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Honourable Joe Oliver: Minister of Natural Resources Canada – Speech at the 2013 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (August 26, 2013 – Yellowknife, Northwest Territories)

This speech was given by the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, at the 2013 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on August 16, 2013.

Thank you Minister Ramsay, and good afternoon everyone. Thank you Premier McLeod and the people of Yellowknife for your hospitality and welcome. It’s wonderful for me to be back. “Spectacular” is an apt description of the Northwest Territories – and this city – and I am delighted that we are here for our important meetings.

Let me take this opportunity to recognize the great work of Premier McLeod’s government in developing a land use and sustainability framework that will guide planning in the Territories. I am pleased that my Department, Natural Resources Canada, was able to contribute to this initiative.

Le Nord est un élément fondamental du patrimoine, de l’identité et de l’avenir du Canada. En effet, le Nord s’avère l’endroit idéal pour tenir nos discussions en raison de tout ce qui entoure ses possibilités de développement économique et pour l’importance qu’on y accorde au respect de l’environnement.

The North is fundamental to Canada’s heritage, identity and future. Indeed, the North is the perfect setting for our discussions because of its history in both pursuing economic opportunity and respecting the environment. And its people know more than most about taking the long view. Honouring and preserving their inheritance. And building a vibrant economy for their children and grandchildren.

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I’ll be back – juniors, exploration trends, and a major change – by Kip Keen (Mineweb.com – August 27, 2013)

http://www.mineweb.com/

MinEx’s Richard Schodde discusses the changes to global exploration trends seen over the last few years and why he is not quite as pessimistic as some about the future.

HALIFAX, NS (MINEWEB) – In this two part series Kip Keen unpacks the trends developing within the exploration sector, with the people that know it intimately.

This is not a tonic for those sick to the stomach as they contemplate the state of exploration spending and discovery trends. But then neither is it poison, exploration hemlock, taking you on the path to oblivion. It’s an interview with Richard Schodde, an academic and the owner of MinEx Consulting. He thinks and presents on exploration trends and recently produced a wide ranging synthesis on the exploration sector in a presentation entitled, “Long Term Outlook for the Global Exploration Industry ‘Gloom or Boom.’” (Outside link to presentation here; and full acknowledgement to the blog incakolanews.com for inspiration.)

Lots will strike you in the presentation. Some of it we show you here: Like China’s expenditures booming from almost next-to-nothing to 14% in the past decade. Or global exploration expenditures reaching near $30 billion in 2012, far up from under $5 billion back during hell days in the early 2000s. And – spoiler alert – Schodde doesn’t see them going back there either.

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Students funded in memory of Sudbury labour icon Homer Seguin – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – August 27, 2013)

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

A day doesn’t go by that Dan Seguin doesn’t think of his father, Homer Seguin, and the work he did over several decades to improve the health and safety of workers on the job.

Two students at the Centre in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) at Laurentian University will carry on the work of the elder Seguin, in part with bursaries funded by donations pledged after Homer Seguin died April 26.

Seguin, 79, died after years of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and eventually lung cancer, partly due to his early days working in Inco’s storied — and deadly — sintering plant.

During his last days spent at Ramsey Lake Health Centre, Seguin expressed his desire for a new generation to carry on the work that was his passion for 60 years.

His son and four daughters heard that message and asked for donations when their father died, and they will fund bursaries to two students this fall. Dan Seguin, who works in management for Vale, said he and his family are very proud of all their father did “for workers, and the safety and health of people.

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Ex-Im loan request pits Caterpillar against iron ore miners – by John Myers (Prairie Business – August 26, 2013)

http://www.prairiebizmag.com/

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s not that Minnesota’s congressional delegation doesn’t like Australia, mate. But the idea of a U.S. government bank loaning money to an Australian iron ore mine that will compete with Minnesota taconite?

That’s what they don’t like.

U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, all Minnesota Democrats, are on record opposing a plan in front of the U.S. Export-Import Bank to invest in equipment for the giant Roy Hill iron mine in Australia’s northwestern Outback.

The Export-Import Bank is considering a request for $650 million in long-term financing to aid the export of $522 million of U.S.-made mining equipment to mine and process ore at Roy Hill. The rest of the money could be going to install the U.S. equipment on site at the mine.

Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources, with four mines in Minnesota and Michigan, has led the charge to stop the loan, saying it threatens U.S. mining jobs and, with new Asian steel produced from Australian ore, eventually threatens U.S. steel industry jobs.

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CEMI in running for $10 million research grant – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – August 2013)

This article was originally published in the August 2013 issue of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal.

The Centre for Excellence in Mining I n n o v a t i o n (CEMI) is one of seven finalists vying for four $10 million research grants from the federal government’s Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence program.

The program funds large-scale collaborative research networks that bring a wide range of research expertise to bear on specific challenges identified by industry. CEMI’s proposal is for an Ultra Deep Mining Network that will address challenges impacting resource extraction at depth.

More than 120 applications were whittled down to 54 in the first round of cuts, and then to seven. Matching funds from industry will provide CEMI with $20 million for the proposed four-or five-year research program.

“There are only two places you can go for a new mine,” said CEMI president Doug Morrison. “You can go to a remote location like the Ring of Fire (in northwestern Ontario), or you can go deep. Unfortunately, when you get down to around 2.5 kilometres, the heat and the logistical problems become very significant, so we see a need for changing the way we do things.”

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Attawapiskat election under shadow of controversy – by Teresa Smith (Ottawa Citizen – August 26, 2013)

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/index.html

Off-reserve members unable to cast ballots unless they make long, expensive trip north

OTTAWA — With band council elections for the Attawapiskat First Nation set for Tuesday, some off-reserve members are still hoping the chief and council will postpone the vote to deal with widespread concerns the band’s electoral process is unfair.

The current band council and Chief Theresa Spence, who gained national attention for fasting on Victoria Island during the height of the Idle No More protests, are requiring ballots to be cast in person on the reserve Tuesday, making it difficult for band members who live outside the remote northern Cree community to have a say in Attawapiskat’s leadership. Of the First Nation’s 3,351 members, just 1,862 live on the reserve, according to July 2013 numbers from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

“I can’t afford to go all the way there,” said Jocelyn Iahtail, who lives in Ottawa with her daughter. She left the reserve so her son could get the constant medical care he needs for a traumatic brain injury suffered during surgery. “They, of all people, should understand poverty and make it possible for off-reserve members to have a voice.”

On Monday, a return flight from Timmins to Attawapiskat was selling for $1,200. A return from Ottawa was more than $2,000.

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Canada must capitalize on its resource bounty while it still can, says Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver – by Jason Fekete (Vancouver Sun – August 26, 2013)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

OTTAWA — Calling the development and export of Canada’s resources “nation building,” federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says Canada must seize a once-in-a-lifetime energy opportunity or watch the associated economic benefits disappear.

But cultivating Canada’s natural resources demands that governments do more to earn the social licence to develop the oil, gas, diamond, uranium and other lucrative deposits found across the country, he said Monday at the annual meeting of Canada’s energy and mines ministers in Yellowknife, N.W.T.

Yet, groups observing the talks, such as Environmental Defence, say the feeling around the conference is “very disconnected with the reality” of Canadians’ concerns about the impacts of natural resource development on land, water and air.

In a keynote speech to fellow ministers, Oliver compared the development and export of the country’s natural resources to the building of the railroad across Canada or construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The country’s economic prosperity is not a birthright, he said, meaning Canada must capitalize on its resource bounty while it still can.

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PRESS RELEASE: Minister Oliver: Working Together, We Are Laying the Foundation for Canada’s Future

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES–(Marketwired – Aug. 26, 2013) – The Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today delivered keynote remarks during his annual meeting with federal and provincial counterparts at the 2013 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC) in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Minister Oliver discussed our shared imperative of supporting Canadian jobs, energy security and standard of living through meeting the demand for Canadian natural resources at home and abroad. He highlighted milestones in our cooperative efforts to reach new markets and enhance Canada’s exemplary record of environmental stewardship.

“Canada is well-positioned to take advantage of enormous opportunity to supply burgeoning markets in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere,” said Minister Oliver. “This is a pivotal moment when we decide whether to take that opportunity or let it pass us by.”

Over the next decade, hundreds of major resource projects worth some $650 billion could begin in Canada. Natural resources directly and indirectly account for 1.8 million jobs and over 18 percent of Canada’s economy. Oil, natural gas and mining exports generate $30 billion annually to governments for critical social programs, including health care and education.

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Centerra reports ‘progress’ in talks over Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan – by Peter Koven (National Post – August 24, 2013)

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

TORONTO – After months of political turmoil, Centerra Gold Inc. may finally be closing in on a resolution to one of the mining industry’s most volatile disputes. Reports out of Kyrgyzstan suggest the government and Centerra are nearing agreement on a joint venture to operate the Kumtor mine. The Kyrgyz prime minister said they are discussing a 50-50 split of the project, according to one report.

Centerra cautioned that no deal has been reached, and warned investors not to speculate on the potential terms of a settlement. However, it indicated that talks with the government over its flagship mine are going well. The two sides have been discussing a transaction that would convert the government’s 32.7% stake in Centerra into a direct stake in the project.

“Centerra believes that progress has been made in those discussions,” the company said in a statement Friday. A settlement would be a relief for investors, who have feared the prospect of outright nationalization of Kumtor for more than a year.

The trouble started in June of last year, when a Kyrgyz parliamentary commission released an 800-page report on Kumtor that accused Toronto-based Centerra of massive environmental destruction.

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How important is innovation in the Sudbury cluster? – by Dick DeStefano (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – August 2013)

Dick DeStefano is the Executive Director of Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA).destefan@isys.ca  This column was originally published in the August 2013 issue of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal.

Often underestimated by many small and medium sized mining companies, innovation is one of the most important engines of growth. The Sudbury mining and supply cluster members have not fully embraced the value proposition that Michael Porter has clearly described as essential for success.

I have become a disciple of Porter’s business model and have diligently looked for the appropriate ingredients including leaders to grow our important mining supply and service cluster in Northern Ontario during the past 10 years.

“Michael Porter claims that clusters have the potential to affect competition in three ways: by increasing the productivity of the companies in the cluster, by driving innovation in the field, and by stimulating new businesses.

According to Porter, in the modern global economy, comparative advantage—how certain locations have special endowments (i.e., harbour, cheap labour) to overcome heavy input costs—is less relevant. Now, competitive advantage—how companies make productive use of inputs, requiring continual innovation—is more important.”

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Tuberculosis at Sask. mine sparks cross-Canada check of workers – by Kelly Malone (CJME.com – August 26, 2013)

 http://cjme.com/

Seven provinces working with TB Control Sask.

A case of tuberculosis (TB) at a Saskatchewan mine has led to contact tracing across Canada. The active tuberculosis was discovered at the Cigar Lake Cameco mine at the end of July and caused the mining company and TB Control Saskatchewan to work together to track individuals possibly exposed to the disease. The latest count showed 130 individuals spread across eight provinces from British Colombia to New Brunswick.

“It’s not uncommon. It depends on the situation and depends on what the communicable disease is,” said Deputy medical health officer in the Saskatoon Health Region Dr. Julie Kryzanowski.

“When that happens then there is notification sent out through interprovincial reporting structures to notify them of the potential exposure so they can be alert and do what needs to be done for people who live in their province or their health regions.”

Under the Public Health Act and disease control regulations there are a number of communicable diseases that are reportable by law, including TB. Public health does a follow up to figure out what individuals may have been exposed. Those people are offered a skin test to see if they have the TB bacteria and are then offered antibiotic treatment.

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BHP to Pursue Potash Venture on Strong Return Expectation – by Nichola Saminather (Bloomberg News – August 25, 2013)

http://www.businessweek.com/

BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), the world’s biggest miner, will proceed with its plans for a Canadian potash project that has been called “misguided” by its biggest shareholder, driven by the prospect of strong investor returns.

“We are continuing on this investment because we strongly believe, and we’ve talked a lot about it with the board, this is going to offer very high returns for shareholders in the decades to come,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mackenzie said in an interview yesterday on the Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s ‘Inside Business’ program, according to an e-mailed transcript. “We have the best undeveloped green field mine on offer to the world and what we are doing, we will be prepared to respond very quickly to the market when it’s needed.”

Russia’s OAO Uralkali, the largest potash producer, in July quit a marketing venture with Belarus’s state producer that controlled about 43 percent of global exports and kept limits on production, and signaled prices may fall by as much as a quarter. BHP said Aug. 20 that its projections for the project assume a shift away from the current market dynamic.

Melbourne-based BHP last week said it’s seeking partners for the Jansen project after approving spending of $2.6 billion. The company has been approached and has approached possible purchasers of a stake in the project, Mackenzie said then. Jansen may cost $16 billion to build, Citigroup Inc. said last month.

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In bustling Houston, it’s a case of ‘Build, baby, build!’ – by Anna Driver and Ilaina Jonas (4 Traders.com – August 25, 2013)

http://www.4-traders.com/

With Texas one of the few bright spots in the U.S. economy, the skyline of swaggering Houston is where the action is as builders and global oil companies, from Phillips 66 to Exxon Mobil Corp, look past previous busts and spend billions on gleaming new buildings.

The U.S. shale oil and gas revolution – which has already changed industries from railroads to pipelines and refineries – is helping drive the voracious appetite for office space needed for the expanding workforce in the world’s energy capital.

Demand is so hot that Houston is one of the few places where banks – including Wells Fargo & Co, which is seen as one of the more conservative big banks – will loan money for a new building without demanding developers first have a tenant.

“Houston is booming and bar none the strongest market in the United States of America,” said Joseph Sitt, chief executive of Thor Equities, which has two projects underway in Houston.

There are some 56 office buildings totaling at least 11 million square feet under construction in and around Houston, according to real estate services firm CBRE Group Inc. That is equivalent to 190 football fields.

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Australia’s mining boom rolls on for Chinese entrepreneur in the outback – by James Regan (Reuters U.S. – August 25, 2013)

http://www.reuters.com/

SYDNEY – (Reuters) – Former Chinese commodities trader Jerry Ren, who is quietly building a mining empire in the Australian outback, scoffs at talk the resources boom is over. For him its just moved north.

As some mining firms clock up billions of dollars in losses, Ren has secured millions of acres of exploration rights in Australia’s most remote regions that could soon make him a billionaire, helped by his connections in the world’s biggest consumer of minerals China.

Ren, now an Australian resident, has already been dubbed the “$900-million-dollar-man” for his estimated net worth. “There’s still plenty of money and opportunity in Australia if you know where to look,” says Ren, the son of a steel mill engineer who grew up in the shadow of the Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong’s disastrous attempt to modernize China’s economy.

Ren’s privately held Australian Oil & Gas company holds a 75 percent stake in exploration rights covering 70 million acres, 25 percent of Australia’s Northern Territory, or an area larger than Afghanistan.

Under-exploited by heavy hitters like BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) and Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) as Australia’s last boom took shape further south in established iron ore and coal fields, Ren has had a near-free run to stake his claims in the Territory.

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Mine firm ousts Hells Angels – by Jason Warick (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – August 24, 2013)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

Death threats, attacks lead to purge

A Saskatoon man’s life is in danger after he did what no other Canadian business owner has dared to attempt – he got rid of the Hells Angels. And from now on, anyone working for Xtreme Mining and Demolition will be required to deny in writing any connection to a “criminal organization” such as the Hells Angels.

“If you are associated with these type of groups, we’ve got a problem. You are out of here,” said Xtreme owner Leonard Banga. The Hells Angels were purged from Xtreme’s ranks following multiple death threats and other intimidation, as well as attacks on Banga and an employee.

Banga said he’s got nothing against the Hells Angels, pointing to his longtime friendships with several “full patch” members. But when Banga learned of the threats and violence, he knew he had to act decisively to protect his employees and his business.

The Hells Angels, through their lawyer, say the new policy is unfair. Others disagree. “I hope everyone supports (Banga). He has balls. This is how a community starts to stand up to organized crime,” said author and international Hells Angels expert Yves Lavigne.

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