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Plan to import miners stirred a wave of anger – by James Keller (Canadian Press/Vancouver Sun – June 1, 2013)

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

One resident of an unnamed B.C. community claimed to personally know 40 unemployed miners who would be happy to work at a proposed coal mine in the province’s northeast, which was instead slated to temporarily employ Chinese workers. Another lamented the mine’s hiring plan as just the latest example of Canadian resources leaving this country.

And yet another bluntly asked: “Are you trying to lose the next election?” As debate swirled about Chinese owned HD Mining’s plan to use temporary foreign workers at its proposed underground coal mine – prompting several government investigations and a lawsuit by a pair of unions – the province was flooded with angry letters from the public.

Four months of those letters, obtained through freedom of information laws, reveal deep anger about the province’s public support for the project and little sympathy for politicians and company officials who insisted there was not a single Canadian qualified to work at the mine.

The dozens of emails and typewritten letters on the subject were sent to the government between October and January. All oppose the importing of Chinese workers, with many writers telling the government they simply do not believe the assertion there was no way to train and hire workers from the province.

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Chile wants Canada’s natural gas – by Richard Blackwell (Globe and Mail – June 1, 2013)

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.

Chile wants to buy Canadian liquefied natural gas to feed its energy-hungry mining industry as it bolsters its efforts to transform into a developed industrial nation and drag its citizens out of poverty.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, speaking to The Globe and Mail editorial board on Friday, said his government’s mission is to make Chile the first Latin American nation to become a truly developed country. “[We want to] transform Chile from an underdeveloped country to a developed country before the end of this decade,” he said.

To help Chile reach its development goals, Mr. Pinera is looking to Canada as a potential source of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and has discussed with Prime Minister Stephen Harper the possibility of importing the fuel by ship.

“We will need to import a lot of energy, because we don’t have coal, we don’t have oil,” Mr. Pinera said. While Chile is rich in potential hydroelectric resources, he added, there is opposition to development from environmental groups – both inside and outside the country – and that will delay its hydro-power expansion.

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B.C.’s opposition to Northern Gateway pipeline plan sends strong message – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – June 1, 2013)

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

Those who hoped the re-election of Christy Clark’s Liberal government in British Columbia would mean her eventual endorsement of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline were reminded Friday the project has a long way to go to win the province’s essential backing.

In its final submission to the Northern Gateway Pipeline Joint Review Panel, B.C. says it cannot support the project as presented because proponent Enbridge Inc. has been unable to address British Columbians’ environmental concerns.

“We have carefully considered the evidence that has been presented to the Joint Review Panel,” B.C. environment minister Terry Lake in a statement. “The panel must determine if it is appropriate to grant a certificate for the project as currently proposed on the basis of a promise to do more study and planning after the certificate is granted. Our government does not believe that a certificate should be granted before these important questions are answered …‘Trust me’ is not good enough in this case.”

While environmental organizations applauded the tough talk, B.C. also said its position on Northern Gateway is not a rejection of heavy-oil projects. It says all proposals, such as Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion or David Black’s Kitimat Clean refinery project, would be judged on their merits.

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David Black’s grand vision: Can newspaper publisher from Victoria beat the oil industry to Asia? – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – June 1, 2013)

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

VICTORIA, B.C. – It has been two years since West Coast newspaper mogul David Black started travelling to Alberta, arguing with the oil community that its plans to put bitumen in tankers would never be accepted in British Columbia, pining for support for his alternative plan to build a giant heavy oil refinery in Kitimat, B.C. to export fuels that are less environmentally harmful and enhance the Canadian economy.

“They were tone deaf,” he said. “They just didn’t understand the difference in mentality between Alberta and B.C.” Today, Mr. Black’s grand plan remains poorly received in Alberta, while advancing in many right places in his home province and elsewhere, including support from the newly re-elected provincial Liberal government and promises of $25-billion in financing from the Chinese.

Meanwhile, the oil community’s two pipeline projects between Alberta and the West Coast are mired in controversy, raising the question: Can a shrewd newspaper publisher from Victoria beat the oil industry to the Asian market?

In an interview in his century-old, ocean-front mansion overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait, Mr. Black said he’s dead serious about moving forward with his plan, even if it means going at it alone.

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Hundreds storm office of Canadian Centerra mine in Kyrgyzstan, 55 wounded in clashes – by Leila Saralayeva (Associated Press/National Post – June 1, 2013)

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

BARSKOON, Kyrgyzstan — Hundreds of stone-throwing protesters besieged a Canadian gold mine in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, clashing violently with riot police and prompting the president to declare a state of emergency.

Over 50 people were wounded and 80 detained in the clashes, authorities said. The protest also triggered widespread unrest in the southern city of Jalal-Abad, where hundreds stormed the governor’s office.

The twin developments threatened further turmoil in this impoverished Central Asian nation of five million, which hosts a U.S. base supporting military operations in nearby Afghanistan. Protesters want the northeastern Kumtor gold mine to be nationalized and the company to provide more benefits.

The mine, operated by Toronto-based Centerra Gold, is the largest foreign-owned gold mine in the former Soviet Union. It accounts for about 12% of the nation’s economy and has been at the centre of heated debate between those favouring nationalization and officials who believe that would deter much-needed foreign investment.

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[North Bay Vic Fedeli’s]’Bombshell’ a dud – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – June 1, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The province has estimated divestment of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission could cost as much as $790 million.

And while Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli is suggesting the information is a smoking gun that shows the sell off can no longer proceed, the Liberals, New Democrats and ONTC unions are all accusing him of political rhetoric.

“He promised a bombshell and it’s a dud,” said Brian Kelly, a spokesman for the General Chairperson’s Association, representing unionized workers at the ONTC. Kelly said the it’s “old news” that there are huge costs tied to divestment – something ONTC unions have claimed from the outset.

“We have been saying that from Day 1,” said Kelly, suggesting Fedeli’s announcement Friday revealing the potential liabilities associated with divestment does nothing to fuel efforts to protect ONTC jobs and services.

He said the province appears to have already shifted its position, with Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle announcing options other than divestment are now being considered.

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Miners lead transparency push for payments to governments – by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail – June 3, 2013)

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.

OTTAWA — HudBay Minerals Inc. is making its first big bet overseas with a $1.5-billion copper mine in Peru. As its engineers work on mine construction, the Toronto-based company’s accountants are proceeding with a related project – preparing to lay out, under contentious new U.S. securities regulations, precisely what revenues it pays to federal and local governments in the South American country.

While U.S.-listed resource companies like HudBay face such mandatory transparency reporting, companies listed only in Canada do not. Now, the mining industry is leading a charge in this country to adopt similar rules.

It’s a move that is dividing Canada’s mining and oil companies, and raises questions about whether payments to first nations should be also be made public.

And the federal government is now endorsing the adoption of mandatory reporting for both mining and energy companies, though Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver cautioned Sunday that it will have to be done in collaboration with the provinces, which have jurisdiction over resources royalties and securities law.

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No Wynne on wind – by Lorrie Goldstin (Toronto Sun – June 2, 2013)

http://www.torontosun.com/home

Liberal record of forcing wind turbines on Ontarians is appalling

Premier Kathleen Wynne last week promised to give municipal governments a greater say in the location of industrial wind turbines (IWTs) in their communities, short of being able to veto them.

In other words, she’s promising residents across Ontario battling the imposition of industrial wind factories on their communities any and all assistance, short of help.

Given the Liberals’ appalling history on this issue, skepticism is justified about anything they say. Indeed, the determination of Wynne’s predecessor, Dalton McGuinty, to ram IWTs down the throats of communities across Ontario is one of the most shameful episodes in the Liberals’ 10-year record of government.

People who objected to IWTs were mocked as suffering from NIMBYism (not-in-my-backyard syndrome) by McGuinty. His Green Energy Act took away the rights of local municipalities to any say in the location of these giant, industrial wind factories.

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How Ontario’s Liberals can win back rural Ontario – by Michael Warren (Toronto Star – June 2, 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.

Wynne is starting to deliver on commitments to rural and northern voters.

There is a method in Premier Kathleen Wynne’s madness. Firing Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) chair Paul Godfrey. Forming a four-minister task force to review rules for renewable energy projects. Negotiating with the horse-racing industry.

All these seemingly unrelated actions have one purpose. Winning back rural Ontario. Most of the 18 Liberal seats lost to the opposition in the last provincial election were in rural Ontario. It was northern and rural voters who said no to a Liberal majority government.

Former premier Dalton McGuinty governed from his bunker at Queen’s Park. He saw the big issues of the day through a metropolitan prism. His government developed a big city “we know best” attitude that infuriated rural voters.

His rural MPPs and cabinet ministers told McGuinty about the deepening sense of Liberal abandonment in their ridings. But he wasn’t listening. Almost all of them went down to defeat as a result. This didn’t go unnoticed during February’s Liberal leadership race. Every candidate talked about the needs of the North and the hinterland.

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Excerpt from “Lawyers, Families, and Businesses: The Shaping of a Bay Street Law Firm, Faskens 1863-1963″ – by C. Ian Kyer

To order a copy of Lawyers, Families, and Businesses, please click here: http://www.irwinlaw.com/store/product/712/lawyers-families-and-businesses 

Silver Rush at Cobalt

AT the end of the nineteenth century the Ontario government had seen the possibility of encouraging settlement in the Clay Belt west of Lake Temiskaming. This desire to open the region to farming and the timber industry spurred the development of the mineral resources of northern Ontario.

The government began to build the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. By 1903 it had reached the north end of Long Lake, where evidence of cobalt, nickel, and some silver was discovered.18 The initial discovery was made by J.J. McKinley and Ernest Darragh, contractors for the railway. On 30 August 1903 they registered their claim but waited three years to find investors.

Meanwhile, Fred LaRose, a blacksmith employed by brothers John and Duncan McMartin, other contractors to the railway, made an even bigger find. LaRose shared his discovery with his employers and together they filed a claim on 3 September. Then, on a trip to Montreal, LaRose showed some samples of his find to the Timmins brothers, who operated a store in Mattawa. The brothers and their lawyer, David Dunlap, decided to invest in the LaRose property, buying half of LaRose’s share for $3,500.

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Gowest looks to employ 50 at new mine – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – June 3, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Greg Romain’s involvement with Gowest Gold reconnects him with the city he was born and raised in. The Timmins native, who still has close family here, is the president and chief executive of the company which owns the Frankfield deposit which is about 15 kilometres northeast of the Kidd Creek mine.

Last week, Gowest announced it had signed a “non-binding letter of intent” to process its ore and produce high-grade gold concentrate at Glencore Xstrata’s metallurgical site. The deal is expected to be finalized later this year.

“They have allowed us to come in and use that line which is the old Montcalm circuit,” Romain told The Daily Press. He said there is about $10 million in work and installations required to convert the line for gold ore processing.

The upshot is that it eliminates the need to build a new facility. As a result, Gowest can begin full production two or three years earlier than originally planned. Gowest is looking at starting commercial production in 2015. “If we were doing this from scratch, you’d be talking 2018,” said Romain.

Oddly enough, Romain worked at the very same Kidd metallurgical site for about six or seven summers when he was a student. He worked primarily in the zinc plant, back when it was owned by Texas Gulf.

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[Ontario] Green [Energy Act] isn’t all good – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (June 2, 2013)

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

And those 50,000 jobs? McCarter concluded: “A majority of the jobs will be temporary.”
In other jurisdictions, there was actually an offsetting loss of jobs as a result of the
impact of higher renewable energy electricity prices on business, industry and consumers.

IF legislation is a work in progress, Ontario’s Green Energy Act is increasingly an exercise in futility. Launched in 2009 with great fanfare by then premier Dalton McGuinty, this head-first dive into responsible energy production was to place Ontario on the leading edge of a modern industry bursting with potential.

Ontario would attract wind and solar power developers with lucrative contracts. They would develop all kinds of clean power to replace that from Ontario’s cancelled coal plants, leading the way in Canada’s climate change efforts. Developers would agree to manufacture components in Ontario. There would be 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2012, McGuinty said, and untold economic benefits throughout the province.

Who could argue with that? A good many people, it turns out. The contracts were so rich, the terms had to be changed to appease a public angered at learning it was paying considerably more for power from free sun and wind than from costly conventional sources.

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[TVO Medical television] School of Hard Rock – by Kayla Perry (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2013)

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

Medical shows may be standard fare on television, but Hard Rock Medical is different, says Sudbury artist and lead actor Stephane Paquette.

“I think what sets this show apart is the fact that the 13th character is really Northern Ontario,” says Paquette. “It plays a huge part in the show — we have scenes where we shot underground and scenes where we go moose hunting with the native communities. It’s really about the North.”

The TVO drama was filmed in Sudbury last year, and is set in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and its Laurentian University campus. It showcases eight students as they make their way through the school’s courses and adapt to life in Northern Ontario.

Paquette stars alongside Patrick McKenna and Tamara Duarte. A well-known actor, musician and performer in Sudbury, Paquette plays Charlie Riviere, a father of three children who applies and gets accepted to the medical school.

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ONTC sale could cost $790 million, Fedeli says – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – May 31, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli pointed to newly divulged documents Friday as evidence Ontario Northland Transportation Commission can’t be sold because of $790-million in liabilities associated with its sale.

“The government has stated they wanted to divest Ontario Northland to save money. Their own documents prove they now know any sale will actually cost the taxpayer $790 million,” said Fedeli, during a news conference this morning at his North Bay constituency office.

The Ministry of Finance documents, released to the standing committee on justice as part of the gas plant investigation, outline “worst case” estimates for transitional funding to support the divestment process. According to the documents, labour and severance costs alone are estimated at $250 million, up from $25 million originally earmarked as part of the planning process for divestment.

The $250-million estimate, however, assumes no employment by a new owner or labour strategy; that all eligible employees receive employment security; and that all eligible employees collect full benefits over a period of up to 14 years.

“I have said from day one their math doesn’t add up, and there will be no savings through this fire sale,” said Fedeli. “I call on the Premier to end this charade, take Ontario Northland off the chopping block, and do what we’ve asked from the beginning: have a Strategic Review of all assets and make Ontario Northland the economic engine of the North.”

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$18bn cut for Pilbara iron ore miners – by Malavika Santhebennur (Australian Mining – May 31, 2013)

http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/home

Pilbara iron ore producers could be in for an $18 billion annual revenue cut. The revenue hit comes as prices for steelmaking raw material fell to a seven-and-a-half-month low of $US112.90 a tonne. That is 22 per cent less than the average for the March quarter of $US145 a tonne.

This came as a result of new rounds of destocking by steel mills in China as steel prices decline and the industry faces over-capacity, The Australian reported. Based on the slumped prices, if production reaches 550 million tonnes this year, revenue would fall $18 billion of what was expected in the March quarter.

The share market closed 0.88 per cent lower due to weakness in iron stocks. Rio Tinto was down 1.35 per cent, BHP Billiton was down 1.18 per cent and Fortescue fell by 3.35 per cent. But smaller mining companies felt much of the brunt with Atlas Iron down 6.1 per cent and Mount Gibson down 4 per cent.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development downgraded its prediction for Australia’s economic growth this year, and the International Monetary Fund did the same for China, even as construction steel prices fell considerably there.

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