Republic of Mining

Aroland anxious for ‘gateway’ role in Ring of Fire – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – September 7, 2017)

September 7, 2017

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/

As efforts continue to obtain unanimous indigenous consent for two major access roads into Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire mining belt, at least one First Nation is sounding reassured that its interests are being met.

Aroland First Nation Chief Dorothy Towedo said Wednesday the province has agreed to work with the band and fulfil its goal of becoming the Ring of Fire’s “gateway.” “Ontario is now clear,” Towedo said in a news release. “It is committed to working with Aroland and other First Nations for planning potential mining and related infrastructure developments.”

She added: “This commitment is a necessary part of obtaining consent.” Towedo said her community, located adjacent to an existing provincial highway near Nakina, felt assured after receiving a supportive letter from Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle.

[Northwestern Quebec] The Birth of Rouyn and Noranda: A Mining Story (Website Historical Resource)

September 7, 2017

1932 Group Photo of Noranda Executives – James Murdoch and Noah Timmins in front row centre wearing fur coats

For an excellent website historical resource on Rouyn and Noranda: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/community-stories_histoires-de-chez-nous/rouyn-noranda-une-histoire-de-mines_a-mining-story/

In the mid-1920s, discovery of copper and gold deposits in Northwestern Quebec resulted in an epic mining rush. Prospectors, followed by thousands of men and women, gathered there to work and live. Two neighbouring mushroom towns with many fundamental differences, Rouyn and Noranda, quickly came to life in the boreal forest, becoming populous and organized communities.

Unlike the farming parishes established earlier on in Abitibi and Témiscamingue, Rouyn and Noranda were built as a result of mining developments. In but a few short years, the landscape changed drastically: In the 1910s, only Aboriginal peoples and prospectors looking for precious metals were seen around Osisko Lake, but in 1925, a large influx of newcomers settled in the area.

[Canada First Nations – Historic Pollution] The Monster Underground – by Hilary Beaumont (Vice News Canada – September 6, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://news.vice.com/

There are more than a thousand cases of industrial pollution affecting 335 First Nations in Canada. Some of them have serious health effects. But the governments responsible have dragged their feet for decades.

Johanne Black wants to start a legend to tell future generations about the deadly arsenic in the soil and water in N’dilo, a Dene community of 200 people in the Northwest Territories. She calls it: “The Monster Underground.”

When the Giant Gold Mine opened across Great Slave Lake in 1948, nobody warned the locals that the mine was using an especially deadly form of arsenic that dissolved easily in water. Not long after the mine opened, it emitted arsenic into the air and it settled into the snow that the children played in.

English newspapers warned of contamination, but most Dene people couldn’t read these warnings. People became sick, and according to oral evidence from elder Therese Sangris, in the spring of 1951 four children died. The details of the event are recounted in a report to the federal government, based on evidence given by local elders.

Bitcoin’s Golden Future – by David Fickling (Bloomberg News – September 5, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/

Could bitcoin be the next gold?The idea has a lot of intuitive appeal. Gold bugs and bitcoin fetishists tend to share a deep distrust of fiat currency and the nation state, an impregnable bullishness about their favored asset class, and an obsessive attention to details of market movements combined with a blithe disinterest in bigger-picture issues.

The idea has become particularly popular as the value invested in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has marched upward over the past year. Even after this week’s selloff, prompted by China declaring initial coin offerings illegal, the value of all cryptocurrencies in circulation is around $155 billion, according to Coinmarketcap.com.

That may sound small compared to the $7.8 trillion notional value of the world’s 187,200 metric tons of gold. At the same time, it’s already about a tenth the value of the 40,000 tons of yellow metal used for investment as bullion bars and coins, and has overtaken the amount held in gold exchange-traded funds.

How green are the batteries?: Electric car revolution boosts business for big Arctic air-polluter – by Thomas Nilsen (The Baren Observer – September 7, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/

Nornickel eyes sharp increase in demand for nickel and copper as tens of millions of electric cars hit the roads over the next few years. Nickel prices leap to new heights, increasing 36% over the last two months. Copper, another key metal for electric car batteries, has seen prices climb by nearly 20% since mid-summer.

That is very good news for Nornickel, one of the world’s largest suppliers of both nickel an copper. With factories on the Taymyr Peninsula and in the Murmansk region, the company’s directors are smiling all the way to the bank. And back. With workers’ salaries to be paid in rubles, and sales abroad in dollars, Nornickel is benefiting from Russia’s turbulent economy with low currency rate.

Nornickel now wants to expand sales to the electric car industry. Recently the company signed an agreement with BASF on possible supply of raw materials for future battery material production for lithium-ion batteries in Europe.

Protesters storm Philippines mining event, demand halt to extraction – by Enrico Dela Cruz (Reuters U.S. – September 6, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://www.reuters.com/

MANILA (Reuters) – Around 300 protesters clashed with security on Wednesday at a Manila hotel where an annual mining conference was being held, demanding that mineral extraction be halted due to the environmental destruction caused.

The rally comes a day after President Rodrigo Duterte declared he’s supporting a ban on open-pit mining in the Southeast Asian nation, a move that could constrict supply from the world’s top nickel ore exporter.

“Words are not enough, he must act on it,” lawyer Aaron Pedrosa of Sanlakas (One Force), an activist political group that was among the protesters, told reporters. “We are here to express our opposition to mining in our country and the failure of mining companies to rehabilitate mining areas,” Pedrosa said.

Ivanhoe plans ‘new era of production’ for historic DRC mine – by Natasha Odendaal (MiningWeekly.com – September 6, 2017)

September 7, 2017

http://www.miningweekly.com/

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines has entered into discussions to start a “new era of production” at the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-silver-germanium mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), that could deliver one of the highest-grade major zinc mines worldwide.

Ivanhoe, which, in conjunction with its 32% joint venture (JV) partner State-owned miner Gécamines, recently upgraded Kipushi, is now planning to restore production, with the JV, the Kipushi Corporation, focusing initial mining on the Big Zinc deposit.

Negotiations are under way with Gécamines and DRC’s national railway company Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC), along with potential project financiers, to advance agreements to launch the new era of commercial production, said Ivanhoe executive chairperson Robert Friedland.

Mining Capital Can’t Win as Canada Stocks Lag Metal Gains – by Kristine Owram (Bloomberg News – September 6, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Industrial metals have posted their longest run of weekly gains since 2006 and gold’s had its best month since January, but the commodity-heavy equity benchmark in the world’s mining capital just can’t seem to gain any traction.

It’s the latest frustration for Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index, which has lagged all but one of its developed-market peers this year even as base metals have rallied on stronger Chinese demand and gold has gained amid geopolitical uncertainties.

Chalk it up to the previous base-metal slump from 2011 to early 2016 which has shrunk the industry and scarred investors. The materials sector, dominated by miners such as Barrick Gold Corp. and Teck Resources Ltd., is about half as important as it was to Canada’s equity benchmark six years ago.

Fast is slow: Will Ontario really build a road to the Ring of Fire? – by Jon Thompson (TV Ontario Northwestern – August 31, 2017)

September 7, 2017

http://tvo.org/

ANALYSIS: Kathleen Wynne said she’d take her time to get the road right. Jon Thompson asks what took her off course

Kathleen Wynne’s government says it likes to get relationships right: It pledged to get things right with the feds in the 2016 Ontario budget. In a 2015 address to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Wynne herself committed to “getting it right” when it comes to Queen’s Park’s relationship with cities.

Wynne often uses the phrase when discussing Ontario’s relationship with the Matawa tribal council, whose lands and lifestyles the proposed Ring of Fire mining development — consisting of huge chromite and nickel deposits nearly 600 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay — could alter considerably.

When critics allege progress on that file has stagnated, Wynne again stresses the importance of “getting it right.”

However, in recent months the premier has tried to speed up the Ring of Fire’s development and events from last week suggest “getting it right” may have been a sound approach after all.

Should Ontario Northland be the railroader for the Ring of Fire? – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – September 6, 2017)

September 7, 2017

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Regional railway says it has the smarts, capability to serve James Bay mining camp

The Ontario Northland Railway (ONR) is ready to be a logistical player in the Ring of Fire, if and when an ore haul railroad is required.

Now that Queen’s Park has unveiled a road-building timetable to reach the Far North mineral deposits, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission president-CEO Corina Moore said the North Bay-headquartered Crown railroader has the ability to do the job.

“Ontario Northland remains interested in providing input on how we can provide rail support in the future with regards to the Ring of Fire,” said Moore in an email. She was responding to comments made by Noront Resources president-CEO Alan Coutts, who hinted that the ONR could serve as the exclusive railroader to the Ring.

“When the Ring of Fire chromite market grows to a level requiring rail, Ontario Northland has the experience, technology, and capabilities to safely operate and maintain the rail infrastructure,” replied Moore.

Brazilian mining giant Vale gears up for ‘in-house’ diversification, possible acquisitions (Platts.com – September 6, 2017)

September 6, 2017

http://blogs.platts.com/

Speculation has mounted in recent weeks on possible plans by Brazilian mining company Vale’s new CEO Fabio Schvartsman to diversify and make new acquisitions. New strategic partnerships are in theory ruled out because Vale is big enough “to set its own, even more ambitious goals,” according to the new CEO.

New developments may be known on October 18, the date of Vale’s next general shareholders’ assembly, when a “diagnostic report” on the company’s activities, called for by the new CEO, may be considered by board members.

Indications are that Schvartsman — CEO of a paper and pulp concern before he took over the helm of the Brazilian mining giant in May — is concerned over Vale’s dependence on standard iron ore products, the company’s mainstay.

The battery revolution: balancing progress with supply chain risks (RCS Global – August 2017)

September 6, 2017

http://www.rcsglobal.com/

For the full report: http://www.rcsglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/rcs/pdfs/RCS-Global%20The-Battery-Revolution.pdf

The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is set to fuel a revolution in electric vehicles (EV), home energy storage and even the powering of entire cities. Yet, increasing demand for the Li-ion battery is revealing and amplifying a wide spectrum of risks associated with the materials that make up the battery itself.

As new battery technology transforms consumer markets, there is a growing realisation that the transition to electric is not without social and environmental impact in the countries where battery materials – specifically cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite and manganese – are mined and chemically processed into battery grade materials.

These risks present significant reputational, legal, compliance and commercial concerns for major industries harnessing the battery revolution including automotive, electronics and utilities infrastructure. For local communities, the risks represent impacts that could exacerbate or even cause environmental and social problems ranging from air pollution to child labour to conflict.

[Sweden Iron-Ore Mining] How to Move a Town (Bloomberg News – September 5, 2017)

September 6, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/

The citizens of Kiruna, Sweden, always knew they’d have to move to accommodate the local iron-ore mine. They just didn’t expect it to happen so soon, or so all at once.

Appropriately, it was the dog musher who broke trail. Sune Stralberg, 66, is a national champion musher, a maker of dogsleds, and owner of Bjorkis Hundprodukter, a one-stop shop for organic kibble, spare sled parts, and dog leads and harnesses.

All of this makes him a local celebrity in his hometown of Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city. He has the white beard and jovial affect of a skinny Swedish Santa and speaks in lovely, lilting sentences, even when he’s recounting painful memories, such as one from three years ago, when he was forced to move his shop out of its longtime home and into a strip mall 2 miles down the road.

He had little choice—the ground beneath the old shop was on the verge of collapse, like much of the rest of the town. “I already knew that I would move because of the iron,” Stralberg says with a shrug. “Everyone knew.”

Heading into public hearing, Nunavut, Agnico Eagle disagree over caribou – by Jane George (Nunatsiaq News – September 5, 2017)

September 6, 2017

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

Final NIRB hearing into Whale Tail gold mine project starts Sept. 19 in Baker Lake

Parties planning to attend the upcoming public session on Agnico Eagle Ltd.‘s Whale Tail gold mine project near Baker Lake have plenty to read and think about between now and the public hearing set for between Sept. 19 and Sept. 22 in Baker Lake before the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

That’s because the mining company submitted a 208-page document to the NIRB Aug. 28, responding to multiple opinions expressed by stakeholders. This document contains detailed responses to comments that the NIRB received from such groups as the Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Organization, Inuit organizations and the Government of Nunavut about Agnico Eagle’s Whale Tail project.

Despite the heavy use of acronyms and diplomatic jargon like “values” and “appreciates” in the document, it’s likely that big, unresolved issues around caribou will be among topics discussed in Baker Lake. Much of the discussion on caribou in Agnico Eagle’s response is heavily technical.

Russia Has a Gem of an Idea to Take on India – by Yuliya Fedorinova, Olga Tanas and Thomas Biesheuvel (Bloomberg News – September 6, 2017)

September 6, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Russia wants its biggest diamond miner to work more closely with the country’s top gem cutters so the industry can better compete in a market that’s dominated by Indian manufacturers.

As part of a plan to boost the competitiveness of Russian diamonds, the government wants Alrosa PJSC to offer more favorable terms to cutters including Kristall Production Corp., Russia’s largest, according to Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev. The producer, which digs more gems out of the ground than any other firm, is mostly state owned.

“Cooperation currently is rather limited and it has to expand,” Moiseev said in an interview in Moscow. Alrosa has largely shunned cutting and polishing to focus on mining, where it can get bigger margins.