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From camels to flying carpets – by David Robinson (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – November, 2011)

Dr. David Robinson is an economist at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada. His column is from Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal a magazine that showcases the mining expertise of North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury.  drobinson@laurentian.ca

Mining and the trade in metals shaped the ancient world. And in almost every case, the transportation system for the metal industries was the most advanced you could find at the time.

Whether it was camels moving copper to Jerusalem from mines in Edom, or Phoenician ships ferrying tin from the Tin Islands to the growing cities of the eastern Mediterranean, mining and advanced transportation have gone together like love and marriage. Transportation innovations of the 19th century shaped the mining industry of the 20th century. Without rail, for example, the vast interior deposits of iron, copper and other metals would have been far more costly to deliver to a growing global market. Cities like Sudbury simply could not exist.

The shipping needs of one modern company show the scale of the transportation services required by miners. Vale exports iron ore to China in “capesize” freighters (too large to pass through the Suez Canal) that carry up to 400,000 deadweight tons – the equivalent of 4,000 ore cars. In 2006, Vale ordered a dozen of these for $1.6 billion.

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[Kirkland Lake History] ERNIE’S GOLD: A Prospector’s Tale – by Brian (Chip) Martin

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For an autographed copy of Ernie’s Gold, please contact the author at: chipmartin@sympatico.ca.

Great Christmas Gift: $20.00 plus shipping!

In the early 1900s, young Ernie Martin immigrated from Staffordshire, England, to Canada to seek his fortune. He finally ended up in Kirkland Lake, where gold was to be found if you were willing to work at it. Ernie was. And so was Harry Oakes. The two of them became prospecting partners. Ernie and Harry worked hard and non-stop to find a vein of gold so they could start a mine.

When it finally happened, the mine grew into a huge money-maker for the two of them. Ernie’s first wife, Mary, also was a prospector, and in fact ended up financially far better off than Ernie. Why was that? How is it that multi-millionaire Ernie Martin arrived at the end of his life virtually a pauper? This is a book full of surprises and answers — and a few questions.

Excerpt from Ernie’s Gold: A Prospector’s Tale:

By the time Mabel (Fetterley) had arrived in the Swastika area, Mary Violette had already been in mining country for several years. Mary came from even farther away, the small farm community of Goshen, Indiana. She would have a significant impact on the life of Ernie Martin.

Mary was born in 1874 on a farm at New Paris, just south of Goshen, the second of five children of Benjamin and Caroline Violette. Hers was a prominent family in the area, some of whom opted to drop the final “e” in their name. Mary’s father was the youngest of ten children born to John Wesley and Chloe Violette, who were among the area’s first settlers. One of Benjamin’s older brothers, John H., was not content to stay in farming and in the spring of 1850 joined the California Gold Rush. He was twenty.

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Thunder Bay makes Ring of Fire smelter pitch – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 2011)

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.

City delegation meets with Cliffs decision makers

Thunder Bay was making its best sales pitch in November to convince Cliffs Natural Resources to build its ferrochrome processing plant on the shore of this northwestern Ontario port city.

A delegation led by Mayor Keith Hobbs had scheduled a mid-month trip to the international miner’s Cleveland headquarters during the same week that company’s executives were staging public open houses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.

Though Sudbury is considered a frontrunner among four potential Northern Ontraio communities to land the electric arc furnaces to process ore from its James Bay chromite deposit, Thunder Bay has no intentions of giving up the ship.

John Mason, the city’s mining services project manager, concedes Sudbury does have direct rail access to a vital rail junction at Nakina and offers an “excellent” brownfield site north of the city, at Capreol, but Thunder Bay has put together an enticing package.

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Choices for First Nations – by Christopher Alcantara (Toronto Star – December 2, 2011)

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.

Christopher Alcantara is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University. His latest book, Negotiating the Deal: Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements in Canada, is forthcoming from University of Toronto Press.

“Lost in this debate is the larger question of whether
remote indigenous communities are viable in the first
place and if they are not, whether the federal and
provincial governments should support them. Unless
there is a significant natural resource being
developed, many remote locations offer few economic
opportunities to make a decent wage and standard of
living.” (Christopher Alcantara)

About a month ago, a state of emergency was declared for the Attawapiskat First Nation, approximately 500 kilometres north of Timmins. The reason was the deplorable living conditions on the reserve. Many of the houses, for instance, lack proper insulation, reliable heating, running water and sewage disposal.

Unfortunately, the plight of Attawapiskat residents is not an isolated or unique event. Many reserves across Canada face a similar situation, with most commentators arguing that more money needs to be spent on improving living conditions on these reserves.

Lost in this debate is the larger question of whether remote indigenous communities are viable in the first place and if they are not, whether the federal and provincial governments should support them.

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[Saskatchewan] Mining boom must include all – StarPhoenix Editorial (The [Saskatoon] StarPhoenix – December 3, 2011)

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

The problem with having a $50-billion windfall coming over the horizon is the danger it could mask the dark clouds that come with it.

This week Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, told a Saskatoon business crowd that Saskatchewan is in for a massive capital expansion in its mining sector during the next 20 years. For those in this province who have waited more than a generation for Saskatchewan’s ship to come in, this expansion can’t be but good news.

But if Saskatchewan is to be able to take advantage of the opportunities coming its way, it has some pretty significant ducks it must still get in a row. Not the least of which is addressing First Nations’ concerns – not only in terms of allowing them a cut of the action but also coming to terms with treaty issues that have been woefully neglected by various governments for almost two centuries.

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[Mining] Groups oppose [Caribou] strategy – by Scott Larson (The [Saskatoon] StarPhoenix – December 2, 2011)

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

A proposed federal strategy to safeguard the habitat of the woodland caribou is causing concern in the mining industry. The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and its provincial counterpart, the Saskatchewan Mining Association, have started a letter-writing campaign to express their opposition to the strategy developed by Environment Canada.

The federal government released the draft strategy in August and it is open for public comment until February. The mining associations say it will severely limit any further resource or infrastructure development in northern Saskatchewan.

MAC president and CEO Pierre Gratton said the strategy would create a system that would see caribou habitat that had 35 per cent of its area disturbed declared off limits to further development.

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[Saskatchewan] Mines poised for $50B boost – by Scott Larson (The [Saskatoon] StarPhoenix – December 2, 2011)

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

Continued growth expected

Saskatchewan is poised to see $50 billion in capital investment injected into the provincial mining industry during the next 20 years. Mining is a $7.1-billion industry in Saskatchewan and the province benefited from $3.1 billion in capital expenditures in 2010, the largest recipient of mining investment in Canada last year, said Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC)

Gratton was speaking at a luncheon put on by the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and the North Saskatoon Business Association.

“Canada and Saskatchewan are blessed with a diverse abundance of natural resources that are in demand from growing global economies, positioning both province and country for continued long-term growth,” Gratton said. “However, our focus cannot solely rest on the economic benefits mining brings.

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Time to share [Saskatchewan] resource wealth – by Doug Cuthand (The [Saskatoon] StarPhoenix – October, 22, 2011)

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

Aboriginal and First Nations issues are largely absent from this provincial election campaign. So far the only issue that has raised any eyebrows is the commitment by the NDP to negotiate a resource revenue sharing arrangement with the First Nations. NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter was speaking to an audience on the Red Pheasant First Nation when he stated that it was an idea whose time has come.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall categorically rejected sharing resource revenues with First Nations or any other group, stating that the province’s resources belonged to all Saskatchewan’s people.

Lingenfelter’s proposal was quickly absorbed into the campaign rhetoric, along with commitments from both sides for health care, education and so on. But resource revenue sharing is an issue that will not go away in Indian Country.

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For global workers, Saskatchewan beckons – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – December 3, 2011)

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

Saskatchewan’s popular Premier, Brad Wall, has a nice mission ahead of him — to lure to his province jobless workers from depressed places such as the United States and Ireland to support his booming economy.

While governments across the developed world are struggling with high unemployment, soaring debt and stalling output, Saskatchewan is expected to lead the country with GDP growth of 5.1% this year, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

Its unemployment rate was the lowest in Canada for most of the year. It rose to a still-tight 5.1% in November, from 3.7% in October. One job website, sask.jobs.ca, listed more than 9,500 job openings Friday. Thousands more jobs are on the way with billions of dollars in planned investment in the potash and energy sectors. Meanwhile, the provincial government expects a record surplus of $25-million this fiscal year, which would have been even better, $115-million, if not for the cost of severe summer flooding.

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Elephant In the Room: A First Nations perspective on the Far North Act – Stan Beardy (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – December 3, 2011)

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

Stan Beardy is Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). NAN is a political organization representing 49 First Nation communities across Treaty 9 and Treaty 5 areas of northern Ontario.

“The heart of First Nations’ objections to the [Far North] act
is the unilateral imposition of an interconnected protected
area of at least 225,000 square kilometres (about 21 per
cent of Ontario). This infringes on First Nations’
aboriginal and treaty rights as protected in the Canada
Constitution Act, 1982.” (Stan Beardy – Grand Chief  of NAN)

Stan Beardy – Grand Chief of NAN

I am writing in response to the commentary, Development, Protection; Far North Act Clarifies Land Use Planning (Nov. 21) by Ontario Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle.

It appears the Ontario government feels that there is still much convincing to do on an issue that continues to find First Nations and government on opposing sides. Truth be known, the Far North Act is currently being implemented in spite of the objections of First Nations.

The heart of First Nations’ objections to the act is the unilateral imposition of an interconnected protected area of at least 225,000 square kilometres (about 21 per cent of Ontario). This infringes on First Nations’ aboriginal and treaty rights as protected in the Canada Constitution Act, 1982.

The minister said in his commentary that “those who characterize this protected area as a vast park are irresponsible and certainly disrespectful of the First Nations.”

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Attawapiskat’s hardships could be helped by roads – by John Ivison (National Post – December 2, 2011)

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

Shawn Atleo says he wants to smash the status quo. The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations has used the phrase in a number of interviews and likely repeated it in his meeting with the Prime Minister on Parliament Hill Thursday.

But while there’s little doubt he is distressed by the pictures coming out of the troubled Attawapiskat reserve in northern Ontario, he doesn’t really want to overturn the present state of affairs.

Rather, he and the country’s other chiefs, a delegation of whom will meet with Stephen Harper on Jan. 24, it was announced Thursday, would like the federal government to pony up some more money — without asking too many questions about what they intend to spend it on. The chiefs tie themselves in intellectual knots, arguing that the government has been asleep at the switch on Attawapiskat, while at the same time saying the feds have gone too far by instituting an “Ottawa knows best” regime.

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Aboriginal groups stand against Canadian oil pipeline – by Laura Stone (Toronto Star – December 2, 2011)

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

A group of First Nations in British Columbia says it will do “whatever means necessary” to stop exports of crude oil from Alberta’s oilsands through their territories — including the controversial Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipeline.

The $5.5-billion project, which is currently being assessed by a review panel in Ottawa, now faces yet another public relations setback in its quest to open up a new supply route to Asia.

Some 130 aboriginal groups claimed Thursday the company would be contravening international laws such as the non-binding United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples if it the pipeline goes ahead without their approval.

“We will do whatever means necessary, and we do have the support,” said Geraldine Thomas-Flurer, who represents the Yinka Dene Alliance of five First Nations.

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[Cobra Drilling] Tragedy toughened up Thunder Bay drilling boss – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December, 2011)

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.

Driller’s helper

Barb Courte knows all about the rigours of the diamond drilling business from both ends of the stick. “I was the wife of a driller and I know what the guys go through,” said the president of Thunder Bay’s Cobra Drilling and Northstar Drilling.

In the hallways and boardroom of her new Russell Street headquarters, photos of her brawny and rugged-face employees adorn the walls. “It’s the employees that are important, they are my company,” said Courte, of the pack mentality she has cultivated among her employees in her 15 years in business.

Northstar is a family-owned outfit, while Cobra is a venture she shares with an undisclosed Sudbury partner. The two entities split six drill rigs, a combination of modern hydraulic and older “gear jammers,” and 50 employees.

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Ring of Fire – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December, 2011)

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.

“How many more trillion-dollar Sudbury Basins are up
there waiting to be discovered?” Sudol said Queen’s
Park must partner with Ottawa to build a Far North
railroad, road network and transmission lines. “This
financial investment would generate tens of thousands
of jobs in both the North and the struggling south as
well as contribute badly needed tax revenue.” (Mining
Analyst Stan Sudol – RepublicOfMining.com)

All eyes on Cliffs Natural Resources to advance Far North deposit

It’s a real cliffhanger. Anyone with a stake in the Far North’s Ring of Fire is waiting on Cliffs Natural Resources to formally give the greenlight to develop its Black Thor chromite deposit in the James Bay lowlands.

Aside from petitioning for more competitive power rates in Ontario, the Cleveland, Ohio-headquartered international miner has been careful not to expand upon this pan-Northern mine, mill, transportation and refining project beyond its base case released last spring.

Until Cliffs decides to move the project into a full-blown feasibility study, the drama and suspense will continue. While the multi-billion dollar, multi-generational project will be regional in scope, it hasn’t stopped the communities from doing some smokestack chasing to land the ferrochrome production.

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Analysts leery of Cliffs’ threat – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – December 2, 2011)

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

“Ontario needs to help build the necessary key transportation
routes to develop the North’s enormous and strategic mineral
potential. …These include a railway to the Ring of Fire mining
camp and all-weather highways to replace winter ice roads to
isolated aboriginal communities. The first priorities should
be regions with high mineral potential. The resulting economic
spinoffs throughout the entire province and increased tax
revenues will more than justify these public investments.”
(Mining Analyst Stan Sudol – RepublicOfMining.com)

The threat of taking its concentrate to Asia for processing will be legally difficult for Cliffs Natural Resources and may, in the end, prove only to be a negotiating ploy, mining analysts say.

Cliffs Natural Resources has announced plans to ship chromite concentrate from the Ring of Fire area in Northern Ontario to international markets, primarily China, to capitalize on the growing smelting capacity and booming demand for strategic metals in Asia.

Although still planning to build a smelter somewhere in Ontario — possibly in Sudbury — company officials have said demand from Chinese smelters will drive volumes for the concentrate, making its export economically viable.

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