to search for a host city for some sort for a facility for the Ring of Fire nickel and chromium discovery.

Noront is the Canadian junior mining company with the biggest claim to all the major discoveries in that region, located in the James Bay Lowlands.“The company’s first project is a 100%-owned, high-grade, nickel, copper and platinum group element (PGE) deposit called Eagle’s Nest. It is the largest high-grade nickel discovery in Canada since Voisey’s Bay and the most advanced project in the Ring of Fire.

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Vehicle offers quicker response for Kidd mine rescue team – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – November 6, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – With Glencore’s Kidd Mine in Timmins being the deepest base metal mine in the world, innovation has become a way of life there. The most recent change is the delivery of a tricked-out Toyota truck that can bring mine rescue teams to the most remote areas of the massive mine more quickly than ever before.

The Mine Rescue Emergency Response Vehicle (MRERV) is being put through its paces these days as mine rescuers get training on driving the truck and learning to drive it onto the mine’s huge elevator known as the cage.

Normally the cage is used to transport miners, mining materials, tools and explosives from surface into the depths of the mine. But the cage is also big enough and robust enough to carry a vehicle.

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Goldcorp reveals good news for the Dome Mine Century Project – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – November 1, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

More “positive” news has emerged about Goldcorp’s Century Project in Timmins which is a proposed expansion of the existing Dome Mine open pit operation.

Goldcorp has released a “reserves and resource estimate” that reveal the pre-feasibility study for the Century Project gold mine has been completed and the news was good.

“The Base Case Pre-Feasibility Study was positive and Goldcorp believes that exploration drilling and the upcoming optimization study could continue to add value to this organic project with low execution risk in a proven mining district,” said the report.

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One millionth ounce of gold poured at Tahoe’s Bell Creek – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – October 19, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

In a ritual that has been performed thousands of times before in Timmins, a brand new gold bar was poured Thursday morning. The shiny ingot, weighing around 55 pounds, was valued at roughly $1.2 million.

For a handful of people in Timmins it might be a common thing, but for Tahoe Canada it signifies that the company made the right moves eight years ago when Lake Shore Gold, now Tahoe Resources, was being created.

The gold bar that was poured at the company’s Bell Creek refinery was the one-millionth ounce of gold that has been produced since the company initiated its Timmins mining complex back in 2009.

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Excerpt from J.P. BICKELL: The Life, the Leafs, and the Legacy – by Jason Wilson, Kevin Shea and Graham MacLachlan

To order a copy of “J.P. BICKELL: The Life, the Leafs, and the Legacy”: https://www.dundurn.com/books/JP-Bickell

Jason Wilson is a bestselling Canadian author, a two-time Juno Awards Nominee, and an Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Guelph. He has performed and recorded with UB40, Ron Sexsmith, Pee Wee Ellis, and Dave Swarbrick. Jason lives in Stouffville, Ontario.

Kevin Shea is a renowned hockey historian and bestselling author of fourteen hockey books. He is the Editor of Publications and Online Features for the Hockey Hall of Fame, a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs Historical Committee, and a founding member of Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer. Kevin lives in Toronto.

Graham MacLachlan is a relative of J.P. Bickell who has an extensive business background in international trade that is equalled by his involvement in hockey in the IIHF, the WHL, Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Calgary. Graham lives in Calgary, Alberta.

OVERVIEW

He stayed out of the spotlight, but Leafs fans know J.P. Bickell cast a long shadow.

A self-made mining magnate and the man who kept the Maple Leafs in Toronto and financed Maple Leaf Gardens, J.P. Bickell lived an extraordinary and purposeful life. As one of the most important industrialists in Canadian history, Bickell left his mark on communities across the nation. He was a cornerstone of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which awards the J.P. Bickell Memorial Award to recognize outstanding service to the organization.

Bickell’s story is also tied up with some of the most famous Canadians of his day, including Mitchell Hepburn, Roy Thomson, and Conn Smythe. Through his charitable foundation, he has been a key benefactor of the Hospital for Sick Children, and his legacy continues to transform Toronto. Yet, though Bickell was so important both to Toronto and the Maple Leafs, the story of his incredible life is today largely obscure. This book sets the record straight, presenting the definitive story of his rise to prominence and his lasting legacy — on the ice and off.

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