Republic of Mining

NEWS RELEASE: Statement by Ontario and Saskatchewan on the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines – March 3, 2019)

March 4, 2019

Today, Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, and Bronwyn Eyre, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources, have issued the following statement on the release of the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan:

“The federal government has released its Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) to identify opportunities for the Canadian mining industry, with the goal of positioning Canada as a leading nation in mineral development.

However, in recent years, Canada’s mineral sector has faced severe economic challenges. And while Ontario and Saskatchewan agree with some of the elements covered in the CMMP, we believe this plan needed to specifically address economic and competitiveness challenges and send a strong message to investors around the world that Canada is prepared to take real action to support our mining sector.

Vale’s CEO, other executives, to step down after Brazil dam burst – by Marta Nogueira and Gram Slattery (Reuters U.S. – March3, 2019)

March 4, 2019

https://www.reuters.com/

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA Chief Executive Fabio Schvartsman and several other senior executives resigned on Saturday in what the company described as a temporary move, after one of its mining dams burst in January, killing hundreds.

Vale said Schvartsman offered his resignation, which the board “immediately accepted” after state and federal prosecutors recommended their removal late on Friday.

The move comes slightly over a month after a tailings dam broke at Vale’s Corrego do Feijao mine in the interior Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, likely killing over 300 people and releasing massive amounts of toxic sludge.

‘They’ve lost it’: Ontario falls sharply in ranking of mining jurisdictions – by Geoffrey Morgan (Financial Post – February 28, 2019)

February 28, 2019

https://business.financialpost.com/

Ongoing delays in developing the Ring of Fire mineral deposit is one issue hindering the province’s ability ‘to unlock its considerable mineral potential’

Once the biggest destination for mining investments in Canada, Ontario now ranks among the least attractive provinces in the country, according to a new survey of the global mining industry.

The Fraser Institute published its yearly survey of mining companies on investment perceptions Thursday, which showed Ontario had fallen from the seventh most attractive destination worldwide to 20th place. Canada’s most populous province also ranks ninth out of 12 jurisdictions in Canada ahead of only Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Alberta, while Prince Edward Island was not ranked.

“In Ontario, we see a decline in investor perception, including over geology,” Fraser Institute senior policy analyst Ashley Stedman said, adding the province could improve its poor ranking with regulatory reforms and by making progress on Indigenous land claims.

NEWS RELEASE: Uncover the gripping history of Ontario’s gold mining industry in NORTHERN GOLD

February 28, 2019

World premiere March 6 at 9 pm ET on TVO and tvo.org

February 27, 2019 (Toronto, ON) － From Alibi Entertainment and producer, director, and writer Catie Lamer, TVO Original Northern Gold shines a light on Canada’s complex history of mining, its current effects on the economy, politics and environment, and the shadowy business of high-grading (the theft and smuggling of millions of dollars in gold).

“Many people are probably unaware of Timmins’ own Gold Rush – a part of Ontario’s legacy that is seemingly forgotten – not by all, but by many,” says Lamer. “This once-famous working town is now facing an identity crisis – like many towns in Canada built on the back of one industry.”

“Gold is one of the most scrutinized commodities in markets around the world, and the history of gold is frequently romanticized,” says John Ferri, Vice President TVO Current Affairs and Documentaries. ” Northern Gold gives a voice to the people who are rarely heard from – those directly involved in extracting it.”

Belgian fast-moving ‘caterpillar’ in deep sea copper, cobalt race – by Barbara Lewis (Reuters Canada – February 27, 2019)

February 28, 2019

https://ca.reuters.com/

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Belgian group DEME and Canada’s DeepGreen are carrying out tests and research to collect nodules containing copper, cobalt and other minerals from the ocean floor, as a race to mine the depths gathers pace.

Deep sea mining is often dismissed as unaffordable and environmentally hazardous because of the potential risk to species science has barely begun to understand.

But U.N. talks in Jamaica, which began on Monday, are working out regulations on mining in international waters, which may appeal to companies struggling to find new reserves on land and to deal with governments and communities.

[Consolidate Ontario’s Mine Engineering Programs at Laurentian] OPINION: Three wishes for the North: number two – by David Robinson (Northern Ontario Business – February 28, 2019)

February 28, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Ontario needs Northern development, but the way it plays its major pieces is stuck in the 20th century.

Greg Rickford, minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, emphasized investing in people and technologies. For Northern development, that means investing in people and technologies in the North.

Last month I asked what to ask for if Premier Doug Ford gives us just three wishes. For wish one, I suggested that we lobby for a cross-laminated timber industry. For wish two, I suggest we ask for brains. I’m not saying we don’t have brains. I’m suggesting the research and educational facilities that support our Northern industries should be located in the North.

Right now, the province takes tax money from Northern Ontario taxes and buys brains for universities in the south. For example, of the three Ontario universities offering mining engineering programming – Laurentian, Queen’s and Toronto – two are in southern universities, hundreds of kilometres from where the mining happens.

Environmental assessment starts on Ring of Fire supply road – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – February 28, 2019)

February 28, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Webequie, SNC-Lavalin prepare study outline for airport-to-exploration camp route

The first step in a provincial environmental assessment (EA) of a supply road to the Ring of Fire is underway. Webequie First Nation, the community closest to the Far North mineral deposits, has initiated the EA study of a permanent road running from Webequie’s airport to the fly-in exploration camps near McFaulds Lake in the James Bay lowlands.

The length of the proposed road is 107 kilometres. According to a document posted Jan. 25 on a community road project web page, the EA’s terms of reference (ToR) are being prepared, which basically outlines the framework and the work plan for the study.

The ToR will be submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for review this spring. The actual environmental assessment, slated to start this year, is a three-year process.

Brazil Senate okays dam safety bill after Vale disaster kills hundreds – by Jake Spring (Reuters U.S. – February 27, 2019)

February 28, 2019

https://www.reuters.com/

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian Senate committees on Wednesday passed a bill to tighten dam safety in the country, after a mining dam owned by Vale SA burst and killed an estimated 300 people in the town of Brumadinho.

The legislation, which tightens safety regulations on all types of dams, is similar to a regulation bill that failed to gain traction three years ago.

It will now pass to the lower house for consideration, provided Senators do not file an appeal within five working days, which would require it to go to a vote of the full chamber.

NEWS RELEASE: Fraser Institute News Release: Ontario plummets in annual ranking of mining investment attractiveness; four other Canadian jurisdictions among top 10 worldwide

February 28, 2019

CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Saskatchewan is the world’s third most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment, while Ontario fades in the eyes of mining investors amid increased regulatory uncertainty and concerns about disputed land claims, finds the latest Annual Survey of Mining Companies released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“The mining survey—now in its 21st year—is the most comprehensive report card on government policy decisions that either attract or scare away mining investors from around the world,” said Kenneth Green, resident scholar and chair of the Fraser Institute’s energy and environmental studies and co-author of the report.

This year’s survey of mining executives ranks 83 jurisdictions around the world based on their geologic attractiveness for minerals and metals and the extent that government policies encourage or deter exploration and investment.

Ford government proposes to scrap controversial law placing ‘restrictions’ on development in northern Ontario – by Fatima Syed (National Observer – February 26, 2019)

February 27, 2019

https://www.nationalobserver.com/

The grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is cautiously welcoming a proposal by Premier Doug Ford’s government to repeal a 2010 law that his nation viewed as a form of colonialism.

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler made the comments after Premier Doug Ford’s government announced a public consultation to repeal the Far North Act, legislation adopted by the former provincial Liberal government that gave First Nations some control over development in their traditional territories.

The government said on Monday that it was proposing to repeal the law with the aim of “reducing red tape and restrictions on important economic development projects” in the northern part of the province, including the Ring of Fire, all-season roads and electrical transmission projects.

Ontario Energy Minister tells Senate committee Bill C-69 skewed against economic productivity – by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail – February 26, 2019)

February 27, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The federal government’s environmental assessment legislation falls far short of achieving a proper balance between economic development and protection for the environment, Ontario Energy Minister Greg Rickford told a Senate committee.

Mr. Rickford appeared late on Tuesday before the Senate committee that is reviewing the Liberal government’s Bill C-69, which overhauls how Ottawa reviews major resource and other development projects.

“We’re concerned with an omnibus type of environmental legislation that has the potential to significantly increase the amount of time these processes take, and we think … [is not] weighted sufficiently in favour of the economic productivity and activity that can arise from these projects,” Mr. Rickford said in an interview. “To the extent that Bill C-69 imposes lengthier processes, that’s not an appealing option for us. We don’t support it.”

Rattled by Vale disaster, mining CEOs move to change industry – by Ernest Scheyder (Reuters U.K. – February 26, 2019)

February 27, 2019

https://uk.reuters.com/

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Reuters) – After last month’s deadly tailings dam disaster at a Vale SA facility in Brazil, Freeport-McMoRan Inc Chief Executive Richard Adkerson sent a memo to his 29,000 employees telling them to immediately report any safety concerns about the scores of dams his company operates.

The disaster, which killed more than 300, has sparked a push to set global standards for the construction and inspection of tailings dams, which store the muddy detritus of the mining process, as well as emergency preparations. The move reflects a radical departure from the way the facilities have operated for more than a century.

Freeport, the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer, spends several hundred millions of dollars per year on tailings dams upkeep and has not had a tailings dam failure since it acquired Phelps Dodge in 2007. Adkerson’s directive underscored his desire not to blemish that record.

Turquoise Hill flags potential further delays at Oyu Tolgoi – by Marleny Arnoldi (MiningWeekly.com – February 27, 2019)

February 27, 2019

http://www.miningweekly.com/

TSX- and NYSE-listed Turquoise Hill Resources has flagged potential further delays in the development schedule of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine project, saying that the completion of ‘technically complex’ installations at Shaft 2 could take longer than previously thought.

The Rio Tinto-owned company, which holds the giant mine in a 66:34 partnership with the Mongolian government, last year said that sustainable production at the $5.3-billion underground mining project would only be achieved in the third quarter of 2021 rather than the previously guided start of 2021.

However, Turquoise Hill on Wednesday reported that it was increasingly likely that sustainable first production would be delayed beyond the third quarter of 2021.

Mount Polley disaster behind provincial safety upgrades, B.C. mines minister says – by Canadian Press (Globe and Mail – February 25, 2019)

February 27, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

British Columbia’s Mines Minister says the Mount Polley tailings pond collapse is behind changes to increase safety and regulation enforcement in provincial mining operations.

Michelle Mungall said Monday the government will spend $20 million over the next three years to hire 65 safety and enforcement officials and improve the mine permit approval process in an effort encourage investment.

She said the changes were based on the results in the Mining Jobs Task Force report which made 25 recommendations to improve mine safety for workers and the environment, while spurring investment.

Don’t blame melting ice for polar bear attacks. Blame a bear baby boom – by Susan J. Crockford (Financial Post – February 27, 2019)

February 27, 2019

https://business.financialpost.com/

Opinion: Some scientists still think it’s OK to mislead the public to promote climate change alarm

February 27th is International Polar Bear Day, and what interesting timing it happens to be this year. In recent weeks the media have been all over the news that the Russian village of Belushaya Guba, on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the southern Barents Sea had declared a state of emergency because more than 50 aggressive and fearless polar bears had invaded the community.

Protected status for the bears meant deadly force was not an option for terrified residents, yet non-lethal efforts to get the bears to leave had been futile.

Predictably, the blame was immediately put on sea-ice loss due to climate change — not by a scientist but by a Norwegian journalist who initially reported the story, adding in his own homemade, unscientific analysis.