June 20, 2011 – Republic of Mining

NEWS RELEASE: International Indigenous Energy and Mining Summit will chart new course for relationships, partnerships with industry and government

June 20, 2011

Canada NewsWire

OTTAWA, June 20, 2011 /CNW/ – Next week, Indigenous peoples and government representatives from around the world will gather for a major summit on resource development in the spirit of a shared commitment to produce and provide long-term sustainable energy for future generations.

“Consistent with First Nations rights and our responsibilities as stewards of the land, we will begin to chart a new Indigenous economic relationship where First Nations can and will take the lead to build our own economies and contribute to Canada’s economy in ways that respect the environment and provide a sustainable future for all Canadians,” said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, who will co-chair the Summit with Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

“We look forward to continuing our work with President Keel and the Tribal Chiefs of NCAI on energy and the environment, justice and border issues and I look forward to new discussions among the global Indigenous community on how our work together can transcend borders.”

The International Indigenous Energy and Mining Summit taking place in Niagara Falls June 27-29 will bring together key representatives from the global Indigenous community and governments.

Commodities boom lifts Aboriginal incomes – by Jeremy Torobin (Globe and Mail Blog – June 17, 2011)

June 20, 2011

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous impact and influence on Canada’s political and business elite as well as the rest of the country’s print, radio and television media.

Click here for: TD report on Aboriginal incomes

Anyone who reads the business pages knows that lofty commodity prices have mostly been bonus for the Canadian economy and average household wealth, even if the strong currency that comes with them is a headache for manufacturers.

But here’s a good-news aspect of Canada’s emergence as a globally renowned hotbed for coveted resources that doesn’t get the attention it deserves: Aboriginals are sharing in the bounty, finding jobs more easily and seeing their personal and community incomes grow. Since 2001, thanks to a steady stream of jobs in the oil-and-gas and mining sectors, as well as in construction, total personal income for Aboriginals has grown by an average 7.5 per cent each year, according to a new study from TD Economics.

In fact, TD economists Sonya Gulati and Derek Burleton estimate in their report that the combined income of Aboriginal households, businesses and governments could top $32-billion within five years. That’s more than the combined level of nominal gross domestic product of Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, making Aboriginals a fast-growing consumer market that all Canadian businesses would do well to factor into their marketing plans, the authors suggest.

For South Africa’s sickened gold miners, a long wait for justice – by Geoffrey York (Globe and Mail – June 20, 2011)

June 20, 2011

Apartheid’s Legacy

JOHANNESBURG – His breathing is laboured, his chest is tight, and he is too weak to work in his garden any more. At the age of 63, former mine worker Wilson Mafolwana wonders if he’ll still be alive when justice is done.

He is among the millions of migrant workers who toiled in South Africa’s gold mines in the apartheid era, building the world’s biggest gold industry – and often sacrificing their health in the process. Breathing clouds of dust, usually without ventilation masks, tens of thousands of miners contracted silicosis and tuberculosis, and many are now dying.

Mr. Mafolwana and 17 other ex-miners with silicosis have launched a test case against the South African unit of Anglo American, one of the world’s biggest mining companies, to seek compensation for their illnesses. But the case has dragged on for seven years, with no decision expected until next year at the earliest. While the company fights the lawsuit with all its legal and financial resources, four of the 18 former miners have died. Others grow sicker every day.

NEWS RELEASE: Rencore Resources Announces the Signing of an Exploration Agreement with Webequie First Nation

June 20, 2011

Toronto, Ontario (June 17, 2011) – Rencore Resources Ltd. (CNSX: RNC) (“Rencore” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has signed an exploration agreement with the Webequie First Nation (“WFN”). This agreement is a sign of the cooperative relationship and mutual respect between Rencore and the people of the Webequie FirstNation.

“Webequie First Nation is pleased that more progressive exploration companies like Rencore Resources have made the effort for meaningful engagement and we look forward to a deeper participation and partnership as the exploration program evolves” said Chief Cornelius Wabasse.

Rencore President and CEO, Richard E. Nemis states, “We are very pleased to have reached his agreement and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the Webequie First Nation”.

NEWS RELEASE: Cliffs Workers Walk off Job Site in Ring of Fire

June 20, 2011

Poor working conditions not tolerated by First Nations and Non-Native Workers

Sunday June 19, 2011 – Ring of Fire, Northern Ontario: – Over two dozen First Nation and non-native workers employed by Cliffs Natural Resources have walked off their job-site in the Ring of Fire Mining Camp this weekend.

Protesting poor wages, deteriorating working conditions and inadequate health & safety infrastructure, workers at the camp are taking an indefinite stand against the Cleveland-based mining giant, Cliffs Natural Resources.

Workers describe an average week‘s work in the Cliffs Mining Camp as moving out bulk samples of Chromite, weighing up to 200 tons or 400,000 pounds. This labour intensive work is carried out by hand and manpower exclusively and involves manually loading rocks into 15 gallon pails and onto airplanes.

Cleveland-Cliffs Incorporated History (1846 – 2004) – by International Directory of Company Histories

September 29, 2011June 20, 2011

For a large selection of corporate histories click: International Directory of Company Histories

Company History:

With six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and Eastern Canada, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is North America’s leading producer of iron ore pellets, which are used in the steelmaking process. The company’s capacity stands at 36.9 million tons of ore, which represents nearly 28 percent of the continent’s annual pellet capacity. Throughout its history, Cleveland-Cliffs has faced competition from imports, takeover attempts, shareholder revolts, ill-advised diversification efforts, and the vagaries of the cyclical steel sector. In the early years of the new century, the company focused on bolstering its assets while the industry restructured and consolidated.

Early History in the 1800s

Cleveland-Cliffs’ predecessor, the Cleveland Iron Mining Company, was established in 1846 by a group of investors led by Samuel L. Mather. Mather, an attorney, had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1843, just two years after iron ore was discovered in the Marquette Range of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Although Mather was confident that, given time, the venture would prove profitable, it was for many years a losing proposition.