September 6, 2011 – Republic of Mining

Miner Detour Gold is a major player in the foodservice and hotel business

September 6, 2011

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

One of the largest hotel and food service operations in Ontario right now is not a resort, or hotel, or casino, it is the Detour Lake mine site located 185 kilometres north and east of Cochrane. Detour Gold is investing $1.3 billion to bring this open-pit gold project into production by early 2013. Once in operation, it will be Canada’s largest gold mine.

Access to the mine site from Cochrane is by a provincial two-lane highway and a private company road. The road trip from Cochrane takes about two and one half hours and crosses several major rivers flowing into the Arctic watershed. The mine is near the Quebec border and about 100 kilometres south of James Bay.

On any given day at the moment, there could be 1,000 people, or more, on site from Detour Gold and at least 15 contracting companies. It is a beehive of activity requiring military precision and logistics to feed and house the workers let alone bring in materials to build the mine infrastructure including the processing plant facilities and tailings areas.

Price of copper suggests world economy on right track – by Brenda Bouw (Globe and Mail – September 6, 2011)

September 6, 2011

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

If copper is worth its mettle in predicting the financial future, it appears the global economy isn’t headed off a cliff after all.

Despite a growing number of indicators that global growth is slowing, the steady price of the red metal, dubbed “Dr. Copper” for its ability to diagnose economic activity, is signalling the economy may not be as sick as it seems.

In fact, copper, a metal used in everything from power and construction to cars and cellphones, looks relatively healthy right now considering the recent commodities sell off.

Copper averaged $4.20 (U.S.) per pound in August, according to Bloomberg, not far from a record $4.60 set six months ago, and dipped only briefly below $4 during the recent market turmoil. On Monday, it closed at $4.06, still considered resilient and at a level that remains highly profitable for most mining companies.

Yet the global economic picture isn’t improving.

[Labour fatalities] ‘We have lost far too many’- by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – September 6, 2011)

September 6, 2011

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

This year, the Sudbury and District Labour Council did something a little different for Labour Day. Breaking from tradition of its usual Labour Day parade in downtown Sudbury, the council instead honoured a prominent figure in the fight for workers’ rights.

On Monday, the Leo Gerard Workers’ Memorial Park in Val Caron officially opened. Gerard, a Sudbury native, is international president of United Steelworkers.

“We have far too many people who have lost their lives on the job,” said Deputy Mayor Ron Dupuis, who came up with the idea for the park. “I know that there are family members here in the crowd that have lost loved ones. We just want you to know that they will not be forgotten.