Republic of Mining

[Ontario] Northerners need jobs too – Stan Sudol (National Post – September 9, 2004)

August 30, 2011August 30, 2011

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

This column was originally published in 2004. How things change and how they stay the same or get worse! Ontario’s debt that year was $142-billion but will reach $283-billion in 2012 and $303-billon in 2013. In addition, the Far North Act – Bill 19 – which was passed last year, bans economic development in 225,000 square kilometers of the far north, roughly 21 per cent of Ontario’s landmass.

For some geographic perspective, that is approximately the same size as the United Kingdom minus Northern Ireland with a population of 60 million people. The enormously rich “Ring of Fire” mining camp was largely unknown. – (Stan Sudol-August30, 2011)

How many more Sudbury Basins exist in that vast northern
territory above the French and Mattawa Rivers that encompass
85% of the province’s geography? There are billions of
dollars worth of untapped mineral deposits waiting to be
developed. (Stan Sudol-September 9, 2004)

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant and mining columnist. stan.sudol@republicofmining.com

National Post – September 9, 2004

In July, Alberta Premier Ralph Kline proudly announced that his province’s massive debt has been slain However he could not have accomplished that historic feat without the development of northern Alberta’s booming oil sands economy and ensuing resource royalties. Unfortunately, Ontario, struggling with a $142-billion debt and a $100-billion infrastructure deficit, is largely ignoring the mineral rich potential of its north.

Canada en route to much stronger trade ties with China, envoy says – by Andy Hoffman (Globe and Mail – August 30, 2011)

August 30, 2011

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous impact and influence on Canada’s political and business elite as well as the rest of the country’s print, radio and television media.

…China hopes Canada will permit Chinese companies
to increase the amount of investment in Canadian
resource companies producing minerals, lumber, oil
and gas and other commodities needed to fuel
China’s fast-growing economy.

According to a recent survey by the Asia Pacific
Foundation of Canada, the vast majority of Canadians
continue to oppose Chinese state-owned enterprises
buying major Canadian companies or resource assets.

China’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s about-face regarding his country has strengthened bilateral relations and should foster a major increase in trade and investment.

Ambassador Zhang Junsai says relations between Canada and China are rapidly improving now that Ottawa has recognized the need to diversify its economic and trading focus beyond the United States and Europe. The diplomat also cited Canada’s return of a high-profile Chinese fugitive as a key milestone that will fortify the bond between the two countries.

Choking the oil sands – by Chris Sorensen, and Luiza Ch. Savage (Maclean’s Magazine – September 5, 2011)

August 30, 2011

Maclean’s is the largest circulation weekly news magazine in Canada, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.

Environmentalists are opening a new front in their war on Alberta oil—attacking pipeline projects vital to the industry’s future

Over the next few weeks, as many as 2,000 climate change protesters are expected to descend on Washington in an effort to draw more Americans into the debate over Alberta’s oil sands—one of the most carbon-intensive sources of fossil fuel on the planet. But this time, anti-oil sands groups aren’t focusing on the vast open pit mines near Fort McMurray, which one activist memorably compared to J. R. R. Tolkien’s ﬁre-spewing and charcoal-covered realm of Mordor, but on a major pipeline project that the industry needs to move forward with its expansion plans.

Supported by such high-proﬁle environmentalists and left-leaning luminaries as David Suzuki and Naomi Klein, the protesters, who will risk arrest during their White House sit-in, hope to stop President Barack Obama’s administration from approving the proposed 2,673-km Keystone XL pipeline that is being built by TransCanada Corp. and would move crude oil from northern Alberta to reﬁneries in the Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile, north of the border, anti-pipeline rallies are scheduled to take place over the next few months in Vancouver and Ottawa. In addition to the Keystone XL project, the Canadian rallies will also focus on a proposed 1,170-km pipeline, built by Enbridge Inc., that would connect northern Alberta to an oil-shipping terminal in Kitimat, B.C., running through an area that opponents claim is pristine wilderness and the habitat of a sacred species of bear.

Mining Association of Canada NEWS RELEASE: The Canadian mining opportunity: $130 Billion over the next five years

August 29, 2011

SUDBURY, ON, Aug. 25, 2011 /CNW/ – New figures from the Mining Association of Canada today estimate that approximately $130 billion worth of investment is projected over the next five years for the Canadian mining industry; including both new project and expansions to existing operations. That message was part of an address to the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce made by Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada.

“Multi-billion dollar investments are planned in virtually every province and territory of Canada. Global demand for commodities is creating opportunities not seen since the post-war boom of the 1950’s,” says Gratton. “As a global mining superpower, Canada is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity. Canada is fortunate to have a rich endowment of commodities and over the past several decades we’ve developed best-in-class expertise in extracting materials in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Joining Pierre Gratton in addressing the Sudbury audience was Chris Hodgson, President of the Ontario Mining Association. “The world needs the products of mining. Mines will be built and operated. What better place to mine than Ontario, with its responsible environmental protection, world class safety record and desire to participate in new and emerging technologies,” added Mr. Hodgson.

RCMP raid Calgary miner over bribery allegations – by Greg McArthur (Globe and Mail – August 29, 2011)

August 29, 2011

The RCMP has raided the office of a Canadian mining company in Calgary alleging in an affidavit that the company funnelled bribes into the personal bank account of a small-town Mexican mayor to ensure protection from anti-mining protesters.

On July 20, a team of Mounties executed a search warrant on the office of Blackfire Exploration Ltd., a privately owned junior whose operations in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas have been embattled since 2009, when a vocal opponent of its barite mine was murdered in a drive-by shooting.

The company has not been charged with a crime and says it is co-operating fully with the RCMP investigation, which is part of a broader effort by the Mounties to enforce Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act – the law that forbids the payment of bribes abroad.

Gabriel Resources sees progress on Romanian gold project – by Eric Reguly (Globe and Mail – August 29, 2011)

August 29, 2011

Since its launch in the late 1990s, Toronto-listed Gabriel Resources Ltd. has had no fewer than six CEOs, each of whom vowed to turn Romania’s Rosia Montana deposit into Europe’s biggest gold mine. They all failed.

Boss No. 7, Jonathan Henry, believes he will be the one to break the extraordinary run of bad luck and bad strategy. So far the effort has seen the company spend $500-million (U.S.) with little to show for it beyond a mining museum in Romania’s Transylvania region and a small army of dedicated opponents, ranging from film stars to local farmers, who want to see the project killed off.

Mr. Henry, the chief executive officer of African gold miner Avocet Mining until he landed at Gabriel last year, thinks the project finally has momentum, and not just because gold has tripled in price to nearly $1,800 an ounce since early 2007.

Eager to take advantage of such high-flying prices, gold miners around the world are pushing into politically risky or sensitive areas and often must overcome deep opposition to building new mines.

NEWS RELEASE: Webequie First Nation introduces its Ring of Fire Senior Director

August 29, 2011

August 29 2011, Thunder Bay, ON. – Today, Webequie First Nation introduced Michael Fox, President of Fox High Impact Consulting, as Webequie’s Ring of Fire Senior Director. Fox will be working to ensure a community-driven approach and community-based opportunities related to the development of the Ring of Fire are recognized and realized by companies and governments.

Michael Fox has a wealth of experience in community initiatives, enterprise development, and government relations. He is well known locally, regionally, and nationally as a board member of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB). He obtained a post-secondary education in business administration and an honours degree in political science, primarily focused on natural resource development in Ontario and Aboriginal law.

“The Webequie First Nation Council welcomes Michael in his new and important role,” says Chief Cornelius Wabasse. “His strategic thinking, business acumen, and community focus will definitely be an asset for Webequie as it continues to develop its role in the Ring of Fire.

Stan Sudol/RepublicOfMining.com profile in Fortunes Found – by Michael Barnes

April 5, 2015August 28, 2011

Michael Barnes is the author of more than fifty books about characters, communities, mining, and police work. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and makes his home in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. While living in Northern Ontario most of his life, he has come to know and admire those who make their living in the mining industry.

To order a copy of “Fortunes Found – Canadian Mining Success” go to: General Store Publishing House

Stan Sudol with his blog “The Republic of Mining.com” does the industry a great service by bringing out topical and historical articles. (Michael Barnes – Fortunes Found: Canadian Mining Success – 2010)

In 2006, the City of Greater Sudbury Development Corporation enlisted the support and input of various community, business, and labour groups to form a task force on the future of the local mining industry. When the group came to put its conclusions into print form, it turned to a local son now resident in Toronto.

Stan Sudol is a writer and consults on mining issues. Since he has written extensively on Sudbury mining and the nickel industry, he was chosen to author “Claiming Our Stake — Building a Sustainable Community.”

The paper has become Sudbury’s policy core regarding the mining industry. With a century of experience in mining, the city is a most welcome place for all aspects of the industry. The major companies, all levels of government, and the various communities must support moves in the area of training, innovation and research, and reclamation.

HISTORICAL: How will Sudbury mines compete – John Ibbitson (Sudbury Star/Southam Newspapers – November 9, 1996)

August 28, 2011August 28, 2011

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

Please note: Voisey’s Bay nickel reserves have subsequently been proven to be much, much less than the legendary Sudbury Basin. Furthermore, the commitment to mining robotics was significantly reduced and Voisey’s Bay did not start commercial production until 2005. – Stan Sudol

Voisey’s Bay raises the question

A student who wants to graduate with a mining engineering degree from Sudbury’s Laurentian University must be able to sit in a room and pilot a miniature truck with a television camera strapped to it along the university’s corridors.

Some believe Sudbury’s ultimate fate rests on this skill.

Sudbury has reigned for a century as the nickel capital of the world. Even today, despite new mines that have opened around the globe, the Sudbury basin and its 17 mines account for about 11 per cent of the world’s total nickel supply. And there are an estimated 30 to 80 years of reserves left, depending on what new ore bodies are discovered.

But every year, the miners must delve deeper to get at the ore, making that ore ever more expensive.

HISTORICAL: The stuff of dreams in Kirkland Lake – Bill Twatio (Toronto Star – January 16, 1998)

August 28, 2011

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada, primarily in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

The Tech-Hughes ore conveyor used to pass over the road into town proudly bearing the slogan, “Welcome To Kirkland Lake – On The Mile of Gold.”

The conveyor and the mine are gone now, along with the Lake Shore Mine, Wright-Hargreaves, Sylvanite, Toburn, Tough-Oaks, and most of the gold. Hard times have come to this once-flourishing mining town 600 km north of Toronto. Recently, the town has been reduced to promoting a plan that would see millions of tones of Toronto garbage dumped into an abandoned mine pit. The old-timers would weep.

They were a feisty lot with a common contempt for things southern. Toronto-bashing was endemic. There was Harry Oaks, who arrived broke after prospecting around the world, struck gold, and brought in the Lake Shore Mine which made him the richest man in Canada. As Sir Harry, the most taxed, he moved on to the Bahamas, where he was spectacularly murdered in 1943.

[Port Radium uranium mining] They Never Told Us These Things – Julie Salverson ( Magazine – Summer 2011)

December 11, 2016August 28, 2011

Maisonneuve is a Montreal-based general interest magazine that publishes a wide range of Canadian and international topics about culture and politics. It is named after Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montreal.

A mine in the Northwest Territories provided much of the uranium used during the Manhattan Project—unbeknownst to the indigenous people who worked there.

Long ago, there was a famous rock called Somba Ke—“The Money Place”—on the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. Loud noises came from this place and it was bad medicine to pass near it. In the old days, a group of caribou hunters camped at Somba Ke for a night. One of them—a man named Ehtséo Ayah, known in his community as “Grandfather”—had a dream and saw many strange things: men with white faces climbing into a big hole in the ground, a great flying bird, a big stick dropped on people far away. This would happen sometime in the future, after we are all gone, the prophet said. In his vision, everyone died. Everyone burned.

Theresa Baton recounts this tale, recorded by the elder George Blondin, as we sit in her narrow, smoky trailer. There is a framed photo of Ayah on the sideboard. Baton is a strikingly beautiful woman, as slender and fit as her husband, Peter. They are two of the few Dene grandparents left alive in Déline, an indigenous community of several hundred people in the Northwest Territories.

In the waning days of World War II, the people of Déline and the white miners working at nearby Port Radium ferried bags of uranium ore from the Eldorado mine—where Somba Ke once sat—across Great Bear Lake. The ninety-pound sacks were carried on men’s backs, loaded onto boats and transported about two thousand kilometres south to Alberta. The crushed ore was refined in Port Hope, Ontario. Then it was sent to the Manhattan Project in New Mexico, where it was used to develop the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Few Canadians know about their country’s role in one of history’s most destructive acts of war.

Be Not Afraid of Greatness or Sudbury: A Cosmic Accident – by Kenneth Hayes (Part 2 of 2)

August 27, 2011August 27, 2011

Sudbury-born Kenneth Hayes currently teaches architectural history at the University of Toronto.

This essay was commissioned by the Musagetes Foundation on the occasion of the Musagetes Sudbury Cafe. It appears in the book Sudbury: Life in a Northern Town / Sudbury: au nord de notre vie.

Musagetes is a private foundation based in Guelph, Ontario which seeks to transform contemporary life by working with artists, cultural mediators, public intellectuals and other partners to develop new approaches to building community and culture.

Kenneth Hayes – Be Not Afraid of Greatness or Sudbury: A Cosmic Accident (Part 2 of 2)

Sudbury’s development displays some of these features in their later, more advanced forms. The “I” in Inco’s name proclaimed the venture international, but the dominant company in the exploitation of Sudbury’s ore reserves was essentially American. Inco may nominally have been based in Toronto, but Canada’s role in this relationship was at best that of junior partner in a kind of corporate suzerainty.

Falconbridge, the newer and smaller corporation in Sudbury, generally enjoyed a better reputation than Inco, but it was not that different. In fact, the rivalry between Inco and Falconbridge over the course of the twentieth century often had the unreal air of a duopoly — the minimum diversity required to maintain the appearance of open competition while colluding for the same ends. (11) In the last decade, Inco and Falconbridge were purchased, respectively, by the giant mining corporations Vale, from Brazil, and Xstrata, from Switzerland. This situation is still regarded (not without some degree of xenophobia) as abnormal, but the truth is that Sudbury has never really ruled itself.

Understandably, diversification has been Sudbury’s cultural and economic mandate in recent decades. Fuelled by the North’s long-standing regionalist grievances, the city went through a phase of public investment that resulted in the creation of the Taxation Data Centre, Science North and improved health-care and educational facilities, but there are now signs that vigorous private initiative is rising from the thrall of the mines, and doing so in Sudbury’s own inimitable way.

Be Not Afraid of Greatness or Sudbury: A Cosmic Accident – by Kenneth Hayes (Part 1 of 2)

August 27, 2011August 27, 2011

Sudbury-born Kenneth Hayes currently teaches architectural history at the University of Toronto.

Kenneth Hayes – Be Not Afraid of Greatness or Sudbury: A Cosmic Accident (Part 1 of 2)

Sudbury is not ugly, as the old “moonscape” slur has it, nor is it beautiful, as its boosters claim, pointing to the city’s many lakes. At once awesome and terrible, harsh and majestic, Sudbury lies beyond the register of ugly and beautiful. The place can only be described as sublime, for Sudbury is a phenomenon as much as it is a city.

This status is revealed by the fundamental confusion about its name, which never makes clear what is nominated: the city itself, the larger region, the Sudbury Basin on which the city is perched, the fact of the mines, or even the reputation of the place. Without proper limits, one signifier encompasses all of these identities.

Sudbury is, in the final analysis, the slow unfolding of a cosmic accident. The nickel ore that fuelled the city’s development was deposited in a vast cataclysm, the impact of a meteorite that would have destroyed all life on earth — had there been any. But this occurred so long ago that life did not yet exist on earth. (1) The shock was so great that seismologists can still detect its faint reverberation — planet Earth literally quivers with the pangs of Sudbury’s birth.