September 8, 2011 – Republic of Mining

NEWS RELEASE: PwC takes a new look at mining company taxation in Quebec

September 8, 2011

Mining companies in Quebec face one of the highest tax burdens in Canada

Click here for: Digging deeper: Canadian mining taxation

MONTREAL, Sept. 7, 2011 /CNW/ – An independent study conducted by PwC on provincial taxation of mining companies in Canada reveals that nearly 41% of mining profits in Quebec are paid as taxes and royalties, including the federal component, while the Canadian weighted average based on the value of output is 36.8%. Quebec ranked 11th back in 2007, when it was the lowest taxing province; today, it ranks third.

“Amid the ongoing lively debate over mining company taxation in Quebec, a number of the study’s conclusions are relevant when it comes to taking a new look at Quebec’s tax regime, particularly income tax and the mining tax”, said Nochane Rousseau, Leader‚ Mining Industry Services and PwC’s Plan Nord Initiative.

•In Canada, the overall tax burden (combined federal/provincial) in all jurisdictions fell between 2007 and 2011 (going from weighted average based on the value of output of 40.7% to 36.8%), with the exception of Quebec, where it rose from 35.4% to 40.9%.
•In Quebec, 41% of mining profits are paid as taxes and royalties, including the federal component. Quebec has the third-highest overall tax burden (combined provincial/federal) in Canada.

It’s [Saskatchewan premier] Brad Wall vs. green all-stars [Keystone XL pipeline] – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – September 8, 2011)

September 8, 2011

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

As the United States’ review over whether to grant a permit to the Keystone XL pipeline enters the final stretch, the debate has gotten so out of hand it’s bordering on a gong show.

Wednesday, world jet-setters including the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Prize laureates joined former U.S. vice-president Al Gore in opposing the $7-billion Canadian project to carry Canadian oil to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast, based on their general disdain for fossil fuels.

Saskatchewan’s Premier, Brad Wall, arguably Canada’s most articulate pitchman, will seek to bring the debate back to reality with a speech to an influential group of U.S. state leaders on Friday facilitated by the former U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins.

At the National Speakers’ Conference, which represents all U.S. state speakers, in Charleston, S.C., the popular Premier plans to talk about the attributes of Canadian oil that are failing to get much needed air time — that it’s “conflict-free,” that it comes from “another freedom-loving country that is a champion of human rights and that has everything in common with the United States, certainly a lot more in common than their other sources of oil.”

Author Naomi Klein arrested in oilsands [Keystone XL pipeline] protest – by Mitch Potter (Toronto Star – September 3, 2011)

September 8, 2011

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

WASHINGTON—More than 1,000 people have been busted at the gates of the White House the past two weeks, as the most ambitious of climate protests against Canadian oil comes to a head.

Toronto author and activist Naomi Klein was not planning to be among them. Support the cause? Sure. Speak to the anti-tarsands faithful? Absolutely. But to actually get arrested?

No, Klein and the other Canadian protesters in Washington agreed — that is a stand best left to their U.S. counterparts, who need not worry whether such close encounters with law enforcement will hamper their ability to cross borders in the future.

Yet there was Klein on Friday, being led away by police in the latest harvest of detainees after a last-second decision to put her liberty on the line in opposition to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

[Keystone XL pipeline] Ex-Tory message maven tailors his spin to oil sands – by Colin Freeze (Globe and Mail – July 28, 2011)

September 8, 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.

Alykhan Velshi, a 27-year-old who established himself in Ottawa as a master of messaging and a crucial cog in the Conservative machine, has a new job – he’s out to polish the image of Canada’s oil sands in the minds of freedom-loving people everywhere.

“When petroleum reserves were deposited around the world, it is unfortunate that they were all given to the world’s bastards,” he said. “With the exception of Canada, most of them are with the world’s bastards. You need to recognize that when you are buying oil.”

Never known for subtlety, Mr. Velshi now runs EthicalOil.org, a blog set to relaunch on Thursday. A few months ago, he was the communications director for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. He was also an important part of the Tory war room that steamrolled the Liberal Party en route to victory.

How Ontario provincial political parties seeking office on October 6th view mining

September 8, 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.

The election campaign in Ontario is now officially underway. On October 6, 2011, Ontario voters will determine who forms the next government in this province. In advance of this election day, let’s take a look at what the major parties are saying about the mining industry in their official campaign documents.

The Liberal Party has packaged its election platform in the paper titled Forward Together. This document both presents what the government has done during its last two terms of office and outlines plans, if elected, for a third term. It contains a section on mining – Northern Opportunity: The Best Mining Industry in the World.

“One of the most promising opportunities Ontario has seen in generations is the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario. This massive mineral deposit is one of the most significant and exciting natural resources Ontario has, already attracting more than 50 companies who want to be part of the development.”

“We need to work together to seize its benefits just as we always have when supporting Ontario’s mining sector. With our leadership, the entire province will be able to benefit economically from the Ring of Fire. That is why we have made sure that the mining industry and the Ring of Fire are an important piece of our economic plan for Ontario,” said Forward Together.

NEWS RELEASE: MINING CONTINUES TO DRIVE THE ECONOMIES OF CANADA’S NORTH

September 8, 2011

The Conference Board of Canada is the foremost independent, not-for-profit applied research organization in Canada that delivers knowledge about economic trends, public policy and organizational performance.

Ottawa, September 8, 2011— With minerals in high demand in global markets, the mining sector is bolstering economic growth in Canada’s three northern territories, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s Summer 2011 edition of Territorial Outlook.

“Both Yukon and Nunavut are entering a period of sustained growth in their mining industries. New mines opened in both territories last year and more are scheduled to start up over the next decade,” said Marie-Christine Bernard, Associate Director. “In the Northwest Territories, however, the diamond extraction industry has reached maturity and production is expected to wane over the next four years, limiting economic growth.”

“The economies of Canada’s territories are prone to sharp rise-and-falls as mining projects move through the assessment, construction, production, and closure phases,” said Bernard. “All three territories face the cyclical nature of growth based on resources.”

Vale Ltd. to hire 60 miners – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 8, 2011)

September 9, 2011September 8, 2011

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

Less than 24 hours after posting the jobs on its website, Vale Ltd. had received 50 applications from people looking to fill 60 new underground mining jobs at Sudbury operations.

Vale announced Wednesday it is looking for 60 experienced miners and hiring for a number of other positions including engineers, supervisors, surface plant operators and tradespeople.

The ideal candidates for the mining jobs would have Grade 12 diplomas, underground hard-rock common core education and six months of mining experience, said Vale’s Angie Robson.

The jobs are all posted on the website www.valejobs.ca, and the company is looking to fill them as soon as possible. Plans to hire more hourly rated workers and staff have been in the works for some time, said Robson.