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OMA member profile: Rubicon’s Phoenix Gold Project [Red Lake] — new mines from old sites (5)

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.

For Ontario Mining Association member Rubicon Minerals Corporation, like the reference of its name to Roman history, there is no turning back as it advances its Phoenix Gold Project in Red Lake towards adding to the 26 million ounces produced in this historic gold area.  Rubicon acquired control of the property in 2002 and it has a bullion production target of the first quarter of 2014.

“This is an interesting and exciting project, which has a history,” said John McDonald, Mine Manager.  “It is not often that you can jump relatively quickly from advanced exploration, to mine development and potential production in a short time period.”

Rubicon inherited some infrastructure from what was known as the old McFinley Mine site, which never really was a gold producer.  Claims were first staked on this property in 1922 and initial underground exploration took place in 1956.  From 1982 to 1989, further exploration was carried out, a shaft was built, three underground levels were developed in the mine, a 150-ton-per-day mill and tailings compound were built and bulk sampling was done on a satellite target, which lies approximately 500 metres away from the eventual discovery.

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Lacking a clear vision, Ottawa’s energy strategy is in crisis – by Barrie McKenna (Globe and Mail – August 13, 2012)

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.

OTTAWA — Canada is in the throes of an energy identity crisis. The Northern Gateway pipeline project is in trouble in B.C. and the Chinese are stalking Alberta’s oil patch. In the East, Quebec and Newfoundland are sniping over oil and hydro reserves, and Ontario’s dream of being a green energy leader is fading.

It’s hardly what you would expect from a country that aspires to be an energy superpower. With still untapped potential in oil, shale gas and hydro, energy can drive the Canadian economy for decades to come. A recent University of Calgary School of Public Policy study estimates the potential economic boost at nearly $10-billion a year between 2016 and 2030. Or not.

There’s been a lot of talk, but so far little evidence of a long-term plan or a strategy at work. That’s unfortunate.

Fast-tracking environmental reviews isn’t a strategy on its own. Nor is blocking the oil sands’ access to world markets, as many environmentalists want.

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Charest touts Plan Nord on campaign trail – by Daneil LeBlanc – (Globe and Mail – August 10, 2012)

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.

VAL D’OR, QUEBEC – It’s the topic on which he is most proactive, promising it will play a key role in fulfilling the main plank in his platform: creating 250,000 jobs by 2017 if he forms the next government.

The Plan Nord is more than the Quebec Liberal Leader’s priority for a fourth mandate. The ambitious, 25-year, $80-billion economic program to develop natural resources in the province’s north is designed to be his main legacy. Launched during his third term in office, the Plan Nord is supposed to be to Mr. Charest what the massive James Bay hydro-electric project was to his predecessor, Robert Bourassa, in the 1970s.

Not surprisingly, most of Mr. Charest’s daily announcements are somehow linked to the Plan Nord and job creation, such as a promise to introduce Plan Nord RRSPs and to offer more long-distance training in fields such as mining and forestry. Most of his industrial visits – he does one a day – are linked to his dream of northern riches.

Still, there is no guarantee Mr. Charest will still be in power after the Sept. 4 election. Every day of the campaign, he has to bat away questions about other issues, from student protests to allegations of widespread corruption to the threat of a third referendum on sovereignty.

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Power needs dictate plant location [Ring of Fire ferrochrome smelter] – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 13, 2012)

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

 Despite an impassioned resolution put forth by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, which supported the construction and operation of a ferrochrome smelter at Exton, the government of Ontario announced May 9 that Capreol would be home to the new facility.
 
It was a matter of logistics, say Bill Boor, senior vice-president of global ferroalloys at Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources, and David Cartella, general manager of environmental affairs and environmental counsel at Cliffs.
 
“We went through a pretty extensive analysis of all the sites where the furnace could be located,” they explain. “There were only a handful of sites that could handle this, and Sudbury was one of them … The power solution is why Sudbury was the winner.”
 
Electric arc furnaces, which are used to melt chromite ore, reach temperatures of 2,800 C. The amount of electricity needed to run the furnaces at the Capreol smelter could power a city of 300,000, Ramsey Hart, Canada program co-ordinator at Mining Watch Canada, says. “The operation of the mine and the transportation of the minerals also have significant carbon footprints,” he says.

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Tory MPPs probe the North [Timmins] – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – August 10, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Two members of the provincial Tory caucus left Timmins with a better understanding of the issues impacting Northern Ontario.

Progressive Conservative MPPs Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka) and Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) were in Timmins Friday on a fact-finding tour. The two politicians met with Mayor Tom Laughren, municipal and business leaders, toured Goldcorp’s operations and visited with local Ministry of Natural Resources staff. Miller is the Tory critic for Northern Development and Mines, while Scott is the critic for the MNR.

The duo also visited The Daily Press, where they discussed pressing issues for the North in an editorial board meeting.
Many Northerners feel they have lost their voice in Queen’s Park, as only 11 of 107 seats are based in Northern Ontario. While he doesn’t expect the region to ever gain more seats, Miller said it is the responsibility of government to consider the impact all legislation has on the North.

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[Timmins] Xstrata Copper seeks cost-saving suggestions [at Kidd Creek Mine] – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – August 2012)

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.

Timmins 100th anniversary special

At Xstrata Copper’s Kidd Creek Mine in Timmins, employee suggestions for improvement have helped increase the life of the mine. Its 2020 Vision initiative focused on engaging employees in an effort to realize cost savings that might further extend operations.
 
About 25 per cent of its workforce was interviewed by colleagues and the resulting 1,800 ideas are being put to good use. “We consolidated and grouped the ideas and the good news was that a lot of the ideas were things we had already started to do and people didn’t know about yet, so we were on the right track,” said mine manager Tom Semadeni.
 
“These ideas validated where we were going.” When the Kidd Metallurgical site closed in late 2010, only some concentrator employees were left. “We realized we needed to help all the employees understand they were part of a new organization because the dynamic was that we had the mine here and the met site concentrator some distance away,” he said.

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NEWS RELEASE: B.C. seizing on global demand for mining (May 16, 2012)

For the B.C. Mineral Exploration and Mining Strategy, click here: http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Documents/MiningStrategy2012.pdf

VANCOUVER – A long-term plan designed to develop the mining industry and create jobs to support B.C. families was announced today by Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman.

“British Columbia is poised for a new phase of growth, investment and job creation, which will enable us to reach across the Pacific and tap into growing demand in Asian markets,” said Premier Christy Clark, who is presently on her second Asia Jobs and Trade Mission promoting resource development to overseas customers. “Long-term growth in our mining industry will translate into strong economic growth for our communities, First Nations and the province, and thousands of well-paying jobs that will benefit families in British Columbia.”

The new B.C. Mineral Exploration and Mining Strategy outlines a plan to create eight new mines and expand nine existing ones by 2015. The mining strategy’s six overarching goals are:

• Enhancing B.C.’s competitive edge.
• Streamlining regulatory processes.

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Quebec will become ‘have’ province under northern-development plan: Liberals – by Andy Blatchford (Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press – August 12, 2012)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

MONTREAL – Jean Charest’s Liberals predict Quebec will make the historic transformation into a “have” province over the next quarter-century thanks to an ambitious northern-development plan.

Quebec’s natural resources minister says the project — known as “Plan Nord” — will enable the province to wean itself off decades of federal equalization transfers, tackle its heavy debt, and bankroll its costly social programs.

Clement Gignac’s prediction would see the province pump cash into the federation for the first time since the modern equalization program was established in the 1950s. Amid campaign clashes over tuition fees, corruption allegations and Quebec independence, Plan Nord is a sleeper issue heading into the Sept. 4 election.

Gignac says the initiative, which includes mining, energy and tourism projects, has the potential to become a game-changer for Quebec, much like the Hibernia oil project was for reversing the once-grim economic fortunes in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“It will increase our financial autonomy… and it will be a win-win for everybody,” Gignac told The Canadian Press in an interview.

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The story of mining prospector Don McKinnon: SPECIAL TO THE TIMES – (Timmins Times – August 12, 2012)

http://www.timminstimes.com/

A close-up and personal look at a Timmins man who changed our mining history

ED’S NOTE: Following is a story on the life on Don McKinnon presented by a close friend of McKinnon and his family. McKinnon died Thursday.

The Canadian mining fraternity has lost one of the most successful prospectors from its ranks with the passing of Donald Duncan McKinnon. Just eight days before his 83rd birthday, Don passed away peacefully Aug. 9 at the Timmins and District Hospital surrounded by family and loved ones.

Born and raised in the Town of Cochrane, McKinnon had made his home in Timmins since 1956. The man with the heart of gold always loved the city with the heart of gold. This was his base as he prospected all over Canada from the High Arctic to the Maritimes and British Columbia. As well as in the United States.

He was much more than a prospector, however, as his interests ranged from municipal and provincial politics to the economy of Northern Ontario and the need to preserve the region’s special way of life.

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PQ gov’t would ‘redo’ Quebec’s northern development plan [Plan Nord] – by Canadian Press/CTV News (August 12, 2012)

http://www.ctvnews.ca/

MONTREAL — The Parti Quebecois says it will give Jean Charest’s signature northern-development plan a makeover if it wins the Sept. 4 election, altering a project the Liberal premier hails as Quebec’s ticket to prosperity.
 
The party’s mining critic said a PQ government would “redo” the multibillion-dollar Plan Nord. It argues the initiative offers up Quebec’s natural resources for next to nothing.
 
Martine Ouellet said the PQ is pledging to raise royalties; ensure more Quebec resources are processed in the province; and spend less public money to help private companies — unless Quebecers get something in return.
 
“The Parti Quebecois is okay with developing northern mines, but certainly not in the same way as the plan I call ‘The Plan Marketing du Nord,’ ” Ouellet said in an interview. “We can’t continue like this, we’re letting our minerals go for free.”
 
Ouellet also said the PQ would launch environmental reviews before each project and boost returns for Quebecers by processing more of the resources in the province.

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Mining legend Don McKinnon dies – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – August 11, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The mining world is mourning the loss of an icon and Timmins has lost a dear friend. Famed prospector Don McKinnon died Thursday at Timmins and District Hospital, surrounded by his family. He was 83.
 
McKinnon earned success and fame with the majority of his vast knowledge being self-taught. Despite dropping out of high school, McKinnon set a goal of becoming a millionaire by age 40. He went on to become one of the most successful prospectors in the history of The Porcupine Camp.
 
Born in Cochrane in 1929, McKinnon enjoyed playing hockey as a youth, often with his childhood friend Tim Horton. But McKinnon also had a talent for art and acting. After dropping out of high school, he found work in construction in Iroquois Falls.
 
As a forest superintendent for paper-producing company Kimberly-Clark, he started studying rocks while in the bush. That’s when he took an interest in prospecting. He would spend hours studying geological reports and surveys, always watchful for promising claims, before heading out into the bush.

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Legendary Hemlo prospector Don McKinnon dead at 83 – by Peter Kennedy (Stockhouse.com – August 11, 2012)

http://www.stockhouse.com/

Don McKinnon and partner John Larche played a key role in the discovery of the Hemlo gold mining camp in Ontario, one of Canada’s richest gold districts. Don McKinnon, one of Canada’s best known mineral prospectors, died Thursday in a Timmins, Ont., hospital. He was 83.
 
It was the staking activity of McKinnon and partner John Larche that contributed to the discovery of the Hemlo, Ont. gold camp in the early 1980s, home of the Williams, Golden Giant and David Bell gold mines.
 
His staking in that area resulted in McKinnon being a key witness in the epic court battle between Lac Minerals and Corona Corp. for control of the Williams gold mine. At the time, it was the largest underground gold mine in Canada. A 1986 Ontario Supreme Court judgement awarded the mine to Corona. That decision was later upheld  in 1989 after Lac appealed.
 
The court battle centred on allegations that LAC had misused confidential information provided to it by Corona and committed a breach of confidence. Lac was swallowed by Barrick Gold Corp.  (TSX: T.ABX, Stock Forum) (NYSE: ABX, Stock Forum) in 1995.

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[Ontario’s Ring of Fire] North’s Holy Grail: tapping a $1 trillion resource – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 11, 2012)

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

On a humid summery day — the kind of day that makes you feel like you must be living inside a sauna — you open the door to your refrigerator and reach for something to cool you from the inside out. If you count yourself among a growing number of stylish, quality-craving homeowners, yours is a stainless steel fridge. House-hunters and remodellers alike covet stainless steel appliances for their durability, timelessness and aesthetic quality. Industry experts estimate 40% of new appliance sales include “a stainless steel-type finish,” according to Dr. Steel on www.stainless-online.com.
 
Stainless steel appliances have been on the market for the ACCENT past two decades and show no signs of waning popularity. Fingerprints aside, designers recommend them as a solid investment with high resale value. The Atlantic ran a piece in February questioning the popularity of stainless steel. While the author, Megan McArdle, has some reservations, its appeal to domestic types is undeniable.
 
“As a status symbol, (such appliances) signify that: a) you (are) a serious cook, and b) you didn’t just go to Circuit City to get your appliances,” she writes. “In other words, stainless steel has become a status god. That’s why all those young couples on house-hunting shows adamantly shake their heads when they walk into an otherwise charming fixer-upper and say ‘No way. I want stainless.’ “

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First Nations want property rights, but on our own terms – by Jody Wilson-Raybould (Globe and Mail – August 10, 2012)

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.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is the Assembly of First Nations’ Regional Chief of British Columbia.

First Nations are in a period of nation-building or rebuilding, taking back control of our lives after years of colonial rule and being governed as wards of the state by Canada under the Indian Act. Our nations are considering how they govern themselves (their core institutions of government) and what they govern (their jurisdictions). Central to this discussion is determining an appropriate system of land tenure that reflects a particular nation’s culture and traditions while also supporting the development of an economy.

This necessarily includes a conversation about what types of legal interests in land can be created, who can hold them and how they are recorded. Every nation that has gone through the process of moving beyond the Indian Act has undertaken this work – work required to translate hard-fought-for aboriginal rights into practical and real change on the ground in each of our communities.

As a result of our nations’ governance-rebuilding work, there are already many different types of land-tenure systems on First Nation lands; systems that support property rights and, to use the language of economist Hernando de Soto, “unlock the capital” of First Nation lands.

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CN, miners to study new line for Que.-Labrador iron belt – by The Canadian Press (Globe and Mail – August 11, 2012)

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.

Canadian National Railway Co. is taking a step toward building a potentially lucrative new transportation link for iron ore producers at the Quebec-Labrador border by proceeding with a feasibility study.
 
The country’s largest railway said Friday that it is working with several mining companies and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on a study into the rail line and terminal handling facility, which analysts estimated could cost $5-billion.
 
The mining participants are Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Ltd., Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a big multinational iron ore producer, as well as Canadian public mining companies New Millennium Iron and Alderon Iron Ore Corp.
 
CN said it will co-ordinate an application to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, clearing the way for discussions with affected parties including First Nations.

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