Jeans pulled from a 19th century shipwreck sell for a fortune: ‘Those miner’s jeans are like the first flag on the moon, a historic moment in history’ – by Scott Sonner (Associated Press/Fortune Magazine – December 9, 2022)

https://fortune.com/

Pulled from a sunken trunk at an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina, work pants that auction officials describe as the oldest known pair of jeans in the world have sold for $114,000.

The white, heavy-duty miner’s pants with a five-button fly were among 270 Gold Rush-era artifacts that sold for a total of nearly $1 million in Reno last weekend, according to Holabird Western American Collections.

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There will be no environmental shortcuts taken in the Ring of Fire, says federal minister – Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 9, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Ottawa and the provinces must work together to expedite the regulatory and permitting processes that bring new mines into production in a timely way.

But federal approvals for this industrial developments won’t be granted at the expense of cutting corners from an environmental perspective and in a manner that disrespects the rights of Indigenous people and communities.

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Rush to electric vehicles may be an expensive mistake, say climate strategists – by Don Pittis (CBC News – December 12, 2022)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/

Move to replace fossil fuel fleet with EVs is essential, but there are things to do first

With their futuristic designs and new technology, electric vehicles are the seductive consumer-friendly face of the energy transition.

As first incarnated by Tesla, the EV is increasingly seen as sleeker, slicker, faster and more stylish than traditional internal combustion engine cars and trucks that burn those dirty fossil fuels blamed for disrupting weather patterns and killing off species.

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Extortion ‘mafia’ hits SA’s R947 billion mining sector – by Felix Njini and Antony Sguazzin (Bloomberg News/News 24.com – December 2022)

https://www.news24.com/

A threatening letter, a derailed train, blocked roads, burnt vehicles, workers locked up. That’s what some of the world’s biggest mining companies say they’re battling in South Africa: Extortion.

Covid-19 plunged Africa’s most-industrialised country — home to the biggest deposits of metals ranging from platinum to chrome and manganese — into the deepest economic contraction in more than a quarter century, and its aftermath has left it with soaring inflation, one of the world’s highest unemployment rates and a collapse of local government services.

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Sudbury can help Ottawa’s critical mineral strategy, officials say – by Mia Jensen (Sudbury Star – December 10, 2022)

https://www.thesudburystar.com

Canada is home to 31 minerals that the government considers critical, including nickel

As the federal government prioritizes critical mineral extraction, local officials are emphasizing the need to take advantage of the opportunities available in Sudbury.

“Mining has always been one of Canada’s economic cornerstones,” said Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe. “Today, this sector matters more than ever. There is a growing global appreciation that a cleaner, net-zero global economy cannot be achieved without mineral extraction, specifically, critical minerals, the building blocks for the future.”

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Canada’s largest gold mine, an open pit in northern Ont., looks to expand underground – by Sergio Arangio (CTV News Northern Ontario – December 8, 2022)

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/

In one of the company’s first public addresses since merging with Kirkland Lake Gold in February and becoming the third-largest gold miner in the world (ranked by Canadian Mining Journal for the first half of 2022), Andre Leite, Agnico Eagle’s Ontario vice-president, said he sees more growth potential in northeastern Ontario.

That’s what he told local stakeholders at the Timmins chamber’s State of Mining conference Wednesday afternoon, saying there’s potential to dramatically boost output at Canada’s largest gold mine: the Detour Lake open pit.

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Ottawa vows to cut mining red tape as Canada risks falling behind in global critical minerals race – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 10, 2022)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ottawa is vowing to cut red tape in the mining sector in an attempt to move large resource projects along faster, after facing intense criticism that Canada risks being left behind in the global scramble to secure critical minerals.

In the federal government’s long-awaited critical minerals strategy, unveiled on Friday, Ottawa acknowledged that getting a Canadian mine for the minerals into production can take up to 25 years. That is far slower than other international mining jurisdictions that Canada competes against, such as Australia, in which projects are developed in a fraction of that time.

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Manitoba’s promises on mining have northern leaders hopeful – by Dave Baxter (O.Canada.com – December 10, 2022)

https://o.canada.com/

Leaders in Manitoba’s north say it can’t be understated how important the mining industry is to the region, and that is why recent promises from the premier and the province have them optimistic about the future of their communities, and the future of northern Manitoba.

During last month’s throne speech in Winnipeg, Premier Heather Stefanson claimed the Manitoba government understands and recognizes the importance of economic stability and success in northern Manitoba communities.

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Critical Minerals Strategy focuses on faster timelines, building remote infrastructure – by Blair McBride (Northern Miner – December 9, 2022)

https://www.northernminer.com/

The federal government on Friday unveiled the details of its Critical Minerals Strategy, a plan first introduced in its April budget that earmarks almost $3.8 billion over eight years to further develop Canada’s place in the global critical minerals industry.

A significant portion of the total funding — $1.5 billion — is allocated over seven years for constructing infrastructure for critical minerals projects in remote areas, such as the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario. And $40 million is set aside to support northern regulatory processes in reviewing and permitting projects.

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Turquoise Hill shareholders back Rio Tinto takeover, signalling end to a long saga – by Naimul Karim (Financial Times – December 9, 2022)

https://financialpost.com/

Mining giant keen to gain control of one of the world’s largest new copper and gold mines

Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.‘s shareholders voted in favour of Rio Tinto Ltd.’s US$3.3 billion proposal to take full control of the Montreal-based miner on Dec. 9, signalling an end to a rocky journey that included the postponement of three previous votes, multiple takeover offers from Rio, and side deals with minority owners that were abruptly terminated.

The deal will, however, need the final approval of the Supreme Court of Yukon where a hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14, the companies said. About 86.6 per cent of all votes cast and 60.5 per cent of the votes by Turquoise’s minority shareholders approved the takeover, the company said in a press release.

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For generations, Grassy Narrows residents have used the land for hunting. Now, it’s in the middle of a lawsuit between Canadian mining corporations – by Morgan Bocknek (Toronto Star – December 12, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/

Ontario has created a mess by granting mining claims on land Grassy Narrows aims to make protected Indigenous territory, First Nation’s leaders say.

Barrick Gold Corp. is embroiled in a $100-million lawsuit against two junior mining companies, as an exploration deal between the firms fell apart over a decision to pause work to respect a First Nations’ opposition to mining on what it calls territorial land.

In recent court filings, Barrick says when it first signed on to conduct exploratory drilling in a swath of land 90 kilometres north of Kenora, it was unaware of the importance of the land to Grassy Narrows First Nation. The company says it wanted to first obtain consent before proceeding with its search for gold.

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Column: Fund managers still see no reason to be bullish on copper – by Andy Home (Reuters – December 12, 2022)

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Copper’s future in the energy transition may be bright but it’s the problematic here and now that is weighing on fund managers’ minds. Money manager positioning on the CME’s copper contract shifted back to a net long at the start of November for the first time since early May.

But the change in stance has been all about covering short positions into the recent price rally, which saw London Metal Exchange three-month copper power up to a five-month high of $8,618 per tonne on Friday.

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Get tough with Canada over cross-border mining contaminants, First Nations tell U.S. – by James McCarten (Canadian Press/CP24.com – December 11, 2022)

https://www.cp24.com/

In a city of pinstripes and partisan power brokers, Mike Allison sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s in the wrong place — and he knows it. “I shouldn’t be here,” the denim-clad Indigenous elder suddenly says, fighting tears beneath the brim of his trademark cowboy hat.

“I should be out on the land, working with my kids, teaching them values. I should be teaching them kids how to work with the environment, not fight for it.” Instead, the Upper Similkameen Indian Band councillor is in a downtown D.C. boardroom, gearing up for a second day of meetings with State Department officials, bureaucrats, diplomats and members of Congress.

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Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire Will Save Province’s Auto Sector – Stan Sudol (December 07, 2022)

The isolated, nickel-rich Ring of Fire, located 550 kms northeast of Thunder Bay, is the centre-piece of Ontario’s Critical Mineral Strategy. Discovered in 2007, this developing mining camp is going to save southern Ontario’s auto sector.

Automobiles and associated parts are Ontario’s largest exports and second largest nationally, after the oil sector. Over the past century, hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in manufacturing activity have established the province as Canada’s economic powerhouse.

The move from gas powered engines to electric vehicles – one of the largest industrial transitions in North American history – must occur in record time if we are going to arrest climate change. However, this conversion cannot happen without an enormous increase in nickel, copper, lithium and other critical minerals that are used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles.

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Railveyor system hauls over 10 million tonnes at Agnico Eagle mine – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – December 6, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Sudbury mining supplier achieves milestone at Quebec mine

Sudbury’s Rail-Veyor® Technologies Global Inc. is proud to announce that the Railveyor™ TrulyAutonomous system operating at the Agnico Eagle Goldex mine in Val d’Or, Quebec, has hauled over 10 million tonnes of ore since installation and commissioning was completed in 2018.

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited announced in July 2022 that 1 million ounces of gold has been processed from the Goldex mine since 2013.

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