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Tahoe goes deep in Timmins – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – January 6, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Tahoe Resources is rolling up its sleeves this year to expand and deepen the Bell Creek Mine in Timmins. The Vancouver miner announced its 2017 financial and operating guidance on Jan. 5.

Project capital expenditures this year will be between $150 million to $175 million, the two largest projects being the shaft deepening at Bell Creek, along with the construction of a crushing and agglomeration plant in Peru.

Tahoe acquired the former Lake Shore Gold in a $945-million deal last year, adding the Timmins West and Bell Creek gold mines in Timmins to Tahoe’s stable of operations in Guatemala and Peru.

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[Gold mining tradition] F.W. Schumacher’s Christmas generosity crossing generations – by Sarah Moore (Timmins Daily Press – December 21, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – A holiday tradition more than a century old continued on Tuesday as elementary school children received Christmas gifts courtesy of the late Frederick W. Schumacher.

Nearly 200 students with Schumacher addresses were greeted by members of the Schumacher Volunteer Fire Department inside the McIntyre Ballroom that evening, eager to tear into a beautifully wrapped present that was just for them.

Schumacher, a business man and well-known philanthropist, was a Danish native who eventually settled in the United States. He was a pharmacist by trade who would eventually get into the gold mining industry and acquire a number of properties in the Porcupine Gold Camp.

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High-grading: Timmins’ worst-kept secret? – by Frank Giorno (Timmins Today – November 25, 2016)

https://www.timminstoday.com/

Author Kevin Vincent launches his new book — a dramatic telling of the 1986 Aquarius Gold Robbery

Kevin Vincent, Timmins author and chronicler of the city’s second largest industry, gold high-grading, launched his second volume of stories dealing with the thefts of gold from the city’s gold mines, this volume dealing with the brazen Aquarius Gold mine theft of 1986.

The launch of Bootleg Gold Vol.2 was held at the Timmins Public Library Tembec room, last night, to a packed room of guests that included Timmins Mayor Steve Black, and Gregory Reynolds, former editor of the Timmins Daily Press and someone who also has many stories on the topic.

Vincent has been working for 30 years at collecting and telling the stories of more than 100 years of high-grading or gold thefts from Timmins gold mines since the very early days of the Porcupine gold rush and the founding of Timmins in 1912.

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Goldcorp prepared to extend Timmins’ 100-year gold rush – by Frank Giorno (Northern Ontario Business – December 6, 2016)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Area west of Timmins ‘underexplored and underdeveloped for gold mining’

Marc Lauzier, the general manager of Porcupine Gold Mines and Goldcorp’s operations in the Timmins gold camp, provided a vision for growth at two locations that could extend mining will into the 2030 and beyond.

Speaking at a Timmins Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Dec. 2, Lauzier detailed the present and future gold mining projects like Probe Mine at Borden Lake, near Chapleau, and the potential for developing the Project Century open pit at site of the current Dome open pit and Dome underground mine, which would engulf an area almost four times the current operation in South Porcupine.

With the eventual projected operations at Probe Mine and with Project Century fully on stream, an expansion of the Dome Mill’s capacity of 12,000 tonnes per day will also be required. Lauzier kicked off his talk by pointing out the importance of Goldcorp and its predecessor companies — Placer Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre Mine — to Timmins’ economic and culture. Goldcorp inherited a 106 years of tradition.

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Goldcorp GM talks about company’s future in Timmins – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – December 2, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

Goldcorp is hard at work on projects that will see its century-long presence as an integral part of the Timmins economy continue for many years to come. That was the central message the mining company’s general manager, Marc Lauzier, brought to a crowded room full of mining industry members and other local business people on Thursday afternoon. The gathering was organized by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce as part of their series of Inside Your Business luncheons.

During his speech to the more than 150 people packed into the McIntyre Arena`s auditorium, Lauzier said despite the fact that many of their most profitable projects in the Timmins area are approaching the end of their life cycles, it is Goldcorp’s goal to keep mining in the region for as long as it is feasible.

“Today I want to talk about some the projects that we are trying to do so we can stay around Timmins for longer,” said Lauzier. “I’ve talked to some of our partners, and they are coming to the end of their lives in the next six to seven years. I’m standing here in front of you with some opportunities that could keep Goldcorp here and alive for at the same (levels of production) or even better for another 10, 15 or 20 years.”

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Barrick’s Munk Heads Top Ten Most Important Mining Men in Canadian History – by Stan Sudol

Melanie and Peter Munk
Melanie and Peter Munk

An edited version of this list was published in the February/March issue of the Canadian Mining Journal.

Four Americans Made the List!

A few months ago, my dear colleague Joe Martin, who is the Director of the Canadian Business & Financial History Initiative at Rotman and President Emeritus of Canada’s History Society, asked me a very simple question: who would be considered the most important individual in Canadian mining?

Considering Canada’s lengthy and exceptional expertise in the mineral sector, it was not an easy answer and I decided to research and create a top ten list of the most important mining men in Canadian history.

The lack of women on this list simply reflects the fact that for much of our history most women were not given the educational or social opportunities to excel in business, especially in a rough and male-dominated sector like mining. Times have changed, women are playing key roles in mining today and will definitely be included on this list in the future.

However, a few qualifiers need to be established. This is basically a list of mine builders not mine finders.  Building a company through takeovers and discoveries is one way but I am also focusing on individuals who have built corporate empires and/or who have developed isolated regions of the country with the necessary infrastructure for mines to flourish and create multi-generational jobs, shareholder wealth and great economic impact.

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[Sage Gold] Mine near Matheson to start production next year – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – November 24, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

BLACK RIVER-MATHESON – A new gold mining project in the Matheson area will be able to begin production next year after it managed to clear one of the last major hurdles keeping the mine from going forward.

Sage Gold has inked a deal with Primero Mining that will allow them to send ore from their Clavos Mine to the Black Fox-Stock Mill located just 10 kilometres away. Finding a mill to process their ore was one of the final steps required to secure financing to reopen Clavos, which is a preexisting mine that has been inactive for years.

With the processing deal in place, and $11.5 million dollars of financing secured, First Nations consultations completed, and all the geological surveying done, Sage vice president Bill Love said the company can finally begin the work of getting Clavos ready to begin an expected seven years of gold production.

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Kidd doesn’t foresee extension of mine beyond 2022 – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – November 17, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – As much as the closure of the Kidd Mine will have an impact on the loss of assessment for the city hall treasury in Timmins, there will also be a dramatic impact on Kidd’s annual payroll in Timmins which is more than $100 million a year.

Some details of the closure plan for Glencore Kidd Operations in Timmins were revealed this week, ironically at a city council meeting where the company was honoured for the contributions it has made the community in the last half century.

“Exactly 50 years ago this week, in fact on the 16th of November, Kidd Creek officially went into production,” said Kidd Operations general manager Steve Badenhorst Monday night.

He said it has been a proud history for more than 20,000 past and present employees who have worked in one of the world’s best base metal deposits.

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HISTORY: Timmins mines, industries supplied war effort – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – November 12, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – When the Americans officially joined the war effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Canadians had already been at war for a little almost three years.

Both the troops and the people they left behind at home were battle hardened and used to the drill, so to speak. Every corner of the then British Empire was affected by the conflict – and that means we here in Timmins were not any different.

The early days of 1942 saw some tragic news for the community. Sgt. Pilot B. O’Neill, the first airman from Timmins to receive his “wings” in the Royal Canadian Air Force (from this area, that is), was reported missing in action after being on a bombing flight “somewhere in Europe”.

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Groundwork being laid to re-open and expand Timmins, Ontario Dome open pit – by Sarah Moore (Timmins Daily Press – October 29, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – A major “good news” announcement from Goldcorp this week could potentially lead to the re-opening of the Dome open pit mine in Porcupine.

In a presentation of its third quarter results, the company announced a finding at the century-old mining operation which could “dramatically increase the gold production,” from the Porcupine camp, according to the company’s president David Garofalo.

The company announced it has discovered an indicated mineral resource of 4.5 million ounces and a gold inferred mineral resource of 0.9 million ounces (for a total of 5.4 million ounces) at what is now being called the Dome Century Project.

“We announced today, an inaugural gold mineral resource of 5.4 million ounces at Porcupine’s new dome century project,” Garofalo said in a conference call on Thursday.

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HISTORY: Letters offer colourful insights into Timmins history – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – October 22, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – A few years back, the museum was given selected files and what-not from the Hollinger archives. The seven banker boxes contained the minutes from the meetings of the Board of Directors of the Hollinger Mine dating back to 1916 – a real find for those interested in the history of what once was North America’s biggest gold mine.

The files also included a number of old maps and town layouts going back to 1912, the very beginnings of the future City of Timmins. While all of that stuff makes for great reading (and invaluable research opportunities), I hit upon a small file of correspondence that humanizes that big corporation and demonstrates the mine’s impact on the new community.

The first letter in the file (on “Hotel Goldfields” stationary, no less) was from the hotel manager, Mr. McLean, and dated May 20, 1912. What we learn from the handwritten (one good reason to keep teaching cursive in schools) letter is just how big a role Noah Timmins and the Hollinger Mine played in the new town.

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Stompin’ Tom legacy tour returns to where it all began – by John Emms (Timmins Daily Press – October 7, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Stompin’ Tom Connors died in 2013 at 77 years of age, but his iconic status known from coast to coast and his hundreds of songs and stories are still very much alive. The city and residents of Timmins have a unique part in his legend.

As Canada turns 150 years old in 2017, there is no question that Stompin’ Tom’s music is part of our Timmins and Canadian heritage

In fact, these songs and stories will be celebrated in Timmins on Friday, Oct. 14 at Charles Fournier Auditorium at École secondaire catholique Thériault when Whiskey Jack performs its national tour here in our city. It’s going to be one heck of a night when the sounds of Bud The Spud, Sudbury Saturday Night and the Hockey Song fill the auditorium.

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Borden project raising bar as ‘green mine’ – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – October 4, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

CHAPLEAU – Goldcorp’s next Northern Ontario mine is on track to managing environmental impacts to an entirely new level. The Borden Gold Project, which is set to begin construction next year near Chapleau, may be the world’s first-ever diesel-free hard rock mine. They are accomplishing this by utilizing the latest in battery-powered mining equipment.

Marc Lauzier, the manager of Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines, said the move toward what he characterizes as a “green mine” has been in the works for many years, and is likely the way of the future for the industry.

“We’re trying to build a mine that is as environmentally-friendly as possible. And part of that decision is to not utilize diesel equipment. So we’re using electric and battery powered equipment instead.” explained Lauzier. “I’ve been looking into this stuff for the past 10 years. Borden is a new project in an environmentally pristine area, so it’s opened us up to think differently.

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[Timmins Legendary Hollinger Mine] Burrowing for a Billion – by James A. Cowan (MACLEAN’S – June 15, 1927)

http://www.macleans.ca/

Hollinger is more than a billion’dollar gold mine: it is an astonishing augury of what our Canadian brains and courage can accomplish

HOLLINGER, in Northern Ontario, is North America’s greatest gold mine. No one can dispute this, even for the sake of argument, since there can be no argument about it.

In the contest for the title of ‘the greatest gold mine the world has ever seen’, the race has now narrowed down to an all-British affair between Canada and South Africa, and Hollinger, leading the Canadian entries, is the favorite. Working at top speed, it produced during 1926, gold worth $13,342,491—more than a million a month.

Benny Hollinger, novice among prospectors, eighteen years ago, stumbled on the outcroppings of one of the greatest known reserves of gold ore, but for the first twelve years of its history, Fortune presided over the activities of Hollinger with a twisted smile.

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HISTORY: A look back at the Hollinger Mine – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – March 14, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.

TIMMINS – If you live in Timmins (or you’ve just driven through), you’ve passed by this complex, for lack of a better word, many, many times. It is a local landmark, a symbol of the Porcupine then and now. It is a monument to the thousands of miners and their families who have called this community home; indirectly, it has helped countless others set up businesses and make a home in this community.

Its contribution to the social fabric of Timmins cannot be diminished – the people involved saw fit to start a hospital, a school, a train station, hotels, homes, sports facilities and clubs. The history of Timmins, like it or not, is intimately attached to the Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines – even today.

The Daily Press published a brilliant supplement to their paper in July 1960, that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Hollinger Gold Mine. As part of that celebration, Jules Timmins, president and chairman of the company (at 72 years young), was called upon to pour the 18,490th gold bullion bar, marking the Hollinger’s total production (to that date – July 22, to be exact) at a half-billion dollars, the largest output record of its kind in Canada.

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