Republic of Mining

Romanian mining town suffers from its riches – by Luiza Ilie (National Post/Reuters – May 31, 2012)

June 2, 2012

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

ROSIA MONTANA, Romania — Nature has carved a humbling landscape of deep river valleys and reddish peaks in a corner of the Carpathian mountains in western Romania.

Rosia Montana town, made up of 16 villages that dot the slopes along the river Rosia, has hundred-year-old churches and houses, cemeteries and ancient Roman mine galleries.

It also has gold. But for many who live here, that is more of a bane than anything else. Canada’s Gabriel Resources wants to build Europe’s largest open cast gold mine in Rosia Montana, a 15-year quest that has put the area at the centre of a national debate between heritage and development.

The mine could bring billions of euros in taxes and potentially thousands of jobs to an economically depressed region. But it will also require blasting four mountain tops, relocating the community and flooding one village to create a 300-hectare pond for chemical waste held back by a 180-metre-high dam.

On Friday, shares of Gabriel rose more than 20% after Romania’s economy minister said he was convinced the Rosia Montana project would start this year. The mine has the support of most of the 2,800 locals, the mayor and county administration and President Traian Basescu, eyeing the bounty the investment will bring.

Why Thomas Mulcair is clearly a national problem – by Diane Francis (National Post – June 1, 2012)

June 2, 2012

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

NDP leader Thomas Mulcair has had a couple of red-letter weeks. He moved into the mansion called Stornaway for Opposition Leaders, with its big expense account and Royal trappings.

He got tons of attention when he recycled the “Dutch Disease” phrase to blame the booming West for the beleaguered East.
Then he toured the oil sands, Canada’s economic cornerstone, by helicopter and described them as big or “awe-inspiring”.

These recent events certainly serve to reveal the character of the latest actor on Ottawa’s stage who is in a major supporting role. Here’s my analysis of Mulcair based on his recent milestones:

1. On living in a mansion

Mulcair is the latest incarnation of what the British dubbed the “champagne socialist”. Stornaway is another symbol of inherited privilege, like the Monarchy, where status and perquisites are given away to the duly “crowned”.

Mulcair, if consistent with his ideology, should have declined the grand housing perq and diverted the excessive cost of his upkeep to some worthy cause.

How Europe is mining’s emerging market – by Peter Koven (National Post – June 1, 2012)

June 2, 2012

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

You won’t find a region with a longer and richer mining history than Andalucia.

Digging up rocks has been a staple of the southern Spanish territory for the past 5,000 years, and its mineral wealth attracted the Phoenecians, Romans and many others over the centuries. This is the place that gave birth to mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd., and its namesake copper mine may be the oldest in the world.

But these days, everything feels brand new. Just 20 kilometres from the city of Seville (and more than 700,000 people), Inmet Mining Corp. is beginning to reap huge rewards at Las Cruces, a copper mine that has been running for just three years and boasts some of the industry’s highest grades. In the midst of the excruciating Andalucian heat — which doesn’t seem to bother locals in the least — the Toronto-based company has overcome a rough start and figured out an innovative process to produce copper cathode.

While other miners have ventured to distant outposts in search of riches, Inmet is making it work in what is arguably the least remote mine on the planet. A short drive away, the ancient Rio Tinto mine is being revived with a new company and modern technology. And across Spain, a host of new projects points to a reawakening of mining in a country that could never turn away from it, even if it appeared to be doing just that for the past 30 or 40 years.

MPP Michael Gravelle on the Ring of Fire – (Ontario News North.com – May 22, 2012)

June 2, 2012

http://www.karinahunter.com/

Michael Gravelle is the Ontario M.P.P. for Thunder Bay – Superior North

There is very good reason for everyone in Northwestern Ontario to be excited about the growth of the mining sector in our part of the Province. Mineral exploration investments are at an all-time high and we can expect the opening of several new mines in the region to employ hundreds, if not thousands of people, which will drive the economy forward to levels we have not seen before. These opportunities are being embraced by First Nations and municipal governments all across the region as they seek to seize the long term benefits this renaissance in mining will provide.

There is no question that the project that has captured the most attention in Northwestern Ontario is the Ring of Fire, where an unprecedented level of investment is poised to bring economic benefits and jobs to thousands of people for many years to come.

While there are a number of companies making significant investments in this resource rich part of the Northwest, most of the public attention over the past year or so has been focused on Cliffs Natural Resources, a U.S. based firm that is eager to take the next major step forward in the development of a huge project; one that, if managed properly, will bring extraordinary long term economic benefits to many First Nations communities and municipalities across our region.

Criminal charges possible [Vale mining deaths] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – June 2, 2012)

June 2, 2012

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

Greater Sudbury Police Service has completed its investigation into the June 8, 2011, deaths of two men at Vale’s Stobie Mine, and the results are in the hands of officials with the Crown attorney’s office in Sudbury.

At this point, no determination has been made on whether criminal charges will be laid in the deaths of Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, said Greater Sudbury deputy police chief Al Lekun.

Police conducted a joint investigation with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, which this week announced nine charges against Vale and six against one of its supervisors under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. First appearances on those provincial charges are set for Aug. 14.

Lekun said police conducted a coroner’s investigation, which is mandatory in workplace deaths such as these. Chenier and Fram were overcome by a run or 350 tons of muck while working at the 3,000- foot level of Stobie Mine.

Fire plan began in 1922 – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – June 2, 2012)

June 2, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.

Forest fire took out 90% of Haileybury

Rule No. 1 in the writing game – write about something you know, or at least find interesting, otherwise, your reader will now you are faking it (big time!).

Rule No. 2 – remember to just write and quit worrying about it. So, because today I feel like I don’t know much of anything, and I do not find anything particularly appealing (grouchy, aren’t I?), but I apparently still have to write something, I thought I’d write about a whole bunch of little things that happened in 1922 that may be of some interest to you.

If you do not find them interesting, you have my sincerest apologies and I’ll try harder next time.

So, perhaps we should set a little context before we start out on our trek through 1922. In world politics, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested in Delhi and charged with sedition (he served two years); Joseph Stalin was appointed the General Secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee in Russia; the Ottoman Empire was abolished; Mussolini became the youngest Premier in the history of Italy, and, hyperinflation hit Germany – 7,000 deutschmarks were needed to purchase one American dollar.

Wolf Lake mining claim gets renewed – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2012)

June 1, 2012

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

The Ontario government has extended mining exploration rights on the largest remaining stand of old-growth red pine forests left in the province.

In a much-anticipated statement Thursday, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci made clear it was his government’s obligation to extend long-standing mining claims in Wolf Lake.

Under Ontario’s Living Legacy land use strategy, Wolf Lake’s Forest Reserve designation allows the mining claims and leases held by Flag Resources in the Wolf Lake area north of Greater Sudbury to continue.

“The company has met the renewal criteria established under the Mining Act and is entitled to have its lease renewed,” Bartolucci said. Located 50 kilometres northeast of Sudbury, Wolf Lake lies in the Temagami district. It is beloved by hikers and canoeists for its soaring stands of 300- year-old red pines and deep blue lakes.

Naomi Grant, of the Wolf Lake Coalition, said extending the claim clearly runs counter to the ministry’s own guidelines. “According to public records, very little activity has occurred on this lease for the past 30 years,” she said.

Ring of Fire is North’s future – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (May 27, 2012)

June 1, 2012

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

There is an amazing opportunity to embrace nation-building and put aside political differences. The Ring of Fire is waiting for us. It is remote and far from the roads and hydro poles that will be required to develop the deposit of chromite said to be the largest in North America and the key ingredient in stainless steel that is in everything from steak knives to prosthetic hip joints.

From the earliest times of our planet as a molten mass, the Ring of Fire has sat patiently waiting to give up its riches.
And all we have to do is get Ottawa, Ontario and First Nations leaders to sit at the same table and recognize this is a turning point for our nation. We have the chance to develop Northwestern Ontario and breathe a new life of prosperity into the entire region. There is plenty of wealth to go around.

Cliffs Natural Resources plans to spend $3.3 billion to launch its Ring of Fire operations. That includes a chromite mine, a transportation corridor and $1.8 billion to build a smelter near Sudbury. If the private sector is ready to put this kind of cash up against the project, it starts to become mind-boggling how large they believe the pay-off will be.

While it cannot be confirmed, and it was not shared with the media in the premier’s daily itinerary, Premier Dalton McGuinty says he spoke with Prime Minister Harper on Tuesday to ask how Ottawa might help with the development of this massive mining project.

Steelworkers renew call for safety inquiry- Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2012)

June 1, 2012

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

United Steelworkers Local 6500 won’t wait years to improve mine safety while charges laid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act against Vale and one of its employees are heard in court and a mandatory inquest is held into the deaths of two members.

The union is continuing its campaign to convince the Ontario Ministry of Labour to call a public inquiry into the June 8, 2011, deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram — and into mine safety, generally, in Ontario.

Nine charges laid Thursday against Vale and six against a supervisor fall short of the “urgent, comprehensive action” needed to prevent more mine deaths in Ontario, says USW Local 6500 President Rick Bertrand.

“We can’t stop here,” Bertrand said. “We have to continue to push to get this public inquiry … let’s get some answers about why people are getting killed underground.”

Bertrand and his union have been in contact with the Fram and Chenier families and they support the call for an inquiry, said Bertrand.

Vale charged [mining deaths] – Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2012)

June 1, 2012

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

Company, employee allegedly failed to take precautions in deaths of two workers

The Ontario Ministry of Labour laid nine charges against Vale Ltd. and six against one of its employees Thursday in the June 8, 2011, deaths of two miners.

Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, died when they were overcome by a run of muck from the No. 7 ore pass of Stobie Mine, while working at the 3,000-foot level of the 112- year-old mine.

The ministry had one year to complete its investigation and lay charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It did so eight days before the deadline — and the first-year anniversary of the fatal accident.

Among the charges, the ministry alleges Vale failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent the movement of material through an ore pass while haza rd o u s conditions existed, failed to ensure a transfer gate to an ore pass could be operated and monitored from a safe distance, failed to maintain drain holes at the 2,400 level of the mine, and failed to ensure water, slime and other wet material wasn’t dumped in the No. 7 ore pass at the 3,000-foot level where the men were working.

Nickel Slump Seen Ending as China Faces Ore Import Curbs – by Jae Hur, Agnieszka Troszkiewicz and Ichiro Suzuki (Bloomberg.com – May 31, 2012)

May 31, 2012

http://www.bloomberg.com/

After slumping more than any other industrial metal, analysts and traders say the worst may be over for nickel as restrictions on shipments from Indonesia, the biggest producer, diminish a worldwide glut.

Indonesia banned some ore exports from May 6 and imposed a 20 percent tax on the remainder to spur the development of its refining industry. The nation’s output will drop for the first time in four years in 2013, slashing global supply growth to 0.2 percent, from 4.9 percent in 2012, Morgan Stanley estimates. Prices will average $20,000 a metric ton in the fourth quarter, an increase of 23 percent, the median of 16 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.

The metal fell 13 percent this year on prospects for the biggest surplus since 2009. Morgan Stanley now predicts the glut will peak in 2012 and Barclays Plc says prices should rally toward the end of the year on strengthening demand from stainless-steel makers, the biggest consumers. The rebound may not happen until then as China runs down record ore stockpiles accumulated in anticipation of the Indonesian ban.

NEWS RELEASE: VALE STATEMENT REGARDING CHARGES UNDER THE ONTARIO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT STEMMING FROM THE FATALITIES AT STOBIE MINE IN JUNE 2011

May 31, 2012

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, May 31, 2012 – Vale today released the following statement regarding charges issued by the Ontario Ministry of Labour this afternoon under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges stem from the Ministry’s investigation into the deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram at Stobie Mine in June 2011.

“We have received and are in the process of reviewing the charges served by the Ministry of Labour stemming from the tragic deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram in June 2011. Vale has been charged with nine counts and a staff employee has been charged with six counts under the Act.

As this is a very serious matter, we need to consider the charges very carefully before we determine how we will proceed. Until that time, and as this is now before the court system, we will not be commenting further on this matter.

Our own investigation concluded that there were a number of factors contributing to the tragic deaths of Jason and Jordan.

NEWS RELEASE: BMO – Let’s Create 4,000 Jobs Together in Sudbury by 2016

May 31, 2012

BMO releases report on outlook for economy, housing and labour market in Sudbury

– Sudbury’s unemployment rate expected to drop to 6 per cent by 2016; back to pre-recession lows

– Strong commodity demand and industry expansion will generate growth in mining sector

– Sudbury Chamber of Commerce: City is on the Move

– BMO offering support to Canadian businesses by making $10 billion in credit available over next three years

For the entire report, click here: http://www.bmonesbittburns.com/economics/reports/20120531/SR120531.pdf

SUDBURY, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – May 31, 2012) – The next four years will bring 4,000 new jobs to Sudbury, according to a new report released today by BMO Capital Markets Economics.

The report on Sudbury is the latest in a series of economic and business overviews for various cities across Canada that will be published by BMO throughout the year.

Homestake [South Dakota gold mine] grand dame’s body donated to science – by Dorothy Kosich (Mineweb.com – May 31, 2012)

May 31, 2012

www.mineweb.com

One of the ultimate examples of the sustainability of mines-the nation’s first deep underground science lab-was formally unveiled deep in the caverns of the former Homestake gold mine.

RENO (MINEWEB) – Nearly five years ago Mineweb told readers about plans to transform the former grand dame of U.S. gold mining, the Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, into the nation’s first national deep underground science laboratory.

On Wednesday, South Dakota’s Sanford Underground Research facility formally unveiled the new 4,850-foot deep Davis campus, which will seek to unravel the mystery of dark matter, and also search for a rare form of radioactive decay.

The Large Underground Xenon Dark Matter Search Experiment or LUX experiment, considered the world’s most sensitive and largest dark-matter detector–is the culmination of the work of 70 scientists and 14 institutions over the past four years.

LUX physicist Simon Fiorucci told a local TV station, “There is a lot of mass that does not emit light that we cannot account for.”

BHP Billiton hints at Jansen potash mine delay – by Carrie Tait (Globe and Mail – May 31, 2012)

May 31, 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.

CALGARY— BHP Billiton Ltd.’s (BHP-N60.84-0.72-1.17%) move to reconsider major spending plans may delay the construction of a promised potash mine in Saskatchewan, another sign the commodity “supercycle” is gearing down as slower global growth cools demand.

The Jansen project, estimated to cost as much as $12-billion, has the potential to become the largest potash mine in the world and is one of three major projects BHP was slated to consider for approval later this year. But comments by the global mining giant’s chief executive officer, Marius Kloppers, suggest the company could postpone such developments.

“You should not expect in the next six months any new major approval of projects,” Mr. Kloppers said in an interview with Caixin Media Co. “The economics of some of these projects has changed,” he said. “I think for the next two years, 18 months perhaps, we will just wait and see how things develop.”