September 15, 2011 – Republic of Mining

Executive Terry MacGibbon of OMA member Quadra FNX to lead major university fundraising drive

May 7, 2013September 15, 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.

Terry MacGibbon, Chairman of Ontario Mining Association member Quadra FNX, has taken on the volunteer role as chairman of Laurentian University’s Next 50 campaign. This fundraising effort, to date, has reached $39 million of its goal of $50 million.

“I am honoured to accept this important position and to be a part of the development of a university that I believe is on the cusp of greatness,” said Mr. MacGibbon. “Laurentian’s bold plans for the future speak to its desire to set the pace for educational excellence in Canada and projects like the newly announced Laurentian School of Mines and the Laurentian School of Architecture will surely attract some of the country’s brightest, most ambitious young minds.”

Also a donation of $1 million made by Quadra FNX to Laurentian University is being designated to the Laurentian School of Mines. “Quadra FNX is excited to invest in an institution that is set in one of the world’s great mining camps and that will play a vital role in developing the qualified professionals needed to sustain and grow our industry,” said Paul Blythe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quadra FNX. “Laurentian’s School of Mines will undoubtedly become one of Canada’s premier centres for mining education.”

Asian economy strengthens Vale’s bottomline – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 15, 2011)

September 15, 2011

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

Despite economic troubles in Europe and the United States, Vale Canada Ltd.’s chief executive officer isn’t worried about the company’s financial future. Troubles in the U.S. and abroad aren’t directly affecting the Brazil-based nickel producer, said Tito Martins in Sudbury on Wednesday.

The economy of Asia — and its demand for Vale’s product — is “still very strong,” Martins said after an event at which he presented the Sudbury Food Bank with a cheque for $500,000.

“In general, the market is doing very well and we don’t believe that we will see a major drop in the economy as we saw in 2008,” Martins told reporters. “We may see some difficulties in specific markets, but, in general, we are very optimistic about the future.”

Martins said his company is hiring people in Sudbury and in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that is a good sign.

“If I could produce more, I would love to produce more, actually,” he said.

Canadian cities need a lesson in academic potential – by Nick Rockel (Globe and Mail – September 14, 2011)

September 15, 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 you’re a student or a professor at the University of Waterloo, any intellectual property that you create there belongs to you. This unusual policy has helped make Ontario’s Waterloo Region a leading patent generator. It has also sparked local successes such as smart-phone giant Research In Motion Ltd. and software developer OpenText Inc., both university spinoffs.

“They basically have evolved from student days into incredible multinationals,” says John Jung, chief executive officer of Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc., the public-private economic development agency for the Waterloo Region.

Encompassing the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, the region has long understood the value of close ties between business and academia. Its almost 60,000 full-time students – Waterloo’s two other key schools are Wilfrid Laurier University and polytechnic Conestoga College – are a vital source of talent for local companies.

Through the University of Waterloo’s decades-old co-op system, Canadian and international students apply their knowledge in the real world. The region’s three major postsecondary institutions have representatives on the Technology Triangle board, alongside business leaders.