Twitter

Canada mining boom leaves natives in the cold (Attawapiskat international coverage) – by Chris Arsenault (Al Jazeera – February 11, 2012)

 http://www.aljazeera.com/

Indigenous community with “third world conditions” sits 90km from diamond mine, prompting fight for resource royalties.

Despite living just 90km from a massive diamond mine, Jackie Hookimaw Witt has watched poverty tear at the fabric of Attawapiskat, an indigenous community in northern Canada.

The northern Ontario community made international headlines recently, when the chief declared a state of emergency, as many houses lacked heating during frozen winters, and families were left sleeping in storage sheds, shacks or run-down trailers, often with no running water.

“Why are our people living in such extreme poverty when we are so close to this rich mine?” asked Witt, a mining critic born and raised in Attawapiskat. “There is something wrong with this.”

As mining companies around the world reap profits from high commodity prices, people in Attawapiskat are demanding a bigger slice of the pie from the diamonds extracted from their traditional territory.

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: Vale Celebrates Sudbury Saturday Night with a $150,000 Donation to the Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program

(left to right) Rod LaRoque, President, The Human League; John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada and Director of Base Metals for Vale's North Atlantic Region; Kelly Strong, Vale's Vice-President Mining and Miling for the North Atlantic Region and General Manager, Ontario Operations; Dana Marshall, Executive Director, The Human League; and Jerry Beaudry, Fundraising Coordinator, The Human League.

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, February 13, 2012 – Vale celebrated another Sudbury Saturday Night on February 11th, with a $150,000 donation to the Human League’s Positive Leisure Activities for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) Program over the next three years.

“No child should have to miss out on playing a sport due to financial constraints,” said John Pollesel, Vale’s Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada and Director of Base Metals for Vale’s North Atlantic Region. “Vale is pleased to support the Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program and to provide the means for youth in our community to reach their potential through extracurricular activities.”

The Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program removes financial barriers to extra curricular activities by providing registration and equipment costs for children to participate. The program focuses on a child’s self-image and self-esteem by giving him or her the necessary tools to access recreation in the community. Since its inception in 2003, the P.L.A.Y. program has helped over 4,800 children in the community get involved in hockey, soccer, music, dance and art programs.

Read more

JOINT NEWS RELEASE: Bold Ventures and Rencore Resources Urge Shareholders to Vote in Favour of Merger and Announce Plans for Drill Programs

Toronto, Ontario (February 3, 2012) – Bold Ventures Inc. (TSX.V: BOL) (“Bold”) and Rencore Resources Ltd. (CNSX: RNC) (“Rencore”) wish to advise shareholders that the shareholder meetings called to approve the proposed business combination of Bold and Rencore (the “Merger”) will be held on Monday, February 13, 2012 (collectively, the “Meetings”). Pursuant to the Merger, each outstanding common share of Rencore will be exchanged for one common share of Bold. Completion of the Merger and final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) is subject to a number of conditions and approvals, including fulfilling all filing requirements pursuant to the policies of the TSXV.

The Merger also requires the approval of a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast in respect of the resolution to approve the Merger by shareholders of Rencore and approval of a majority of disinterested shareholders of Rencore entitled to vote at the Meetings and approval of a majority of disinterested shareholders of Bold entitled to vote at the Meetings.

Read more

Mining can help dig Ontario out of debt

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’s growing mineral industry can offer hope and opportunity to individuals and also assistance to government with its deficit problem.  This was the message in a letter sent from Ontario Mining Association President Chris Hodgson to Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan as part of a pre-budget submission. 

“Mining holds the potential to quite literally help dig Ontario out of debt,” said Mr. Hodgson.  “As the province faces a deficit of $16 billion this year, mining can be a partner in economic growth – growing jobs and growing government revenues.” 

“In the province, today, mining is a $10 billion per year business, which employs about 27,000 people directly,” he added.  “Canada’s mining industry is poised to make up to $140 billion in new investments in the next five years, with much of it in Ontario.  What sectors of the economy are matching this level of activity on the capital spending front?”

Read more

Help wanted:[in Northwestern Ontario mining sector] – Special to The Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 13, 2012)

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

Job seekers in Northern Ontario might be feeling perpetually discouraged when faced with headlines about high unemployment (nearly 12 per cent according to some reports), and the newest round of layoffs and job losses. Factor in the dismal state of the economy in the past few years and those looking for work or a career change may not be feeling very hopeful these days.

But where other industries may be gearing down, the mining sector, particularly in this region, is gearing up.

Because there are eight major exploration projects in the region that will result in mineral-producing mines between 2013 and 2017, there will be a strong demand for skilled labour and professionals in the next few years. Metals to be mined include gold, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and chromium, a major component of stainless steel, which would be produced from chromite extracted from the highly prized Ring of Fire.

Read more

Northern Growth: Adding Up the Successes – by Livio Di Matteo (Northern Economist Blog – February 13, 2012)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

Well, the provincial government has not forgotten about the Northern Growth Plan after all.  It would appear that planning for the plan to plan all plans is still being planned. 

This morning’s opinion piece in the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal by Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci “Consensus in the North: The arithmetic of success” was no doubt designed to provide a quantitative bent to the government’s activities not by listing the investments it was planning to make in Northern infrastructure or documenting the size of the budget for new projects but by listing the number of consultations and their participants.

Indeed, according to the Minister:”When it comes to consulting, listening and collaborating with northerners, the McGuinty government is also ahead of the curve.”  The provincial government is working with northerners “to create two regional economic development planning pilots in Northern Ontario”. 

Read more

Consensus in the North: The arithmetic of success – by Rick Bartolucci (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 13, 2012)

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

Rick Bartolucci is the Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines

It’s been said that teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.

As Ontario faces the stormy economic times that are clouding the financial futures of jurisdictions around the world, the Ontario government is committed to the task of ensuring that our province not only weathers the storm but emerges stronger than ever.

In the Legislature, our government looks to a consensual approach by all three parties to achieve the success for Ontario that we are all working toward. By collaborating, I believe we will meet our fiscal goals and build a stronger, more competitive economy.

In Northern Ontario too, the need for teamwork is more vital than ever. The North already has a strong tradition of regional cooperation as evidenced by organizations such as NOMA, NEOMA, FONOM and NOACC. Recent developments such as the formation of the Northern Mayors’ Council underline the increased recognition of the importance for northerners to pull together.

Read more

Canada opens doors to uranium trade with China – by Kip Keen (Mineweb.com – February 11, 2012)

www.mineweb.com

The big talking point in Canada is that as Chinese-Canadian relations warm up, so too will Canadian uranium in Chinese nuclear reactors.

HALIFAX, NS – Uranium producers in Canada got a heavy dose of good news as the country’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, abolished trade rules that banned the export of uranium to China.

Prime Minister Harper, who has been on a trade mission in China with Canadian business leaders, made the announcement as part of a slew of other agreements between China and Canada.

The Canadian government will amend a 1994 nuclear agreement between the two countries to allow uranium exports to China, though the exact details of what the amendment would say is unclear. Chinese and Canadian officials are to work them out over the coming months, a federal government statement said.

Government officials in Canada touted the uranium deal on two fronts, economic and environmental.

Read more

Ontario First Nation wins injunction to stop gold drilling – by Tanya Talaga (Toronto Star – February 12, 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.

When members of Wahgoshig First Nation spotted a drilling crew on what they say is a sacred burial site, they demanded to know who the strangers were and what they were doing.

The Wahgoshig, whose Algonquin reserve of 19,239 acres is 113 km east of Timmins, running south from Lake Abitibi near the Quebec border, say they were met with silence. But what was happening on the land was anything but silent, according to court records.

The prospecting work involves clearing 25 sq. metre pads, clearing forest, bulldozing access routes to the drilling sites and the transportation and storage of fuel and equipment.

The workers were with Solid Gold Resources Inc., a junior mining firm that has a 200-square-kilometre prospect at Lake Abitibi near the Porcupine Fault zone. The land they were on, says Wahgoshig band chief David Babin, is not part of the reserve itself but does include the traditional lands the Algonquins have lived on for thousands of years.

Read more

Uranium deal with china ‘important’ for Saskatchewan – by Joe Couture (Saskatoon Star Phoenix – January 10, 2012)

www.starphoenix.com

Wall claims ‘great day’ for province

An agreement that is expected to allow Canadian companies to ship uranium to China is “very, very important” for Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall said on Thursday in reaction to news from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the Asian superpower.

“It’s a great day for Saskatchewan and we want to thank the federal government and the prime minister for raising a very Saskatchewan issue on their trade mission and making progress,” Wall told reporters Thursday at the Legislative Building.

Though a small amount of Saskatchewan uranium has been shipped to China before under special agreements, the new trade agreement signed by Harper is expected to allow Saskatchewan producers to directly sell Canadian yellowcake – a type of uranium concentrate powder – to China, he continued.

Read more

Asbestos industry under microscope – by Michelle LaLonde (Montreal Gazette – February 11, 2012)

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

Call for government to stop financial aid

If you were a private investor looking to sink some money into a promising venture, the expansion of an asbestos mine in Quebec may not sound like a great bet these days.

Quebec’s asbestos industry has been taking a heavy pounding of late, with two damning documentaries airing on CBC and Radio-Canada, renewed calls from politicians in Quebec City and Ottawa to outlaw the cancer-causing mineral, and a review launched into some industry-funded research at McGill this week.

On Friday, the opposition Québec Solidaire called on the provincial and federal governments to stop financing the asbestos industry and to ban export of the mineral. Parti Québécois mining critic Martine Ouellette told Canadian Press she wants a parliamentary commission to look at the issue.

Read more

Coal Miner’s Daughter (Mining Movie – 1980)

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

Coal Miner’s Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D’Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.

Background

The film was adapted from Lynn’s 1976 autobiography written with George Vecsey. Loretta Lynn was one of eight children born to Ted Webb (Levon Helm), a coal miner raising a family despite grinding poverty in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, pronounced by locals as “Butcher Holler”. She married Oliver Vanetta (Doolittle) “Mooney” Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) when she was 13 years old.

A mother of four by the time she was 19 (and a grandmother by age 29), Lynn began singing the occasional song at local honky-tonks on weekends as well as making the occasional radio appearance.

Read more

North Country (Mining Movie – 2005)

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

North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which chronicled the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company.

Plot

In 1989, Josey (Charlize Theron), returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota with her children, Sam (Thomas Curtis) and Karen (Elle Peterson), after escaping from her abusive husband. She moves in with her parents, Alice (Sissy Spacek) and Hank (Richard Jenkins). Hank is ashamed of Josey, who became pregnant at the age of 16, and believes that this was the result of Josey being promiscuous.

Read more

More nickel sulphide and chromite mineralization found in [Ring of Fire] mining camp – Northwest Bureau (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – February 11, 2012)

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

Noront Resources Ltd. has identified more nickel sulphide and chromite mineralization at its McFauld’s Lake Project in the Ring of Fire mining camp.

“While drilling to increase the chromite resource at Blackbird continued to return excellent results, the discovery of two new zones of nickel sulphide mineralization within 500 metres of (the company’s) Eagle’s Nest (deposit), highlights the tremendous exploration potential of this area,” company CEO Wes Hanson said in a news release.

“Both zones of nickel sulphide mineralization were identified by a new, ground-based geophysical survey that was completed in November,” he said. Hanson noted that the Eagle’s Nest feasibility study is progressing on time and on budget as is the resource update and preliminary assessment of the Blackbird chromite deposit.

Read more

[Sudbury] City must ease reliance on government job – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – February 11, 2012)

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

Greater Sudbury’s relatively slow but consistent growth over the last 10 years shows we’ve been successful in easing the boom and bust cycle, but there are ominous signs in the numbers.

The 2011 census shows the city grew by 1.5%, to 160,077 people from 2006, when the population stood at 158,258.

We’ve done well next to northeastern Ontario’s nine other major municipalities. Kenora grew by 1.1%, Sault Ste. Marie grew by 0.3%, North Bay’s population declined by 0.6% and Timmins grew by 0.4%.

Still, only about 5,500 more people live in Greater Sudbury now than 10 years ago, despite two boom periods in that time. The year 2001 was a signature period for Sudbury. It ended five years of steep decline in which the city lost 10,000 people.

Read more