Lack of Mining Oversight Jeopardizes the Far North – Environmental Commissioner of Ontario News Release

Toronto, 22 September 2010 – The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario says mining service companies are using claim staking, exploration, and related activities to circumvent the government’s promise to protect half the boreal forest in the Far North. In his 2009/2010 annual report released today, Gord Miller says this is putting the fragile environment of northern Ontario at risk.

Last year, two lines of mining claims hundreds of kilometres long were staked by mining exploration companies to accommodate future rail access leading out of the Ring of Fire, an area known to contain gold, diamonds and potentially the largest source of chromite in North America. “Using mining claims to cut rail lines across a giant swath of the boreal forest nullifies any reasonable discussion about how to plan the protection and the development of northern Ontario,” says Miller.

“Furthermore, the government’s silence on this staking implies that it approves this as appropriate under the Mining Act and its proposed Far North Act.”

The report also found that ineffective government oversight allowed service companies to illegally construct a mining camp and airstrips without approval.

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Balance in Far North Bill – Toronto Star September 19, 2010 Editorial Comment on McGuinty Liberal’s “Far North Bill”

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on Canada’s federal and provincial politics as well as shaping public opinion. This editorial was originally published on September 19, 2010.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Beyond romantic notions of caribou running wild across endless tundra, most Ontarians know very little about the northernmost 40 per cent of our province.

Much of the land is barren and beautiful, but it is also facing increasing pressure for development; logging, mining and power companies all see great potential there. The First Nations, who have long called the region home, need a say in determining the future of the land and an assurance that they will benefit economically from its development.

The province, on the other hand, needs to balance these interests with environmental protections for the northern boreal region, a globally significant ecosystem. The provincial government’s Far North Act, Bill 191, would achieve that balance.

So it is unfortunate that the chiefs of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) territory are threatening that there will be “no peace on the land” if the government passes the bill in the coming days.

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McGuinty Headed for a Northern [Ontario] Showdown – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun-September 16, 2010)

Christina Blizzard is the Queen’s Park columnist for the Toronto Sun, the city’s daily tabloid newspaper.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

The Liberals’ Far North Act will kill the ‘economic equivalent of another Sudbury’

When mayors, chambers of commerce and aboriginal groups from across the north all converge on Queen’s Park, you know there’s trouble brewing.

That happened Wednesday, as anger over the government’s Far North Act boiled over from the wide landscapes of the north, its boreal forests and mines to the manicured southern lawns of Queen’s Park.

New Democrat Gilles Bisson stormed out of a committee hearing on Bill 191, calling the process a “sham.” He’d asked that the bill not be called for third reading and the government go back to the drawing board.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy, usually a moderate, angrily declared aboriginal people will take “direct action” to protect their rights.

“We will do whatever is necessary to protect our interests, and if that calls for direct action, that’s what’s going to take place,” Beardy said.

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Liberals should rethink the [Ontario’s] Far North Act – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun-August 19, 2010)

Christina Blizzard is the Queen’s Park columnist for the Toronto Sun, the city’s daily tabloid newspaper.

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Northerners don’t expect government hand-outs, or intrusive legislation from a remote provincial government in the south

The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. Similarly, it seems the highway to God’s country ends in a dead-end created by well-meaning but wrong-headed do-gooders.

Northern Ontario has spectacular landscapes, vast mineral riches, untold tourism potential and resilient, self-reliant folk.

While northerners don’t expect government hand-outs, they also don’t expect intrusive legislation from a remote provincial government in the south.

Yet that’s what’s happening with the Far North Act, which would put half the land north of the 51st parallel out of bounds for development. Worse, the government hasn’t said which 50% of land is off the table.
That uncertainty means mining companies are thinking twice before they invest in the north.

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Canada’s Business News Network (BNN) Profiles the World-Class Sudbury Mining Basin – Stan Sudol

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant, who writes extensively about mining issues.(stan.sudol@republicofmining.com) Toronto-based Business News Network (BNN) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel owned by CTVglobalmedia. BNN airs business and financial programming and analysis. You can’t go anywhere in Toronto’s financial district without seeing BNN broadcasting on television screens. On September 17, 2010, …

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Ten Richest Mining Districts in the World – by Stan Sudol

Attention Readers: This column was originally published in 2004. A lot has changed and many new discoveries have been made. Is this list still accurate? Please send in your revised lists and reasons for the revisions and I will be happy to post them. In addtion, if someone can supply me with the top ten richest gold, zinc, iron ore, silver, copper, nickel etc. mining regions, I would post them as well. (The lists can only include currently operating mines.) Please note, unless you object, I will include your names.

Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant, who writes extensively about mining issues.(stan.sudol@republicofmining.com)

Mines that would make King Solomon happy

What is the richest mining camp in the world? Finding out where the most valuable deposits are and if any Canadian sites would make a top 10 list is not easy.

The main issue when identifying a top mineral-producing region or deposit is how big an area do you include? The term “mining camp” appears to be a distinctly Canadian definition that describes a small area. Most of the mining world defines mineralized areas as belts, basins, provinces and districts.

For the sake of this comparison, I have taken “journalistic license” with my boundary definitions that some geologists may disagree with. However, my reason for putting together the article was to put the value of northern Ontario’s mineral resources in a global context, so please tolerate this “apples and oranges” comparison.

This list does not include coal, industrial minerals or diamonds. It is graded by value of commercially extractable metals including historical production and known reserves. In addition, the deposits must still be in operation.

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Xstrata Chief Executive Officer Mick Davis on Sustainability in 2010

The following excerpt by Xstrata Chief Executive Officer Mick Davis is from the
2009 Xstrata Sustainability Report. The full report is available at:
Xstrata Sustainability Report 2009

Chief Executive’s Report

“Xstrata’s objective is to create value for its shareholders in a sustainable
manner, minimising our environmental impact, working in collaboration
with communities and other groups and prioritising the health and safety
of our workforce over production or profits.” – Xstrata CEO Mick Davis

At Xstrata, we have always recognised that our long-term success
depends on our ability to demonstrate that we are responsible stewards
of the natural resources we mine and use in our operations and of the
broader environment in which we operate. We must equally demonstrate
to communities and host nations that our presence delivers sustainable
benefits that extend beyond simply providing jobs or paying taxes. If we
can achieve this, we will continue to secure access to new resources and
sources of capital, employ and retain the best people, manage risk,
reduce costs and create and seize business opportunities.

Our strategy of growth to create sustainable value for our owners has
been primarily delivered through a series of major and bolt-on acquisitions
in recent years, followed in each case by the rapid integration of acquired
operations and a focus on improving their performance. Our Statement
of Business Principles and Sustainable Development policy and assurance
programme ensure that, within a decentralised business, every operation
and project is managed to consistent international standards.

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Mick Davis, Xstrata CEO’s Speech – Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Metals & Mining Conference, Miami, USA, May 11, 2010

The fundamentals underpinning the positive secular trend for our sector remain intact.
Urbanisation and industrialisation of one third of the world’s population in populous
developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and Indonesia, continues apace despite
the financial crisis and the slow but ongoing recovery underway in the OECD.- Xstrata
CEO, Mick Davis, May 11, 2010

An accompanying slide deck is available here: http://www.xstrata.com/content/assets/pdf/x_speech_201005111_boaml.pdf

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

At the outset I would like to record my thanks to our hosts Bank of America Merrill Lynch
for their invitation and for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the state
of the mining industry and Xstrata today.

It seems that each time I stand here before you the industry is buffeted by a set of
forces which, apart from keeping boredom at bay, are increasing the level of complexity
for investors and management alike. Interestingly, the majority of these forces have
their source in some kind of government or political initiative. But such is the law of
unintended consequences that these government interventions often result in a poor
outcome for all.

Let us not forget, for example, that while bankers are quite rightly criticised for their
role in the global financial crisis, some of the roots of the crisis lay in a politically
inspired intervention designed to broaden home ownership and sub-prime mortgage
provision was encouraged and for some mandated. I have no doubt the US
politicians had not the faintest inkling that their well-intended intervention in the supply
of credit to the housing market would be a key factor in the deepest global recession
since the Great Depression, the after-effects of which we will experience for many years
to come.

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Xstrata Nickel Chief Executive Officer Ian Pearce on Sustainability in 2010

Xstrata Nickel CEO Ian Pearce

The following excerpt by Xstrata Nickel Chief Executive Officer Ian Pearce is from the 2010 Xstrata Nickel sustainability report. The full report is available at: Our Approach to Sustainability-Xstrata Nickel

DEAR STAKEHOLDERS,

At Xstrata Nickel, we recognize sustainability as fundamental to our long-term success and connected to everything we do. We believe that we must take a principled approach to doing business and continually balance economic, social and environmental considerations in order to create value today and for generations to come. To this end, we have clearly defined Xstrata Nickel’s Vision and Values, as well as a set of Behaviours and Leadership Traits, to guide our actions in all circumstances and through all business cycles.

These guiding principles shaped our responses during the global economic crisis of the past couple of years, as customer demand collapsed. We made some bold decisions in placing sites on care and maintenance and deferring certain growth projects in order to ensure that Xstrata Nickel remained financially robust while preparing for the future. As a result, the organization now operates from a much lower cost base. We are also developing and optimizing a leading growth portfolio through projects such as Nickel Rim South and Koniambo, and have attractive future growth options at Kabanga, Fraser Morgan, Sinclair and other projects.

As we restructured our business, our first priority was to ensure that displaced employees were treated fairly and respectfully. In places such as the Dominican Republic, we stepped up our tree-planting program and were able to offer many employees jobs planting trees instead of mining. In Sudbury, we offered early retirement incentive programs to lessen the impact of moving high cost, end-of-life mines to care and maintenance.

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Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) Receives $1 Million to Support Labour Market Research – by Ryan Montpellier

Ryan Montpellier is the Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)

On September the 17th, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, announced funding of $1 million to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) in support of mining-related labour market information (LMI), under the Council’s Mining Workforce Information Network (MIWIN) project. The funding will be used to build a counter cyclical strategy for industry, enhance supply side information and establish a mining LMI centre of excellence, all requested by industry. 

Launched in 2007, MIWIN now provides accurate and timely labour-market information to the mining industry and its stakeholders. This entails forecasting future hiring requirements in the sector, by occupation and region, based on a number of factors including productivity, turnover, retirement rates and fluctuations in commodity prices — the largest driver of employment in the sector. 

The Canadian mining industry faces several labour market challenges and tens of thousands of skilled positions must be filled in the next decade to keep the industry robust. Despite impressive increases in the participation of various demographic groups (e.g., Aboriginal peoples, women and new Canadians), employers are still faced with an aging workforce and a looming labour shortage.

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Russian Hydrology Student Particpates in De Beers Peatlands Reseach at Northern Ontario Diamond Mine

Russian Hydrology Student Yulia Orlova at De Beers Canada's Victor Diamond Mine

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.

Russian graduate student Yulia Orlova hopes to take lessons she is learning about muskeg at De Beers Canada’s Victor Mine home to better understand the dynamics of  Siberian peatlands.  She came to Canada last year and started her Masters in Geography at the University of Toronto.  Ms. Orlova is researching the impact of mine dewatering and mercury in peatlands under the direction of U of T professor Brian Branfireun.  This is one of the major research projects De Beers Canada’s Victor Mine is helping to sponsor.   

The 26 year old native of St. Petersburg graduated from St. Petersburg State University with a degree in hydrology.  She worked for three years both for the Russian government and a non-governmental environmental agency before continuing her studies in Canada. 

“There is expertise in Canada on peatlands and funding support and there were more opportunities to do research in my area.” – Russian Hydrology Student Yulia Orlova

“I wanted to come to Canada to study here,” said Ms. Orlova.  “There is expertise in Canada on peatlands and funding support and there were more opportunities to do research in my area.”  To complete her thesis on the hydrology of the James Bay lowlands, she collects and tests water samples from streams around the mine site and carries out analysis of the results and examines water chemistry.

Along with the academic component of her studies, Ms. Orlova, like all students and professors on the Victor site, is regularly engaged in safety training and orientation sessions. 

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De Beers Canada Victor Diamond Mine Doubles as Environmental Research Station

A casual observer could be forgiven for confusion over whether De Beers Canada’s Victor operation is Ontario’s first diamond mine, or a high-tech, sub-Arctic scientific research centre.  The mine itself has 13 employees dedicated to environment related jobs and at any time there could be at least 15 researchers on site.  Much of this ground breaking scientific work is related to commitments made in impact-benefit agreements with local First Nations.

In collaboration with five Canadian universities and various components of government, the Victor mine, which is located 1,070 kilometres north of Toronto near Attawapiskat, supports a number of independent but inter-related scientific research projects.  The mine invests $3.1 million annually in rehabilitation and environmental monitoring studies. 

Laurentian University, Queen’s University, University of Western Ontario, University of Waterloo and University of Toronto are all involved in various components of these research projects.  Professors along with PhD and Masters candidates from various disciplines are contributing to the advancement of knowledge about the James Bay lowlands and its ecology – knowledge that is shared for future benefit.

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Elliot Lake Uranium Mining History – Our Wild Atomic City – by Alan Phillips (Originally Published in Maclean’s Magazine – May 25, 1957)

Denison Mine was the largest uranium deposit in Elliot Lake, Ontario.

Here’s a Graphic Picture of Ontario’s Elliot Lake

A billion-dollar order for uranium
A $300-million spending spree to fill it
A lawless horde of transients
A Communist struggle to control mine workers
A serious outbreak of disease

Just off the Trans-Canada Highway skirting Lake Huron’s north shore, a buried vein of ore snakes north through the Algoma Basin in the shape of an upside-down S. It curves for ninety miles beneath the pineclad granite knolls, a mother lode that is spawning eleven giant uranium mines in the greatest eruption of growth since gold gave birth to Dawson City.

The hub of these mines is a chaotic city-to-be called Elliot Lake. Twenty-two months ago it was just a stand of timber dividing two lakes, so wild that a bulldozer leveling brush ran over a large black bear. Today it’s a prime example of a boom town, familiar symbol of dynamic growth – and trouble.

For a couple of months this spring Elliot Lake made headlines that had nothing to do with uranium. An outbreak of jaundice packed ninety victims into nearby Blind River’s 59-bed hospital. About three hundred cases were reported before the disease began to wane early last month. Provincial health officials insisted that the outbreak did not rate as an epidemic while union officials were demanding the mines shut down until the sewage system was improved.

Infectious disease is an age-old bugbear of the boom town, which has its other ageless features. It is the nation in miniature with its time span speeded up as in a silent movie.

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Doug Morrison Joins CEMI Team to Help Expand Organization’s Mandate for Mining Innovation

The Sudbury-based Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) conducts research and development for the mining sector. CEMI strives to establish excellence in strategic areas of research such as deep mining, mineral exploration, integrated mine engineering, environmental and sustainability as highlighted in the 2009 Annual Report (www.miningexcellence.ca). CEMI is becoming an international centre for world-class, industry-focused research and innovation, advancing state-of-the-art concepts, processes and methodologies in support of the regional, national and international exploration and mining industries, and providers of mining services and supplies.

Sudbury, ON – On September 8, 2010, the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), held its third Annual General Meeting (AGM) which highlighted the significant progress made by the organization in advancing mineral exploration and mining-related research during the past year. CEMI proudly announced that mining veteran, Doug Morrison will be joining the CEMI team as the Deputy Director. Mr. Morrison will begin his duties on November 1st, 2010.

As Deputy Director, one of Mr. Morrison’s objectives will be to build stronger relationships and effective collaboration among Ontario’s mining Research & Development (R&D) agencies, and from there, with national and international organizations. Over the years, he has worked with Canadian industry, academic and government research institutions, including CAMIRO, MIRARCO, and CEMI, to deliver innovation to the mining industry, and it is anticipated this will enable CEMI to expand the range of technical issues supported through R&D.

Mr. Morrison has 15 years experience in underground mine operations, and 15 years working as a consultant, including four years as global mining leader for Golder Associates, bringing international experience and a broad understanding of all of the issues confronting the industry globally.

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Revenue Sharing is Only Fair, but Not All First Nations are Treated Fairly – by David Hill

David Hill is director and senior advisor of GMG Consulting Services. Reach him at david@gmgconsulting.ca. He has over 18 years of experience as a manager, senior policy advisor, project manager, program developer, communications coordinator and issues management advisor to the provincial government, Aboriginal communities and organizations, and private sector clients across British Columbia. He is a highly skilled and experienced facilitator, trainer, supervisor, planner, public speaker and writer and has professional training in project management and public speaking.

In addition to his direct experience with Aboriginal communities, Hill has also worked as a senior advisor and manager for Aboriginal relations for the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, during which time he facilitated engagement between Aboriginal communities and the mining and petroleum development industries, and negotiated consultation, accommodation and benefit sharing agreements between Aboriginal communities and the provincial government.

Commentary

British Columbia’s first agreements to share mining revenue with three First Nations are being hailed as “game changers” and “the new standard for participation.”

These are indeed important agreements to be celebrated, and the leaders of the Stk’emlupsemc and Tk’emlups First Nations and the McLeod Lake Indian Band who negotiated the Economic Development Agreements should be commended for their efforts and the benefits they are bringing to their communities.  First Nations communities and their members deserve to benefit from an industry that generates more than $300 million a year in tax revenues and royalties in British Columbia.

However, the agreements touted by the Government as “historic”, should not necessarily represent the new standard.

In fact, there is a serious flaw in the system.

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