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Bartolucci, Gravelle, give North presence at Queens Park – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – October 22, 2011)

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

Premier Dalton McGuinty has said its development will play a
key role in the province’s recovery from the loss of hundreds
of thousands of manufacturing jobs during the recession. And
mining commentator Stan Sudol says the Ring of Fire has the
potential to end poverty among isolated First Nations bands
within a generation, if it’s managed properly. (Sudbury Star
Managing Editor Brian MacLeod – Oct/22/2011)

Thursday’s cabinet appointments by the Liberal government worked out as well as could be expected for Northern Ontario.

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci returns to Northern Development and Mines, where he was minister from 2003-07. And Thunder Bay’s Michael Gravelle moves from MNDM to Natural Resources, which also takes over forestry. He replaces Brampton-Springdale MPP Linda Jeffrey.

Stan Beardy, Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Thunder Bay’s chamber of commerce welcomed Gravelle’s appointment, saying he is familiar with the issues affecting the distressed forestry sector.

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Ontario Mining Association welcomes “new” mines minister

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

The Ontario Mining Association would like to offer its congratulations – and re-congratulations – to the province’s new Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci.  Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had his new Cabinet sworn in yesterday.  This is the first Cabinet appointments following the October 6 election.

The new Cabinet is trimmed down to 22 and all members are familiar faces.  Mr. Bartolucci, who represents the riding of Sudbury, was elected for a fifth term of office.  He previously served as Minister of Northern Development and Mines from 2003 to 2007 before handling other portfolios — Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.  This time around he has the additional duty of being Chair of Cabinet.

Mr. Bartolucci understands mining and Northern Ontario and the OMA looks forward to working with him again to promote and encourage the responsible development of the province’s mineral resources to benefit all Ontarians.

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Iron ore the latest commodity to slide – by Brenda Bouw (Globe and Mail – October 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.

Iron ore was the one commodity left largely unscathed in the recent market rout, until now. The price of the key industrial commodity, which is used to make steel, has slumped in recent weeks and is expected to keep dropping as demand falls on a weakening Chinese economy and fallout from the European debt crisis.

Steel mills have been cutting iron ore purchases as they curb production, while major iron ore producers such as BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto PLC move forward with plans to ramp up output of the mineral.

The combination of lower demand and increased supply is putting pressure on iron ore prices, which had held steady even as other key industrial metals such as copper and aluminum were in freefall.

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MININGWATCH NEWS RELEASE: ATTEMPT TO REVIVE PROPOSED PROSPERITY MINE MUST END NOW Oct 19, 2011

 Source: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/861389/attempt-to-revive-proposed-prosperity-mine-must-end-now

Posted on behalf of the Tsilhqot’in National Government-MiningWatch

[MiningWatch is providing logistical support to the Tsilhqot’in during their Ottawa vist and will continue to support them with techncial reviews of the project and communications support.]

Company submits option already reviewed and found to be worse than original plan

OTTAWA, October 19, 2011: The Tsilhqot’in Nation, supported by BC and national chiefs, today called on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) and the federal government to reject the re-bid Prosperity mine project without further waste of time and tax dollars.

“The company is on record admitting this new option is worse than the one that was rejected last year, and a CEAA review panel has already agreed with that assessment,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, Chair of the Tsilhqot’in National Government, which represents six First Nations.

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[Ontario MPP] Gravelle likes new role – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (October 21, 2011)

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

MPP Michael Gravelle has a new job in the minority Liberal provincial government. The Thunder Bay-Superior North member has been named minster of Natural Resources, a shift announced as part of a cabinet shuffle on Thursday.

Gravelle steps in to the role from his previous post as minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. He’ll retain his forestry-related duties in the new job, while Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci takes over Northern Development and Mines.

“Natural resources is a very important ministry in our government, and certainly to people in Northern Ontario,” Gravelle said in an interview Thursday. “And the fact that we have our forestry portfolio added to that ministry once again, I think, is also very, very exciting.”

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‘THE LAST OF BILLY HOME’ – by Ken Pagan, QMI Agency (Sudbury Star – October 21, 2011)

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

COCHRANE, Ont. — Sandra Cattarello, 71, is resting against a fallen tree perhaps sheared by the single-engine floatplane — now scattered before her eyes — which carried her cousin 60 years ago.

It is a well-deserved rest. She just completed a challenging two-hour trek through more than a kilometre of deep muskeg and thick spruce forest in cold wind and rain.

Cattarello came to the middle of remote bush 80 km north of Cochrane on a once-in-a-lifetime excursion with 15 others. She has just finished leading the group in prayer, honouring the two men who died here in 1951.

The first family member to ever visit the crash site, tears roll down her cheek as she speaks of the pain her family endured with the tragic loss of her cousin, Bill Barilko.

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[Ring of Fire conflict] We won’t be ignored, chiefs warn – by Sudbury Star Staff (Sudbury Star – October 21, 2011)

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

First Nation communities in the Ring of Fire area are threatening ‘alternative action’ to block a federal environmental assessment of Cliffs Natural Resources’ Black Thor chromite deposit.

In a release Thursday, the Matawa chiefs said they want a joint environmental assessment. The chiefs, who represent nine First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, want Premier Dalton McGuinty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to intervene in the environmental assessment process.

The chiefs have called a news conference Friday to detail their concerns. In their release, the chiefs did not say what alternative action might entail.

“We will be forced to resort to alternative measures if Canada and Ontario continue to ignore the First Nations that are being impacted by Ring of Fire developments,” Chief Roger Wesley of Constance Lake First Nation said in a release.

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NEWS RELEASE: NO JOINT REVIEW PANEL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, NO RING OF FIRE DEVELOPMENT SAY MATAWA CHIEFS

MEDIA ADVISORY URGENT: Matawa Chiefs to hold Media Conference Friday October 21, 2011

THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 21, 2011: Matawa Chiefs withdrew their support for development in the Ring of Fire (ROF) today. The Chiefs and the 8,000 people they represent are calling on Premier McGuinty and Prime Minister Harper to intervene in the Environmental Assessment (EA) process.

“We will be forced to resort to alternative measures if Canada and Ontario continue to ignore the First Nations that are being impacted by Ring of Fire developments,” said Chief Roger Wesley of Constance Lake First Nation.

Matawa Chiefs are outraged that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) is proceeding with a Comprehensive Study EA. The Chiefs and their people have been calling for a Joint Review Panel EA for five months but the government is still not listening. Both the provincial and the federal governments are failing in their constitutional duty to consult and accommodate First Nations. According to the Chiefs, the government is telling them what they plan to do, but it is not consulting or accommodating them about how they want to be involved.

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Northern smelter a priority [for Sudbury’s Rick Bartolucci] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – October 21, 2011)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.  cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci’s heart has always been in Northern Ontario and now his cabinet post is here, too. Bartolucci was sworn in Thursday as minister of Northern Development and Mines, a post he held earlier in his 16- year career in provincial politics.

He was also named chair of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet. Bartolucci said the “raison d’etre of just about everything I’ve done in government is about benefiting the lives of Sudburians and northerners, as a minister and a member in opposition and now government.”

Forestry was a part of the Northern Development and Mines ministry for two years, but it has been transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Bartolucci said his priority as Northern Development and Mines minister is to get briefed and brought up to speed on several issues, including the progress of talks to convince Cliffs Resources to set up a chromite smelter in Northern Ontario to process ore from the Ring of Fire.

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Open Letter: UBCIC Supports Tsilhqot’in Nation and Call for Rejection of “New Prosperity” Mine (October 19, 2011)

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs was founded in November, 1969, by a majority of Indian chiefs in BC, partly in response to the federal government’s 1969 White Paper, which was a blueprint for assimilating Canada’s First Peoples, and partly as an inevitable outcome of a growing conviction of many of our people that our survival in the face of such policies depended upon our ability to work together. The goal of the UBCIC is to support the work of our people, whether at the community, nation or international level, in our common fight for the recognition of our aboriginal rights and respect for our cultures and societies.

October 19, 2011

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Government of Canada

Premier Christy Clark
Province of British Columbia

Dear Prime Minister Harper and Premier Clark:

Re: UBCIC Support for Tsilhqot’in Nation and Call for Rejection of the “New Prosperity” Mine

We are writing with respect to Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Resolution 2011-35, “UBCIC Support for Tsilhqot’in Nation and Call for Rejection of the “New Prosperity” Mine” which was presented, affirmed and passed by consensus at the UBCIC’s 43rd Annual General Assembly on September 15, 2011.

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MIHR NEWS RELEASE: New study reveals mining companies are exploring alternatives, like dual-career paths, to retain knowledge workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA (October 14, 2011) – Dual-career development paths are being adopted by mining companies to retain knowledge workers as the global competition for talent becomes more fierce, according to a new study, released by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, in partnership with the Canada Mining Innovation Council.

The two organizations have joined forces to publish Making the Grade: Human Resources Challenges and Opportunities for Knowledge Workers in Canadian Mining. Knowledge workers are a key segment of the mining sector’s workforce and play an essential role in research and innovation. A significant proportion of this group is now nearing retirement age which could lead to a devastating loss of both specialist knowledge and leadership in the sector.

Knowledge workers are typically defined as people who are highly educated, technologically savvy, and engaged in work that leads to the creation of knowledge and innovation. They apply theory and factual knowledge quickly and creatively to solve complex problems with shifting parameters. “Despite their importance, the industry lacks key information about this segment of the workforce throughout all phases of the mining cycle” says Dr Martha Roberts, Director of Research at the Mining Industry Human Resources Council.

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Agnico-Eagle writes off Goldex mine – Euan Rocha, Reuters (Globe and Mail – October 20, 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.

Toronto— Reuters – Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.  is suspending operations at its Goldex mine at Val d’Or, Que., indefinitely because of water inflow and ground instability, the Canadian gold miner said Wednesday, sending its shares sharply lower.

Toronto-based Agnico will write off its investment in Goldex, resulting in a pretax third-quarter charge of about $260-million (U.S.). On an after-tax basis, the charge will be about $170-million, or $1 a share, the company said.

The writeoff prompted analysts at Credit Suisse and Macquarie to downgrade the stock, while analysts at a number of other brokerage firms lowered their price targets on Agnico-Eagle shares. Dahlman Rose analyst Adam Graf, in a note to clients, said Goldex accounts for roughly 13 per cent of Agnico’s net asset value and about 14 per cent of next year’s gold production.

“This would appear to be a major blow to Agnico-Eagle,” Mr. Graf said. “While Goldex is only a minority of annual production and value, it is nonetheless quite significant.”

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Rio Tinto tops hostile Cameco bid for Hathor – by Brenda Bouw (Globe and Mail – October 20, 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. Brenda Bouw is the Globe and Mail mining reporter.

A battle is shaping up between global mining giant Rio Tinto PLC and Canada’s Cameco Corp. over a promising uranium explorer in Saskatchewan, with Cameco under pressure to win as it seeks to double production of its single resource.

London-based Rio has struck a friendly deal to buy Hathor Exploration Ltd. for $578-million or $4.15 a share, topping Cameco’s hostile offer of $3.75 a share made in late August.

The companies are vying for control of Hathor’s assets in the uranium-rich Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan, where about 20 per cent of the world’s uranium is produced. Both bids come as the price of uranium, used to fuel nuclear power plants, struggles to recover from a slump since the nuclear crisis in Japan last March caused many countries to re-examine their nuclear power programs.

With the long-range belief that nuclear energy will expand in key growth countries such as China and India, Rio is looking to expand its existing uranium operations in Australia and Africa. Its offer for Hathor is the first Rio has made for a Canadian company since its ill-timed purchase of Montreal-based aluminum producer Alcan in 2007, on the eve of the global recession.

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NEWS RELEASE: Rio Tinto makes recommended all-cash offer of C$4.15 per share for Hathor Exploration

19 October 2011

• Rio Tinto to make an all-cash offer for all the common shares of Hathor for C$4.15 per common share, representing a premium of more than 55 per cent to Hathor’s unaffected closing price on 25 August 2011.

• Hathor’s board unanimously recommends shareholders accept the Rio Tinto offer.

• Hathor directors and senior management have entered into lock-up agreements with Rio Tinto and have agreed to tender all of their common shares to the Rio Tinto offer.

• The acquisition of Hathor bolsters Rio Tinto’s global uranium strategy and complements its current exploration programmes in Saskatchewan and its uranium operations elsewhere in the world.

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Can $300M save Fish Lake and B.C. mining? – by Terence Corcoran (National Post – October 20, 2011)

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.  Terence Corcoran is the editor and columnist for the Financial Post section of the National Post.

First Nations appear to threaten B.C. mining over Taseko’s Prosperity mine

The benefits of mining to Canada are well known. A news story in the Financial Post Tuesday suggests the industry’s contribution to the national economy may be too well known, even taken for granted, to the point where nobody much cares if $11-billion worth of GDP growth is blown away in a protracted battle with First Nations groups and environmentalists over Taseko Mines’ gold and copper project in British Columbia.

At the centre of the project, near Williams Lake, some 400 kilometres north of Vancouver, sits Fish Lake, a small 118-hectare body of water. Call it the $300-million lake. That’s the amount of money Taseko Mines has anted up to preserve Fish Lake in response to a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) claim that the destruction of the lake was grounds for killing the Prosperity mine. At $300-million, or $3-million per hectare, Fish Lake is likely more valuable than Lake Tahoe.

In a 250-page panel review last July, the CEAA could find few problems with Taseko’s open-pit mine project, a $1-billion investment that would create thousands of jobs over a 24-year operating period.

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