Republic of Mining

Philippine nickel producer DMCI sees tough year with mine shut, inventory declining (Reuters U.K. – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://uk.reuters.com/

MANILA, March 21 (Reuters) – Philippine nickel producer DMCI Mining Corp, a unit of conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc, on Thursday said it expected 2019 to be a tough year, with one of its two mines still suspended and its inventory almost depleted.

DMCI’s mines, operated by subsidiaries Berong Nickel Corp and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp, were among those ordered shut in 2016 when the government launched an industry-wide crackdown on miners as part of a push to ramp up environmental protection.

The closures and the threat of more mines being suspended in what, at the time, was the world’s top nickel ore supplier dramatically lifted prices for nickel.

Reason over emotion: Resource Works marks five years of fact-based activism – by Greg Klein (Resource Clips – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

http://resourceclips.com/

https://www.resourceworks.com/

One sign of encouragement for British Columbia’s embattled resource industries came in the province’s February throne speech, when the New Democratic Party government declared that B.C.’s “traditional industries—forestry and mining, oil and gas, fisheries and farming, and renewable electricity—power our economy and form the bedrock of our communities.”

Many saw the statement as a long-overdue acknowledgment, but Stewart Muir also sensed evidence of his organization’s success. “A few years ago people weren’t saying that,” the executive director of Resource Works points out. “People were saying, ‘We want a tech economy, we want to get Facebook and Microsoft jobs, because that’s our future.’”

If public awareness has shifted, he and his group can take considerable credit. As Muir looks back on five years of activity, he can contrast then and now. The genesis was actually 2013, when a provincial election campaign seemingly made an NDP government certain.

200 gold bars have now been poured at Moose River mine in eastern Nova Scotia – by Paul Palmeter (CBC News Nova Scotia – March 21, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Atlantic Gold mine employs hundreds; environmentalist concerned about January tailings leak

Close to $150 million in startup costs are now behind Atlantic Gold Corp. at its Moose River gold mine, a project now in full swing and which has brought hundreds of jobs to a remote part of Nova Scotia.

During the first 18 months of production at the open-pit mine roughly 40 kilometres inland from Sheet Harbour, N.S., about 200 gold bars, some worth nearly $1 million each, have been poured.

“In our first year of production we were actually able to surpass our 90,000-ounce goal and produce 90,500 ounces,” said Craig Hudson, chief metallurgist with Atlantic Gold. “We’re now looking at higher targets and an increase in our production.”

Column: LME zinc running on empty as stocks keep falling – by Andy Home (Reuters U.K. – March 19, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://uk.reuters.com/

LONDON (Reuters) – Another 100 tonnes of zinc were loaded out of the London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouse system on Monday. It wasn’t the most dramatic of moves but sufficient to reduce LME stocks to a fresh 12-year low of 58,325 tonnes – less than two days’ worth of global consumption and within touching distance of this century’s nadir of 58,100 tonnes recorded in October 2007.

Such desperately low inventory has rekindled zinc’s bull flames. The LME three-month price rose to an eight-month high of $2,882 per tonne last week, up 18 percent this year, before easing slightly to current levels of $2,800.

Time spreads remain tight and volatile but the premium for cash metal has so far failed to attract anything more than a smattering of fresh deliveries. The persistent tightness of LME stocks is forcing a collective rethink about the outlook for zinc, particularly the much anticipated shift to supply surplus.

Global Witness says more needs to be done to halt human rights abuses in diamond mining – by Marleny Arnoldi (MiningWeekly.com – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

http://m.miningweekly.com/

International nonprofit organisation Global Witness (GW) has welcomed the World Diamond Council’s (WDC’s) response to the government-led Kimberley Process (KP) certification scheme, but says more needs to be done.

The organisation pointed out in a release that the WDC had, in recent weeks, issued statements that acknowledge serious human rights concerns in the diamond mining sector, while it indicated a shift towards greater transparency in what has been a “notoriously opaque” industry.

GW said the KP had failed to break the links between diamonds and human rights abuses and agreed with the WDC in its highlighting of the critical need for industry to take steps towards responsible diamond sourcing.

Miner Vale quashed dam safety audit efforts before Brazil disaster: prosecutor (Reuters U.S. – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.reuters.com/

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Executives at Vale SA, the world’s largest iron ore miner, quashed efforts by Brazilian authorities to audit one of the company’s mining dams months before it collapsed and killed over 300 people, a state prosecutor was quoted as saying by news website G1 on Wednesday.

William Garcia, a prosecutor in Minas Gerais where the January disaster occurred, told G1 his office had filed subpoenas with Vale last June to review safety documents regarding Vale’s dam.

But Vale’s lawyers responded in November arguing they had received positive reviews of the dam by an auditor the firm had hired, the German firm Tuv Sud, Garcia said.

[Canada Diamond Mining] GUEST COMMENT: I beg to differ with MLA O’Reilly – by Tom Hoefer (Yellowknifer – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://nnsl.com/yellowknifer/

Tom Hoefer is the executive director of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

Editor’s note: The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of mines was the recent recipient of the NAPEG Professional Award of Merit in Geoscience, from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG). NAPEG recognized the chamber for its, “dedication to, and support of, the North’s mineral resources industry.” This non-profit association is an advocate for responsible and sustainable mineral exploration and development for the North.

In regard to Frame Lake MLA Kevin O’Reilly’s attempted rebuke (Hansard, March 14) of Premier Bob McLeod’s speech at the recent Arctic Oil and Gas Symposium in Calgary, let me provide a different perspective.

While it may sound strange that a minerals guy would attend, I also attended the conference. Organizers invited me to share experiences and successes in Northern mineral resource development, something oil and gas developers might find helpful.

[Aboriginal Northern Reserve/Urban Migration] OPINION: A tale of two refugees: Canada is facing two refugee crises, not one – by Charles Cirtwill (Northern Ontario Business – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Canada is facing two refugee crises, not one. Our responses are similar, but by no means identical, and they are demonstrably not equally effective. These thoughts struck me as I listened to an exchange at the recent immigration forum held in Thunder Bay.

The exchange was between one of the panellists and one of the Indigenous singers who had been invited to set the tone for the day – one of welcoming and reflection.

The panellist was a recent refugee arrival, a new homeowner, and was presented as a case study for successful emergency immigration to Canada. He spoke about the important role his host family played in helping his family learn about their new community.

EDITORIAL: Peterborough’s Innovation Cluster exemplifies ties that bind Canada, Brazil – by Examiner Staff (Peterborough Examiner – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/

Water purification technology born here is used to help disaster victims

Canada has a complicated history with Brazil. Much of our shared experience is written in the language of commerce and has been controversial to the point of bitterness. But those are big-picture issues.

Scale the focus down and, as often is the case, smaller relationships create space for support and compassion. Peterborough is now part of just such a story, a reminder that people with open minds and hearts can find ways to cross international boundaries.

This story began in January when a huge tailing pond dam at Brumadinho in south-west Brazil collapsed. A torrent of mud and waste water from an iron mine swept away an entire section of rural Brumadinho, population 40,000. At least 300 people died.

Strong Demand From Farmers For Crop-Boosting Potash Triggers A Mining Rush – by Tim Treadgold (Forbes Magazine – March 20, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.forbes.com/

Tim Treadgold has been writing about the mining and oil industries for more than 40 years.

Rising prices for potash, an important fertilizer which boosts crop yields, has sparked a rush in the mining industry as big and small companies look for ways to cash in.

BHP, the world’s biggest miner, has the most ambitious plan as it mulls the best time to start production at its $10 billion Jansen project in Canada. But even in Britain, a country which closed most of its mines decades ago, is working towards starting a $3 billion potash mine in North Yorkshire.

Other potash project developers in locations as far apart as Australia and Eritrea, on the horn of Africa, are hoping to catch strong demand from farmers who use the fertilizer which helps crops retain water while also improving their taste and overall quality.

Goal is to add 30-40 years of mine life at KL Gold with new shaft – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – March 21, 2019)

March 21, 2019

https://www.timminspress.com/

The president and chief executive officer of Kirkland Lake Gold presented an optimistic future for the Macassa Mine while speaking to an audience of business people in Timmins on Wednesday.

The president and chief executive officer of Kirkland Lake Gold presented an optimistic future for the Macassa Mine while speaking to an audience of business people in Timmins on Wednesday.

Tony Makuch was the guest speaker at an Inside Their Business luncheon hosted by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce at the Porcupine Dante Club. In January 2018, Kirkland Lake Gold announced plans to sink a new shaft at the Macassa Mine.

Makuch spoke of the Macassa Mine as a “success story” in which old assets have been revitalized and given new life. The shaft project added fuel to Makuch’s optimism.

[Mining Asteroids] OPINION: Relax: An asteroid will just miss hitting Earth. But our actions could still have a deep impact – by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley (Globe and Mail – March 19, 2019)

March 19, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law. Aaron Boley holds the Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy. Both are at the University of British Columbia, where they co-direct the Outer Space Institute.

On Wednesday evening, depending on where in Canada you are, you might be leaving school or work, having dinner, or already fast asleep in bed.

Meanwhile, an asteroid the size of a seven-storey building – designated 2019 EA2, to reflect the fact that it is the second asteroid to pass close to Earth this year, and spotted just two weeks ago through a telescope in Arizona – will buzz by the planet we call home. The good news? The 24-metre-wide asteroid will miss us by 300,000 kilometres.

The bad news: asteroids do hit the Earth. Most harmlessly break into pieces as they enter Earth’s atmosphere, but even a relatively small asteroid can damage property and injure people. In 2013, a 17-meter-wide asteroid sent 1,500 people to hospital in Chelyabinsk, Russia, most of them injured by flying glass from broken windows.

Russia ban, Fiat Chrysler drive palladium price to new record high – by Frik Els (Mining.com – March 19, 2019)

March 19, 2019

http://www.mining.com/

Palladium prices were driven further into uncharted territory on Tuesday, briefly topping the $1,600 an ounce level on the back of an expected spike in demand from the auto sector just as top producer Russia considers banning scrap exports.

The precious metal is trading more than 70% higher than this time last year. Reuters reports Russia is mulling a ban on the export of precious metals scrap and tailings to promote domestic refining of the materials.

The news follows an announcement last week that US authorities have ordered Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to recall 965,000 vehicles over failed emissions testing. The automaker could also face a consumer class action lawsuit over potential delays in implementing the recall.

Gold keeps exploration drills turning in Timmins – by Len Gillis (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – March 4, 2019)

March 19, 2019

http://www.sudburyminingsolutions.com/

Aggressive mining exploration continues throughout the Timmins mining camp, thanks to the efforts of at least one smaller producer located in nearby Black River-Matheson.

That’s where McEwen Mining set up shop after purchasing the Black Fox complex from Primero Mining in 2017. To say McEwen’s exploration plan is aggressive would be an understatement.

Company president Chris Stewart revealed in January the company has earmarked $20 million for exploration drilling on its properties in 2019, which include the Black Fox Mine, as well as the Froome, Grey Fox and Tamarack deposits.

Golden executive payoffs hurt shareholders and economy – by Ian Madsen (Troy Media – March 19, 2019)

March 19, 2019

https://troymedia.com/

Ian Madsen is a senior policy analyst with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

The Goldcorp Inc. merger with Newmont Mining Corp. has many people bemoaning the loss of yet another large, independent Canadian company to an opportunistic acquirer.

With the consequent loss of many Goldcorp executive and other head office jobs, the real tragedy is that too many Canadian companies have aimless, dysfunctional, or outright bad managers who rarely face the ramifications of their poor decisions.

Its not just left-leaning people who are frustrated with those at the top receiving enormous salaries, bonuses, performance incentives, stock options and other emoluments. So do professional, institutional and ordinary shareholders.