September 30, 2012 – Republic of Mining

http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Taxpayers still may end up with massive bills like Giant Mine in future, says MiningWatch

When Royal Oak Mines went bankrupt more than a decade ago, it left behind a toxic legacy that Canadian taxpayers are still paying to clean up.

The federal government had to take responsibility for two of the company’s gold mines in the Northwest Territories — Giant Mine in Yellowknife and Colomac, located about 220 km northwest of the capital. Giant is one of the most contaminated sites in Canadian history and it will be one of the most expensive to clean up.

The company’s costly wake leaves some wondering whether enough has changed to prevent taxpayers from getting similar bills in the future. MiningWatch Canada said recent examples such as Jericho diamond mine in Nunavut show money set aside by mines for clean up isn’t always adequate.

“One thing that has happened time and time again is that there are surprises and cost overruns at the time of closure,” said Ramsey Hart, MiningWatch’s Canadian program co-ordinator. “Certainly we’d like to see some contingency funds set aside for unanticipated events.”

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

There’s never been much debate over Sudbury’s status as a leader in mining technology in Canada and it seems that reputation is well established around the world, as well.

The three-day long MINExpo conference in Las Vegas wrapped up Wednesday with some 50,000 people checking out mining equipment manufacturers, job opportunities and higher education.

The Greater Sudbury Development Corporation organized a delegation from Sudbury that included city staff and Mayor Marianne Matichuk and representatives from 10 local companies that work in the mining sector. Ramesh Subramanian, the director of the Bharti School of Engineering at Laurentian University, said he was blown away by the sheer scale of the conference.

“This was my first time there and it was simply amazing. The size of the whole thing. It was insane. I’m at an Ontario Universities Fair now and this is a pillow fight compared to what they have there. Almost 50,000 people there, it was amazing,” Subramanian said.

Laurentian was one of those 10 local companies or groups to join the city delegation. Subramanian was one of the few academic types to attend. He went to recruit students to complete their masters and doctorates in Laurentian’s mining programs.

Mine clean-up rules too lax, critic says – by Elizabeth McMillan (CBC News North – September 29, 2012)

[Sudbury’s] Laurentian masters, PhD programs popular among U.S. students – by Sebastien Perth (Sudbury Star – September 29, 2012)