Neskantanga First Nation is stepping up efforts to block Cliffs’ proposed transportation corridor to the Ring of Fire. Last week the Mattawa First Nation launched a two-pronged attack on the 340-kilometer, all weather access road that Cliffs wants to run south from the Ring of Fire to Nakina.
With its first move, Neskantaga applied to an obscure Ontario mining court to decide whether the First Nation has rights to the land over which the corridor would be built.
Then on June 13 lawyers for Neskantaga issued a letter to Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Michael Chan, demanding that Ontario refrain from authorizing Cliffs to do archeological work on land the transportation corridor would be built on.
“The current road proposal encompasses areas used traditionally by Neskantaga members and ancestors, and in particular sites at which Neskantaga members are buried,” wrote Gregory McDade of Ratcliff and Company LLP in the letter to Chan.
Day: June 19, 2012
Yamana Gold snaps up Extorre for $395-million – by Pav Jordan (Globe and Mail – June 19, 2012)
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.
Yamana Gold Inc. said Monday it will pay $395-million for Extorre Gold Mines Ltd., the owner of a gold and silver property in Argentina that has run into development difficulties.
Extorre’s stock price has been so battered by global market uncertainty and local politics that the company can no longer develop the property itself with solid returns.
“Extorre’s share price has suffered dramatically over the past few months due to a number of factors including: global political and economic uncertainty impacting credit markets; a broad selloff of all junior non-producing gold companies; concerns with respect to share dilution arising from a decision to develop the Cerro Moro project; and a series of events that have raised the perceived investment risk in Argentina,” Extorre co-chairman Yale Simpson said in announcing the deal with Yamana.
Marathon mine impact report delayed – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – June 18, 2012)
The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
The main environmental document outlining plans and potential impacts of a new copper and palladium mine on Marathon’s doorstep has been delayed.
The Enviromental Impact Statement (EIS) document was supposed to have been released last week, but in a letter to the federally appointed review panel for the project, Stillwater Canada said “it ran into a few delays.” The report should be submitted (this week),” the letter adds.
Planned public hearings into the open pit project just north of Marathon’s airport can’t take place until after the EIS document has been scrutinized by both the three-member review panel and the public. A date for the hearings, likely to take place in Marathon and at Pic River First Nation, have yet to be set.
Stillwater plans to employ about 350 people at the mine, expected to be in production in three to four years if the project passes the joint provincial-federal environmental review and obtains necessary permits. The projected mine life is about 12 years.
Mining school celebrates its 100-year legacy – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – June 19, 2012)
Alumni gather for celebration
The roots of the mining industry in Northern Ontario sink deeper than the countless resulting mine shafts do. From Cobalt to Red Lake, mining is more than just a livelihood, it is a mindset, a way of life, one that can be taught and has been since 1912.
The Haileybury School of Mines has been an integral key in the development of mining operations around the globe, known and celebrated for the quality of its graduates and the accomplishments the school and it’s students have achieved.
The school celebrated 100 years over the weekend, bringing countless alumnus thousands of kilometres to celebrate their alma mater.
“It is incredibly important to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this world class institution,” said Haileybury School of Mines alumni president Brian Dobbs. “There have been graduates from this school who have worked in virtually every corner of the globe. It is a proud moment for us here.”
NEWS RELEASE: Investment in mining and oil and gas sectors stimulates demand in other Canadian industries
OTTAWA, June 5, 2012 /CNW/ – Massive investment in the oil and gas and mining sectors is fuelling growth in industries ranging from manufacturing to engineering, according to the Canadian Industrial Profile-Spring 2012 published by The Conference Board of Canada in association with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).
The Canadian Industrial Profile provides a five-year (2012-2016) production, revenue, cost and profitability forecast for six industries each quarter. The Spring 2012 edition includes forecasts for:
• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Machinery Manufacturing
• Oil and Gas Support Activities
• Professional Services
• Textiles and Apparel
“It is interesting to note that the economic boom linked to oil and gas and mining activities is benefiting many industries – not only in Western Canada, but throughout the country,” said Pierre Cléroux, Vice President, Economic Analysis, at BDC.
Wawa returning to its mining roots – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – June 2012)
Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.
Re-tooling for growth
Wawa has taken its fair share of hits in the last 15 years. The 1998 closure of the Algoma Ore Division (AOD) sent this North Shore town’s economy tumbling, and it’s still searching for recovery.
But there appears to be some signs of hope on the horizon, or at least below it. Exploration for gold is slowly returning the municipality of 2,900, located between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, to its natural resources’ roots.
There is a plethora of exploration activities underway and the spinoffs are slowly weaving their way through the local business community. Maury O’Neill, CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Wawa, said her department is preparing to do an economic gap analysis to figure out what Wawa must do on the supply and services end to better cater to the mining companies.