July 21, 2012 – Republic of Mining

Aboriginal students graduating from post-secondary schools in record numbers – by Michael V’Inkin Lee and Christopher Reynolds (Vancouver Sun – July 15, 2012)

July 21, 2012

The Vancouver Sun, a broadsheet daily paper first published in 1912, has the largest circulation in the province of British Columbia.

First nations students are attending — and graduating from — post-secondary schools and professional programs like law and medicine in record numbers

Mary Brearly had no idea as a little girl that she would grow up to be an underground miner. “I didn’t know that I could do that, I guess. Nobody had told me,” said the first nations Thompson Rivers University graduate, who earned her processing operations qualifications through the B.C. Aboriginal Mine Training Association in Kamloops last year.

Brearly, 27, is part of what the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education says has been a 25-per-cent surge in post-secondary enrolment among aboriginal youth over the last four years. Statistics from some colleges and universities in B.C. also show that more aboriginal students are completing certificate and degree programs in a broader range of fields.

“Ensuring that aboriginal learners have access to post-secondary education and training is essential to fulfilling our labour needs,” said Naomi Yamamoto, the minister of advanced education.

The new shape of a centuries-old relationship [resource boom and First Nations] – by Ken Coates and Brian Lee Crowley (Troy Media/Vancouver Sun – July 20, 2012)

July 21, 2012

The Vancouver Sun, a broadsheet daily paper first published in 1912, has the largest circulation in the province of British Columbia.

Resource boom holds potential to set all Canadians, aboriginal or non-aboriginal, on a more promising path

Ken Coates is Canada research chair in regional innovation at the University of Saskatchewan and Brian Lee Crowley is managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a public policy think-tank in Ottawa.

Regardless of short term ups and downs, Canada’s resource economy is booming as never before. Industrialization and urbanization, chiefly in Asia, will be the unstoppable engine driving the world’s appetite for our resources. This should be an opportunity not just for all Canadians, but especially for many aboriginal Canadians who inhabit the land surrounding the mining and energy projects under-way or planned across the mid and far North.

In fact, this new resource-based wealth could be the key to progress in ending the shameful plight of too many first nations people in Canada. To do so, however, we are going to have to change behaviour and expectations on both sides of the aboriginal/non-aboriginal divide. Happily, far from being a distant and improbable prospect, we can already discern the new shape of the relationship.

Indigenous conflict with resource developers is hardly new. Since the arrival of Europeans, mass evictions, pollution and social turmoil related to resource wealth have been facts of indigenous history.

The eye of the beholder [Barkerville Gold Mines controversy] – by Peter Koven (National Post – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

Autonomous geologists, hired to analyze mining data, have tons of leeway

When Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. told investors a few weeks ago that its British Columbia-based project held the potential to cough up 90 million ounces of gold, the first reaction from industry insiders was disbelief. After all, the legendary Timmins gold camp has produced about 70 million ounces, and fewer than 100 million ounces are produced globally each year.

Their second reaction was more of a question: Who the heck calculated those numbers?

It turned out they were derived by Peter George, a veteran geologist at Geoex Ltd. The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has since intervened with many concerns about his work on Barkerville’s Cow Mountain project, and the company remains a penny stock as investors have little confidence in its stated resources. The stock spiked from 81¢ to as high as $1.67 after the report came out, but has since dropped to 77¢.

Will tight oil change the world? – by Claudia Cattaneo (National Post – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

CALGARY — The quick rise of tight oil in the United States and Canada is dominating oil patch chatter as players take stock of what it could all mean — are we on the verge of a global energy revolution, or on a trend that is encouraging, but unlikely to meet lofty expectations? Tight oil is unconventional oil resources extracted by horizontal drilling and fracking technologies.

With production in the United States gushing out of the Bakken and lots of potential in the Eagle Ford and 20 other plays, Canada barely getting warmed up, and other countries looking to copy the North American experience, optimists envisage the biggest game changer for the energy sector in decades.

By offering North America a shot at energy independence, there’s talk of vast political implications, including a new U.S. foreign policy free of Middle East strings and less urgency to find/subsidize alternative fuels. Some argue the growing importance of tight oil could even shine a new light on Canada’s oil sands in the eyes of Americans because they make energy independence achievable.

Robin West, chairman and chief executive officer of PFC Energy, a global consulting firm that specializes in oil and gas, has gone as far as branding the shift as the energy equivalent of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Stan Beardy on treaties, resources and national agendas – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – July 19, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.wawataynews.ca/

Wawatay spoke with Regional Chief of Ontario Stan Beardy soon after he won the election to represent 133 First Nations. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

Wawatay: What are your thoughts on winning the election, and what that means for yourself and for northern First Nations?

Stan Beardy: First of all, it’s definitely a great honour to be selected as Regional Chief of Ontario with 133 First Nations. Yes, I am from the North, and I have a good understanding of northern issues, but I am responsible for all First Nations in Ontario. I believe there is great diversity, and we need to find a way to use that diversity for our strength.

My mandate is for three years, and I believe I was selected based on the platform which I put forward. I am very strong on our rights-base, and I am very strong on our Treaty position. That Treaty relationship, I believe, is the number one priority in terms of moving forward on improving the quality of life.

When we talk of First Nation laws across Ontario, and asserting our jurisdiction, we’re talking about finding a way to harmonize the federal government’s legislation and laws with ours.

Regional chief wants Ring of Fire revenue sharing – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – July 19, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.wawataynews.ca/

Ontario’s new regional chief wants to see First Nations get a cut of royalties and taxes collected from resource extraction projects on traditional lands. In an interview following his election victory, Stan Beardy told Wawatay that it is not enough for industry and governments to simply provide jobs and training to First Nations people in exchange for access to resources on First Nations’ land.

Beardy said that the treaty relationship, where First Nations agreed to share the land and resources, means that the wealth generated by both the provincial and federal governments from that land should be shared with First Nations.

“We agree that when we talk about benefits (from resource extraction) we talk about guaranteed jobs and training, across the board, for First Nations people,” Beardy said. “But also there has to be a discussion on arrangements in regards to sharing the wealth. That means not only being compensated for being displaced from your homelands, but also we’re talking about sharing the wealth of the funds collected by the governments for user fees, royalties and taxes.”

Why Canada Can’t Say “No” to Asbestos – by David Suzuki (Huntington Post – July 18, 2012)

July 21, 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

Mesothelioma is a nasty cancer that affects the lining around a person’s lungs. It can also damage membranes around the abdomen, heart, and testicles. The prognosis for those who have it is poor. It causes close to 90,000 preventable deaths a year. More than 90 per cent of cases are attributed to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres that can be inhaled, penetrating the lungs. Because they are mineral-based, they can’t be broken down by the body’s natural defences, so they cause inflammation. The fibres also remain in the lining around the lungs, and over time — often 20 to 30 years or more — may cause mesothelioma or other diseases.

Because asbestos is a known carcinogen, it has been banned by more than 50 countries, including all members of the European Union. They appear to be getting along fine without it, probably because there are safe alternatives for construction, fire-proofing, and other asbestos functions. Canada and the U.S. have not banned it but don’t use it much anymore.

Although Canada doesn’t have a domestic market for asbestos, we actively support the industry and promote exports to other countries, especially India. In fact, Canada is one of only a few countries that still exports asbestos.

“Cliffians” [Copper Cliff] reconvene – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

It started as a house party last year and has morphed into a reunion more than 250 people are registered to attend.

“Back to the Cliff” will bring together people who have lived in the community all their lives, former Copper “Cliffians” who have moved away and people who just wish they were from the town that grew along with the International Nickel Company. Deborah Gray was shouting out instructions to volunteers Friday about lunchtime as they were putting finishing touches on the three-day homecoming.

Gray moved to Copper Cliff when she was seven years old and has never left the community, which is now part of the City of Greater Sudbury. Municipal amalgamation can’t erase the feeling, though, that if you’re from Copper Cliff, you’re “almost like family,” said Gray. She was looking forward to renewing acquaintances with old friends and spending time with friends she just hasn’t met yet.

Contractor pinned between scoop tram, forklift – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – July 21, 2012)

July 21, 2012

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

Production was halted at Vale’s Stobie Mine on Friday after a contract worker was injured in an accident about 9 a.m. A Ministry of Labour investigator happened to be at the mine when the accident occurred and is now looking into it, ministry spokesman Matt Blajer said Friday afternoon.

The ministry hasn’t determined what happened, but Blajer said it was told the employee was standing between a forklift and a scoop tram when another scoop collided with the forklift, pinning the worker. The oncoming scoop operator “did not see the fork sticking out, and the worker was standing between the scoop and the forklift,” said Blajer.

The worker suffered a broken right leg and was transferred to Health Sciences North’s Ramsey Lake Health Centre, he said. The ministry inspector wasn’t expected to file anything official until Monday.

Vale spokeswoman Amanda Eady confirmed the accident and said the labour ministry has frozen the scene. The labour ministry was on site Friday afternoon, as were representatives from the contracting company.