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Canada’s once largest copper mine devastated Howe Sound, here’s how it was fixed – by Mia Gordon (Yahoo News – April 21, 2021)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/

It is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Canada. The waters change from deep blue to turquoise depending on the glacier melt. From the edge of the shore the coastal mountains tower overhead, and flowing between these steep volcanic rocks is the world’s most southern fjord.

This is an image of Howe Sound: A triangular shaped inlet that joins several fjords in southwestern British Columbia. Its starting point is just northwest of Vancouver, and then its waterways open up towards the Sunshine Coast to meet at its head in Squamish.

Aside from creating a stunning landscape, the waters from the Sound also provide critical ecosystem services valued at $7.5 billion annually. It’s home to a large array of marine life including endangered species like orcas and glass sponge reefs.

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Greenland Minerals seeks talks with new gov’t over fate of rare earths project – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – April 21, 2021)

https://www.mining.com/

Australia’s Greenland Minerals (ASX: GGG) said on Wednesday it was seeking to engage in talks with Greenland’s authorities over its Kvanefjeld rare earth project, as the newly-formed government opposes the development.

The uranium and rare earths-rich Arctic island has gained notoriety in the past two years following former US President Donald Trump’s offer to buy it.

The move sought to partly help address Chinese dominance of the rare earths market, as the nation accounts for almost 80% of the global mined supply of the elements used in everything from hi-tech electronics to military equipment.

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Palladium hits record as supply shortage deepens on auto demand – by Yvonne Yue Li and Eddie Spence (Bloomberg News – April 21, 2021)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

Spot palladium surged to a record high on bets that rebounding economies will fuel automaker demand, deepening supply shortfalls of the precious metal.

Palladium, used in catalytic converters to curb emissions in gasoline-powered vehicles, rose as much as 4.8 per cent to US$2,895.96 an ounce on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record set in February 2020. Prices have climbed more than 17 per cent this year, building on five straight annual gains.

The palladium market has been in a production deficit for several years, and tighter pollution standards in Europe and China are spurring demand for the metal from automakers. Disruptions at Russian mines run by MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC, the world’s largest producer, have added to supply concerns.

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B.C. women fined for participating in global Ponzi scheme involving fake gold mines – by Tessa Vikander (CTV News – April 20, 2021)

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/

VANCOUVER — Two Metro Vancouver residents have been fined for their role in a worldwide Ponzi and pyramid scheme that duped victims into thinking they were investing in gold mines.

Monita Hung Mui Chan, of Burnaby, and Marie-Joy Vincent, of Surrey, admitted to participating in the scheme, which raised about US$15 million from more than 1,400 investors around the world.

For their part, the pair raised more than US$330,000 from 52 investors, and distributed pamphlets and application forms to potential investors, according to an April 20 ruling from the B.C Securities Commission.

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Talon Metals wants US nickel refinery – by Craig Guthrie (Mining Magazine – April 21, 2021)

https://www.miningmagazine.com/

Talon Metals has said a US-based nickel refinery will be needed to create a “Green Nickel” US supply chain for electric vehicles (EVs).

The proposed US refinery would accept feedstock from its Tamarack Nickel Project as well as recycled materials, said Talon Metals.

“I believe that there is enough nickel in the United States for nickel independence – what’s missing is a USA-based refinery that could be used to convert nickel into a final product that can be used for batteries,” said Henri van Rooyen, CEO of Talon.

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Space mining is not science fiction, and Canada could figure prominently – by Elizabeth Steyn (The Conversation – April 4, 2021)

https://theconversation.com/

In this era of climate crisis, space mining is a topic of increasing relevance. The need for a net-zero carbon economy requires a surge in the supply of non-renewable natural resources such as battery metals. This forms the background to a new space race involving nations and the private sector.

Canada is a space-faring nation, a world leader in mining and a major player in the global carbon economy. It’s therefore well-positioned to actively participate in the emerging space resources domain.

But the issues arising in this sphere are bigger than Canada, since they involve the future of mankind — on Earth and in space.

Battery metals in hot demand

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Philippines: Churches protest as government lifts mining ban (Independent Catholic News – April 21, 2021)

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/

Ahead of Earth Day, Caritas Philippines, together with several bishops and their dioceses have expressed their concern at President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to lift a nine-year moratorium on new mining deals. They warn that the move could have a catastrophic effect on poor and marginalized communities.

Duterte signed an Executive Order on 14 April, lifting a nine-year moratorium on new mining deals imposed in 2012 by former President Benigno Aquino III, who called on government authorities to check and renegotiate contracts with mining firms in cases of environmental abuse. Aquino’s moratorium also provided a respite to the environment to regenerate its depleting flora and fauna.

The moratorium had been imposed while the government worked on legislation to boost the state’s share of mining revenues. Since 2018, the excise tax on minerals has doubled to 4%. The Philippines became the top supplier of nickel ore to China and a major producer of copper and gold after Indonesia banned exports of unprocessed ore.

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Burned investor’s ‘pump and dump’ experience raises questions about IIROC – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – April 22, 2021)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

About three weeks ago, Robert Edington saw a post on the internet about Graycliff Exploration Ltd. and thought it sounded promising. The Financial News website claimed the small mining exploration company was sitting on $500-million in gold reserves and that its shares were set to jump by 500 per cent.

After watching the price of Graycliff shares run from 80 cents to $2.50 over about 10 trading sessions, Mr. Edington jumped in. “I decided to make a play on April 12,” he said. “It dropped like a rock only hours later.”

Mr. Edington, a semi-retired physician who lives in Peterborough, Ont., now realizes he was likely the victim of a “pump and dump.” In such schemes, con artists acquire shares in a thinly traded stock, and then spread false information that “pumps” up the price and volume.

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Cleanup of Rayrock, the ‘Tłı̨chǫ Giant,’ to receive public scrutiny – by Ollie Williams (Cabin Radio – April 22, 2021)

https://cabinradio.ca/

Federal plans to clean up the former Rayrock uranium mine and its surroundings will be examined at a three-day public hearing to be broadcast live by Cabin Radio next week.

The area around the mine, known as Kwetıı̨ɂ̨aà to the Tłı̨chǫ people, is in some ways the Tłı̨chǫ equivalent of Yellowknife’s Giant Mine. Both left a toxic legacy that’s complex, time-consuming and expensive to deal with.

The Rayrock mine, around 60 km northeast of Whatì, only operated from 1957 to 1959. “The Tłı̨chǫ were never informed of the dangers of uranium mining before the mine was built, or soon after it was closed,” the Tłı̨chǫ Government has said.

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Gold Miner Seeks $1 Billion From Turkey for Stalled Mine – by Taylan Bilgic (Bloomberg News – April 20, 2021)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

Canadian miner Alamos Gold Inc. said it’s pursuing a $1 billion claim against Turkey for preventing a controversial mining project from going ahead.

Two Netherlands-based Alamos units will file an investment treaty claim against Turkey for “expropriation and unfair and inequitable treatment” concerning its Kirazli gold mine project in the country, the Toronto-based parent said Tuesday in a statement.

The claim, filed under the Netherlands-Turkey Bilateral Investment Treaty, is expected to exceed $1 billion, Alamos said, adding that the amount represents the value of its Turkish assets.

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Mining association says Canada’s rare earth support too modest to displace reliance on China – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly.com – April 20, 2021)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has welcomed several expanded and refined measures proposed in the 2021 federal Budget to support the establishment and growth of a domestic battery supply chain, but CEO Pierre Gratton said specific support targeting rare earth elements (REEs) was too modest and was insufficient to displace reliance on China.

Designed to support a domestic battery electric vehicle (BEV) supply chain, the Budget that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented on Monday proposed the expansion of the Strategic Innovation Fund – Net Zero Accelerator to C$8-billion, and introduced tax incentives.

“We need battery grade nickel, cobalt, lithium and graphite and we are pleased to see programmes and tax measures that we believe can support filling or expanding domestic production of these materials,” said Gratton.

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Iron Ore Giants Challenged in Race to Meet Soaring China Demand – by James Thornhill and James Attwood (Bloomberg News – April 19, 2021)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — The world’s top two iron ore miners struggled to keep up with strong Chinese demand in the first quarter of 2021, hit by operational challenges and weather disruptions, in a positive sign for prices that are already at decade highs.

Brazil’s Vale SA churned out less ore than expected last quarter after lower productivity at one mine and a ship loader fire, with its recovery from an early-2019 tailings dam disaster proving a little slower than expected. Rio Tinto Group’s shipments were disrupted by wetter-than-average weather at its Pilbara operations in Western Australia.

Benchmark iron ore surged Monday over $180 a ton — the highest since May 2011 — following news that China’s crude steel production jumped 19% last month from a year earlier to near a record. The nation’s output of the alloy is booming at the same time as a pollution crackdown has lifted prices and benefited profit margins at mills.

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It’s Official. Nuclear Power Is ‘Appropriate and Safe’ – by Brad Bergan (Interesting Engineering – April 7, 2021)

https://interestingengineering.com/

Experts in the European Union have completed a draft declaring nuclear power a green investment, fully meeting the standards as a sustainable energy source, according to a recently shared report.

However, since this report is a draft undergoing consideration of the European Commission, the designation of nuclear power as “sustainable” may be contingent upon other, similar debates about natural gas.

Further EU scrutiny to decide whether nuclear power is green

This comes a part of the European Commission’s sustainable finance taxonomy — which decides which economic activities are sustainable investments in the E.U., or not — based on rigid environmental criteria.

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Far North snapshot: Eight companies hunting for minerals in the north – by Magda Gardner (Northern Miner – April 18, 2021)

https://www.northernminer.com/

In their search for future mines, many companies are turning to the Far North as existing resources are depleted. The North features favourable geology, mining-friendly policies and is much less explored than more established destinations to the south. Below, we provide an overview of eight companies focused on the northern portion of this continent.

Gold Terra

Gold Terra Resource (TSXV: YGT; US-OTC: YGTFF) is completing a 12,000-metre first-phase drill program at the Campbell Shear target, on grounds optioned from Newmont (TSX: NGT; NYSE: NEM). These option grounds are just south of the past-producing Con mine, and adjacent to Gold Terra’s flagship Yellowknife City gold project in the Northwest Territories, 10 km from Yellowknife.

At approximately 800 sq. km, the Yellowknife City project covers an estimated 70 km of the Campbell Shear structure. The historic Giant and Con mines nearby generated a total of 14 million gold oz. from a 7-km section of the shear zone.

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Central and Eastern European central banks are buying up gold, citing ‘rapid structural changes in the global economy’ – WGC – by Anna Golubova (Kitco News – April 20, 2021)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) After several large gold purchases by Poland and Hungary, the Central and Eastern Europe region now accounts for 17% of total global central bank gold purchases over the last three years, according to the World Gold Council.

“Decisions to purchase gold were strategic in nature, taking into account the rapid structural changes in the global economy, such as shifts in the international financial system and global consequences of the pandemic,” said Tatiana Fic, director of Central Banks and Public Policy at the World Gold Council.

In March, Hungary’s central bank tripled its gold reserves to a historic high of 94.5 tonnes. This comes after the country’s 10-fold increase in gold holdings in Q4 of 2018.

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