Republic of Mining

B.C. report on Mount Polley results will decide Morrison mine’s fate – by Justine Hunter (Globe and Mail – January 29, 2015)

January 30, 2015

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

VICTORIA — One of the little-known casualties of the Mount Polley mining disaster was a proposed new mine hundreds of kilometres away, its fate left in limbo since the tailings pond dam collapsed.

When the provincial government releases a report Friday on the cause of the massive breach at Mount Polley, it will be forced to reconsider its decision on the Morrison mine project.

In the fall of 2012, British Columbia refused to issue a certificate for the Morrison copper-gold mine, despite the fact a government report had concluded it would not result in significant adverse effects if mitigation measures were followed. It was a surprising decision from a pro-resource government that had systematically streamlined regulation and reduced oversight to encourage investment. Suddenly, the industry was questioning whether the ground rules for mining in British Columbia had changed.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge overturned the government’s decision in December, 2013, saying the province had failed to meet the requirements of procedural fairness. At the time of the original decision to reject the Morrison mine, then-environment minister Terry Lake explained that his government had applied new “risk versus benefit” criteria that the proponent, Pacific Booker Minerals Inc., failed to meet.

Russia’s biggest miner faces Arctic prices challenge – by Polina Devitt (Reuters India – January 30, 2015)

January 30, 2015

http://in.reuters.com/

NORILSK, Russia – Reuters) – Russia’s financial crisis is posing a stark challenge to the country’s largest mining company. How can Norilsk Nickel protect the living standards of thousands of workers cut off inside the inhospitable Arctic while also satisfying its shareholders?

The slump in the ruble and a resulting rise in inflation could have an outsize effect in Norilsk, a town 300 km inside the Arctic Circle where more than a quarter of the 220,000 population work for the company, and it’s hard to shop around.

Winter temperatures in Norilsk plunge to levels that visitors can find distinctly uncomfortable, but for the isolated workers who live there any hint of a rise in the cost of living is equally unwelcome.

With the rouble down 50 percent against the dollar since early last year and Russian food inflation above 15 percent, it falls partly to the company to bear the cost of holding down prices in the grimy industrial city where it is based.

Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium, owns a loss-making chain of seven shops called “Sunflower”, which have sold staples such as milk and bread more cheaply than other stores in the city since 2011.

The company also helps other retailers bring food supplies to the city and subsidizes their transport costs. It increased its workers’ salaries on Jan. 1 and plans another review on April 1, said Vladimir Potanin, chief executive and co-owner.

Mining looks to First Nations for future manpower – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – January 29, 2015)

January 30, 2015

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Back in the day, spring was the time of year when many Northern prospectors would take some time off and get out of the bush before the snow melted and the creeks and rivers were opened up. Soon enough, they would be heading back in, with fresh supplies, a new tent, a canoe and a packsack full of hope for a new season.

And all across Northern Ontario, the brief spring break found hundreds of prospectors and mining executives heading to Toronto to take part in the annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) which was formed 83 years ago.

The convention continues to be Canada’s largest mining and mining exploration event that brings together people from every level of the industry to discuss common concerns. One of those concerns is how to deal with growing shortage of trained workers, especially in more remote areas of the country — usually where the mines are developed.

Convention organizers say the Toronto event will be attracting hundreds of First Nations representatives who will be networking with mining companies, not only to explore business partnerships, but also to discuss job opportunities. More than 500 Aboriginal representatives took part in last year’s event and the association expects the same level of interest this year.

WOMEN IN MINING NEWS RELEASE: Betty-Ann Heggie Wins the 2015 WIM Canada Trailblazer Award

January 29, 2015

http://www.wimcanada.org/welcome.html

TORONTO – January 29, 2015 – Women in Mining Canada (“WIMC”) and its “Trailblazer Award Selection Committee” (“TSC”), are very pleased to announce Betty-Ann Heggie as the winner of the 2015 Women in Mining Canada Trailblazer Award.

The Women in Mining Canada Trailblazer Award is the first national award in Canada to recognize the achievements of women who have made a significant contribution to Canadian mining and/or the inclusion of women in the industry. The natural resource sector has the poorest representation of women in management, with women representing just 11% of board appointments, making this year’s recipient a true “Trailblazer”.

Betty-Ann Heggie – Author, Mentor and Speaker

Betty-Ann Heggie, member of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, journeyed up the Corporate Ladder from Beer Rep to Senior VP with the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc., one of the world’s largest fertilizer company.

Betty-Ann has the distinction of also being named Canada’s Top Investor Relations Officer by both her clients and her peers. In addition to being awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the recipient of the Alumni Mentorship Award from the University of Saskatchewan, Betty-Ann won the “Women Helping Women” award at the 2009 Stevie Awards, and was honored with the YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award. Betty-Ann has also served on multiple boards, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Corporate Directors of Saskatchewan, which she founded.

70th anniversary of Paymaster mining disaster – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Who knew what Hector Poitras was thinking that cold February morning in 1945, when he stepped onto the cage at the Paymaster No. 5 shaft getting ready to ride down into the mine with his co-workers?

It was a Friday. Maybe he was going to a dance that night, or maybe to see a hockey game at The Mac or the South Porcupine Arena. For whatever reason, Poitras didn’t have his mind completely on the job.

Poitras was a young rookie miner. That’s probably why another miner, an older fellow, gave him a friendly nudge and asked him why he didn’t have his cap lamp with him. Poitras had to get off the cage and head for the lamp room, thus missing his ride underground and possibly facing a bucket load of you-know-what from the shift boss.

That mistake would save his life. The cage had begun its descent into the depths of the mine. Eight men were on the upper deck. Eight were on the lower deck.

The incident itself took only seconds, at about 7:55 that morning. The cage was moving at a normal speed of about 1,200 feet per minute when the rope broke, said the Ministry of Mines report. There was no evidence to the rope being jerked or kinked, said the report.

COLUMN-Crude oil decline cuts both ways for miners – by Clyde Russel (Reuters India – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

http://in.reuters.com/

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 28 (Reuters) – The plunge in oil prices is a double-edged sword for many miners, lowering the cost of production but at the same time cutting the value of the commodities they produce.

At first glance the 57 percent tumble in Brent crude since June last year would seem to be an unambiguous positive for many commodity producers, given their heavy reliance on diesel to operate mines and transport output to ports.

This is especially the case for Australian coal and iron ore mines, which use diesel not only for mining vehicles but to generate electricity as well, given their remote locations.

Diesel-fired train locomotives help miners move their commodities across hundreds of kilometres (miles) and there may even be savings on charter flights used to ferry workers to and from remote mine sites, given the lower cost of aviation fuel.

Research by Morgan Stanley, published on Jan. 25, said that oil and diesel made up between 9 and 12 percent of the total production costs for bulk commodities such as coal, iron ore and bauxite, but only 3 to 5 percent for metals.

Rio’s McIntosh at Roundup 2015: Mining not a ‘sunset industry’ (Northern Miner – January 27, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The Northern Miner, first published in 1915, during the Cobalt Silver Rush, is considered Canada’s leading authority on the mining industry.

VANCOUVER — There’s likely not an explorer with a bigger technical team or budget than Rio Tinto’s (NYSE: RIO; LON: RIO) Stephen McIntosh, who serves as the mega miner’s global head of exploration and has been with the company for over 28 years.

McIntosh took to the podium at the Association for Mineral Exploration BC’s (AMEBC) annual Roundup conference to address the company’s view on discovery success and the current downturn in the commodity cycle.

Even a company with the financial swagger of Rio — which maintains a market capitalization of roughly US$99.5 billion at the time of writing — hasn’t been immune to the cutbacks in exploration spending.

The company went from investing around US$2 billion in project development and greenfield programs in 2012 to around US$750 million in 2014. McIntosh was quick to underline, however, just how important maintaining a robust project pipeline is to the large-cap miner, and pointed out that “exploration is in this company’s DNA.”

Rio Tinto’s exploration arm employs a team of roughly 450 people, who handle the company’s greenfield and brownfield programs and also deal with business intelligence, big data analysis, and commodity strategies.

Rickford, Gravelle meet on Ring of Fire – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

Progress in the Ring of Fire – or the lack of it – was on the agenda of federal Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford and provincial Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle during a meeting in Ottawa, Jan. 27.

In their first “constructive” meeting of 2015, a joint news release stated the ministers discussed funding arrangements to extend transportation infrastructure into the isolated Far North region to support mining and improve access to remote First Nation communities.

The two sides have been at an impasse on how to work together in the James Bay lowlands where exploration has ground to a halt and the biggest explorer, Cliffs Natural Resources, has abandoned work and seems likely to leave Ontario.

The Wynne government has accused the Harper government of dragging its feet in matching Ontario’s $1 billion infrastructure commitment for development of the mining camp, while Ottawa has chastised Queen’s Park for its lack of a detailed plan from its much-maligned Ring of Fire development corporation.

The news release said discussion focused on the Ottawa’s $53 billion Building Canada Fund, set aside for provincial and municipal infrastructure, including “legacy resource development projects like the Ring of Fire.”

B.C. mining conference urges social engagement with First Nations – by Mark Hume (Globe and Mail – January 27, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

VANCOUVER — Mining executives may sometimes feel they face insurmountable problems in British Columbia, where the courts have reaffirmed aboriginal title over land and where environmental regulations seem myriad.

But participants at a major mining conference in Vancouver were told Tuesday that if the industry can come up with a new way of incorporating social and environmental issues into its planning, the province could emerge as a global leader.

“This community has everything in the world going for it – just don’t screw it up,” said Rick Rule, chairman of Sprott US Holdings and an expert on international resource investment.

The development landscape in B.C. has become more complicated since the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed last year that aboriginal title exists and that both government and industry have an obligation to consult First Nations over proposed projects.

But Mr. Rule and other speakers on a panel about aboriginal engagement said the ruling has clarified the legal ground rules and it is now up to industry and First Nation leaders to rise to the challenge of finding ways to move ahead.

NEWS RELEASE: War for talent in mining just heating up, says EY

January 28, 2015

Click here for report: http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-productivity-in-labour-mining-and-metals/$FILE/EY-productivity-in-labour-mining-and-metals.pdf

With a focus on productivity, companies must not neglect talent management

VANCOUVER, Jan. 28, 2015 /CNW/ – The end of the mining boom does not mean victory in the war for talent, according to a new EY report. Instead, EY says it’s merely a ceasefire – and companies must maintain a focus on talent to minimize risks presented by more enduring trends.

“The war for talent just got a lot more complex,” says Bruce Sprague, EY’s Canadian Mining & Metals Leader. “During the boom years, many mining companies hired talent at any cost. Now, as cost cutting exercises mean there are fewer jobs to fill, the best people are able cherry pick the top roles in a global marketplace, and in other sectors as well. Now more than ever, mining companies must not lose their focus on talent management.”

EY’s report, It is only a ceasefire – the war for talent will continue, notes things like an aging workforce, globalization and disruptive technology are all affecting the future supply of talent. Amid these trends, without a strong focus on talent management, companies are faced with two significant risks:

Loss of wise, senior and experienced people from the sector
Significant talent shortage in the next upturn

Metals supercycle remains intact, says Bay Street analyst Ray Goldie – by Peter Kennedy (Stockhouse.com – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

http://www.stockhouse.com/

One of Canada’s most seasoned commodities analysts says the long term outlook is bright for key base metals, including nickel, copper and zinc.

Raymond Goldie, Vice-President, Commodity Economics with Salman Partners was in Vancouver Tuesday to talk about the “super cycle,” a term that was often used in the early part of this century when metal prices kept going up in a seemingly relentless fashion.

“We have been in a super cycle since 2004,’’ Goldie told the CFA Society of Vancouver during a lunchtime speech.

But even though the price of key metals has weakened in the past two years, it doesn’t mean the current supercycle is over. Rather it is caught in a “mid-cycle trough,” he said. “The rebound lies ahead.”

The veteran Bay Street analyst, who was widely known for his coverage of iconic Canadian mining companies like Falconbridge and Inco Ltd. before they were swallowed up in the globalization process, said the near term outlook is brightest for nickel.

He said supply is constrained by an Indonesian ban on exports of raw ore, which is affecting China’s ability to produce nickel pig iron, a low grade ferronickel invented in China as a cheap alternative to pure nickel for the production of stainless steel.

Report on Mount Polley mining disaster set for release – by Justine Hunter (Globe and Mail – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

VICTORIA — A report to be released on Friday will pinpoint the cause of the Mount Polley dam failure and is expected to lead to new safety standards for the entire Canadian mining industry.

But blame and consequences for any misconduct won’t be part of the story this week. Almost six months after the ecological disaster, responsibility for the collapse of the tailings pond that released millions of cubic metres of waste material into Quesnel Lake and other waterways in central British Columbia is still under investigation.

The provincial government is set to release the results of a geotechnical inquiry by an independent panel – this will be the engineers’ explanation of what went wrong.

The report’s findings could pave the way for the partial reopening of the copper and gold mine 55 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake. Two other investigations have yet to be published that would determine if any fines or prosecution are warranted – one by the Chief Inspector of Mines and the second by the Conservation Officer Service, a law-enforcement body that would send any recommendations for charges to provincial Crown Counsel.

Provinces making bad bets with resource-based budgets – by Brian Lee Crowley (Globe and Mail – January 9, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

You can’t say you weren’t warned. That’s a message that should be posted on billboards opposite the premier’s office in Edmonton, St. John’s and various other provincial capitals where falling energy prices have devastated government budgets.

Those of us who care about such things have been repeating for years the wisdom best summed up by former Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning: “Non-renewable natural resource revenues are non-reliable revenues.”

When your provincial budget is the attic in a house of cards, the first breath of contrary wind brings the whole structure tumbling down. I remember when a 10-cent difference in the price of natural gas meant a swing of $142-million in Alberta’s revenues. The price of that commodity has of course gyrated all over the place in the past 20 years, but mostly in a direction that has caused apoplexy at budget time.

The volatility of natural resource revenues is far less interesting than what might be done about them. On the other hand, if you can’t get policy makers to grasp the fragility of their budgets, you will never get them to take the hard decisions necessary to put things on a sounder footing.

Leaders hope to inspire new [economic] visions for Sudbury – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

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

Four community leaders came together Tuesday at a chamber of commerce event to share their thoughts on what makes Sudbury an attractive place to live and what will enhance its culture and economy going forward.

Sean Murray, head of pediatrics at Health Sciences North, said his dream is to create a freestanding medical facility for children in Sudbury.

“I really want to inspire the City of Greater Sudbury, and our rural communities as well, to try to improve health care for children, who unfortunately often get left in the mix of everything else that goes on,” he said.

Murray said he had performed a procedure earlier in the day on a boy who has chronic medical issues, including autism spectrum disorder, and was suffering from headaches. “I had to stick a needle into his back to take spinal fluid out and measure how much pressure was in his brain,” he said.

But since the boy has particular sensitivities to needles and crowds of people, the procedure had to be done in OR. “It really highlighted for me the importance of having something that is child-friendly,” he said. “We need to minimize those types of traumas that kids go through.”

Mining financier Sheldon Inwentash departs Pinetree Capital in big shakeup – by Peter Koven (National Pot – January 28, 2015)

January 28, 2015

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

TORONTO – It is the end of an era at Pinetree Capital Ltd.

The investment and merchant bank, which was a world leader in financing junior resource firms, announced this week that controversial chairman and chief executive Sheldon Inwentash is resigning after more than 22 years at the helm of the company. His departure is tied to a proposed deal with creditors that gives them security over the firm’s assets, but keeps Toronto-based Pinetree afloat after it defaulted on a debt covenant. The stock, which peaked at more than $15 in 2007, is now worth 7.5¢.

It is a disappointing outcome for Mr. Inwentash. He was on top of the world during the commodity bull market, making an enormous personal fortune as his firm helped hundreds of start-up mining companies get off the ground. His name also adorns the University of Toronto’s faculty of social work, to which he and his wife donated $15-million.

When micro-cap junior miners went looking for capital on Bay Street, Mr. Inwentash was, along with Ned Goodman and Eric Sprott, one of the first people they would think to call. Pinetree held investments in more than 400 public and private resource companies at its peak, with a big focus on precious metals. The firm’s investments had a fair value of almost $800-million by the end of 2010.

Mr. Inwentash came under scrutiny for his high compensation during those heady days.