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Threatened [caribou] species – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 23, 2011)

Ron Grech is a reporter for The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at  rgrech@thedailypress.ca

Local Liberal candidate stands by government’s commitment to caribou conservation

Mill closures and job losses will be the price for the province’s caribou conservation plan, says sawmill owner John Kapel.

It’s a major concern,” said Kapel, owner of Little John Enterprises in Timmins. “They’re going to be losing just in the Abitibi River Forest 65% reduction in some years which is a huge drastic volume. There will be mills closing, the way I see it. It’s a very serious issue.”

Two weeks ago, Northeastern mayors held a joint press conference in Timmins expressing alarm over a plan to reduce available harvestable land on the Abitibi River forest by 25% immediately and 65% after 20 years.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association has confirmed there are other forests similarly affected. The latest Kenogami forest management unit near Nipigon is looking at a 21% reduction in wood volumes. Lac-Seul forest management unit, located in the Sioux Lookout area in Northwestern Ontario, has a 22% reduction in amount of land available to access wood.

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The Role of Women in Timmins History – by Gregory Reynolds

This column was originally published in the Late Summer, 2011 issue of Highgrader Magazine which is committed to serve the interests of northerners by bringing the issues, concerns and culture of the north to the world through the writings and art of award-winning journalists as well as talented freelance artists, writers and photographers.

The City of Timmins is celebrating its 100th anniversary by spreading events over the four most important years in its development, 1909-12. While it is true that men made the important mineral finds that became mines and then the economic backbone of the area, they were not alone.

The role of women in the settlement, development and growth of the various communities that today make up the city has been ignored for most of the100 years. It is a forgotten chapter, actually many chapters, of local history.

A few residents find it shocking, even disgraceful, that little attention has been paid over the decades to the contributions of women. Very few. And they are not vocal. There are two reasons why women are forgotten when talk turns to pioneers: Men usually write the histories; and people and events get lost under the pressure of living today and worrying about tomorrow.

Does anyone today recognize the name of Miss Laura Keon? She was a hero, one who should be held up as an example to every school child in Timmins. Instead she is forgotten. In November of 1918, the Spanish Flu began its two-year deadly sweep around the world, killing between 20 and 40 million people. In Canada, 50,000 lost their lives. When it struck this area, Miss Keon was one of the first volunteers to tend to the ill by entering the packed boarding houses and hotels where the mainly single miners and bush workers lived.

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Thirty Years of Glory: The Kidd Creek Timmins Story – by Gregory Reynolds (Fall 1996)

This column was originally published in the Fall, 1996 issue of Highgrader Magazine which is committed to serve the interests of northerners by bringing the issues, concerns and culture of the north to the world through the writings and art of award-winning journalists as well as talented freelance artists, writers and photographers.

On November 8, 1963, a young Canadian geologist named Ken Darke set up a diamond drill 16 miles north of the Town of Timmins. The hole was logged as Kidd 55-1 and when the core came up there was a foot of solid copper in it. On July 16, 1996, Frank Pickard, then 62, president and CEO of Falconbridge Ltd. told a gathering of Timmins civic and political leaders he hoped Kidd Creek Mine would be here “thirty years from now. I won’t be here, but the mine could be.”

In between these two dates is the story of a unique orebody, one so rich it staggers the imagination.

Kidd Creek Mine has been in production since 1966. It has processed 106.5 million tones grading 6.55% zinc, 2.31% copper, .24% lead and 94 grams silver per tonne. In addition, there is an estimated 32.2 million tones of ore in the proven, probable and possible reserves for a grand total of 138.7 million tones of base metals. By comparison, the 1994 copper-nickel-cobalt discovery at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador is presently estimated to contain just over 100 million tonnes.

The Kidd Creek Mine literally saved the town and improved the lot of every miners in the area.

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Northern Ontario not just province’s playground – by Ron Grech (Sudbury Star – September 21, 2011)

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

Ron Grech is a reporter for The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at  rgrech@thedailypress.ca

Those of us who settled in the North, after growing up in southern Ontario, are likely conscious of the drastic change in mindset that occurs from living here.

Back when we were brushing through crowds in the concrete jungles of downtown Toronto, watching for cars as we hurriedly crossed the street, always keeping track of the time, pristine forests and clean lakes seemed like a scene out of paradise.

Everyone had some friends, relatives or acquaintances who boasted about their cottage in the Muskokas. In summers, they would join the mad weekend rush northward. If they left early enough, they might spend 36 hours at the cottage before they got back onto the jam-packed Highway 400 for the frustratingly slow return home.

For those in the Greater Toronto Area, Northern Ontario represents an expansive park offering peace and tranquility from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

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Lake Shore Gold plans $80-million expansion – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 21, 2011)

Ron Grech is a reporter for The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at  rgrech@thedailypress.ca

Lake Shore Gold is spending $80 million over the next 14 months to expand the processing mill at its Bell Creek complex near Timmins. Production for the mine has reached a level where it is exceeding the mill’s capacity.

“We need to expand the mill,” said Dan Gagnon, vice-president and general manager of Timmins operations for Lake Shore Gold.

Gagnon along with Brian Buss, Lake Shore’s director of project development and technical services, made a presentation to Timmins council Monday night, detailing expansion plans and targets for production growth.

Lake Shore has three key mining complexes — Bell Creek, Timmins West and Thunder Creek — west of the city plus some other properties just east of Timmins.

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Northern Ontario needs a long-term energy strategy – by Keitha Robson (Timmins Daily Press – 2009)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins newspaper.

Although this column is two years old, the opinion is very relevant especially during the current Ontario election.-Stan Sudol

Keitha Robson is the manager and CEO of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

Now, throw into the mix that our neighbours, Friendly
Manitoba and La Belle Province de Quebec have electricity
prices roughly 60% and 40% lower, respectively, than ours,
and it’s easy to see that Ontario may very well be losing
favour as the great place (which it undoubtedly is) in
which to set up shop. (Keitha Robson, 2009)

We’ve all heard about the trouble with energy: Some sources are running out; some sources are unclean and have negative impacts on the environment; some sources are great for the environment but just can’t produce what we need, affordably.

For Ontario, the plot is a little thicker. And in Northern Ontario, thicker still.

Ontario is the largest consumer of energy in Canada, accounting for 32.3% of total energy use and has one of the highest costs of energy, second only to Alberta. In a province whose bread and butter, the energy-intensive manufacturing industry, continues to be hard pressed by economic pressures, it doesn’t help that energy pricing adds more pressure to the mix.

Not to mention the amount of energy, particularly electricity, that is consumed by mining and forestry companies in Ontario, particularly in Northern Ontario.

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[Northern Ontario] Caribou strategy draws substantial criticism – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – May 5, 2010)

Ron Grech is a reporter for The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at  rgrech@thedailypress.ca

By designating huge tracts of the boreal forest as caribou habitat, the Ontario government will be exposing forestry to a litigious, bureaucratic nightmare, say industry leaders and northern municipal politicians.

“If they define the entire range as caribou habitat, they will be turning forest management over to the court systems because if you want to operate anywhere that is considered habitat, you will have to go to the government to get a permit,” explained Scott Jackson, manager of forest policy with the Ontario Forest Industries Association. “That process is open to frivolous legal challenges. So anyone who wants to stop your operations can start a legal challenge that will probably end up being decided in a courtroom in downtown Toronto.”

The Woodland Caribou Recovery Strategy establishes a line roughly parallel to Highway 11, identifying much of the forest areas north of that as caribou habitat. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has blocked off an expansive stretch that extends across Northern Ontario from the Manitoba border to Quebec.

The strategy clearly aims to not only preserve existing caribou habitat but expand their range and reintroduce them in more southerly regions where they haven’t roamed in decades.

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Northern political banner flying in the south – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – September 20, 2011)

 The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

Northern Ontario Heritage Party fielding three candidates, including one in Toronto

While the Northern Ontario Heritage Party didn’t reach its goal of having candidates in all 11 Northern ridings for this provincial election, it managed to make some progress.

The NOHP has three candidates in the election. Charmaine Romaniuk will represent the party in Kenora-Rainy River and Gerry Courville in Timiskaming-Cochrane.

The biggest surprise is that there will be a NOHP candidate in the heart of Toronto. David Vallance will carry the Northern Ontario banner in the riding of St. Paul. NOHP Leader Ed Deibel said a group in Toronto approached him about fielding a candidate.

“I thought it might not be a bad idea,” he said. “They are closer to all the media based in Southern Ontario, and could get information about Northern Ontario out there.” But having the Toronto group conduct research is a key component to their involvement in Northern politics.

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Northern Chambers of Commerce challenge province’s Far North Act – by The Timmins Daily Press (September 10, 2011)

 The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

For the web’s largest database of articles on the Ring of Fire mining camp, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

“The Far North Act affects us collectively and
individually, and we want to ensure that it is
carried out in a responsible and inclusive manner
that respects all northern groups – be they
businesses, municipalities or First Nations.”
(Julie Denomme, vice-chair of the Greater Sudbury
Chamber of Commerce)

The province should reconsider how development is handled in Ontario’s Far North if it is to properly serve the region’s communities, First Nations, and business, according to the Chambers of Commerce of Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

In a joint statement issued Friday, the four chambers agreed that the Far North Act, as passed by the Ontario government in October 2010, fails to consider the needs of those who are most affected by it.

The province’s stated goal of protecting “at least” 50% of the 225,000 square kilometres that make up the Far North was reached without consultation with the region’s First Nations who, through this legislation, are being forced to set aside portions of their land for protection.

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Ontario Gold Mining – by Stan Sudol

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant and mining columnist. stan.sudol@republicofmining.com

Historically, Ontario’s gold mining industry has played a major role in the settlement of the province’s northern regions and along with the Cobalt silver boom and further gold and base metal discoveries in northwestern Quebec were primarily responsible for the establishment of Toronto as today’s mine financing capital of the world.

The many gold mines that came into production during the Depression of the 1930s made a vital contribution to keeping the province solvent and with over a century of experience building many underground mines helped solidify Ontario’s hard-rock mining expertise that is well respected globally.

However, northern Ontario’s gold rushes have always seemed to play second-fiddle to the legendary Klondike in the Yukon, aided by famous writers like Jack London, Robert W. Service – of the Cremation of Sam McGee fame – and Canadian literary icon, Pierre Berton. At it’s peak, the Klondike gold rush only lasted for a few years – 1896-99 – and produced a miserly 12.5 million ounces of gold. “Chump change” compared to northern Ontario’s four major gold rushes and a number of smaller gold districts, most of which are still producing the precious metal today.

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Mining builds communities across Ontario — Timmins

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

There is little doubt that today Noah and Jules Timmins would not recognize the little community they helped to found – and provide its name – in 1912.  However, one thing which has remained constant in the development of Timmins as the town has grown from 974 people when it started to a population of more than 46,000 today has been — and is — mining.

In 1912, the Dome, McIntyre and Hollinger gold mine headframes could be seen on the horizon.  Today, Xstrata Copper, Goldcorp, Lake Shore Gold, St. Andrew Goldfields, Brigus Gold and Luzenac talc all have mineral producing operations in the area.  In addition, De Beers Canada uses Timmins as its base for the Victor diamond mine near Attawapiskat and Detour Gold is relying on the community to support its new gold mine in the Cochrane area.

Christy Marinig, Chief Executive Officer at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), points out there is a great deal of mineral exploration being carried out at this time and that the region of Timmins service area covers about 118,000 people.  “We are born out of mining and mining is still the leading economic driver,” she said.

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Northern Ontario Heritage Party faces challenges – by Wayne Snider (The Timmins Daily Press – August 16, 2011)

 The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

While the Northern Ontario Heritage Party continues to experience growing pains, plans are beginning to come together for the fledgling political party. NOHP Leader Ed Debeil, of North Bay, still hopes to field candidates in all 11 Northern Ontario ridings for the Oct. 6 provincial election.

Currently the party has two confirmed candidates — in the ridings of Timiskaming-Cochrane and Kenora-Rainy River. Official announcements will be made later this week to introduce these candidates. Previously, Debeil had hoped to have riding associations formed and candidates in place in all 11 ridings by Aug. 8.

The process has moved slower than he had originally hoped. “We’re working on a candidate for Timmins-James Bay,” he explained in a phone interview on Monday. “I’ve had two or three people express interest in the nomination.

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Northern Ontario: A Golden Klondike – 192 million ounces of gold and counting – by Stan Sudol

(Wiki Photo)

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant and mining columnist. Stan.sudol@republicofmining.com

A much shorter version of this article appears in the September, 2011 issue of the Northern Miner’s Mining Markets: A Resource for Investors magazine.

A fever is spreading throughout northern Ontario, from the eastern districts adjacent Quebec to the far reaches of the northwest right up to the Manitoba border. This raging malaise is caused by a metal that has captured mankind’s attention from the dawn of time. I am referring to “gold fever” and many in northern Ontario – a vast northern territory, which is almost equal to Germany, United Kingdon, Greece and Ireland combined – are thoroughly infected or obsessed over this beautiful precious metal.

Historically, Ontario’s gold mining industry has played a major role in the settlement of the province’s northern regions and along with the Cobalt silver boom and further gold and base metal discoveries in northwestern Quebec were primarily responsible for the establishment of Toronto as today’s mine financing capital of the world.

The many gold mines that came into production during the Depression of the 1930s made a vital contribution to keeping the province solvent and with over a century of experience building many underground mines helped solidify Ontario’s hard-rock mining expertise that is well respected globally.

However, northern Ontario’s gold rushes have always seemed to play second-fiddle to the legendary Klondike in the Yukon, aided by famous writers like Jack London, Robert W. Service – of the Cremation of Sam McGee fame – and Canadian literary icon, Pierre Berton. At it’s peak, the Klondike gold rush only lasted for a few years – 1896-99 – and produced a miserly 12.5 million ounces of gold. “Chump change” compared to northern Ontario’s four major gold rushes and a number of smaller gold districts, most of which are still producing the precious metal today.

Considering the record setting price of gold, moving upwards almost daily, the political stability of northern Ontario and its strong world-class mining infrastructure versus lesser developed countries like Tanzania, Guatemala or Papua New Guinea, exploration in all current and former gold mining camps is booming.

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Plan calls for Northern resources to stay here – by Ron Grech (The Timmins Daily Press – August 9, 2011)

 The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath unveils Northern Ontario platform

Standing in front of the idled Xstrata Copper smelter in Hoyle, Ontario New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath unveiled planks in her party’s Northern platform, which she claims would have prevented the mining facility from closing.

Flanked by NDP candidates from four Northeastern Ontario ridings, including MPP Gilles Bisson (NDP — Timmins-James Bay), Horwath said if elected, her government would ensure forestry and mining resources are processed where they came from.

The NDP say they would amend the Mining Act so that resources mined in Ontario must be processed in Ontario. “It makes no sense to pull raw resources from the earth and process them somewhere else,” Horwath said.

Currently Section 91 of the Mining Act requires mining companies extracting ore in Ontario to get permission from the government before being allowed to ship the ore outside of Canada for processing.

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Outdoor enthusiasts preparing to cross line [challenging provincial bans] – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – August 2, 2011)

Wayne Snider is the city editor for The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

Most Northerners enjoy all forms of recreation in the outdoors. In fact, we love it. Activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing and berry picking have been enjoyed for generations by Northerners. It’s part of our heritage.

For the most part, people in Northern Ontario are very laid back. It takes a lot to anger Northerners to the point where they are willing to be involved in an act of civil disobedience.

That stuff is usually reserved for activists down south — like anarchists at the G8 Summit. When the provincial government effectively banned public access to numerous remote lakes — including some where Northerners have traditionally enjoyed their outdoor lifestyle — it crossed the line. Big time.

Last fall, I interviewed Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey on the subject.

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