July 21, 2011 – Republic of Mining

NEWS RELEASE: CANADIAN MINES MINISTERS DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINING SECTOR

July 21, 2011

Natural Resources Canada

July 19, 2011

Canada’s Annual Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference

KANANASKIS, ALBERTA — Mines ministers reaffirmed the economic importance of Canada’s world class mining industry at their annual meeting today in Kananaskis. The meeting, which centred on opportunities for the Canadian mining sector in a changing global context, was co-chaired by the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Ron Liepert, Alberta Energy Minister.

“A strong and globally competitive mining industry is an important source of job creation and economic growth for Canada,” said Minister Oliver. “Mines ministers share a commitment to ensure that Canada remains a world leader in mining performance while maintaining the highest standards for environmental and social responsibility.”

The ministers acknowledged that the increasing importance of minerals and metals presents exciting new opportunities for the creation of high-paying jobs across Canada, particularly in remote and Aboriginal communities.

Timmins still in the race for Ring of Fire facility – (Timmins Daily Press – July 21, 2011)

July 21, 2011

The Daily Press is the newspaper of record for the city of Timmins

By The Daily Press

Timmins is still in the running to be the homebase for processing ore from Ontario’s biggest mineral discovery in the past century. Representatives of Cliffs Natural Resources recently visited the city. Cliffs is looking for a community to host its ferrochrome production facility — a key component in developing the Ring of Fire.

Massive deposits of chromite, copper, nickel, platinum, diamonds, palladium, gold and silver have been discovered in the Ring of Fire, west of James Bay. Officials with the Timmins Economic Development Corporation and the city recently met with representatives from Cliffs.

“We have been working with Cliffs Natural Resources for quite some time now,” said Dave McGirr, chairman of the TEDC. “We prepared a detailed background document describing why Timmins would be the logical choice for Cliffs’ ferrochrome facility.

A genuine emergency [Fire in northwestern Ontario] – (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial – July 21, 2011)

July 21, 2011

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

A TELLING perception about evacuations from Northwestern Ontario’s fast-moving forest fire situation reportedly came from Grand Chief Stan Beardy. Gazing in disbelief Wednesday at a fire map dotted with more than 100 little red arrows representing fires licking close to some Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities, Beardy reportedly told Mayor Keith Hobbs that there’s a perception among evacuees that Thunder Bay doesn’t want to take in any more of them. Nothing could be further from the truth. But Hobbs said an absence of provincial co-ordination had left both men wondering who would take charge of a situation that’s been turning more desperate by the hour.

Thousands of people have been flown out of northern reserves on federal military aircraft headed for Thunder Bay and a number of other transfer points. Thunder Bay, at least, quickly turned into a pinch point because provincial aircraft that were expected to move them out to other communities haven’t been arriving in time.

Hobbs, Beardy and Thunder Bay Fire Chief John Hay were struggling Wednesday to deal with an emergency that hadn’t been declared. Beardy asked why the province hasn’t announced one while Hobbs and Hay were trying to coordinate evacuees pouring into the city with nowhere to go. All three men were calling provincial officials to step up co-ordination but they were getting nowhere.

Northern [Ontario] plans fail to hit the mark – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – July 21, 2011)

July 21, 2011

The Sudbury Star, the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. Brian MacLeod is the managing editor. brian.macleod@sunmedia.ca

When the Ontario Liberals unveiled the draft of their Growth Plan for Northern Ontario in 2010, some critics said it lacked plans for implementation, such as timing, funding and sufficient monitoring.

And they complained it didn’t protect resources, a sore point in the North, since two of the largest mining companies in the world — Inco and Falconbridge — were taken over by foreign companies.

Xstrata, which bought Falconbridge, shut down the Kidd Creek metallurgical plant in Timmins, and changes sought by Vale, which bought Inco, resulted in a year-long strike by the United Steelworkers.

Changebook North, the Progressive Conservatives’ attempt at showing love for Northern Ontario, whose 850,000 citizens have a hard time feeling amore from Queen’s Park, suffers from an even more glaring lack of details.

Of the two growth plans, the Liberals’, at 60 pages, is more complex and wide-ranging, but it’s not a blueprint — there’s too much wiggle room and too much left to interpretation.