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NEWS RELEASE: Timmins miner aims to boost expertise of community social agencies

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.

Ontario Mining Association member Kidd Operations (Glencore) is helping to stage a conference to better align goals of private sector donors and community non-profit fund raisers. Kidd Operations and the Cochrane District Social Planning Council (CDSPC) are holding a Working Toward Sustainability Conference and Training event November 14 and 15, 2013 at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre. The goal is to help non-profit social agencies achieve sustainability in a competitive fundraising environment and be better prepared to fulfill funding applications.

“Local businesses and companies receive donation requests surpassing their budgets by several hundred thousands of dollars annually,” said Carole Belanger, Communications and Community Relations Coordinator at Kidd Operations. “With so many worthy projects, it is difficult and agencies applying for support need to understand corporate donors are moving from a traditional charity approach to strategic social investing for community development.”

Presenters at the conference include Helen Burstyn, former Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and special advisor and chair of the provincial government’s Partnership Forum, and Ethel Cote, Director Social Enterprise Development at the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal. Also, Ms Belanger, who administers Kidd Operations’ Community Partnership Program, will be sharing her perspective on support and sustainability.

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The Pretium gold resource controversy in context and a letter from the frontline – by Lawrence Williams (Mineweb.com – October 25, 2013)

http://www.mineweb.com/

The disagreement between two respected engineering companies over the Pretium resource in BC, Canada has generated much controversy but should not detract from a still exciting project.

LONDON (MINEWEB) – The Canadian resource sector has been abuzz with people taking sides on the Pretium controversy over the Brucejack resource estimation and whether Strathcona, or Snowden, both highly respected engineering companies, are correct in their different handling of samples and results.

Personally, as a mining engineer by background, I suspect with a deposit of this type with a very large number of ultra-high grade gold intersections in its Valley of the Kings section, within a much lower grade more disseminated orebody, that neither will accurately represent ultimate mining grade terms and, if, and when, a mine is developed at Brucejack, selective mining methods could enable the orebody to be mined to a far higher grade than the bulk sampling would suggest, should economics suggest that is the most profitable long term route for shareholders.

Do I have an interest in Pretium? From a technical point of view perhaps yes – it looks to be one of the most exciting recent gold discoveries in Canada.

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Canadian miner rises above obstacles in Philippines – by Matthew Fisher (National Post – October 25, 2013)

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

Given environmental concerns and sensitivities about foreign ownership, mining these days can be an immensely complicated business anywhere. This has proven to be especially true for a Canadian company operating in the southern Philippines.

TVI Resource Development (Philippines) Inc. —a Filipino-Canadian venture affiliated with Calgary-based TVI Pacific Inc. — has weathered the fallout from a series of sinister emails that were sent to senior politicians, military officers and journalists.

The correspondence purported to show company officials were conspiring to assassinate a local leader and launch violent attacks on small-scale miners whose claim that they had pre-existing rights in the area where TVIRD is developing a gold and silver mine had been rejected by the government agency responsible for mining.

“To cut to the end of the story first, they established with 100% certainty that the charges were totally fabricated,” said John Ridsel, a Canadian who was TVIRD’s chief operating officer in the Philippines until mid-2011 and remains a consultant.

To prove the emails were fraudulent, TVIRD hired two cyber forensic firms. A separate inquiry was undertaken by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigations.

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NEWS RELEASE: KWG Resources Inc.: Patent Sought for New Gas Chromite Reduction Method

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Oct. 25, 2013) – KWG Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KWG) (“KWG”) has filed a patent application in advance of discussions to commercialize a new method of refining into ferro chrome the chromite ore of its Black Horse deposit by means of natural gas. A partial disclosure of the process, summarized from such application, follows:

Background

The production of stainless and low alloy steels containing chromium has rapidly expanded, particularly in Asia. The source of the chromium in the stainless steel is partly from the recycling of scrap but this is limited by the availability of such materials, particularly in developing countries. Chromium in stainless steels is not open to substitution by other metals. It is essential for the corrosion and heat resistance of the material. The shortfall in the chromium additions required during the steelmaking process is met by the addition of alloys of chromium and iron, collectively known as “ferro chrome”.

These alloys are produced by the smelting of chromite ores, using solid carbonaceous reductants in a Submerged Electric Arc Furnace (SAF). This process is extremely energy and carbon intensive. Existing plants using “best world practices” consume between 3 and 4 megawatt hours (MWH) of electricity and 200 to 300 kilograms of carbon per tonne of ferro chrome alloy produced. Comprehensive gas cleaning systems are required to meet clean air standards. Large quantities of slag are produced and placed in long term storage in above ground dumps.

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Mining firm NSR sues province of Ontario for $110 million – by Richard J. Brennan (Toronto Star – October 25, 2013)

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.

A Sudbury mining firm is suing the province for $110 million for failing to discharge its “constitutional duty” to engage First Nations on its behalf, which resulted losing the right to explore a vast area of northwestern Ontario.

A Sudbury mining firm is suing the province for $110 million for failing to discharge its “constitutional duty” to engage First Nations on its behalf, which resulted in losing the right to explore a vast area of northwestern Ontario.

In its statement of claim, which was filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Thursday, North Superior Resources Inc. said the Ontario government “took no substantive steps” to engage First Nations, “nor did it advise NSR it would not be taking any such steps. “NSR’s rights to explore . . . have been frustrated,” it added. The company’s claims have not been proved in court.

“My understanding is that ministry staff have made efforts over the past year to engage with both the company and the First Nation, and have offered to facilitate discussions between them,” Michael Gravelle, minister of northern development and mines, told the Star in an email statement.

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News Release: Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. Announces the Appointment of New President and Chief Operating Officer

– Gary B. Halverson to Join the Company and Elected as New Director

– James Kirsch Named Executive Chairman of the Board

CLEVELAND, Oct. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.(NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Gary B. Halverson, 55, formerly interim chief operating officer of Barrick Gold Corporation Inc., to the newly created position of president and chief operating officer, effective Nov. 18, 2013. In addition, he will be serving as a director on Cliffs’ Board. With the addition of Mr. Halverson and the previously announced retirement of Joseph Carrabba, Cliffs’ Board will be comprised of a total of 11 directors.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101104/CLIFFSLOGO)

Cliffs’ Board also announced that James Kirsch, non-executive chairman of the Board, has been elected executive chairman of the Board, effective Nov. 18, 2013. As part of Cliffs CEO succession planning, the Company formed the Office of the Chairman led by Mr. Kirsch to manage the leadership transition. Over the coming months, his focus will be to refine the Company’s long-term strategy and continue to provide continuity during the leadership transition. This will provide Mr. Halverson the opportunity to build a deep understanding of the business at an operating level before assuming the CEO leadership position.

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Sudbury-polished diamonds heading to Australia – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 25, 2013)

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

Diamonds, some of them mined in the James Bay Lowlands and cut and polished in Sudbury, shared centre stage in Australia earlier this week when they were launched there by local journalists and celebrities.

Dylan Dix is group executive of Vancouver-based Crossworks Manufacturing Ltd., which operates the diamond processing facility in downtown Sudbury. Dix attended the Sydney soiree at which Forevermark diamonds from the De Beers group of companies were introduced.

Crossworks Manufacturing cuts some of those diamonds for De Beers. Australia is a new market for Crossworks, said Dix, and six new luxury retailers in Sydney and Brisbane are now carrying the Forevermark diamonds.

Some of those diamonds come from De Beers Victor Mine, 90 km west of Attawapiskat. Crossworks has a deal with the Government of Ontario to process 10% of the diamonds mined at Victor in Sudbury, about $35 million of the sparklers a year.

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Ontario should play role in moving resourses: Wynne – by Antonella Artuso (Toronto Sun – October 25, 2013)

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/home.html

TORONTO — Ontario has a big role to play helping sister provinces move their natural resources across the country in a responsible way, Premier Kathleen Wynne says.

Wynne is in the midst of a whirlwind western tour where oil and gas, along with CPP enhancements and a national securities regulator, will be up for discussion with Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger.

As First Nations and environmental protesters increasingly gear up to battle pipelines and other energy projects, Wynne said she thinks there is a way to move forward with these types of initiatives.

“It’s quite evident, if you look at what’s happened over the past few months, whether you’re talking about rail or whether you’re talking about pipe or whether you’re talking about road, there are issues and there are challenges associated with transporting resources like this,” Wynne told QMI Agency on Thursday. “So we have to do everything in our power to make sure that the safety and environmental precautions are in place.

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Ontario sacrificing forestry jobs – by Peter Politis (Timmins Daily Press – October 25, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Peter Politis is Mayor of Cochrane

TIMMINS – Few who understand the dynamics of the North would argue that diversification of the northern economy is both challenging and necessary.

Few Northerners would argue that the region we live in, that occupies 90% of the entire provincial land mass, is on a slippery slope to becoming little more than an uninhabited backyard for the well‐intended, but misguided, southern voters to visit on occasion.

What should be seen as a rare 21st century frontier of opportunity instead seems to have been reduced to a limited colony consumed by irrational extremism fuelled by what can seem like political cowardice and a society that loses its grip on sensibility at times.

Once again, as a mayor fighting alongside many other mayors to not only keep our way of life from falling into the abyss, but our entire future as a region as well, I’m left feeling frustrated over the lack of urgency or priority critical Northern matters receive.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario’s Mining Policy Puts Sector at Risk: Northern Superior commences legal action against Government of Ontario for $110,000,000

Sudbury, Ontario, October 25th, 2013 – Northern Superior Resources Inc. (NSR) (TSXV:SUP) today filed a statement of claim against the Ontario Government for $110 million in damages, as a result of extraordinary circumstances leading to its inability to access its Thorne Lake, Meston Lake, and Rapson Bay gold properties in northwestern Ontario.

“The Ontario Government claims to be open for business to mining companies and the significant economic benefits they bring, but the reality is that they have abandoned their responsibility under the Mining Act to ensure that consultation takes place between mining companies like ours and First Nations communities,” said Tom Morris, President & CEO, Northern Superior Resources. “If they don’t provide the stability of clear rules and an improved framework to allow mining companies and First Nations communities to reach agreements, then investment dollars will go elsewhere.”

NSR’s statement of claim outlines the Company’s experiences between 2005 and 2011 as it attempted to engage local First Nations communities in exploring its mining claims. The Company was subjected to extraordinary actions, including the holding of employees in the community until payments were made. These, along with other actions, made continued exploration of NSR’s properties impossible.

In addition, the Government’s actions to resolve similar land access disputes in the area, including the withdrawal from mining of 23,000 sq. km. of Crown lands in the area of NSR’s claim, have only served to further damage the value of NSR’s investment.

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Nickel Glut Extends to Fourth Year on China Supply: Commodities (Washington Post/Bloomberg News – October 21, 2013)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) — The global glut of nickel will extend into a fourth year in 2014 as new technology lowers costs for Chinese furnaces producing record amounts of a lower-grade substitute that helped drive prices into a bear market.

Chinese producers will supply 456,000 metric tons of nickel pig iron in 2014, or 49 percent more than last year, Morgan Stanley estimates. Costs at their rotary kiln electric furnaces more than halved to $11,000 a ton in five years, according to Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. That implies they’re still profitable even after prices slumped 16 percent since the start of 2013, reaching a four-year low of $13,205 in July.

China expanded NPI output from 3,000 tons in 2005 to make the stainless steel needed for its construction boom after costs for pure nickel reached a record $51,800 in 2007. While slumping prices previously shut furnaces in China and curbed excess supply, the new technology means they can now compete with traditional refineries. The cumulative surplus since 2007 will have reached about 589,000 tons by the end of 2014, or almost four years of U.S. demand, Morgan Stanley says.

“Most traditional nickel producers cannot compete on price and are having to close or scale back operations,” said Gavin Wendt, the founder and senior resource analyst at Sydney-based Mine Life Pty., who has followed the mining industry for more than two decades.

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BHP’s outlook optimistic, AGM hears – by Matt Chambers (The Australian – October 24, 2013)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

BHP Billiton says the global economy is picking up, with positive signs in the US and Japan, boding well for plans to drive an 8 per cent increase in overall production over the next two years and for shareholders hoping for capital returns.

In the company’s annual general meeting in London tonight, BHP chairman Jac Nasser and recently installed chief executive Andrew Mackenzie gave an optimistic outlook for global growth and the demand for the iron ore, petroleum, copper and coal that BHP produces.

“The (2012-13) period was challenging, with slowing global growth and weaker commodity markets,” Mr Mackenzie told the first BHP annual general meeting he has fronted as chief executive since taking over from Marius Kloppers this year.

“However, we are already seeing signs of recovery in the global economy.” Mr Mackenzie said a productivity drive pursued by the miner in the wake of shareholder calls for restraint as Chinese growth slowed last year was paying off.

BHP was now confident of boosting production by 8 per cent, based on converting all its production to copper equivalent, over the next two years, he said.

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Business Network News Andrew Bell Interviews KWG Resources President CEO Frank Smeenk (October 23, 2013)

http://www.bnn.ca/ For the interview, click here: http://watch.bnn.ca/#clip1029572 KWG Resources came away with a win recently in the courts, affirming rights of existing mining-claim holders. Frank Smeenk, President and CEO of KWG joins BNN discussing the company’s plans in Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire chromite camp.

Editorial: Canada-EU free trade deal shifts the mining landscape (Northern Miner – October 24, 2013)

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

Canada’s base-metal producers got a lift on Oct. 18 with the announcement of a preliminary free-trade agreement between Canada and the 28-member European Union that promises miners and metal producers a gradual elimination of tariffs on such big-ticket items as aluminum and iron ore, and a loosening of ownership and labour-mobility rules.

Canada’s Quebec-centred aluminum industry was perhaps most vocal with praise for what looks to be a big-business-friendly deal, with the Aluminum Association of Canada describing it as an “unprecedented growth opportunity” for the Canadian aluminum industry to “open the door to a large-scale market for Canadian aluminum production.”

The association says it’s likely the EU will eliminate tariffs on Canadian-produced aluminum, such as 7% on rods, 6% on billets, foundry and slabs, and 3% on remelt. Europe’s vast automobile-manufacturing market is particularly attractive to Canadian aluminum producers, who are competing with aluminum producers in the Middle East, where capacity has tripled in recent years.

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Ontario is the leading jurisdiction for exploration – Mauro – by Netnewsledger Staff (October 24, 2013)

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

Mining Question Raised in Ontario Legislature

QUEEN’S PARK – Bill Mauro and Minister Michael Gravelle engaged in Question Period in the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday.

The question came after the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats pounded the Premier and Minister of Natural Resources on Tuesday over a lack of progress on the Ring of Fire.

Mr. Bill Mauro: I’ve got a question today for the Minister of Northern Development and Mines. Minister, our government’s economic plan to drive jobs and growth has three pillars:

We’re investing in people, we’re investing in infrastructure and we’re supporting a dynamic and innovative business climate in Ontario.

Now, I know in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, I’ve got great examples of what we’ve done on the infrastructure front, bringing forward projects that have been sought after for decades actually that we are now delivering on, that have created tremendous infrastructure improvements and are also creating a lot of work, and so that’s a wonderful piece.

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