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 Ontario Mining Association has helped 27 Ontario teachers gain a better perspective on the mineral industry through its participation in the second annual Teachers’ Mining Tour.  This educational professional development program was held at the Canadian Ecology Centre (CEC) near Mattawa from August 15 to 19, 2011. 

The program exposed teachers to all phases of the mining cycle, industry professions, Earth science and mineral education specialists, Earth science presentations, educational resources and numerous field trips.  George Flumerfelt, President of North Bay-based mine contractor Redpath and an OMA Director, provided a “Mining 101″ presentation for the educators to kick off the intensive week.

Tours included visits to Vale’s smelter complex in Sudbury and Xstrata Nickel’s Nickel Rim South Mine.  In North Bay, the teachers toured Boart Longyear’s drill manufacturing facilities including a highly automated operation featuring robotics.  Also, a representative of consulting engineering firm Knight Piesold made a presentation on the role of environmental assessments in resource development to this group of teachers.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Thompson Citizen, which was established in June 1960, covers the City of Thompson and Nickel Belt Region of Northern Manitoba. The city has a population of about 13,500 residents while the regional population is more than 40,000.  editor@thompsoncitizen.net

Ratifcation vote Sept. 15

USW Local 6166 and Vale’s Manitoba Operations have reached a tentative agreement three days before the current three-year collective is due to expire Sept. 15, says Ryan Land, manager of corporate affairs for Vale’s Manitoba Operations, and Murray Nychyporuk, president of USW Local 6166, in a joint press release issued Monday.

The USW will be holding two meetings today with its members to present the offer and “express its unanimous support of the proposed Offer of Settlement,” says Nychyporuk and Land.

Members will have two days to review and consider the offer. The ratification vote will take place Thursday, Sept. 15, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

If ratified the deal in Thompson will break a pattern of two long and bitter labour disputes, both now resolved, in Sudbury and Voisey’s Bay. After almost a year on the picket line between July 2009 and July 2010, striking Steelworkers at Local 6500 in Sudbury and Local 6200 in Port Colborne, Ont. voted about 75 per cent to ratify a five-year deal with Vale, four days short of a year of going on strike. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

MONTREAL - Quebec’s reputation as one of the most mining-friendly places in the world is taking a beating as exploration companies sound the alarm over stringent new government regulations they say could scare away at least $1-billion in investments.

Quebec is pushing ahead with proposed new legislation that would force exploration companies to win approval from local and municipal authorities for their projects.

The proposed law – Bill 14 – means companies would have to deal with a third level of regulation for their projects besides federal and provincial rules.

It also spells potential chaos as small and medium-sized companies try to navigate the uncertainty of dealing with individual municipalities which have their own local standards, say industry officials. Read the rest of this entry »