Coal lobby stresses jobs, economics as terminal controversy heats up – by Gordon Hamilton (Vancouver Sun – February 16, 2013)

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

The Coal Association of Canada has released a special report on the industry’s economic impact in British Columbia as the battle heats up over coal exports from Port Metro Vancouver.

Arguing that coal is a catalyst for economic development, trade and employment, coal association president Ann Marie Hann said economics has been missed in the discussion over coal exports.

Opponents of Vancouver’s growing role as a coal exporting centre cite coal’s high greenhouse gas emissions and the health risks from increased coal dust along transportation routes as reasons for shelving expansion plans.

Port Metro Vancouver has already approved one expansion at Neptune Bulk Terminals in North Vancouver, and is considering a new coal terminal at Fraser Surrey Docks in Surrey. Metro Vancouver is now North America’s largest coal exporting port.

“Clearly this is a response to the ‘coal export controversy’ now raging in Metro Vancouver,” Kevin Washbrook, of the citizens group Voters Taking Action On Climate Change, said of the industry report. He said the industry is attempting to build an argument in response to concerns about the environmental threat posed by coal.

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NEWS RELEASE: New report shows importance of coal to B.C.

http://www.coal.ca/

February 15, 2013

A new report from PwC shines a light on the important the important role coal plays in B.C.’s economy and how it contributes to a better B.C.

Report: Economic impact analysis of the coal mining industry in B.C.: http://www.coal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/FINAL_Coal-Association-of-Canada_BC-EIA-Feb-15-2013-1.pdf

In 2011, the coal industry generated an estimated $3.2 billion in provincial GDP and approximately $715.2 million in tax revenue for all levels of government including $399 million in tax revenue generated by economic activity and $316.2 million in mineral tax payments to British Columbia. The revenue collected by government helps to pay for government infrastructure including schools, roads and hospitals as well as provincial services and supports.

The majority of the coal mined in British Columbia is metallurgical coal – which is used to make steel and essential competent of modern life. The majority of coal produced in B.C. is exported to Japan and South Korea. It’s in high demand from consumers because of its low sulfur, low ash, and high carbon content which burn more cleanly than other coals.

Coal also creates jobs. Over 26,000 people are directly employed by the coal industry and they earn higher than average wages. For example, the estimated annual wage for those directly employed by coal companies was $95,174, twice the average provincial wage of $43,500!

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PQ mulls broad consultation on uranium mining – by Kevin Dougherty (Montreal Gazette – February 14, 2013)

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

Quebec – Yves-François Blanchet, Quebec’s environment minister, indicated Thursday that the Parti Québécois government wants to order a consultation on uranium mining in the province.

Blanchet said the consultation is still in the “reflection stage,” but hinted it could take the form of a “generic BAPE” consultation.

The BAPE is Quebec’s environmental-impact body, the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement. It usually conducts consultations on the environmental impact of specific projects. A generic BAPE would look at the issue of uranium mining without reference to a specific project.

“We would be irresponsible not to,” Blanchet added.  The issue came up in National Assembly committee hearings on the spending estimates of the environment department. Jacques Marcotte, Liberal MNA for Portneuf riding near Quebec City, accused Blanchet’s department of blocking the Matoush uranium project in the James Bay region.

Located 275 kilometres north of Chibougamau and 210 kilometres northeast of Mistissini, the mine project is in territory covered by the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement and has not received the approval of the Cree First Nation.

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Resource nationalism threatens Africa’s mining boom – by Oladiran Bello (New Age – February 1, 2013)

http://www.saiia.org.za/

On the eve of the 2013 Mining Indaba, resource nationalism remains a serious investment risk which threatens both foreign investors and resource-producing states alike. With growing attention devoted to the subject, it appears that assertive resource-exporting countries in Africa risk alienating international capital. In newly resource-rich states and older producers alike, some proposals ostensibly aimed at maximising society’s benefits from resource extraction have spooked investors. Much discussion at the Indaba this week will touch on the disparate experiences often termed resource nationalism, but it is worth reflecting on what the term really means.

At one level, it seems to be a misnomer used to describe just about any assertive stance taken by governments on extractive sector governance. At another level, it has been used to denote grassroots level activism, extending in some respect to the labour unrest which the rhetoric around the nationalisation of mines in South Africa may have exacerbated.

Actions regarded as resource nationalism have thus varied widely, from tax hikes, through demand for greater state equity and indigenous participation, to renegotiation of stability clauses in mining contracts. Also, so-called beneficiation strategies – pursued by South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and others – involve demands for value-added processing before exporting.

The term has generally described initiatives by host governments to secure greater financial, regulatory, and sometimes operational control over extractive activities. Recently, Zambia and Mali have pushed for 25 to 35 percent state participation in mining projects.

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Asteroid mining: The next frontier – by Joseph Hall (Toronto Star – February 16, 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.

Establishing footholds on “near-Earth” asteroids and drilling them for all they are worth may prove to be the next chapter in human space exploration. On Friday, asteroid 2012 DA14 came within a celestial blink of smashing into the Earth.

But for a growing group of prospectors with an intense and entrepreneurial interest in such orbiting space rocks, this relatively tiny traveller — about 45 metres in diameter — wasn’t worth a passing glance.

The scientists, financiers — and movie moguls — now involved in serious and deep-pocketed schemes to mine asteroids are searching for far bigger fish. “You start digging into a 50-metre rock and before you know it, you’re out the other side,” says York University astronomer Paul Delaney.

“To mine (asteroids) profitably, I think you’ve got to be talking hundreds of metres in diameter to have enough raw materials once you’ve established yourself on the surface,” Delaney says.

As science fictional as it might sound, establishing footholds on “near-Earth” asteroids and drilling them for all the metals, silicates or water they are worth may prove to be the next chapter in human space exploration.

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ONTC future won’t change with Gravelle – by Bruce Cowan (North Bay Nugget – February 16, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

NORTH BAY – Any measured sense of optimism with the appointment, or re-appointment, of Michael Gravelle as Premier Kathleen Wynne’s new Minister of Northern Development and Mines was pretty much dashed this week.

Gravelle told Nugget reporter Gord Young the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission divestment process will continue and there will be no dramatic shift in direction.

While he did leave the door open to “significant community input into that process,” it’s a little late for that. What’s really left to be said? The process is fairly advanced.

Requests for proposals for Ontera are expected to be submitted and considered this spring. The Northlander is no longer running. Proponents of the New Deal will likely try to get an audience with the minister as soon as possible to push their idea of a port authority. Gravelle is known for being a good listener and he’s called for “dialogue” but, in the political scheme of things that is the Liberal stronghold in the GTA, the ONTC is not on the radar. Wynne has far more pressing southern Ontario issues to deal with if she hopes to retain power.

It’s true the governing Liberals can change their minds at any time. They did so in grandiose fashion when they changed gas plant locations in southern Ontario to secure a seat in the last provincial election. But what’s the advantage to do that here?

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Canada maneuvers to regain Keystone pipeline advantage in face of fierce criticism – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – February 16, 2013)

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

 WASHINGTON — It will be a lively President’s Day long weekend for the folks here at the Canadian embassy.

As many as 20,000 environmental activists are expected to march on the White House on Sunday to demand the death of Keystone XL, and embassy staff plan to be on the sidelines to hear what’s said up the street on Pennsylvania Avenue and do their own count of the protesters.

It’s part of their focus on the facts on the consuming issue that has risen to the top of their priorities. In the first major anti-Keystone XL march in August 2011, headlined by celebrities like Daryl Hannah, environmentalists claimed a throng of 10,000 showed up, embassy staff counted 4,000. In another rally last November, protesters claimed 5,000 followers, the embassy counted 3,000.

The exaggeration is typical of the theatre surrounding the Canadian heavy oil pipeline project, targeted by the U.S. environmental movement to make a point about the need to get off fossil fuels — particularly those from the oil sands — and accelerate the adoption of green energy to reduce climate change.

But for many Canadians here who have been defending the pipeline from Alberta to Texas, the oil sands industry and Canada’s environmental record, the really important development is still to come, and they hope that’s where the facts will prevail.

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8 reasons America should welcome Canada’s oil — and Keystone XL – by Diane Francis (National Post – February 16, 2013)

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

Canada’s oil sands are besieged with two myths: That a “clean” coal technology exists and that the oil sands imperil the planet as the world’s dirtiest fuel.

Meanwhile, they are not swarming around America’s biggest carbon dioxide emissions culprit – Southern Company’s Scherer Plant. In 2007, the plant was the single largest source of carbon dioxide in the U.S. and 20th biggest worldwide, spewing out 27 million tons annually.

And while the environmental industry attacked Keystone during the 2012 election campaign with large protests and media noise, there were no dramatic sit-ins or mass arrests in Georgia or other dirty coal plants. In fact, that year the Scherer Plant in Georgia hired KBR Haliburton to build yet-another gigantic smoke stack, increasing emissions.

Comparing a single plant with the oil sands sector may sound unfair, but consider the numbers. The Scherer Plant’s emissions alone are equivalent to 75% of the carbon dioxide produced by Canada’s oil sands and yet the Georgia utility gets a pass while the oil sands are dubbed the pariah of polluters.

Digging deeper, the Georgia emissions are far worse using the “wheel to wheel” measure that environmentalists like to apply to the oil sands.

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OPENING ADDRESS AT THE MINING INDABA 2013 bY Ms. SUSAN SHABANGU, MP, MINISTER OF MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTH AFRICA: CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE.

4th FEBRUARY 2013

Programme Director, Mr Jonathan Moore, Honourable Ministers here present, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Leaders of the mining industry, The investment community, International friends visiting our shores,Delegates and distinguished Guests:

I am pleased to be here, once again, to welcome you to this august gathering. It has come to epitomise an annual pilgrimage of the mining industry on the southern tip of the continent of Africa. It is crucial to the wellbeing and progress not only of our own country, but of the global mining community that we serve in various ways.

I am convinced that all of you, including our distinguished visitors, will continue to be treated to our particular version of African hospitality. This is characterised and driven in the main by the spirit of ubuntu currently on display throughout the country as we host the premier soccer tournament of our continent.

Last year following our gathering here, the country was engulfed by dark clouds, which seemed to be billowing all around us. There was serious unrest in some mines, and the blot of Marikana on the landscape which is uncharacteristic of a democratic dispensation. President Zuma established the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Marikana, headed by retired Judge Ian Farlam. The proceedings of the inquiry are well advanced and expected to conclude in the near future.

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Keystone XL pipeline takes centre stage at Washington protest – by Mitch Potter (Toronto Star – February 18, 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.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Washington to demand President Barack Obama stop the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada.

WASHINGTON—Canada’s carbon-intensive oilsands industry was the guest of dishonour in Washington on Sunday, where the largest in a series of nationwide climate rallies demanded President Barack Obama call a halt to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

Though precise numbers were in dispute — organizers claimed upwards of 50,000 supporters, with other media assessments suggesting half as many — activists appeared to have met their target of achieving the country’s largest-ever climate rally.

But there was no disputing TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline was the anti-star of the Forward On Climate protests, which included companion rallies in more than 20 U.S. cities from here to San Francisco.

“Keystone XL is the flashpoint,” said Carl Whiting of Madison, Wis., who marched in a Grim Reaper costume. “I recognize that it’s clearly not enough to just to stop a single pipeline from Canada. But it will be a huge first step.”

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Waiting game in Attawapiskat on the diamond mine ice road blockade – by Jorge Barrera (APTN National News – February 17, 2013)

http://aptn.ca/pages/news/

ATTAWAPISKAT–The diamond mine ice road blockade outside Attawapiskat continued into its eight day Sunday despite a sheriff planting an injunction notice in the snow at the site during the early morning hours.

The notice, which was stapled to a wooden stick, was thrown into the trees by Bruce Shisheesh, an evangelical minister who had initially withdrawn from the protest but returned to the site Sunday. De Beers obtained the injunction from an Ontario judge on Friday.

While community members travelled back and forth from the blockade site, bringing food and support, Attawapiskat band officials worked behind the scenes to bring an end to the protest which has severed De Beers’ time-sensitive overland supply route.

The mine relies on the ice road for fuel deliveries and the transport of machinery and replacement parts too heavy to fly in.

Attawapiskat community members have rallied around Rebecca Iahtail, 45, who was the last blockader standing following a band meeting on Friday. Iahtail says she is dying of cancer.

Iahtail’s decision to stay gave renewed life to the blockade which is on an intersection by the ice road leading to the De Beers Victor mine site which sits about 90 kilometres west of the community.

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Barrick Gold Bets Once More on Nevada After Zambian Flop – by Liezel Hill (Bloomberg.com – February 15, 2013)

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Barrick Gold Corp. is betting growth will come from Nevada, where the world’s largest producer scored its first big success three decades ago, after more than $9 billion in writedowns and cost overruns in the past two years on projects from the Andes to Zambia.

Chief Executive Officer Jamie Sokalsky said yesterday the Toronto-based company doubled the estimated resources at the Goldrush deposit in Nevada last year, even as it sells assets and cuts spending elsewhere to revive shares that slumped 24 percent. Barrick is also pushing ahead with Pascua-Lama, a gold and silver mine on the Chile-Argentina border it expects to open next year.

“The priorities for the company, once we finish Pascua- Lama, really are focused on Nevada,” Sokalsky said yesterday on the company’s earnings call. “We have one of the most exciting exploration finds in recent memory, the Goldrush discovery, to ultimately add to this Nevada production in the future.”

Sokalsky’s mantra yesterday was steady and safe. The CEO, who took the job June 6, said the company has no plans to build more new mines and is looking to sell lower-return assets including its energy unit and the 50 percent it owns in a nickel project in Tanzania.

Shareholders reacted positively to Sokalsky’s moves to do “anything that will increase shareholder value” yesterday, lifting the stock 2.3 percent in Toronto.

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First Nations battle suicide epidemic – by Karen McKinley (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 17, 2013)

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

With many people experiencing hurt, depression and anger, they must take responsibility and work to heal themselves if they want to be whole again, says Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

NAN is bringing that message to a youth and family forum aimed at addressing youth suicide and family problems. To prepare and help raise funds, NAN hosted a prayer breakfast, donation gathering and silent auction at St. Paul’s United Church on Saturday. Around 30 people sat down in the basement of the Thunder Bay church to enjoy a meal and discuss topics surrounding suicide and how faith can help heal the psychological wounds.

“Nishnawbe Aski Nation is hosting what we are calling the Embrace Life Forum on March 6, 7, and 8 at St. Paul’s church,” said Goyce Kakegamic, deputy grand chief for NAN in an interview on Saturday. “It aims to discuss issues like prescription drug abuse, suicide and find ways for families to come together to address those issues.

“This is not a gathering to assess blame, it more about how we can accept responsibility to address these things.”
He said blaming factors does not solve problems. The only way they can tackle these problems is to find out how families can come together, offer support and communicate effectively.

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Cree woman dying of cancer last one standing on Attawapiskat diamond mine blockade – by Jorge Barrera (APTN National News – February 16, 2013)

http://aptn.ca/pages/news/

ATTAWAPISKAT– Inside the wood stove-warmed canvas tent beside the barricades on the ice road leading to the De Beers diamond mine, Rebecca Iahtail says she’s dying from cancer. There are several women sitting around Iahtail, three men, including Iahtail’s partner Noah, at the tent’s entrance. The conversation is almost totally in Cree.

Spruce boughs and canvas are used as ground cover. Inside the tent a single candle burns next to an ashtray and an empty coffee cup. The flame glints softly off Iahtail’s glasses, her round face half shadow, half glow.

The wood stove pops and hisses. The tinny sound of a pop tune can be heard coming from the headphones of a teenage girl. It’s Friday night in Attawapiskat, day six of the blockade is about to come to an end.

Exhaust fumes, illuminated by headlights, float across the ice road. Tail lights streak through the darkness. A number of SUVs and pick-up trucks are buzzing between the barricades and the community, which is a couple of kilometres away.

The news that De Beers obtained a court injunction to break the blockade has triggered rumours of impending arrests by the OPP. Iahtail says she has colon cancer and was given three years left to live. A mother to an 11 year-old son who is in Moose Factory at a hockey tournament, Iahtail says her impending death is part of the reason why she’s decided to stay until the end.

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Frozen out of the Ring of Fire – by David McLaren (Sudbury Star – February 16, 2013)

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

The Ring of Fire — it sounds like something out of a Tolkien novel.

Welcome to Mordor, Ont., an area of 5,120 square kilometres in the James Bay watershed chock full of nickel, copper, zinc, gold, palladium and chromium — especially chromium.

The Lords of the Ring are some 30 exploration companies, such as KWG Resources and Noront Resources, which have staked more than 31,000 claims. Cliffs Natural Resources from Ohio is the principal mining company. They’re after chromium, a vital ingredient in stainless steel. (Cliffs is proposing build a chromite smelter in Capreol, creating 400 to 500 jobs).

But others are coming in, including the Chinese state-owned Sinocan Resources Corp. The Crown, in this realm, has two heads: Stephen Harper and Kathleen Wynne.

Ottawa has responsibility for some environmental oversight through the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and Ontario collects royalties, or will after the 10-year tax holiday it gives remote mines.

In fact, Ontario’s mining tax regime is so generous compared to other provinces that it amounts to a subsidy. (Throw in the oilsands and the Crown gives more money to mining companies than it spends on First Nations health, education and housing.) And the federal government’s recent omnibus bills have so severely crippled its environmental regulatory muscle that you might as well hang a sign on the north that says, “(Ring of ) Fire Sale”.

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