Republic of Mining

First Nations seek billions for broken treaty, but Ontario says it owes no money – by Sean Fine (Globe and Mail – February 2, 2023)

February 3, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Indigenous communities are in court seeking billions of dollars in compensation after almost 150 years of receiving small annual payments in return for ceding an area the size of France. But the Ontario government is arguing they are owed nothing, or at most $34-million.

The wide divergence in claims was on display this week in an unprecedented court hearing in Sudbury, Ont., whose purpose is to determine how much the Crown owes for breaking a treaty promise to share wealth produced by the natural resources of a vast area in Northern Ontario.

Indigenous-led EAs are on the horizon – by Alisha Hiyate (Northern Miner – October 28, 2022)

February 3, 2023

https://www.northernminer.com/

At the recent Indigenous Led Projects Forum in Toronto in late September — the first event of its kind — co-host Michael Fox shared some of the big changes that he’s seen in Canada’s Indigenous communities over his lifetime.

The 54-year-old said it wasn’t until the 1980s that an Indigenous family member owned a car —¬¬ a symbol of success. Later, the high water mark was the first Indigenous person he knew who owned their own house.

Rare earth minerals could help in climate change fight, but mining raises environmental concerns: expert (CBC News Saskatchewan – January 31, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/

Vital Metals plant in Saskatoon will process rare earth elements mined in Northwest Territories

While rare earth minerals are now being touted as a key part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, there are environmental concerns in extracting these minerals from the ground, says an expert in environmental considerations around mining.

Demand is growing for rare earth elements — a group of 17 metallic elements that tend to occur in the same ore deposits and are used in batteries for everything from vehicles to smartphones.

Peru’s political crisis puts mining in the crosshairs – by Alisha Hiyate (Northern Miner – February 1, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.northernminer.com/

Peru’s ongoing political crisis spells more trouble for miners in the world’s No. 2 copper producing nation, following two years marked by increasingly frequent protests targeting the industry.

The country was thrown into turmoil on Dec. 7, when former president Pedro Castillo was removed from office after less than a year and half on the job, after trying to dissolve Congress. The leftist Castillo, who made the move hours before he was set to face a third impeachment vote by the divided Congress, was impeached anyway, and has been arrested and charged with rebellion and conspiracy.

How a Soviet nuclear site could be key to Europe’s EV market – by Ott Tammik (Bloomberg News – February 1, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

On the edge of Sillamae, a town of just over 12,000 people in northeast Estonia, sits a grassy hill with a secret. It’s here, on the Baltic Sea coast close to the Russian border, where the past is buried. And it’s here, according to one company, where the future lies if Europe wants to loosen China’s grip on the supply of components to industries seen as critical to the continent’s economy.

The artificial mound covers a radioactive pond from when the town covertly processed uranium for the Soviet nuclear industry until 1989. Today, the adjacent facilities are home to oil and fertilizer storage terminals, but also the only major processing plant outside Asia for rare earth metals used in the automotive industry.

Teck misses copper guidance, expects more extreme weather events – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – February 1, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

Teck misses copper and steelmaking coal output goals

Extreme weather events hurt Teck Resources Ltd. in 2022 as the Vancouver-based miner missed its copper and steelmaking coal output goals, the company said on Jan. 31.

The miner produced 65,400 tonnes of copper in its fourth quarter that ended on Dec. 31, pushing its overall annual production to 270,500 tonnes in 2022. That was lower than its estimate of 273,000 to 290,000 tonnes. In 2021, the company produced 72,000 tonnes of copper in its fourth quarter and 287,000 tonnes overall.

Junior miner looks to revive Kenora-area cobalt mine – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – January 31, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Australian-listed High-Tech Metals zeros in on Werner Lake deposits

A pop-up junior mining company will take a fresh crack at putting a former Kenora-area cobalt mine back into production.

High-Tech Metals, an Australian-listed exploration company, recently closed its acquisition of the Werner Lake cobalt and copper project in a cash-and-share deal with multinational Global Energy Metals, according to a Jan. 23 news release.

Congo is being ‘martyred’ for its natural resources. Will Pope Francis challenge the US, China? – by Christopher White (National Catholic Reporter – January 31, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.ncronline.org/

Could the world’s smallest state, the Vatican, effectively put pressure on the world’s two leading superpowers, China and the United States, during Pope Francis’ three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo? Yes — hopefully — according to some of the country’s Catholic leaders who are also environmental experts and advocates.

“There’s a race between China and the U.S. because of critical natural resources like lithium, cobalt and copper,” said Congolese Jesuit Fr. Jacques Nzumbu. “To win the competition, you need these minerals. And Congo is suffering because of this competition.”

NAL offtakes in the pipeline – Piedmont – by Esmarie Iannucci (MiningWeekly – February 1, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.miningweekly.com/

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The joint venture (JV) partners of the North American Lithium (NAL) operation, in Quebec, are hoping to finalise offtake agreements over the project by the end of March this year.

Global lithium developer Piedmont Lithium president and CEO Keith Phillips told Mining Weekly Online that at 130 000 t/y, Piedmont would be the biggest buyer of NAL product, of which nearly half would be sold to third-party buyers.

Alaska gold, copper mine blocked over environmental worries – by Becky Bohrer and Patrick Whittle (Associated Press – February 1, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://apnews.com/

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took an unusually strong step Tuesday and blocked a proposed mine heralded by backers as the most significant undeveloped copper and gold resource in the world because of concerns about its environmental impact on a rich Alaska aquatic ecosystem that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

The move, cheered by Alaska Native tribes and environmentalists and condemned by some state officials and mining interests, deals a heavy blow to the proposed Pebble Mine. The intended site is in a remote area of southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.

Uranium price expected to rise in 2023 on nuclear power revival – by Bruno Venditti (Mining.com – January 31, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

There will likely be a further recovery of uranium prices in 2023 as nuclear energy regains popularity, was the sentiment among uranium specialists who spoke on Monday at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC).

With several of the world’s most developed countries announcing plans to extend the life of their existing nuclear power plants and some expanding their fleets, there was an optimistic buzz at VRIC.

Are metals headed for a golden age? – by Nelson Bennett (Business In Vancouver – January 30, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://biv.com/

Resource investors predict gold prices could hit record high this year

Gold prices could break an all-time high in 2023 and the outlook for “every single metal on the periodic table” is incredibly bullish, which could be very good for the junior exploration sector.

Those were some of the prognostications Monday at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, which followed on the heels of last week’s Association of Mineral Exploration (AME) Roundup conference, attended by close to 6,000 people from around the world.

Russian Mercenaries Are Destabilizing Africa – by Colin P. Clarke (New York Times – January 31, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/

One of the groups that have risen to international prominence (or infamy) with the invasion of Ukraine is Wagner, a Kremlin-backed mercenary outfit that regularly employs former criminals. In Ukraine, they often fight when conventional Russian Army troops flee the battlefield, and they are noted for their brutality.

But it’s Wagner’s activities in Africa, especially the geopolitically important Sahel region, that require closer attention. Formed in 2014 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime loyalist of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Wagner was created to support Russia’s initial foray into Ukraine nine years ago.

Nickel Gets Fresh Supply Risk as Philippines Mulls Export Tax – by Manolo Serapio Jr and Andreo Calonzo (Bloomberg News – January 30, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://www.bloomberg.com/

The Philippines, the world’s second-biggest nickel supplier, may follow neighboring Indonesia by taxing exports of the metal, adding to supply uncertainties as the market adjusts to a wave of new demand from electric vehicles.

The Southeast Asian nation is considering fees on exports among measures to encourage investment in processing plants, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said in an interview in her office on Monday.

Japan ups the ante on defence spending – by Derek H. Burney (National Post -January 24, 2023)

February 1, 2023

https://nationalpost.com/

Germany and Japan are injecting needed spine into the security posture of America’s allies. But where is Canada?

Shortly after Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared that, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany would bolster defence spending for national and regional security, the Japanese government released its long-awaited military strategy for the next decade.

Japan labelled China as its “biggest security challenge” and declared that it would increase military spending dramatically to US$51.4 billion in 2023 and a total of US$318 billion over five years “to deal with the most severe and complex security environment since World War II.” This marks a significant shift from its military’s previous defensive-only postwar posture.