Michael Barnes is the author of more than fifty books about characters, communities, mining, and police work. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and makes his home in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. While living in Northern Ontario most of his life, he has come to know and admire those who make their living in the mining industry.

To order a copy of “Fortunes Found – Canadian Mining Success” go to: General Store Publishing House

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Ontario’s Ring of Fire Discovery

The hour-long flight offers an overview of small trees, narrow, winding rivers, and small lakes. The aircraft skims along at 283 knots and bumps down on schedule on the dirt runway at Fort Hope, whose traditional name is “Eabmetoong.” This settlement is on a fairly large lake, and the name means “the reversing of the water place.” The pilots stow baggage that accompanies the newcomers. One young mother has her baby in a soft, moosehide-covered tikanagan, the cradle of the Cree. The flight to Landsdowne House or Neskantaga is only about ten minutes. The population is similar to that of Fort Hope, less than 300 persons for this settlement on Attawapiskat Lake. The plane takes off and has another short hop of fifteen minutes before arriving at Webequie, the third dirt runway of the trip.

Although the resident population is only 253 persons, Webequie is an important community, as it is a jumping-off point for northern exploration camps. The band council has taken a 20 percent share in a drilling company, and local entrepreneurs have formed a logistics company to provide services to camp operators. This village is 540 kilometres by air from Thunder Bay. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Barnes is the author of more than fifty books about characters, communities, mining, and police work. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and makes his home in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. While living in Northern Ontario most of his life, he has come to know and admire those who make their living in the mining industry.

To order a copy of “Fortunes Found – Canadian Mining Success” go to: General Store Publishing House

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Ontario’s Ring of Fire Discovery

When junior companies take on ambitious exploration projects like the work to develop The Ring of Fire, the rate of burn — the expenditure of hard-won financial investment — is used up at a fast clip. Noront Resources alone spent $19 million in 2009. One industry analyst suggests that the six companies drilling in the area will spend around $250 million over five years on exploration. Since site access is by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, the budget for transportation is huge.

So it is that the juniors band together in various joint ventures and option agreements, and, since many actually share offices in the same building, there is frequent consultation and shared planning. Nickel ore is considered attractive and would likely bring the fastest payback, but chromite as chrome also has great possibilities for development. If this is the case, concentrate produced on-site could be shipped on the hoped-for road to the south and possibly be processed at a facility set up to produce ferro-chrome, which could be built in Thunder Bay.

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Michael Barnes is the author of more than fifty books about characters, communities, mining, and police work. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and makes his home in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. While living in Northern Ontario most of his life, he has come to know and admire those who make their living in the mining industry.

To order a copy of “Fortunes Found – Canadian Mining Success” go to: General Store Publishing House

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Ontario’s Ring of Fire Discovery

As the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention came to a close in March 2008, a group of industry influentials crowded the Imperial Room of the Royal York Hotel in Toronto for a luncheon to benefit Mining Matters, the mining education charity.

While they waited for the event to begin, a scratchy version of the stirring Johnny Cash song was played over the public address system. The fundraiser was in aid of charity, but the draw beyond the lunch was a claim-staking venture in the remote James Bay Lowlands, which was initiated in the late 1990s, and the events that followed. The series of properties that sparked the interest was dubbed — some say by Rob Cudney — “The Ring of Fire” because when it was further explored, the target area had the distinct shape of a broken circle or crescent with an original source as magma or molten rock from huge volcanic action.

The Cash song was really about love, but this mining play with the potential to create huge wealth for Canada and the expected much needed jobs and spinoff economic activity conjures up a mixture of emotions. The origin of the interest in the area came when two junior companies, Spider Resources and KWG Resources searched as a team for diamonds in 1997–98. They had optioned promising targets to De Beers, and one of these kimberlite targets was drilled and unexpectedly turned up evidence of copper and zinc. Read the rest of this entry »

z-(L to R) Chris Hodgson, President of Ontario Mining Association; Jon Baird, PDAC President; Honourable Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry; Garry Clark, Executive Director of the Ontario Prospectors Association

Good afternoon, everyone.

I would like to commend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Aboriginal Committee and all its partners for making this forum possible.

Events like this one are important for promoting a greater understanding of the mineral industry by Aboriginal people and encouraging their greater participation in the industry.

It is with that in mind that I have accepted the kind invitation to address the Forum today. 

What I would like to emphasize is that we all have a vested interest in promoting the sustainability of the mineral development sector.  And we all have a vested interest in maximizing the benefits of mining activity for all, including First Nations and Métis communities.

We must continue working together to make the changes that will help us achieve those common goals. 
 
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(L to R) Joe Hinzer; Perry Durning; Frank (Bud) Hillemeyer

Perry Durning and Frank (Bud) Hillemeyer are recognized for their outstanding record of grassroots discoveries in Mexico, particularly the San Sebastian silver-gold mine, the San Agustin gold deposit, the Pitarrilla silver deposit, and the Camino Rojo gold discovery.

Durning and Hillemeyer formed La Cuesta International in 1993 after roughly a decade together at Fischer-Watt Gold, an Arizona and Nevada-based mineral exploration firm.

La Cuesta’s first major discovery was the San Sebastian mine in Durango State, Mexico.

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(L to R) Patricia Dillon PDAC Immediate Past President; Ross J. Beaty

Ross J. Beaty is honoured for successfully founding and operating nine resource companies, including Equinox Resources, Pan American Silver Corp., Northern Peru Copper Corp., Global Copper Corp., and Magma Energy Corp.

Beaty, who is foremost a geologist, says his ilk may be the only profession “paid to fail.” Of course, there are exceptions.

Since 1994, Beaty has raised more that $1 billion in capital and created shareholder wealth in excess of $4 billion.

Beaty, with a master’s degree in geology and a law degree, launched an empire in 1980 with the eponymous Beaty Geological, a contract geological services company that was later bought for shares in Beaty’s first public company, Equinox Resources. Equinox’s initial public offering, in 1985, netted $110,000.

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(L to R) Nicholas C. Carter; Tony Andrews PDAC Executive Director

Nicholas C. Carter is being recognized for fostering mineral exploration and mining in Canada through his active role in a number of associations and professional societies.

Carter was born and raised in Little Long Lac, Ontario, not more than 200 yards from the headframe of the Little Long Lac gold mine. Carter’s father, a well known, meticulous mining engineer, who later managed the Little Long Lac mine, provided his son with a template for achievement.

Carter graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1960 as a geologist and proceeded immediately to Michigan Technological University where he studied the iron formations of part of the Marquette Range as part of a master’s degree in geology.

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(L to R) Chief Glenn Nolan, 2nd VP PDAC; Willie S. Keatainak

Willie S. Keatainak is recognized for his key role in negotiating the Raglan Agreement, encouraging  others to take advantage of the opportunities that the Raglan mine offers, and his longstanding involvement in Nuvumiut Developments, an Inuit community-based company serving the mining industry.

Keatainak is on a mission to better the lives of his people, the Inuit living in communities in far northern Quebec, especially those in his home village of Salluit, situated on the northern tip of the Ungava Peninsula.

In the early 1990s, as the mayor of Salluit, Keatainak acted as the chief negotiator on a team seeking long-term economic stability for Inuit communities through the development of Falconbridge Ltd.’s Raglan nickel depostis, emplaced in the nearby Cape Smith-Wakeham Bay ultramafic belt.

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(L to R) Scott Jobin-Bevans, 1st VP PDAC; Chantal LaVoie, COO De Beers Canada

De Beers Canada is recognized for establishing good community relations and ensuring environmental protection at its two diamond mines in Canada.

The company operates Snap Lake in the Northwest Territories and Victor in northern Ontario with about 850 full-time employees, and another 50 part-time and seasonal workers.

About 40% of Victor and one-quarter of Snap Lake employees are aboriginal.

Aboriginal communities are represented by four separate Impact Benefit Agreements at Snap Lake; three Impact Benefit Agreements and a Working Relationship Agreement are in place with the communities surrounding Victor.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you very much.

As many of you are aware, since I joined the PDAC Board in 2004, I have been actively advocating for greater participation by aboriginal peoples in our industry and greater co-operation between companies and communities. Thor Lake has provided an opportunity to practice what I have been preaching and for Avalon to actively implement some of the community engagement principles of E3 Plus that PDAC has been encouraging all of its members to adopt.

In this regard, I have been very fortunate to have Bill Mercer, another vocal advocate for better CSR practice in our industry, as a committed and inspirational partner.

Perhaps the two most successful and innovative initiatives were the driller helper training program which is a largely a tribute to Bill’s prodigious energy and enthusiasm and the Naming Ceremony an ambitious undertaking organized by our equally energetic community advisor in Yellowknife, David Connelly.

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(L to R) Jon Baird, PDAC President; Bill Mercer, Avalon VP-Exploration; Don Bubar, Avalon President and CEO

Avalon Rare Metals Inc. is being recognized for its responsible exploration practices with respect to community engagement and its encouragement of skills training and employment for aboriginal people.

Before applying for a land-use permit from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board or setting foot on its new Thor Lake property in the Northwest Territories, Avalon President and CEO Don Bubar introduced himself with letters written to four Dene leader in communities around Thor Lake.

After several attempts at convening a meeting, Bubar was able to sit down with Dene leaders at a neutral location.

They were surprised that Avalon had not applied for a land-use  permit before requesting a meeting. Other companies either had received or applied for land-use permits and then sought permission to enter Dene land.

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(L to R) Award Presenter, Edward Thompson; Prospectors of the Year Winners, Mac Watson, Richard E. Nemis, John D. Harvey, Donald Hoy, Neil D. Novak

For an extensive list of articles on this mineral discovery, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

The PDAC Bill Dennis Prospector of the Year Award honors the memory of past PDAC president Bill Dennis who was one of the association’s staunchest supporters during its formative years and a prominent and respected prospector. This award is presented to individuals or groups who have made a significant mineral discovery, offered noteworthy contributions to the PDAC, or have been involved in some important service or technological invention or innovation that helped improve the Canadian prospecting and exploration industry.

John D. Harvey, Donald Hoy, Richard Nemis, Neil D. Novak and Mac Watson are recognized for the significant base metals and chromite discoveries in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire.

In 2002, Neil Novak, as vice-president of Spider Resources Inc., was seeking kimberlites in the James Bay lowlands in a joint venture with KWG Resources Inc.

Novak had found 1.1-billion-year-old, diamond-bearing kimberlites under 130 metres of sand and limestone. De Beers Canada Exploration, curious about Novak’s work, formed a JV with Spider-KWG to look at their geophysical and geochemical database.

Novak’s expertise led De Beers to launch a reverse-circulation drill program near McFauld’s Lake, northern Ontario.

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Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues. www.mining.ca This column was originally published November, 2009.

Late summer and fall are always busy times for the mining industry on the economic policy front. Typically, the Mining Association of Canada releases its annual “Facts & Figures” report in August and also prepares a formal industry submission in advance of the meeting of federal, provincial and territorial energy and mines ministers held each fall. The federal government’s pre-budget process also starts in late summer, launched with a submission deadline set by the Finance Committee. The key messages reflected in MAC’s ministerial comments, pre-budget views and “Facts & Figures 2009” follow.

The mining industry is important to the economy

The industry, as defined by Natural Resources Canada, contributes $40 billion to Canada’s GDP, employs 350,000 people, pays approximately $13.5 billion in taxes and royalties, contributes 19 per cent of Canadian exports and generates business for 3,140 supplier companies. It creates value in urban, rural and remote regions and its products are fundamental to modern life and to the emergence of clean energy technologies.

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Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues. www.mining.ca This column was originally published January, 2009.

Few subjects are receiving as much attention in the daily media as that of our societal need to move towards a clean energy economy. This theme was fundamental to the platforms of all the Canadian federal parties in the recent election — each featuring an array of programs supporting this transition.

In the United States, the platform of President-elect Obama talks extensively of hybrid vehicles, electricity from renewable sources, low carbon standards and the ultimate objective of eliminating oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within a decade. Republicans in Washington talk of nuclear power, carbon capture and sequestration and battery development, among other initiatives.

Beyond the political and media coverage, it is evident that few subjects offer comparable transformative potential as changes to the world’s energy infrastructure. Developed economies have been driven for two centuries by the industrial combustion of fossil fuel — indeed there has long existed a direct macro-economic correlation of living standards with per-capita energy consumption.

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Marilyn Scales is a field editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication. She is one of Canada’s most senior mining commentators.

“Money” was the word on the industry’s lips last week as the federal, British Columbia and Ontario governments brought outlined their spending plans for the future. A mining-friendly government helps keep our industry healthy, so let’s take a look at what we can look forward to.

First out of the gate on March 2 was the Throne Speech from Ottawa. In it the federal government promised to develop a clearer process for project approval and a commitment to both Northern development and Aboriginal Canadians.

The speech was lauded by Mining Association of Canada (MAC) president Gordon Peeling, who said, “These issues in today’s Speech from the Throne will enhance the contribution that the mining industry can make to all Canadians by improving the investment climate, bringing efficiency and clarity to our regulatory processes and strengthening our skilled workforce.”

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