Governments and industry are “running roughshod” over First Nations and ignoring Treaty 9 when it comes to the Ring of Fire, say the First Nations behind an upcoming eviction notice being sent to industry in the region.
Six First Nations plan to issue 30-day eviction notices to all mining companies with exploration and development camps on Matawa First Nations’ traditional territory.
“Cliffs, Noront and all the other mining companies active in the Ring of Fire will have 30 days from the time the eviction notice is served to pack up their bags and leave our lands,” said Aroland Chief Sonny Gagnon. Chiefs from Nibinamik, Neskantaga, Constance Lake, Ginoogaming and Longlake #58 joined Gagnon in issuing the notices.
“We are sending a strong message to Ontario and Canada that we need to negotiate a process for First Nation participation in the mining projects that will be changing our lives forever,” said Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias. “Unless and until we have a table for government to government negotiations we will evict the intruders from our lands.”
Proud of the oil sands – by Father Raymond J. De Souza (National Post – June 28, 2012)
The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.
As Thomas Mulcair can attest, it is rather easier to speak about the oil sands than it is to actually get up here and see what is going on. Fort McMurray, Alta. is remote, and while my first visit was rather longer than Mr. Mulcair’s, it was still only a full day.
Three years ago, upon the occasion of the merger of oil sands pioneer Suncor with Petro-Canada, this column examined some of the ethical questions posed by oil sands development. The argument then was just emerging about “ethical oil,” namely that Alberta oil is morally and strategically superior because it does not support odious regimes, from Venezuela to Saudi Arabia to Russia. The argument has only become stronger since then, propelled by Ezra Levant’s eponymous book, and adopted in the rhetoric of the federal government.
The argument is actually stronger than comparative politics, with “democratic” oil trumping “tyrannical” oil. Only some 25% of the world’s oil reserves are developed by private companies; the vast majority are state enterprises. Of that quarter of global reserves, half are in the oil sands. The oil sands are a minority phenomenon in the oil business – development by private companies subject to the rule of law, accountable to public shareholders, and disciplined by market forces. Those displeased with the oil sands can lobby Suncor and the other companies operating here, they can shape the public policy environment, they can even invest and become shareholders, something rather easier to do in Calgary than in Caracas.
Glencore courts Qatar as Xstrata revises merger pay – by Jesse Riseborough and Firat Kayakiran (June 28, 2012)
Glencore yesterday met with Xstrata’s second-biggest shareholder Qatar Holding LLC over its call for a 16% increase in the commodity trader’s bid, people familiar with the London talks said.
LONDON (BLOOMBERG) – Glencore International Plc and Xstrata Plc (XTA), seeking to salvage the year’s biggest takeover, moved to appease dissident investors who have threatened to derail the 16 billion-pound ($25 billion) deal.
Glencore yesterday met with Xstrata’s second-biggest shareholder, Qatar Holding LLC, over the sovereign wealth fund’s call for a 16 percent increase in the commodity trader’s bid, people familiar with the London talks said. Xstrata revised payments for executives intended to keep them at the combined company by adding a link to performance and made all bonuses payable in shares after holders attacked them as excessive.
Qatar, which spent more than $4 billion amassing an 11 percent Xstrata stake, surprised investors and analysts two days ago with its criticism of the price. It asked Glencore (GLEN) to raise its February offer of 2.8 of its shares for each of Xstrata’s to 3.25, Qatar said June 26. Pressure on the companies intensified after Xstrata revealed May 31 it planned to pay top executives 172.8 million pounds in bonuses for their loyalty.
Province has to lead [in Ring of Fire]: [states Noront] miner – by Bryan Meadows (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – June 28, 2012)
The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
The provincial government has to take a bigger leadership role in consultations between First Nations and mining companies in the Ring of Fire, says one of the companies developing a mine in the area.
“I think the root of the problem, is that the First Nations are seeking a greater amount of consultation. Our hope is that the government would lead those discussions,” Noront Resources president and CEO Wes Hanson said Wednesday.
Six First Nation leaders have threatened to issue eviction notices to all mining companies working in the Ring of Fire mining belt.
Upset over a lack of consultation, the leaders of Aroland, Constance Lake, Ginoogaming, Longlake #58, Neskantaga, and Nibinamik say they are in the final stages of issuing a 30-day eviction notice to all mining companies with exploration and development camps in the region, and implementing an immediate moratorium on all Ring of Fire mining activity.
Questions and answers [about Ring of Fire] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (June 27, 2012)
The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
DETAILS have a way of getting in the way of ideas. You just get rolling when something unexpected stands in your way. How you deal with it determines if you succeed, fail or get bogged down. That’s where the huge potential of Ontario’s giant mining development sits — bogged down in jurisdictional disputes and, as of this week, a fundamental misunderstanding of events among Ontarians who had never heard of the Ring of Fire before a pollster called.
The Municipality of Greenstone and Aroland First Nation, both of which had sought consideration as sites for a chromite smelter, released a public opinion poll which they say shows Ontarians support them. They might, but this poll doesn’t prove it.
Cliffs Natural Resources, lead player in the Ring of Fire, considered several locations for its smelter and chose Sudbury because it has existing infrastructure. Other locations would add considerable cost and “put the economic viability of the project in jeopardy,” William Boor, a Cliffs vice-president, wrote in an open letter in this newspaper last month.
Greenstone, Aroland and other First Nations, are seeking changes to the development and the poll seeks to bolster their case. A thousand people across Ontario were asked their awareness of the Ring of Fire which has been compared to Alberta’s oil sands in terms of development potential. Only 30 per cent had even heard of it.
Newly elected First Nations regional chief zeroes in on Ring of Fire – by Tanya Talaga (Toronto Star – June 28, 2012)
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.
The new representative of Ontario’s First Nations is taking aim at protecting aboriginal interests as developers rush to haul the riches out of the Ring of Fire.
Stan Beardy was elected Ontario regional chief representing 133 provincial First Nations on Wednesday. Beardy, former Grand Chief of the northern Nishnawbe Aski Nation, narrowly beat out incumbent Angus Toulouse. Fifty-seven Ontario chiefs voted for Beardy and 53 for Toulouse.
Dubbed Ontario’s “oilsands” by Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, the Ring of Fire is being promoted for development by both the federal and provincial governments. However, First Nations want a worthy piece of the economic benefits and they want to make sure proper environmental assessments of mining projects are carried out.
“The most important issue is the treaty relationship — when we sign a treaty that we never give up the right to cover ourselves or our aboriginal rights concerning natural resources,” he said from an airport hotel shortly after the vote.
Ontario’s emergency response protocols under review following Elliot Lake disaster – by Adam Radwanski and Anna Mehler Paperny (Globe and Mail – June 28, 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.
With two bodies pulled from the wreckage of Elliot Lake’s Algo Mall, Dalton McGuinty’s government is set to begin a grim review of whether Ontario’s own emergency-response processes undermined the ultimately fruitless rescue mission.
A source in the Premier’s Office confirmed on Wednesday that the review will consider whether the specialized excavator used to dismantle the collapsed mall – four days after the crisis began – should have been brought in sooner.
After confusion about who was calling the shots on the ground, the review will examine whether the current emergency-response system delegates authority properly.
It will also consider whether structural concerns about the mall, brought to the Labour Ministry’s attention more than once, should have been identified and fixed before its collapse. But the overriding question hanging over the government concerns the strange sequence of events on Monday.
Damage control in Elliot Lake’s disaster zone – Martin Regg Cohn (Toronto Star – June 28, 2012)
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.
Disaster brings out the best in us — our bravery, our resolve, our heart. Tragedy also brings us together. Except in Elliot Lake, where the dark events of the last few days have shone an uncomfortable light on the gap between our government and ourselves.
When the authorities announced they were giving up rescue efforts Monday night, police reinforcements were called in to restrain crowds of vigilantes who volunteered to go in themselves. Their spontaneous protests evoked Elliot Lake’s heyday as a mining town where rescue crews famously pledged to leave no man behind.
But when government takes charge, an engineer from the labour ministry can declare the disaster zone an unsafe worksite — and obediently, seemingly, rescuers down tools. Will they one day restrict firefighters from fighting fires deemed inherently risky?
Amid the recriminations, officials are trying to rescue themselves from a public relations disaster of their own making. In this damage control exercise, which almost dwarfs the original rescue mission in scale, they insist no one ever truly gave up.
Vale delivers a breath of fresh air on the environmental front
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.
Ontario Mining Association member Vale has officially launched its new $2 billion emissions control project in Sudbury. The nickel producer had company officials, employees, civic leaders, local residents, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci, Environment Minister Jim Bradley and Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk on hand amongst others for the sod turning ceremony held last week.
The Clean AER (Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) Project promises to cut sulphur dioxide emissions from Vale’s smelter by 70% and trim dust and metals emissions by 35% to 40%. This is one of the largest environmental projects ever undertaken in this province. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 and will cut Vale’s emissions well below government regulated levels.
“This is a historic day for Vale and demonstrates the importance that Greater Sudbury plays in our global operations,” said John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer for Vale Canada and Director of Vale’s North Atlantic Base Metals Operations. “Starting today, we are building a lasting legacy for our employees, the community and future generations who will live and work in Greater Sudbury and that is truly a reason to celebrate.”
Glencore battles to save Xstrata bid – by Kate Holton and Sinead Cruise (Mineweb.com – June 27, 2012)
Qatar’s intervention pushed the deal to the brink as it prompted some shareholders to revisit their own particular concerns, such as soaring executive pay and fears that the combined entity would take on riskier business.
LONDON (Reuters) – Commodities trader Glencore battled to save its coveted $26 billion bid for miner Xstrata on Wednesday after key shareholder Qatar stunned the pair with a late demand for better terms.
The Qatari intervention pushed the deal to the brink as it prompted a string of shareholders to revisit their own particular concerns, such as soaring executive pay and fears that the combined entity would take on riskier business.
Qatar, which had remained silent for months as it built the second-largest stake in Xstrata, said in a statement late on Tuesday that it supported the principle of the deal but wanted 3.25 new Glencore shares for every Xstrata share, up from the 2.8 on offer.
The 11th-hour call will make it almost impossible for the deal to go through on current terms, several sources close to the deal said, leaving just two days for Glencore to sweeten the offer or delay shareholder meetings scheduled for mid-July.
Vale fined $150,000 for 2010 acid spill – by Heidi Ulrichsen (Sudbury Northern Life – June 26, 2012)
This article came from Northern Life, Sudbury’s biweekly newspaper.
Vale has been slapped with a $150,000 fine after an incident where oleum, or fuming sulphuric acid, was spilled at the Copper Cliff Smelter nearly two years ago. The spill occurred when employees were pumping oleum into rail cars on July 1, 2010 — towards the end of the nearly year-long labour dispute between Vale and Steelworkers Local 6500 members.
A press release issued by the company at the time stated that a “noticable plume of oleum was released into the environment and escaped off property before dissipating over the Kelly Lake area.”
Kate Jordan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, said Vale was fined by the ministry March 13 because it didn’t report the spill in a timely manner.
“Under the environmental protection act we had a requirement that any company or individual who has a spill that has the potential to cause an adverse effect has to report that forthwith,” she said.
Asbestos isn’t the lightning rod the Tories seem to think it is – by Chris Selley (National Post – June 27, 2012)
The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.
Documents obtained by Postmedia News through the Access to Information Act suggest the federal government knows full well that chrysotile asbestos belongs on a list of substances that face import and export restrictions — but nevertheless opposes adding it to the list.
“At previous meetings and again [in June 2011], Canada acknowledged all criteria for the addition of chrysotile asbestos to the [Rotterdam] Convention have been met but opposed its addition,” reads the briefing note provided to Environment Minister Peter Kent.
As scoops go, it won’t change the world. But it is a technical acknowledgment of a universally understood truth. No one disputes that the chrysotile mined in and exported from Quebec can be harmful if improperly handled. And no one, at least privately, would dispute that it is often not properly handled by workers in the developing countries to which Canada exports it. On asbestos, it’s quite obvious that Canada’s position isn’t mainstream. At a UN summit in Switzerland last year, it was shared only by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam.
The Conservatives seem to have inherited and embraced the conventional wisdom that the asbestos industry must be supported in principle, else Quebecers will wreak a horrible electoral revenge.
Mega history lessons for the oil sands – by Peter Foster (National Post – June 26, 2012)
The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.
The global economy may throw a few curve balls, just as it did in the 1980s
I suggested recently in this space that the Canadian petroleum industry is more politicized than at any time since the 1980 National Energy Program, although the politics are different. Then it was the fight between Pierre Trudeau’s Ottawa and Peter Lougheed’s Alberta over sharply higher prices. Now, it is the Harper government’s energy-superpower visions versus a transnational environmental movement that wants to block pipelines and kill the “dirty” oil sands.
In one respect, however, there is a considerable similarity between the Harper Conservatives and their dirigiste counterparts of 30 years ago: Both projected a boom in oil sands production. How great a danger is there that Mr. Harper’s aspirations may be undone — as were 1980s projections — by a market downturn?
Oil from the oil sands, whether mined or produced underground by heat injection, is, due to its elaborate production process, expensive oil. With current world prices flagging, Canadian oil subject to further discounts due to pipeline constraints, and considerable global economic uncertainty, might Mr. Harper’s strategy come undone?
Transportation for the North – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (June 26, 2012)
The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
A WAR of words among MPPs about the government’s planned sale of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission is missing something. The Liberal government sprang the sale on the public in its last budget, claiming it will save money. ONTC serves a series of communities in Northeastern Ontario with train and bus service, much of which the government says the private sector can provide.
The NDP has been critical of the proposal. Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof said in March there had been a “massive public outcry from affected communities” and he called on Premier Dalton McGuinty to halt plans to privatize the passenger and freight service that “employs nearly 1,000 people across the North.”
Vanthof reminded McGuinty he had earlier promised not to privatize the ONTC, adding that, “All across the North municipal councils are up in arms . . . .”
Vanthof acquired documents showing the Liberals were considering the idea as early as March 2009 after which time Northern Development Minister Rick Bartolucci was on hand in Sudbury to cut the ribbon on a new Ontario Northland bus terminal.
Amid disaster in Elliot Lake, an inexcusable lack of action – by Rosie Dimanno (Toronto Star- June 27, 2012)
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.
People buried alive — apparently, hopefully, still alive — you’d think heaven and earth would be moved to save them.
But moving a heap of wreckage from a collapsed building was inexplicably, outrageously, deemed too risky for rescue workers in Elliot Lake, who were ordered to abandon the mission a mere 48 hours after the Algo Centre Mall caved in.
Only the intervention of Premier Dalton McGuinty rebooted rescue efforts following howls of indignation from local citizens whose loved ones are still trapped under the rubble. “Nobody left behind!” shouted one furious resident when word filtered through that crews were standing down. In a mining town like Elliot Lake, this gospel is well understood: Searches are never suspended, whether proof of life exists or not.
Yet by late Tuesday afternoon, those workers had not yet been cleared by officials to resume the job. In a crisis where minutes literally matter, this is simply insupportable. It is the antithesis of rapid response.