Republic of Mining

All’s not lost, Ontario. The future is green, not black – by Thomas Homer-Dixon (Globe and Mail – April 7, 2012)

April 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.

Thomas Homer-Dixon is director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation and CIGI Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ont.

Ontario, we’re told, is Canada’s new rust belt. The high dollar is pummelling the province’s exports. Big manufacturers are fleeing. The Liberal government is slashing spending to maintain the province’s credit rating. And to top it off, it’s wasting money promoting green energy. There’s just one problem with this pop wisdom: It’s largely nonsense.

Ontario certainly faces huge challenges. Its main trading partner – the United States – is only now emerging from the economic doldrums that followed the 2008-09 financial crisis. And since that crisis, the world economy has been struggling with depressed consumer demand, wary investors and aggressive deleveraging by households, businesses and governments.

Ontario wasn’t ready for this new reality. From the early 1990s to the mid-2000s, a weak loonie made Ontario’s products artificially competitive outside Canada, so companies deferred investment in new factories and technologies.

Home And Native Land – by Cooper Langford (Financial Post Magazine – April 2012)

April 10, 2012

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

In many respects, the city of Kitimat is an iconic Canadian community. Situated in a wide, flat valley at the head of the Douglas Channel in northwestern B.C., it has, for the past 60 years, been home to one of the world’s great hydroelectric and aluminum smelting projects. A technological marvel when it was built by the Aluminum Company of Canada during the industrial boom that followed the Second World War, the project brought the modern world to a resource-rich wilderness and became the foundation of a prosperous frontier city.

More recent history, however, has been less kind to the Kitimat region. Technological advances mean the smelter, now owned by global mining giant Rio Tinto, no longer employs as many people as it once did. The businesses — methane, ammonia and paper — that followed it into the deep reaches of the province are no more. Kitimat is a community looking to re-stake its claim on the future. And there is a new prospect on the horizon: Calgary-based Enbridge has identified the community as the terminus for its proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project to ship bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to the Pacific coast and, potentially, new markets in Asia.

Northern Gateway — if it goes ahead — will be a groundbreaking project in its own right, a 21st century statement of Canada’s role as a global energy supplier. But getting to that point is far from certain. Whatever technological and business innovation it may represent, the pipeline has become the centre of an iconic debate.

Fidel Castro attacks Stephen Harper over environmental damage from oilsands [and Canadian mining] – by Oakland Ross (Toronto Star – April 10, 2012)

April 10, 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.

Canada may be Cuba’s leading source of tourists, an important economic partner, and one of just two countries in the region never to have broken off diplomatic ties with the island — the other is Mexico — but Fidel Castro says he doesn’t even know Stephen Harper’s name.

In a column that appeared Monday in Granma, official organ of the Cuban Communist Party, the island’s former ruler says he believes the Prime Minister goes by the name Stephen Harper — but it’s hard to be sure. In other words, Stephen Who?

Devoting his 1,100-word column almost entirely to Canada and its alleged shortcomings, Castro, 85, finds much to criticize and lament about this “beautiful and extensive country.” Are we a colony, a republic, or a kingdom? According to the man with the famous beard, we apparently don’t know ourselves — and neither does he.

Worst of all, however, is the human and environmental damage that Castro says is being inflicted upon many Latin American countries by rapacious Canadian mining companies.

Stephen Harper’s Illusions [including Castro’s thoughts about Canadian oilsands and miners] – by Fidel Castro (Cuban News Agency – April 8, 2012)

April 10, 2012

http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/principalingles.htm

I think –and I do not intend to offend anyone- that this is how the Prime Minister of Canada is called. I deduced it from a statement published on “Holy Wednesday” by a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of that country. The United Nations Organization membership is made up by almost 200 States –allegedly independent States. They continuously change or are forced into change. Many of their representatives are honorable persons, friends of Cuba; but it is impossible to remember the specifics about each
and every one of them.

During the second half of the twentieth century, I had the privilege of living through years of intensive erudition and I realized that Canadians, located in the northernmost region of this hemisphere, were always respectful towards our country. They invested in areas of their interest and traded with Cuba, but they did not interfere in the internal affairs of our State.

The revolutionary process that began on January 1st, 1959, did not introduce any measure that affected their interests, which were taken into account by the Revolution in maintaining normal and constructive relations with the authorities of that country where a significant effort was being made in the interest of its own development. Thus, they were not accomplices of the economic blockade, the war and the mercenary invasion that the United States launched against Cuba.

Fidel Castro blasts Harper over oilsands environmental impact [and Canadian miners] – by Mike Blanchfield (iPolitics.ca – April 9, 2012)

April 10, 2012

www.ipolitics.ca

Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro is criticizing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government for environmental damage caused by the extraction of crude from the Alberta oilsands.

The father of Cuba’s communist revolution of more than half a century ago offered the observation in a characteristically rambling new essay on the state of hemispheric affairs that was published over the weekend.

The ailing octogenarian handed the Cuban presidency to his brother, Raul, four years ago, but still periodically offers up his musings on the world in postings on his government’s website. “Stephen Harper’s Illusions” is his latest instalment.

In it, Castro claims that the United States — a country he loathes because of its economically crippling embargo — is forcing Canada to extract oil, which is causing irreparable damage to the environment.

[Miners Unite] Caught ‘off guard’ [by Treaty #3 exploration ban] – by Jodi Lundmark (tbnewswatch.com – April 9, 2012)

April 10, 2012

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

A call to ban mining and exploration companies from Treaty 3 territories has caught members of Miners United off guard.

“I think there’s been some major misconceptions on what Miners United is trying to do and where it wants to go,” said Gary Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospector’s Association.

The group, made up of about 60 companies, is newly formed and Clark said they have only met twice so far. That includes a meeting held two weeks ago.

A March 27 report on the meeting by the Globe and Mail said the companies “shared concerns about the concessions and cash they say native bands expect from companies looking for minerals on Crown lands that are considered traditional aboriginal territory.”

The Grand Council of Treaty #3 issued a release on March 30 stating they strongly disagree with the tactics discussed at the Miners United forum.

Partnerships forged [between Wallbridge Mining and South African companies] -by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – April 9, 2012)

April 9, 2012

MINING: Lively, South African companies strike agreements

A Lively-based company has struck two agreements with South African partners to continue exploring properties in Sudbury that may lead to important new mines.

In one agreement, South African platinum producer Impala Platinum Holdings Limited has taken a 50% share of Wallbridge Mining Company Ltd.’s Parkin Offset property, located near Capreol.

Impala had the option of doing so after spending $6.2 million looking for platinum group metals, nickel, copper and gold within the 9.4-km Parkin Offset dyke on the northeast margin of the Sudbury basin.

“The Parkin Offset dyke hosts (nickel, copper and platinum group metals) mineralization typical of other offset dykes in Sudbury, such as at Vale’s Copper Cliff North and South mines and the Totten mine development,” the company said in a release.

Impose $100/t raw chrome [South Africa] duty soonest, Ruukki urges – by Martin Creamer (MineingWeekly.com – March 30, 2012)

April 9, 2012

www.miningweekly.com

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South African ferrochrome aspirant Ruukki has urged the South African government to impose a $100/t duty on the export of raw chrome from South Africa with the utmost urgency.

Speaking at an industry conference in Hong Kong, Ruukki enterprise director Dr Danko Konchar called for industry consolidation to protect jobs and maximise South Africa’s chrome resource endowment.

Ruukki currently exports raw chrome directly to China and sells a diverse range of chrome products internantionally into the the stanles steel and steel sectors. His plea follows years of requests to government to halt the South African ferrochrome industry’s demise in the face of rising Chinese production from raw South Africa chrome ore.

Konchar told the conference that the fundamental challenge for South Africa was to create a competitive ferrochrome industry capable of protecting, sustaining and creating jobs while growing its global market share.

More mining deaths in Timmins than any other mining city in Ontario in past five years – by By Len Gillis (Timmins Times – April 5, 2012)

April 6, 2012

http://www.timminstimes.com/

Death of Travor King was the sixth local miner killed since 2007

More mining deaths have occurred in Timmins in the past five years than anywhere else in Ontario. That information provided by the Ontario Ministry of Labour indicates that 11 workers have died in Ontario mines since 2007. Six of those deaths were in Timmins.

The most recent was the death of miner Trevor King, 26, who died Monday after being hit by a loose rock while loading explosives at the Lake Shore Gold (LSG) Timmins Mine. That was among the information released Tuesday by company officials who held an informal news conference at their Highway 101 West offices in Timmins.

“Trevor King was fatally injured while loading a development round on the 730-metre level of our Timmins Mine,” said Dan Gagnon, Lakeshore’s senior vice president of operations.

A “round’ is the series of drill holes left in the rock face in the mine tunnel after a miner has set up and drilled a pattern of holes in preparation for blasting.

The Gold Rush – Charlie Chaplan (Mining Movie – 1925)

April 5, 2015April 6, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

The Gold Rush is a 1925 silent film comedy written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin in his Little Tramp role. The film also stars Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite.

Chaplin declared several times that this was the film that he most wanted to be remembered for.[1] Though a silent film, it received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Sound Recording (see re-release below). In 1953, the film entered the public domain (in the USA) due to the claimants failure to renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.[2] MK2 Editions and Warner Home Video currently holds DVD distribution rights. A Blu-Ray edition has been recently announced by The Criterion Collection.

Plot

The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) travels to the Yukon to take part in the Klondike Gold Rush. Bad weather strands him in a remote cabin with a prospector who has found a large gold deposit (Mack Swain) and an escaped fugitive (Tom Murray), after which they part ways, with the prospector and the fugitive fighting over the prospector’s claim,

North to Alaska (Mining Movie – 1960)

April 6, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

North to Alaska is a 1960 comedic western movie directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). It starred Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian and Capucine. The script is based on the play Birthday Gift by Ladislas Fodor and set in Nome, 1900.[3] The movie featured Johnny Horton’s song of the same name, sung during the opening titles.

After finding gold in Alaska, George Pratt (Stewart Granger) sends partner Sam McCord (John Wayne) to Seattle to bring back his fiancée, a French girl whom Sam has never met.

Finding there that George’s girl has already married another man, Sam brings back prostitute “Angel” (Capucine) as a substitute. There is a misunderstanding: she thinks Sam wants her for himself and begins to become enamored with him during the boat trip to Alaska, during which he treats her like a respectable lady.

An angry George rejects the girl outright, though his younger brother Billy (Fabian) is definitely interested. Meanwhile, con man and saloon owner Frankie Cannon (Ernie Kovacs) tries to steal their gold claim.

First Nation chiefs make statement on Ring of Fire corridor – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 5, 2012)

April 6, 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. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

Staking their claim

First Nation chiefs don’t plan to sit on the sidelines without having a major say in how Far North mineral development unfolds in their territories. For years, Aroland First Nation Chief Sonny Gagnon used to watch heavily-laden logging trucks head south and wonder where the wood was being processed.

This time he expects the manufacturing to stay, and he wants minerals extracted from the Ring of Fire to be processed or refined in his territory. That includes the one million tonnes of chromite concentrate that Cliffs Natural Resources wants to take offshore.

“That is what we’re targeting,” said Gagnon. First Nation leaders used the backdrop of the Prospectors and Developers annual mining show in Toronto to stake their own collective claims.

At a March 6 Queen’s Park news conference, Gagnon and Marten Falls Chief Eli Moonias issued a position paper outlining their concerns and expectations of the massive chromite and nickel deposits in the James Bay lowlands.

Innovative CSR solutions for troubled Attawapiskat – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – April 5, 2012)

November 5, 2015April 6, 2012

Marilyn Scales is a field editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication. She is one of Canada’s most senior mining commentators.

Older CMJ readers will remember how the mining companies built remote projects in the middle of the last century. First they found and explored a deposit far from civilization. Next they made a development decision that included building a local town for the workforce. They moved their employees and their families into the town. When the ore ran out, the company moved on leaving the town with little or no economic basis for survival.

Thankfully, we now have better development model, one that does not abandon towns when mining ceases. Modern miners have invented what the Australians call FIFO, meaning fly-in/fly-out operations. We in Canada were pioneers in this practice. Workers are flown to the mine site for periods ranging from days to weeks. They are put up in modern accommodations, well fed, and given plenty of recreational opportunities. Then they fly out, returning to families and homes in usually in the south. Their families enjoy the amenities of city living including educational and employment opportunities. Such opportunities were lacking in small northern mining towns.

The FIFO model works well in developed countries, but it is not appropriate in undeveloped regions. Indigenous peoples in Africa and South America, for instance, do not want to leave their homes for extended periods or they wish to continue their traditional way of living. Canadian miners have again become leaders in the art of giving such people an economic or educational hand up without destroying their culture.

[Northwestern Ontario] Treaty 3 bans 60 mining companies from territory – by Jon Thompson (Kenora Daily Miner and News – April 5, 2012)

April 6, 2012

http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/

A coalition of junior mining companies who observed “a revolt is taking place” with respect to First Nations consultation is no longer welcome in Treaty 3 traditional territory.

Representatives of Miners United spoke to the Globe and Mail last week, saying the 60-member organization was taking a “hard line” stance on consultation. They accused First Nations of demanding compensation rather than consultation and raising prices for junior companies to explore in their traditional territory.

“We disagree strongly with the hard-line tactics discussed at the Miners United forum,” said Treaty 3 Grand Chief Diane Kelly in a release. “In many instances, Treaty 3 communities have developed strong partnerships with mining companies because of the early commitment of companies to talk with us, build our capacity to understand the projects and the real impacts and potential benefits.”

Kelly called the Miners United statements “hurtful” and “full of stereotypes,” pointing out gold was an important part of negotiations leading up to signing Treaty 3. She argued Grand Council Treaty 3’s definition of consultation defines a constitutionally sound process and was clear Miners United’s member companies “will not be tolerated” in the territory.