Pioneering Manitoba woman to enter Mining Hall of Fame – by Chris Purdy (Canadian Press/Global – January 15, 2014)

http://globalnews.ca/toronto/

Kate Rice was so brilliant she could have done anything, and her family was so wealthy she could have done nothing at all.

The adventurous, tough-as-nails beauty from southern Ontario set out for the rugged Manitoba wilderness 100 years ago with a shotgun and snowshoes in search of treasure.

She never struck it rich, but she did discover the first nickel deposits in the province and made headlines across the continent as Canada’s first “girl” prospector.

“Living in the middle of nowhere, depending solely on yourself … I know how hard it is to work in a man’s world,” says Toronto businesswoman Linda Rice, 60, who recently found the mining legend’s name on a branch of her family tree.

She says she can’t even imagine what life would have been like for such a woman a century ago. “I was gobsmacked … I was very excited that I was related to such a pioneer.”

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Takeover bids cut both ways in Quebec – by Peter Hadekel (Montreal Gazette – January 15, 2014)

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

There’s long been a circle-the-wagons mentality in Quebec about corporate takeovers. When a buyer from outside the province is interested in a Quebec company, a protectionist reflex often kicks in and calls are made for government action.

We saw it again this week when Vancouver-based mining giant Goldcorp Inc. made a $2.6-billion hostile takeover bid for Montreal-based Osisko Mining Corp., operator of the big Canadian Malartic gold mine in Abitibi.

The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal was quick to ring the alarm bells, calling on the Quebec government to ensure that if the transaction goes through “it won’t harm the economy of Quebec and the metropolitan region.”

But for every Quebec company that gets taken over by outside interests, there’s one making a deal abroad. That’s how the market works in a global economy.

Widely-held Osisko is one of the few Quebec-based mining firms with operations and production in the province, said Board of Trade president Michel Leblanc.

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Bennett resists calls for wider review of coal project – by Wendy Stueck (Globe and Mail – January 14, 2014)

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.

VANCOUVER — British Columbia will review parts of a proposed coal export project under its jurisdiction but is unlikely to weigh in on other concerns, including whether Port Metro Vancouver should export more U.S.-mined thermal coal, provincial Mines Minister Bill Bennett said.

“As a minister who believes in natural resource extraction and understands the very important connection between resource development and the Canadian economy in general and the B.C. economy in particular, I don’t think we can pick commodities or pick particular industries and say, ‘Well, we don’t like that – we’re not going to do that one,’” Mr. Bennett said Tuesday.

“The rules and regulations and standards apply to everyone,” he added. “And if you want to build something or do something in B.C. and you can meet those rules and regulations and standards, then it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what commodity you’re dealing with – if you meet those standards, you should get a permit for what you want to do.”

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NEWS RELEASE: Future demand for mineral and metal products

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.

Okay, it looks like all the votes have been counted. It appears that experts, pundits, industry insiders and outsiders alike are almost unanimous in concluding that 2013 was not a great year for the mining industry around the world. Canada’s mining industry did not escape from the grips of downward trends.

Impacting Ontario’s mining industry particularly hard was the 20% decrease in nickel prices through 2013 and the 30% drop in gold prices. By value in recent years, gold accounts for about 42% of Ontario’s total metal production and 28% of the province’s total mineral production (metals and non-metals). Also, in recent years by value, nickel in an average year accounts for 22% of Ontario’s metal production and 13% of total mineral production.

On a global basis, the general consensus was that the slowdown in China’s economy in 2013 cast a broad shadow over global mineral production. Lessening demand lead to lower prices and companies found themselves struggling with controlling costs and boosting productivity.

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NEWS RELEASE: ROM’s New Interactive Gallery Explores the World of Modern Mining: Barrick Gold Corporation Gallery Opens At the ROM

(Toronto, Ontario – January 14, 2014): The Barrick Gold Corporation Gallery is now open at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The gallery, located in the ROM’s Teck Suite of Galleries: Earth’s Treasures (Level 2), is an interactive 600 square foot space, with multi-touch, animated displays, multi-media presentations and more.

This new permanent gallery showcases a range of mineral specimens as well as presentations on the global mining industry, including stories about mining, and how the mining industry impacts our daily lives. The digitally enhanced games and other interactives, such as a touch wall are the most advanced, hands-on, user-driven visitor experiences in the ROM.

“The ROM is delighted to share the Barrick Gold Corporation Gallery in our Teck Suite of Galleries with our visitors and inspire them to discover more about mining. From the interactive games to specimen displays, this gallery illustrates the importance of mining in our daily lives and discusses the social and environmental responsibilities surrounding mining as well as our responsibilities as consumers of products of the Earth. We are grateful to our partners and sponsors, including Barrick Gold Corporation and our Advisory Council, for their valued support,” said Janet Carding, ROM Director and CEO.

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Hot Propects in a Cold Climate – by Russell Noble (Canadian Mining Journal – January 2014)

Russell Noble is the editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication.

It’s the largest island in Canada, the fifth largest in the world, and it contains some of the most beautiful land and seascapes on the planet, but Baffin Island is also one of the harshest and most unforgiving places on earth when it comes to Mother Nature and her weather conditions.

It’s a place where trees can’t grow, songbirds are rare, and perhaps most of all, it’s an extremely cold place where the sun comes in seasonal divides.

From November to January, the island experiences nearly 24 hours of darkness with less than two hours of twilight. On the flip-side of the calendar, there is continuous daylight from May to August. During the spring and fall months, it’s a gradual fade from dark to light and light to dark, respectively.

At first glance, Baffin Island seems to be an uninviting place, but look a little closer at the more than 11,000 people who live there because they love this massive rock at the top of the world that they have always called “Our Land.” It’s the only home they know, because most of the residents represent generations of Inuit people who have always lived on the island.

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Too many Obituaries, not enough Want Ads – by Russell Noble (Canadian Mining Journal – January 2014)

Russell Noble is the editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication.

Obituaries, unlike Want Ads, are taking up more space in our newspa¬pers lately and sadly, so too are the number of deaths involving mining com¬panies and subsequently, the job opportunities they once offered to skilled and willing workers.

Barrick Gold’s and Cliffs Resources’ recent issues involving their grand projects in South and North America respec-tively are perfect examples of ‘death-and-hope’ situations (much like Obituaries and Want Ads) because they have resulted in headlines around the world that have not only cast doubt on the individual companies, but they have also caused disappointment within the ranks of shareholders and future investors alike.

And by ‘future investors’ I don’t mean people with money to gamble on mining shares, but people in our schools right now who are contemplating their futures in careers that once included mining as an industry offering a lifetime of opportunities.

Fortunately for the most part, it still does because as we all know, the industry isn’t going to dry up and blow away like many of the jobs at Barrick and Cliffs did recently.

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David S. Robertson (Born 1924) – 2014 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by the late Maurice R. Brown, former editor and publisher of The Northern Miner, as a way to recognize and honour the legendary mine finders and builders of a great Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988. For more information about the extraordinary individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, please go to their home website: http://mininghalloffame.ca/

David Robertson became a respected statesman of Canada’s mining industry through technical accomplishment and impeccable integrity displayed during a distinguished career spanning more than six decades. Along with other industry giants, he earned his stripes in the mid-1950s for his role in the discovery of uranium deposits at Elliott Lake, Ontario. In 1965, he founded David S. Robertson & Associates, a consulting firm that grew in stature as it expanded from its Canadian base to other countries.

Robertson’s career took on a new dimension in the mid-1970s, after he was retained by the Saskatchewan government to evaluate potash assets for a newly formed Crown corporation. He earned a reputation for credible valuations and as an expert witness in litigation and arbitration cases. His expertise was in demand after his firm merged with Coopers & Lybrand Consulting Group in 1982, and for decades beyond.

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

Born in Winnipeg, Robertson graduated with a BSc degree in physical chemistry and geology from the University of Manitoba in 1946.

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Kathleen C. S. Rice (1882-1963) – 2014 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by the late Maurice R. Brown, former editor and publisher of The Northern Miner, as a way to recognize and honour the legendary mine finders and builders of a great Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988. For more information about the extraordinary individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, please go to their home website: http://mininghalloffame.ca/

Kathleen Creighton Starr Rice left the comforts and confines of Edwardian-era Ontario for the wilderness of northern Manitoba, where she found fame as a prospector and mining entrepreneur. Aided by local First Nations, her travels by dog team and canoe through Manitoba and Saskatchewan included an 800 kilometre trek north of The Pas to Reindeer Lake, where she discovered zinc and vanadium in 1914. After moving to the Snow Lake area, she staked gold claims along strike of the Rex, Kiski and Bingo gold mines.

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

In the early 1920s, she staked the first nickel properties in Manitoba, which ultimately lured Inco (now Vale) to Manitoba. In those days, her high-grade discovery was valued at $5 million. Her intellectual curiosity was wide ranging, and covered topics as diverse as a scientific paper on the Aurora Borealis and plans for hydro-generation at Wekusko Falls.

She was a journalist, an innovative dog trainer, a horticulturalist and a pioneer environmentalist with a deep appreciation of First Nations culture and knowledge.

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C. Mark Rebagliati (Born 1943) – 2014 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by the late Maurice R. Brown, former editor and publisher of The Northern Miner, as a way to recognize and honour the legendary mine finders and builders of a great Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988. For more information about the extraordinary individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, please go to their home website: http://mininghalloffame.ca/

Few modern-era geoscientists can match the prolific track record of discovery established by Mark Rebagliati in Canada and abroad over four decades. Several of his discoveries became mines in his home province of British Columbia — notably Mount Milligan and Kemess — while others were found in far-flung parts of the world. He earned his place in an elite class of mine-finders known for exceptional technical skills, remarkable tenacity, and hands-on leadership.

Rebagliati attended the BC & Yukon Chamber of Mines prospecting school and the Haileybury School of Mines before earning a degree in geological engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1969. He worked for Consolidated Goldfields, BP Minerals Canada and other companies, and during the 1970s was a member of the discovery teams at the Red Chris project near Dease Lake, and the QR project near Quesnel, BC. QR became a gold mine and Red Chris evolved into a major porphyry copper-gold deposit and is in development.

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

The pace of discovery increased after Rebagliati established his own consulting firm and formed an alliance with Vancouver-based Hunter Dickinson Inc. (HDI) in 1986, which ultimately let to his post as HDI’s executive vice-president of exploration.

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John (Jack) F. McOuat (1933-2013) – 2014 Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Inductee

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by the late Maurice R. Brown, former editor and publisher of The Northern Miner, as a way to recognize and honour the legendary mine finders and builders of a great Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988. For more information about the extraordinary individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, please go to their home website: http://mininghalloffame.ca/

John (Jack) McOuat helped advance many mines and mineral projects around the world as a founding partner of Watts, Griffis and McOuat (WGM), Canada’s longest-runningindependent firm of geological and mining consultants. The trailblazing geological engineerrose to prominence for overcoming challenges at remote and foreign projects, notably construction of a copper-zinc mine in Saudi Arabia in less than 11 months. He supported development of several major mines in Canada’s Far North, including Nanisivik and Raglan, and was renowned for his ability to review and select favorable projects and geological districts worldwide.

http://www.pendaproductions.com/ This video was produced by PENDA Productions, a full service production company specializing in Corporate Communications with a focus on Corporate Responsibility.

For 20 years, McOuat was the lead negotiator on behalf of mining groups in creating joint ventures to explore prospective land packages held by various Alaskan native corporations for mutual benefit. He provided sage counsel to companies pursuing growth and investment opportunities, best exemplified by the prescient participation of Teck Resources in the emerging Voisey’s Bay nickel project. He elevated the status of the industry that had sustained his career for more than 50 years, and helped introduce and promote its greatest accomplishments to the world.

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COLUMN-Indonesia bauxite ban slow-burn issue for aluminium – by Clyde Russell (Reuters U.S. – January 14, 2014)

http://www.reuters.com/

Clyde Russell is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own.

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 15 (Reuters) – The immediate impact of Indonesia’s ban on exporting unprocessed mineral ores has been felt in nickel markets, but the slow burn, and potentially larger, may be in aluminium.

London Metal Exchange three-month nickel jumped 7.4 percent between the close on Jan. 9 and Jan. 14, when it ended at $14,340 a tonne. In contrast, London aluminium futures barely nudged up 0.6 percent over the same three-day trading period, and the benchmark contract in Shanghai weakened by 0.6 percent.

It may well be that the market is accurately reflecting more immediate concern over the supply of nickel, since Indonesia supplies about 13 percent of the world’s mined nickel.

But the likelihood is that any loss of Indonesian cargoes will act merely to lower the available surplus of nickel, suggesting that the current rally may not be sustained. However, the story with aluminium may be slightly different, at least over the medium to long term.

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Shrugging off China risks, Australia miners dig deep for more iron ore – by James Regan (Reuters India – January 15, 2014)

http://in.reuters.com/

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Australian miners shoveled record tonnages of iron ore in the December quarter, supported by billions of dollars worth of expansion plans coming on stream and despite signs of weakening demand from top consumer China.

Iron ore continues to generate big returns even as prices fall, and miners in Australia – the world’s biggest supplier – are counting on economies of scale to maintain profits for the steel making material.

Production data from Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group will be released over the next two weeks, but port data already shows record tonnages were shipped in the last quarter even as Chinese demand lost steam.

Chinese iron ore purchases fell 5.6 percent to 73.4 million tonnes in December, down from a record 77.8 million in November and ore prices have dipped to a six-month low.

And weaker steel prices have prompted some mills to reduce production, putting China’s average daily crude steel output at 1.961 million tonnes in late December, the first time the pace fell below 2 million tonnes since last February.

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Goldman’s Currie still looking for $1050 gold, bearish on all commodities – by Lawrence Williams (Mineweb.com – January 15, 2014)

http://www.mineweb.com/

Goldman Sachs’ Jeffrey Currie remains bearish on virtually all commodities, but particularly so on gold reiterating his prediction of last year that gold will fall to $1050 by end 2014.

LONDON (MINEWEB) – In a new interview with CNBC, Goldman Sachs Head of Commodities Research, Jeffrey Currie, was nothing but consistent in his 2014 gold price forecast and is sticking to his $1050 target for gold by end 2014 – a figure he first came up with in the first half of last year. Thus he feels that gold’s relatively strong start to the current year is likely to be shortlived and, as in 2013, gold will likely shed value throughout 2014.

Now, the principal problem for gold bulls with Currie’s forecasts is that they can tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies given the God-like status of Goldman Sachs in financial markets. Currie famously told clients to sell gold short in April last year – just two days before many big gold investors seem to have followed this advice and the gold price plunged.

Later in the year, in October, Currie told a conference panel in London that gold had to be a ‘slam dunk sell’ with the U.S. Fed likely to begin its tapering programme and reduce its $85 billion a month bond buying programme once the then prevalent budget impasse ended. This too generated gold price weakness, although perhaps not to the extent of his earlier ‘short gold’ call.

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Goldcorp launched hostile bid for Osisko after repeated rejections – by Rachelle Younglai (Globe and Mail – January 15, 2014)

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.

Five years of thwarted efforts to negotiate a friendly deal with Osisko Mining Corp. pushed Vancouver-based Goldcorp Inc. to launch a hostile $2.6-billion bid for its smaller rival this week.

According to Goldcorp’s formal bid filings on Tuesday, the miner describes how Montreal-based Osisko repeatedly rejected offers to merge and refused to provide key information after the companies signed a confidentiality agreement in the summer of 2008.

Calls to Osisko requesting comment were not returned. Goldcorp chief executive Chuck Jeannes has wanted to get his hands on Osisko’s giant Canadian Malartic mine in Quebec since 2008, when he was in charge of finding new projects as Goldcorp’s executive vice-president of corporate development.

In September of 2008, both Goldcorp and Osisko’s shares were volatile amid fallout from the U.S. housing crisis. Osisko, whose stock dropped as low as $1.86 a share, asked Goldcorp whether it would buy a small stake in the miner.

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