October 20, 2012 – Republic of Mining

ONTC unions pitch plan [Ring of Fire railroad] – by Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles (North Bay Nugget – October 19, 2012)

October 20, 2012

http://www.nugget.ca/

The General Chairperson’s Association is asking the province to consider a proposal that would revitalize Ontario Northland and keep hundreds of workers employed.

The plan was unveiled Friday at North Bay city hall in front of Ontario Northland Transportation Commission employees, CEO Paul Goulet, politicians and CAW Local 103 president Brian Kelly.

Brian Stevens of the General Chairperson’s Association, representing unionized ONTC employees, called the proposal “economically sustainable” and said it would provide a new future for Northern Ontario.

“Not only will we save transportation services and hundreds of existing jobs in the North, but our plan will also create thousands more jobs by providing access to the Ring of Fire,” he said following the announcement.

The proposal includes transferring ownership of the provincial Crown corporation to a new ports authority under the federal Canada Marine Act. The first step in that process was recently completed with the creation of the James Bay and Lowlands Ports Trustee Corp., which would become a port authority if approved by the federal government. The corporation has already had discussions regarding the proposal with First Nations in the James Bay Lowlands, ONTC unions and Ring of Fire claim holder Canada Chrome Corp.

Resource development puts Treaties to the test – by Harvey Yesno (Wawatay News – October 19, 2012)

October 21, 2012October 20, 2012

Northern Ontario’s First Nations Voice: http://wawataynews.ca/

Harvey Yesno is the Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), an Aboriginal political organization representing 49 First Nation communities within James Bay Treaty 9 territory and the Ontario portions of Treaty No. 5.

In July of 1905 when the Treaty Commissioners began the process of securing signatures to the James Bay Treaty # 9, Chief Missabay and his men at Mishkeegogamang signed the treaty only after giving the request to enter into treaty with His Majesty due consideration, and he had determined that nothing but good was intended.

Resource development across the NAN territory (encompassing James Bay Treaty # 9 and Treaty # 5) will put the treaties to the test; as the future ahead for the families, people and communities of Nishnawbe Aski Nation is to participate in the economy and wealth that is contained within the lands and resources that surrounds us.

First Nations have been discussing the need for resource and economic development within our treaty territory for years. It has always been known by the people of NAN that one day Ontario will be on our doorstep; because the place we call home holds tremendous value and potential.

Today, however, the Province of Ontario is making significant changes in terms of legislation and policy with the passing of The Far North Act, Amendments to the Mining Act and now engaging First Nations on the Renewable Energy on Crown Land Policies.

Railroad proposed for Ring of Fire – by MM+D Staff (Materials, Management and Distribution Magazine – October 19, 2012)

October 20, 2012

http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/distribution-and-transportation/news

NORTH BAY, Ontario—There may be a new railroad in northern Ontario, if a proposal being put before the federal and provincial governments is adopted.

The plan, which was unveiled by the General Chairperson’s Association, the organization which represents unionized employees at Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), proposes that the assets and ownership of ONTC, a provincial agency that operates more than 1,100km of track and provides passenger and freight rail, bus and telecommunications services to northeast Ontario communities like North Bay, Cochrane and Moosonee, be turned over to a newly created ports authority, The James Bay and Lowlands Ports Trustee Corporation, which operates under the Canada Marine Act.

The plan was developed in response to the Ontario government’s March 23, 2012 decision to divest the ONTC, which was followed by the shutdown of ONTC’s Northlander passenger train service on September 28, 2012.

Under the new ownership, ONTC operations would be evaluated for economic sustainability, and where needed, improved and financially strengthened. In addition, a new Ring of Fire rail line would be designed and built in order to transport the thousands of tonnes per day of chromite, nickel and other minerals being mined in the James Bay Lowlands.

[Thompson, Manitoba] USW Local 6166 points to contracting out as a ‘contributing factor to our low productivity’ – by John Barker (Thompson Citizen – October 19, 2012)

October 20, 2012

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

Vale’s Manitoba Operations is “one of the highest cost producers” in Canada and the United Kingdom, USW Local 6166 acknowledged Oct. 19, a day after the company said it was considering mothballing Birchtree Mine again next August. In a news release issued by the local, President Murray Nychyporuk pointed to contracting out as a “contributing factor to our low productivity” at Manitoba Operations.

While it’s not easy to say definitively how many contractors are working in Birchtree Mine because a number of contractors often work in multiple locations throughout Manitoba Operations and flow between worksites, Ryan Land, manager of corporate affairs for Vale’s Manitoba Operations, said late Friday afternoon there are about 40 contractors working at Birchtree Mine and a “little more than half are miners.”

Issues of cost and productivity are not new to the nickel miner. Productivity at Manitoba Operations from all mines for the number of pounds of nickel and copper produced in an eight-hour shift dropped from 320 pounds in 2001 and 315 pounds in 2000 to 198 pounds in October 2008, the company said on Nov. 28, 2008.