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Peak oil vanishes; peak green arrives – by Peter Foster (National Post – November 23, 2011)

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

Peak oil theory and the green energy fad both arise from a failure to ­understand how markets work

Half a dozen years ago, the late peak oil fanatic Matt Simmons claimed in his book Twilight in the Desert that the Saudis were lying about their production capabilities. Earlier this year, Jeff Rubin, a former chief economist with the CIBC who had gone off the economics reservation to start preaching at the church of sustainability, took up the claim.

Well, if the Saudis were lying, it might not now matter so much. Their new concern seems to be their ability to sell what they do produce. According to an intriguing piece by the Post’s Yadullah Hussain on Monday, the Saudis are now concerned about the prospective boost in North American petroleum production displacing their oil, whatever the Keystone XL protesters think they might have achieved.

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Why I Would Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline Despite Environmental Concerns – by Robert Rapier (Oilprice.com – November 22, 2011)

http://oilprice.com/

The following is a lengthy essay explaining why I would approve the Keystone pipeline despite finding myself on the side of those concerned over the negative environmental impact of tar sands development. I will debunk much of the misinformation going on in the pipeline debate and ultimately lay out my conclusions. I intend for this to be an alternative to the administration’s announcement to punt the decision for a later time

I have to hand it to Bill McKibben. Whether or not you agree with his position, take a look at what he accomplished. McKibben, an environmentalist and journalist, has been described as “probably the nation’s leading environmentalist” and “the world’s best green journalist.” McKibben has written extensively about the dangers of climate change, and he acts according to his convictions.

When it looked like the Obama Administration was headed toward approving the Keystone XL Pipeline project, McKibben organized a huge protest at the White House. The protesters demanded that President Obama live up to his campaign promises, because Candidate Obama campaigned against the “tyranny of oil.”

As a result of the protests, many protesters — including McKibben — were arrested. But President Obama could not ignore those protests, and his administration announced a delay in approving the pipeline until after the 2012 presidential election.

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Kazakhstan Now World’s Largest Uranium Miner – by John Daly (Oilprice.com – November 20, 2011)

http://oilprice.com/
 
Kazakhstan’s international energy image is now that of one of the world’s rising oil exporters, an extraordinary feat given that, two decades ago its hydrocarbon output was beyond insignificant when the USSR collapsed. The vast Central Asian nation, larger than Western Europe,  has now quietly passed another energy milestone.

Kazakhstan produces 33 percent of world’s mined uranium, followed by Canada at 18 percent and Australia, with 11 percent of global output. Kazakhstan contains the world’s second-largest uranium reserves, estimated at 1.5 million tons. Until two years ago Kazakhstan was the world’s No. 3 uranium miner, following Australia and Canada.

Together the trio is responsible for about 62 percent of the world’s production of mined uranium.

According to Kazakhstan’s State Corporation for Atomic Energy, Kazatomprom, during January-September, the country mined 13,957 tons of uranium.

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[Barrick’s] Munk’s $18-million donation aimed at attracting top brains – by Patrick White (Globe and Mail – November 24, 2011)

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.

It took four words and four days to land one of the biggest donations in the history of Canada’s largest hospital network.

It was May 13, 2010, and Peter Munk, the 84-year-old chair of Barrick Gold, had just completed a tour of his namesake cardiac centre at Toronto General Hospital. As medical director Barry Rubin explained the research frontiers he hoped to conquer in the coming decade, Mr. Munk had just one question.

“How can I help?” Within four days, Dr. Rubin had an answer.

On Thursday, the two men will make the answer public: an $18-million donation to fund four new heart study centres aimed at attracting the calibre of medical brains Canada has often lost to the United States and Europe.

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Safety first at Xstrata – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 24, 2011)

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

Xstrata Nickel made the decision Monday to halt production in Sudbury and take what it calls safety pauses at two mines to reverse an increasing injury rate at the operations.

Marc Boissoneault, vice-president of Xstrata Nickel’s Sudbury operations, said the decision to send home employees at Fraser and Nickel Rim South mines was “abrupt,” but it was necessary to uphold his company’s first value — health and safety above all.

Production and maintenance workers at Fraser Mine were sent home Monday and workers at Nickel Rim South had a four-hour talk on safety before they were sent home.

The union representing the workers, Mine Mill Local 598/C AW, said Tuesday its members were concerned because they didn’t know how long they would be off work or if they would be paid for scheduled shifts they didn’t work.

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The Honourable Joe Oliver, P.C., M.P. – Minister of Natural Resources Mining Day Speech (Ottawa, Canada – November 22, 2011)

This speech was given by the Honourable Joe Oliver, P.C., M.P. – Minister of Natural Resources to the Mining Day on the Hill Luncheon, Economic Council of Canada and Mining Association of Canada

Check against delivery

“For example, the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario is an
emerging mining region, where 26 exploration companies
have mineral claims covering almost 500,000 hectares.  
Analysts estimate that there are $50 billion in qualified
resources for chromite and $10 billion for base-metal
and platinum group metal deposits.” (Honourable Joe Oliver –
Canadian Minister of Natural Resources)
 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by thanking the Mining Association of Canada and the Economic Council of Canada for the invitation to speak with you today.
 
I also want to congratulate the Mining Association and its members for organizing this event. It’s a great occasion to recognize just how much this industry contributes to our prosperity — and why it’s important we all work together to make sure this sector continues to succeed.
 
As you know, I recently returned from a week-long trip to Japan and China. My main objective was to help broaden and deepen Canada’s trade and investment relationship in two of the world’s largest economies.
 
In meetings with senior political and business leaders, I promoted Canada’s potential for investment, exploration and development, and the opportunities for Canadian mining companies to do business in the Asia-Pacific.

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WEBEQUIE FIRST NATION (WFN) POSITION PAPER [Ring of Fire] – November 23, 2011

COMMUNITY POSITION STATEMENT

Webequie First Nation (WFN) re-affirms that it has a right to determine its own community-based processes, community-driven initiatives, and community-led negotiations with commercial entities as well as with the different levels of government as its relates to the traditional, historic, ancestral, and customary areas of Webequie First Nation. This right is supported by the Canadian legal framework, the WFN Consultation Protocol, the WFN Lands & Resource Policy, and WFN Members.

It is well known that any project activities within a First Nation’s traditional area will require direct engagement and consultation with that First Nation
community. The following quotes from Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Matawa reinforce this point:

“It is the prerogative of the First Nation government to determine their consultation processes and the Crown should be responsive to the process requirements of the First Nation”(1)

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NEWS RELEASE: The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) contributes once again to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF)

OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2011 /CNW/ – During its annual Mining Day on the Hill event, the Mining Association of Canada made a $2500 contribution to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF). This builds upon the $25,000 contribution made earlier this year, for a total contribution of $27,500.

The mining industry is a strong supporter of Aboriginal education programs across Canada and particularly in rural and northern communities.  Mining is a prominent partner in the federal government’s Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership programs, with initiatives active in many Canadian jurisdictions. MAC member companies are also active supporters of Aboriginal education, supporting numerous scholarship programs and other initiatives. MAC’s support for NAAF builds on this work.

“Mining is the largest private sector employer of Aboriginal Canadians and our future depends on their growing participation in our sector,” says Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of MAC.  “Canada’s mining sector is poised for significant growth and potential new investment of almost $140 billion in the next 5-10 years.

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NEWS RELEASE: Webequie First Nation Reaffirms Community Rights in Ring of Fire

Thunder Bay, ON, November 23, 2011 – The Chief and Council of Webequie First Nation is reaffirming its community rights and local autonomy with respect to decision-making processes in the Ring of Fire.

Today, Webequie First Nation released two independent documents; a Community Position Paper and a Consultation and Accommodation Protocol, which both clarify and outline for industry, government and the public that the membership of Webequie First Nation will determine their own community-led negotiated process as it relates to the traditional, historic, ancestral, and customary areas of Webequie First Nation.

Chief Cornelius Wabasse of Webequie First Nation says; “Following recent reports in the media and consequent enquiries, Webequie First Nation would like to remind all those who wish to work with our First Nation and, particularly commercial entities, that they must have direct engagement and consultation with our First Nation before and above any other agency.

We, the Webequie First Nation people, are the primary contact and exclusive decision-makers for our community, not any third party or external organization.” 

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Xstrata gives [Sudbury] workers a time out – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

Hundreds of employees at Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser and Nickel Rim South mines were sent home from the job Monday for what the company is calling a “short safety pause” after an increase in safety-related incidents at the two operations. Mine Mill Local 598/CAW president Richard Paquin said about 300 workers at Fraser Mine have been told to think about safety for an “indefinite” period of time while the company devises a plan to make the mine safer.

About 250 employees at Nickel Rim South were sent home Monday after sitting through a four-hour safety talk, he said. While Paquin said he has no problem with Xstrata wanting to draft a plan to make its workplaces safer, the question is whether members will be paid for the unexpected time off. Union and Xstrata officials began talking Monday night and spent all day Tuesday discussing the issue, said Paquin.

He was waiting to hear from Xstrata today about whether it intends to pay members or not. The union has sought legal advice on the matter. Xstrata spokeswoman Yonaniko (Iyo) Grenon issued a brief statement Tuesday afternoon in response to questions from The Sudbury Star prompted by calls to the paper from union members about being sent home.

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Clean air project sparks interest – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

A computer game called Minecraft, in which players place blocks to build anything you can imagine, has piqued the interest of a Grade 8 student who now wants to be a miner when he grows up.

Brian Lepage, 13, was part of a group of students from Copper Cliff Public School who attended the annual open house of Vale Ltd. at the Copper Cliff Club on Tuesday. Lepage said he has always been interested in minerals and mining so he loves the game and wants to have a career in the mining field.

He was excited about attending the mining giant’s community event. “I’ve found a couple of minerals myself,” said Lepage, “pyrite and silver or copper.” The teenager said he’s “one of those people” who wants to see how gold, nickel and other minerals are mined.

Lepage was among dozens of area residents expected to attend the open house. Last year’s open house attracted 150 visitors and Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson said the company was expecting more to attend this year.

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Cliffs wants to ship [chromite] to China – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – November 23, 2011)

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

A plan to sell chromite concentrate from the Ring of Fire area to Asian refineries has raised concerns in Northern Ontario.

Cliffs Natural Resources, the company behind one of the Ring of Fire discoveries in northwestern Ontario, said it wants to meet a growing international demand by selling some of the partially processed chromite material, called concentrate, to refineries in China. This will not change its plans to build a smelter in Northern Ontario — possibly in Sudbury — which is a component of the company’s chromite project base case.

While the Ontario Mining Act states that ore mined in Ontario must be processed in Canada, Cliffs said the company will build a plant to process crude ore into concentrate, which officials believe will satisfy the mining law.

“We believe that concentrate is an established product in world markets and the material mined will have undergone significant value-added processing,” Pat Persico, the senior manager of global communications for Cliffs, said in an email.

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NEWS RELEASE: Vale proposes Executive Board reorganization to the Board of Directors

www.republicofmining.com

11/21/2011
 
On November, 24, Vale’s CEO Murilo Ferreira will submit to the Board of Directors a proposal for a new structure of the company’s Executive Board. This restructuring seeks to establish an operational model with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each business unit.

Under this new model, each executive director will be responsible for Planning, New Business Development, Operations and Marketing & Sales. This model will help us reach our growth goals and consolidate our business, with the aim of further strengthening the company.

The composition of the new Executive Board, once approved by the Board of Directors, will be as follows:

Fertilizers and Coal – Eduardo Bartolomeo
Iron Ore and Strategy – José Carlos Martins
Logistics and Exploration – Humberto Freitas
Base Metals and IT – Peter Poppinga
Capital Projects Implementation – Galib Chaim
Finance – Tito Martins
HR, Health & Safety, Sustainability and Energy – Vania Somavilla

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Canada’s chronic asbestos problem – by John Gray and Stephanie Nolen (Globe and Mail – Report on Business Magazine – November 21, 2011)

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.

For a place of modest size, Asbestos has made an impressive imprint on the Canadian psyche. In 1949, the Asbestos Strike—which took place at the mines in Asbestos and nearby Thetford Mines—helped to usher in the Quiet Revolution that shaped the modern Quebec. And in 2011, the place’s eponymous product is giving a black eye to Canada’s international reputation as a fair dealer.

Most of the world, including the medical community, agrees that asbestos is desperately dangerous. The World Health Organization reports that more than 100,000 people die every year from lung cancer and other respiratory diseases due to asbestos exposure. And many more will die, because 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces today and every day.

No surprise, then, that the stuff is effectively banned in Canada. And a surprise, to observers, that Canada exports it to other countries, most notoriously India, where public-health regimes are less vigorous than in Canada.

But that fact is no more mysterious than two forces that are as well known in India as they are in Canada.

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NEWS RELEASE: The Mining Association of Canada Recognizes Industry Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility

OTTAWA, Nov. 22, 2011 /CNW/ – During its annual Mining Day on the Hill, The Mining Association of Canada (MAC)  is presenting its 2010 Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Awards, recognizing Canadian mining facilities that have demonstrated excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

2010 TSM Award recipients include Barrick Gold Corporation, De Beers Canada Inc., Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., Iron Ore Company of Canada, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Teck Resources Limited, and Xstrata. Facilities owned by these companies demonstrated performance excellence in a number of categories: 

•Tailings Management.
•Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
•External Outreach.
•Crisis Management Planning.

TSM performance categories for 2011 onwards will also include:

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