Republic of Mining

The new shape of a centuries-old relationship [resource boom and First Nations] – by Ken Coates and Brian Lee Crowley (Troy Media/Vancouver Sun – July 20, 2012)

July 21, 2012

The Vancouver Sun, a broadsheet daily paper first published in 1912, has the largest circulation in the province of British Columbia.

Resource boom holds potential to set all Canadians, aboriginal or non-aboriginal, on a more promising path

Ken Coates is Canada research chair in regional innovation at the University of Saskatchewan and Brian Lee Crowley is managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a public policy think-tank in Ottawa.

Regardless of short term ups and downs, Canada’s resource economy is booming as never before. Industrialization and urbanization, chiefly in Asia, will be the unstoppable engine driving the world’s appetite for our resources. This should be an opportunity not just for all Canadians, but especially for many aboriginal Canadians who inhabit the land surrounding the mining and energy projects under-way or planned across the mid and far North.

In fact, this new resource-based wealth could be the key to progress in ending the shameful plight of too many first nations people in Canada. To do so, however, we are going to have to change behaviour and expectations on both sides of the aboriginal/non-aboriginal divide. Happily, far from being a distant and improbable prospect, we can already discern the new shape of the relationship.

Indigenous conflict with resource developers is hardly new. Since the arrival of Europeans, mass evictions, pollution and social turmoil related to resource wealth have been facts of indigenous history.

The eye of the beholder [Barkerville Gold Mines controversy] – by Peter Koven (National Post – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

Autonomous geologists, hired to analyze mining data, have tons of leeway

When Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. told investors a few weeks ago that its British Columbia-based project held the potential to cough up 90 million ounces of gold, the first reaction from industry insiders was disbelief. After all, the legendary Timmins gold camp has produced about 70 million ounces, and fewer than 100 million ounces are produced globally each year.

Their second reaction was more of a question: Who the heck calculated those numbers?

It turned out they were derived by Peter George, a veteran geologist at Geoex Ltd. The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has since intervened with many concerns about his work on Barkerville’s Cow Mountain project, and the company remains a penny stock as investors have little confidence in its stated resources. The stock spiked from 81¢ to as high as $1.67 after the report came out, but has since dropped to 77¢.

Will tight oil change the world? – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

CALGARY — The quick rise of tight oil in the United States and Canada is dominating oil patch chatter as players take stock of what it could all mean — are we on the verge of a global energy revolution, or on a trend that is encouraging, but unlikely to meet lofty expectations? Tight oil is unconventional oil resources extracted by horizontal drilling and fracking technologies.

With production in the United States gushing out of the Bakken and lots of potential in the Eagle Ford and 20 other plays, Canada barely getting warmed up, and other countries looking to copy the North American experience, optimists envisage the biggest game changer for the energy sector in decades.

By offering North America a shot at energy independence, there’s talk of vast political implications, including a new U.S. foreign policy free of Middle East strings and less urgency to find/subsidize alternative fuels. Some argue the growing importance of tight oil could even shine a new light on Canada’s oil sands in the eyes of Americans because they make energy independence achievable.

Robin West, chairman and chief executive officer of PFC Energy, a global consulting firm that specializes in oil and gas, has gone as far as branding the shift as the energy equivalent of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Stan Beardy on treaties, resources and national agendas – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – July 19, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.wawataynews.ca/

Wawatay spoke with Regional Chief of Ontario Stan Beardy soon after he won the election to represent 133 First Nations. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

Wawatay: What are your thoughts on winning the election, and what that means for yourself and for northern First Nations?

Stan Beardy: First of all, it’s definitely a great honour to be selected as Regional Chief of Ontario with 133 First Nations. Yes, I am from the North, and I have a good understanding of northern issues, but I am responsible for all First Nations in Ontario. I believe there is great diversity, and we need to find a way to use that diversity for our strength.

My mandate is for three years, and I believe I was selected based on the platform which I put forward. I am very strong on our rights-base, and I am very strong on our Treaty position. That Treaty relationship, I believe, is the number one priority in terms of moving forward on improving the quality of life.

When we talk of First Nation laws across Ontario, and asserting our jurisdiction, we’re talking about finding a way to harmonize the federal government’s legislation and laws with ours.

Regional chief wants Ring of Fire revenue sharing – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – July 19, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.wawataynews.ca/

Ontario’s new regional chief wants to see First Nations get a cut of royalties and taxes collected from resource extraction projects on traditional lands. In an interview following his election victory, Stan Beardy told Wawatay that it is not enough for industry and governments to simply provide jobs and training to First Nations people in exchange for access to resources on First Nations’ land.

Beardy said that the treaty relationship, where First Nations agreed to share the land and resources, means that the wealth generated by both the provincial and federal governments from that land should be shared with First Nations.

“We agree that when we talk about benefits (from resource extraction) we talk about guaranteed jobs and training, across the board, for First Nations people,” Beardy said. “But also there has to be a discussion on arrangements in regards to sharing the wealth. That means not only being compensated for being displaced from your homelands, but also we’re talking about sharing the wealth of the funds collected by the governments for user fees, royalties and taxes.”

Why Canada Can’t Say “No” to Asbestos – by David Suzuki (Huntington Post – July 18, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

Mesothelioma is a nasty cancer that affects the lining around a person’s lungs. It can also damage membranes around the abdomen, heart, and testicles. The prognosis for those who have it is poor. It causes close to 90,000 preventable deaths a year. More than 90 per cent of cases are attributed to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres that can be inhaled, penetrating the lungs. Because they are mineral-based, they can’t be broken down by the body’s natural defences, so they cause inflammation. The fibres also remain in the lining around the lungs, and over time — often 20 to 30 years or more — may cause mesothelioma or other diseases.

Because asbestos is a known carcinogen, it has been banned by more than 50 countries, including all members of the European Union. They appear to be getting along fine without it, probably because there are safe alternatives for construction, fire-proofing, and other asbestos functions. Canada and the U.S. have not banned it but don’t use it much anymore.

Although Canada doesn’t have a domestic market for asbestos, we actively support the industry and promote exports to other countries, especially India. In fact, Canada is one of only a few countries that still exports asbestos.

“Cliffians” [Copper Cliff] reconvene – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

It started as a house party last year and has morphed into a reunion more than 250 people are registered to attend.

“Back to the Cliff” will bring together people who have lived in the community all their lives, former Copper “Cliffians” who have moved away and people who just wish they were from the town that grew along with the International Nickel Company. Deborah Gray was shouting out instructions to volunteers Friday about lunchtime as they were putting finishing touches on the three-day homecoming.

Gray moved to Copper Cliff when she was seven years old and has never left the community, which is now part of the City of Greater Sudbury. Municipal amalgamation can’t erase the feeling, though, that if you’re from Copper Cliff, you’re “almost like family,” said Gray. She was looking forward to renewing acquaintances with old friends and spending time with friends she just hasn’t met yet.

Contractor pinned between scoop tram, forklift – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

Production was halted at Vale’s Stobie Mine on Friday after a contract worker was injured in an accident about 9 a.m. A Ministry of Labour investigator happened to be at the mine when the accident occurred and is now looking into it, ministry spokesman Matt Blajer said Friday afternoon.

The ministry hasn’t determined what happened, but Blajer said it was told the employee was standing between a forklift and a scoop tram when another scoop collided with the forklift, pinning the worker. The oncoming scoop operator “did not see the fork sticking out, and the worker was standing between the scoop and the forklift,” said Blajer.

The worker suffered a broken right leg and was transferred to Health Sciences North’s Ramsey Lake Health Centre, he said. The ministry inspector wasn’t expected to file anything official until Monday.

Vale spokeswoman Amanda Eady confirmed the accident and said the labour ministry has frozen the scene. The labour ministry was on site Friday afternoon, as were representatives from the contracting company.

Anti-exploration NIMBYs win in Whitehorse, but elsewhere perhaps not so – by Kip Keen (Mineweb.com – July 20, 2012)

July 20, 2012

www.mineweb.com

Mineral explorers in urban areas come up against NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) opposition as the will of mineral explorers meets with the will of the public, but economic necessity is turning the tables in some areas of the world.

HALIFAX, NS – If you had plans to stake a claim in downtown Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, forget it, at least for the next five years. The Yukon territorial government, after prodding from the Whitehorse City Council, has put a moratorium on staking of hard rock claims in one of North America’s more storied gold jurisdictions. Whitehorse, after all, was a prospector’s hub during the Yukon Gold Rush and, indeed, a launching point for Yukon’s recent gold renaissance. But Whitehorse is no more the dusty turn-of-the-19th-century town where, for the most part, destitute men descended to make their fortunes, of which a few did and many did not. It is now a growing city centre – if minuscule by global standards with about 25,000 inhabitants – with a populace that has more than mining on their mind.

Indeed the banning of claim staking in Whitehorse has for years been an issue. Of all banner bearers, one of the more vocal has been the Whitehorse Country Ski Club. With the prospect of mineral development in the city’s parks and ski trail system, it has demanded a ban on claim staking in town. It is a rather surreal issue that might befuddle a Parisien, Londoner or even Vancouverite for that matter: to find wooden posts with small metal tags nailed to their tops stabbed into the earth at, say, a local park.

Canada & Miners ‘Guilty’ but Economy Thrives – by Jon Nadler (Resource Investor – July 20, 2012)

July 20, 2012

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/?ref=nav

The final trading session of this once again indecisive week in gold commenced with a price drop. The yellow metal erased Thursday’s gains and retreated to under $1,575 in slow pre-market action as the US dollar picked up some steam following its visit to near two-week lows on the trade-weighted index yesterday. Also contributing to the decline in bullion prices were the softer euro (falling to under $1.22 against the dollar once again) and the losses in crude oil (it fell 1.4% to $91.35 per barrel). As of this writing, gold appeared set to close out the week with a half-percent loss in value but the final tally remains to be ascertained later on in the day.

The euro suffered in the wake of once again rising Spanish borrowing costs and declining demand for that country’s bonds. Major Spanish unions have called for a nationwide protest against the government’s drastic austerity measures. The post EU meeting euphoria that was in the air just a few weeks ago appears to have dissipated with the summer thermals over in the Old World.

Silver spot prices dropped by almost 40 cents to trade at $26.92 per ounce on the bid-side in New York this morning. Analysts at Standard Bank (SA) note that silver stockpiles remain high (especially in China) and that demand from the industrial sector for the white metal is tepid at best. China has only imported 779 tonnes of silver in the year-to-date as against the 1,153 tonnes that it took in last year in the same timeframe.

Elliot Lake: The first rescuers inside the mall share their harrowing account – by by Michael Friscolanti with Andrew Stobo Sniderman (Maclean’s Magazine – July 9, 2012)

July 20, 2012

http://www2.macleans.ca/?cid=navlogo

Plus, what the tragedy in Elliot Lake says about our country’s readiness to deal with catastrophes

In places like Elliot Lake (population 11,300), the locals like to say that everyone knows everyone. It’s not true, of course. Even the smallest of towns have strangers. But in this pocket of northern Ontario—where Lucie Aylwin was proudly born and raised—it’s hard to find someone who didn’t know her. An employment counsellor stationed at the Algo Centre Mall, the 37-year-old helped countless residents fine-tune their resumés and land a job. “She would help anybody,” says her fiancé, Gary Gendron. “If she wasn’t capable of doing it, she would find a way of doing it. She would never give up.”

On that Saturday afternoon, June 23, Aylwin was at work—not in her usual office, but at the lottery kiosk on the mall’s second floor, right across from the food court. With a wedding to plan, she took the weekend job to help pay the bills. “We had breakfast together,” Gendron recalls. “She gave me another big hug and a kiss and said: ‘I’ll see you at 6:30.’ ”

It was a few minutes past 2 o’clock when Doloris Perizzolo walked toward the lottery counter. The 74-year-old widow was a food-court regular, another familiar face among so many. Just days earlier, Perizzolo had won $1,000 on a “Money Multiplier” scratch ticket. She was back again to test her luck.

The Jeffrey Mine loan makes sense, demand for asbestos is high – by John Aylen (Montreal Gazette – July 20, 2012

July 20, 2012

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

John Aylen is a spokesman for the Jeffrey Mine

Alana Wilson’s opinion piece of July 19 (“The asbestos bailout: your tax dollars, not well spent”) draws conclusions based on erroneous facts. As with any argument based on misconceptions and half-truths, the conclusions that follow do not hold.

One of the principal assertions Ms. Wilson makes is that the market for chrysotile is declining. Nothing could be further from the truth. Chrysotile asbestos is in high demand as an effective, low-cost and safe material used in the production of cement roofing tiles and pipes. Throughout the developing world (60 per cent of the world’s population), the need and ability to put a low-cost roof over the heads of the poorest of the poor is steadily increasing.

The demand for chrysotile has risen since 2008, and this fact was a key consideration in the reopening of the Jeffrey Mine and in the Quebec government’s decision to provide a loan to the venture.

The asbestos bailout: your tax dollars, not well spent – by Alana Wilson (Montreal Gazette – July 19, 2012)

July 20, 2012

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

Alana Wilson is a senior research analyst at the Fraser Institute’s Global Centre for Mining Studies (miningfacts.org)

Canada’s mining industry is globally competitive, and has long succeeded without much in the way of government subsidies. It even thrived in the last recession by responding to market demand. Yet instead of letting markets drive mining investment in Quebec, the provincial government is bailing out the asbestos industry using taxpayer money – and this for a product that is harmful to human health.

In recent years, market demand for chrysotile asbestos produced in Canada shrank dramatically, which led to a halt of chrysotile mining. But instead of letting mines stay closed, taxpayer funds are now being used to gamble against markets and reopen an unprofitable chrysotile mine.

Premier Jean Charest recently approved a $58-million loan to allow the Jeffrey asbestos mine to reopen. This follows months of negotiation and several extensions of the government loan offer to give private partners more time to raise money.

NEWS RELEASE: The London Stock Exchange – A haven for laundered conflict assets?

July 20, 2012

Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID)

THURSDAY 19 JULY 2012

In a report released today, Asset laundering and AIM: Congo, corporate misconduct and the market value of human rights, the business and human rights organisation Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) catalogues the inadequacies of the London Stock Exchange’s regulatory framework. The Central African Mining and Exploration Company plc (CAMEC) was allowed to trade and flourish on London’s junior Alternative Investment Market (AIM) despite its close links to Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party (Zimbabwe), the dubious provenance of its Congolese mining assets and the unsavoury reputation of key business associates.

RAID’s report is the first systematic examination of the extent to which corporate conduct in zones of conflict such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is taken into account by stock market regulations. RAID submitted a detailed report to the Exchange in June 2011 on compliance with AIM rules by CAMEC and its adviser, Seymour Pierce. A year later, and the Exchange has not dealt publiclywith the matters raised in the complaint.

“AIM’s lack of transparency means there is a black hole at the heart of its regulatory system”, said Tricia Feeney, RAID’s Executive Director.

Support for Ring of Fire Moratorium – AFN Annual General Assembly – Draft Resolution #16/2012

July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

(L to R: Angus Toulouse, former AFN Regional Chief for Ontario; Sonny Gagnon, Chief of Aroland First Nation; Peter Moonias, Chief of Neskantaga First Nation (Lansdowne House); Shawn Atleo, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (November 2011/Photo supplied by Matawa First Nations Tribal Council)

AFN Annual General Assembly, July 17 – 19, 2012, Toronto, Ontario/ Draft Resolution #16/2012

TITLE: Support for Ring of Fire Moratorium

SUBJECT: Free, Prior and Informed Consent; Treaty

MOVED BY: Chief Peter Moonias, Neskantaga First Nation, ON

SECONDED BY: Chief Sonny Gagnon Aroland First Nation, ON

WHEREAS:

A. Article 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands or territories and other resources; 2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources; 3. States shall provide effective mechanisms for just and fair redress for any such activities, and appropriate measures shall be taken to mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual impact”.