Twitter

Timmins

Timmins mining activity created a buzz in 1915 – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – October 22, 2011)

The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper.

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

HISTORY: Social activities also made big news in the Porcupine Camp

Out and about in the Porcupine in 1915 – here are a few items (OK, some serious, some gossip) that made the papers that year. Front page news for June of that year included the exciting announcement that the mill at Schumacher Mines was to be completed by July, and that they were very quickly sinking another 200 feet at the mine (they had already sank 300 feet).

Fifty men were working underground with another 14 on the surface, but it was predicted that many more men could look forward to steady employment at the site.

Not to be outdone, Pike Lake Gold Mines in Deloro Township, run out of New York City, was actively exploiting their six claims. A bunkhouse, kitchen, blacksmith’s shop and office were built. Twenty men were hired to sink the initial shaft by hand and to build the road into the property, located about four miles south of South Porcupine.

Read more

[Timmins mining] Summit explores Aboriginal potential- by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 20, 2011)

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

With Northern Ontario’s mining sector poised to takeoff, the region’s First Nations are preparing to get on board.

Staff at the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF) are organizing the first summit to introduce mining corporations to First Nation communities whose traditional territories sit on valuable ore.

“There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding mining over the past couple years and I think there’s a sense among First Nations communities of a need to empower themselves to benefit from resource development,” said NADF’s marketing and communications director Ade Sekudo.

“Our communities are looking to leverage their rich resource base to fund sustainable economic growth.” While miners have been clawing ore out of the Canadian Shield in the North for more than a century, Sekudo explained there is now a greater urgency felt by First Nations to reap some of the industry’s benefits.

Read more

Timmins State of the City Address – by Mayor Tom Laughren (October 17, 2011)

Timmins is the second largest hard-rock mining community in Canada. – Stan Sudol

Given to the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, October 17, 2011

Thank you for the kind introduction. Good Afternoon. It is a pleasure to join you for the Timmins Chamber of Commerce’s Annual State of the City Address and kick off to the Annual Small Business Week …. Power up your Business: Invest, Innovate, Grow … a theme that applies equally to municipal government.

A big thank you to the sponsors of this event: Ontario Power Generation and Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines, two significant contributors to our City.

I’m happy to see so many people attend the annual State of the City event. It’s very gratifying to so many people take an active interest in the state of our city, our community. All of us chose this city as the place to build our dreams, and raise our families. We believe in it passionately and when we tell people we’re from Timmins, there’s a great pride in our voices for this city… a city with a rich history, an impressive legacy of civic engagement and of defying expectations. My goal is to see our city grow stronger so future generations can look back on our decisions and know we put civic responsibility first.

Read more

No ‘major-minority’ [Gilles Bisson – Ontario politics] – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 15, 2011)

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

Re-elected MPP warns Liberals not to ‘govern like Harper did’

Ontario’s minority Parliament won’t be steamrolled like the opposition parties were in the House of Commons under Stephen Harper, said Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson at a press conference Friday. Bisson, recently appointed NDP house leader, held the conference to send a message to Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“Mr. McGuinty’s trying to pretend this is isn’t a minority Parliament,” said Bisson. “He’s saying he has a major-minority and that he’ll govern like Harper did. But Ontario is not Canada.”

Bisson noted that with only two parties in opposition, the Liberals won’t be able to divide and conquer the way the federal Conservatives did in Ottawa. Moreover, he said there’s a long tradition of non-partisan co-operation by the opposing parties at Queen’s Park that McGuinty must take into account.

Like it or not, McGuinty will have to court votes from opposition members in order to pass legislation.

Read more

Future glitters for [Timmins] Lake Shore Gold – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – October 14, 2011)

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

Company set for major expansion of Timmins operations

Lake Shore Gold reported higher commercial production from its Timmins operations and is poised for a bright future.

The Timmins Chamber of Commerce hosted its Inside Their Business Luncheon Thursday at the Days Inn. Guest speaker Dan Gagnon, vice-president and general manager of Lake Shore Gold Corp, discussed key assests in the Timmins area, including the Timmins West Complex, the Bell Creek Mine and Bell Creek Mill.

“I’m grateful to talk about Lake Shore and our operations. I think we have a good story, and I’m always looking forward to sharing it with the community, because we are here to stay,” said Gagnon.

He reported higher commercial production from the company’s 100% owned Timmins Mine in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the first two quarters. Total gold poured year-to-date was more than 60,016 ounces, while gold sales in the third quarter totaled 16,570 ounces at an average price of US$1,726.

Read more

Minority may mean Northern [Ontario] voice will be heard – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 8, 2011)

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

A minority Parliament might just be what it takes for the North to be heard in Queen’s Park, said Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren following Thursday’s provincial election which saw the Liberals win government for a third time.

“In a perfect world I would love to see the three parties roll up their sleeves and work together on the issues facing the North,” Laughren said. “That’s why people elect minority Parliaments, not because we want another election in 18 months time.”

While Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals were short only one seat from achieving an historic third-consecutive majority, Laughren is pinning his hopes that on issues facing the North, that the deciding vote incorporates a Northern voice.

“In many cases, Northern leaders have been going to all kinds of different sessions related to mining, endangered species and land use, and talking about the challenges and in many instances it does not appear that we’re being listened to,” Laughren told The Daily Press.

Read more

Rails to the Ring of Fire – Stan Sudol (Toronto Star – May 30, 2011)

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.

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 Ring of Fire railroad should be subsidized by
governments as the huge economic impact will benefit
the economy for decades to come, help balance budgets
and alleviate aboriginal poverty in the surrounding
First Nations communities.” (Stan Sudol)

Notwithstanding the recent correction in commodity prices, near-record highs for gold, silver and a host of base metals essential for industry confirm that the commodity “supercycle” is back and with a vengeance.

China, India, Brazil and many other developing economies are continuing their rapid pace of growth. In 2010, China overtook Japan to become the world’s second largest economy and surpassed the United States to become the biggest producer of cars.

In March, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney remarked: “Commodity markets are in the midst of a supercycle. . . . Rapid urbanization underpins this growth. . . . Even though history teaches that all booms are finite, this one could go on for some time.”

Quebec’s visionary 25-year “Plan Nord” will see billions invested in northern resource development and infrastructure to take advantage of the tsunami in global metal demand and generate much needed revenue for government programs.

In Ontario, the isolated Ring of Fire mining camp in the James Bay lowlands is one of the most exciting and possibly the richest new Canadian mineral discovery in more than a generation. It has been compared with both the Sudbury Basin and the Abitibi Greenstone belt that includes Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Noranda and Val d’Or.

Read more

Growth plan to include all of Northeast – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – September 27, 2011)

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

Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) representatives provide input into pilot project

COCHRANE — The two urban centres targeted by the provincial government to pilot the Northern Growth Plan are making a concentrated effort to include all areas of their regions in the project.

The government selected Thunder Bay and Sudbury to begin the plan. Both groups are including input from Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario communities respectively for a broader based plan.

Sylvia Barnard, president of Cambrian College, was at Saturday’s meeting of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) in Cochrane. Her discussions with NEOMA was just one of a series of meetings with regional groups to get input to define a model for Regional Economic Development Areas (REDAs).

“When we heard from sister communities, the feeling was ‘here we go again, Sudbury gets everything,'” Barnard explained. “But we wanted to see consultation from across Northeastern Ontario from people involved in economic development.”

Read more

Northern [Ontario] leaders are determined to be heard – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – September 27, 2011)

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

“The North has the potential to be one of the wealthiest
regions in the world. Yet we are not permitted to realize
the full benefits of our natural resources — while the
federal and provincial government rake in big time tax
revenues. (Wayne Snider – Timmins Daily Press)

Tired of being ignored by provincial politicians

Municipal leaders in Northeastern Ontario are hungry for political change at the provincial level. But the change they desire is over and above what happens in the Oct. 6 election.

They want the North to be taken seriously in Queen’s Park. It is a tall order, given the fact that only 11 of the 107 seats in the provincial legislature are based in Northern ridings. In terms of voting support, which is what political parties really care about, the North isn’t a significant player at the provincial level.

That is why policies — such as the Far North Act and the Endangered Species Act — get pushed through despite vocal protests from Northern municipalities. Both of these acts will limit economic growth in the North.

In the case of the Endangered Species Act, specifically the protection of caribou habitat in areas where the animals haven’t been seen for 60-80 years, it will mean economic regression for the forest industry.

Read more

Voice for the North [Ontario]: NEOMA forming professional lobby group – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – September 26, 2011)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins newspaper.

COCHRANE — Tired of southern-based special interest groups influencing provincial legislation that impacts the North, municipal leaders are prepared to fight back.

Members of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) are gearing up to create a professional lobbying effort to represent their interests.

Saturday, at NEOMA’s meeting held at Cochrane’s Tim Horton Event Centre, political leaders voted to establish a subcommittee to set up a framework for the lobby effort. It will report back to the group by early January, in time for member municipalities to support the effort in their 2012 budgets.

“I am happy that we are actually rolling up our sleeves and getting active on this issue,” Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis told The Daily Press after the meeting. “I know we’ve been talking for a long time about not having a value (to the Northern perspective) in the legislature.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more