OTTAWA, Feb. 2, 2012 /CNW/ – Mining in Canada is back and growing according to the latest report by Mining Association of Canada (MAC). MAC’s annual Facts & Figures 2011 finds that mining in Canada has not only recovered from the 2008 economic crisis, but is now entering a period of significant and sustained growth.

Canada’s mining sector contributed $36 billion to the national GDP in 2010, and employed 308,000 workers in mineral extraction, smelting, fabrication and manufacturing. An additional 3,215 companies supplied engineering, geotechnical, environmental, financial and other services to mining operations.

In 2010, the value of Canadian mineral production rose by 31% and mineral exploration increased by 35%. The industry exported $84.5 billion worth of metals, non-metals and coal in 2010, which accounts for 21.2% of Canada’s total exports. Read the rest of this entry »

Canada NewsWire: Report on Mining, Oil and Gas Companies CSR Initiatives Released

OTTAWA, Jan. 19, 2012 /CNW/ – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) today released a report providing an update on the status of recommendations arising from the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries.

In 2007, Mining Association of Canada staff participated on an advisory group to the federal government that included representatives of the extractive industry, the investment community, civil society, academia and government. The advisory group reached an unprecedented consensus and produced a report that included 27 recommendations related to different aspects of CSR in the developing world. These recommendations remain an important reference for on-going discussions about CSR and the extractive industry in Canada.

The report released today by MAC is the result of a research project commissioned by MAC’s International Social Responsibility Committee to review, identify and understand the actions taken by government and other actors to implement the Roundtables’ recommendations, as well to identify current gaps.  The report shows that 18 of the report’s 27 recommendations have been fully or partially implemented, such as the following: Read the rest of this entry »

Founded in 1898, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is a technical society of professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries.

Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs, at the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues.

The single most important contribution that companies can make to Canada is in the form of capital expenditure. In the mining sphere, capital spending pays for new mine construction and increases to existing mine capacity. It generates process and technology improvements and the modernization and expansion of mills, smelters and refineries.

It leads to the implementation of new product lines and improved energy efficiency and environmental performance. When companies commit to a particular capital spending program, the direct result is new jobs, contracts and production, as well as more modern and productive facilities.

Capital spending plans are driven by an array of variables, including: projected future global market demand and mineral price trends; degree of confidence in existing plant capacity; level of comfort with host government rules and regulations; and the state of a company’s existing financing capabilities. Read the rest of this entry »

This speech was given by the Honourable Joe Oliver, P.C., M.P. – Minister of Natural Resources to the Mining Day on the Hill Luncheon, Economic Council of Canada and Mining Association of Canada

Check against delivery

“For example, the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario is an
emerging mining region, where 26 exploration companies
have mineral claims covering almost 500,000 hectares.  
Analysts estimate that there are $50 billion in qualified
resources for chromite and $10 billion for base-metal
and platinum group metal deposits.” (Honourable Joe Oliver -
Canadian Minister of Natural Resources)
 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by thanking the Mining Association of Canada and the Economic Council of Canada for the invitation to speak with you today.
 
I also want to congratulate the Mining Association and its members for organizing this event. It’s a great occasion to recognize just how much this industry contributes to our prosperity — and why it’s important we all work together to make sure this sector continues to succeed.
 
As you know, I recently returned from a week-long trip to Japan and China. My main objective was to help broaden and deepen Canada’s trade and investment relationship in two of the world’s largest economies.
 
In meetings with senior political and business leaders, I promoted Canada’s potential for investment, exploration and development, and the opportunities for Canadian mining companies to do business in the Asia-Pacific.

Read the rest of this entry »

OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2011 /CNW/ – During its annual Mining Day on the Hill event, the Mining Association of Canada made a $2500 contribution to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF). This builds upon the $25,000 contribution made earlier this year, for a total contribution of $27,500.

The mining industry is a strong supporter of Aboriginal education programs across Canada and particularly in rural and northern communities.  Mining is a prominent partner in the federal government’s Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership programs, with initiatives active in many Canadian jurisdictions. MAC member companies are also active supporters of Aboriginal education, supporting numerous scholarship programs and other initiatives. MAC’s support for NAAF builds on this work.

“Mining is the largest private sector employer of Aboriginal Canadians and our future depends on their growing participation in our sector,” says Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of MAC.  “Canada’s mining sector is poised for significant growth and potential new investment of almost $140 billion in the next 5-10 years. Read the rest of this entry »

OTTAWA, Nov. 22, 2011 /CNW/ – During its annual Mining Day on the Hill, The Mining Association of Canada (MAC)  is presenting its 2010 Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Awards, recognizing Canadian mining facilities that have demonstrated excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

2010 TSM Award recipients include Barrick Gold Corporation, De Beers Canada Inc., Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., Iron Ore Company of Canada, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Teck Resources Limited, and Xstrata. Facilities owned by these companies demonstrated performance excellence in a number of categories: 

•Tailings Management.
•Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
•External Outreach.
•Crisis Management Planning.

TSM performance categories for 2011 onwards will also include: Read the rest of this entry »

Canada NewsWire

EDMONTON, AB, Nov. 15, 2011 /CNW/ – Canada’s mining industry has the potential to make almost $140 billion of capital investment in Canada over the next five years and almost 50 per cent of this investment is anticipated in Alberta. The province is set to lead the way in growth, driven by a strong mix of commodities and a potential $67.7 billion investment in 12 mining projects proposed for development by 2016.

That’s one of the messages Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of The Mining Association of Canada, is sharing in an address to the Edmonton business community at the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation’s 2012 Economic Outlook Luncheon today. “There is tremendous opportunity facing the Canadian mining industry – an opportunity not seen in several generations,” Gratton says. “Multi-billion dollar investments are planned in both new and existing projects in virtually every province and territory of Canada, bringing significant economic benefits, and Alberta is set to be a major player.”

Benefits include the generation of provincial taxes and royalties, employment and economic spin-off service and supplier benefits. The statistics speak for themselves: Alberta royalties and mining tax revenues from oil sands and coal alone (not including corporate and personal income taxes) grew by roughly 16 percent between 2009 and 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

THUNDER BAY—He skipped the debate on northern Ontario issues, but Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty was far from forgotten as his main rivals for the premier’s job took him — and each other — to task.

So did local farmer Peter Lang, who showed up with a hen named Henrietta and a sign reading, “Dalton’s chicken!” as NDP Leader Andrea Horwath arrived at the event hosted by the Northern Ontario Municipal Association.

To the chagrin of New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives, there was not an empty podium on stage in an airport hotel to symbolize the absent McGuinty, who was campaigning in the GTA while his challengers were quizzed on boosting the northern economy if they win the Oct. 6 vote. “We’d love to have an empty chair,” said one Tory strategist, adding the municipal association wanted to avoid controversy.

With the Liberals holding all but three ridings in northern Ontario, McGuinty’s decision to stay away showed northerners they should feel his government is “taking them for granted,” said Horwath. Read the rest of this entry »

SUDBURY, ON, Aug. 25, 2011 /CNW/ – New figures from the Mining Association of Canada today estimate that approximately $130 billion worth of investment is projected over the next five years for the Canadian mining industry;  including both new project and expansions to existing operations.  That message was part of an address to the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce made by Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada.

“Multi-billion dollar investments are planned in virtually every province and territory of Canada.  Global demand for commodities is creating opportunities not seen since the post-war boom of the 1950′s,” says Gratton.  “As a global mining superpower, Canada is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity.  Canada is fortunate to have a rich endowment of commodities and over the past several decades we’ve developed best-in-class expertise in extracting materials in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Joining Pierre Gratton in addressing the Sudbury audience was Chris Hodgson, President of the Ontario Mining Association.  “The world needs the products of mining.  Mines will be built and operated.  What better place to mine than Ontario, with its responsible environmental protection, world class safety record and desire to participate in new and emerging technologies,” added Mr. Hodgson.  Read the rest of this entry »

OTTAWA, Aug. 4, 2011 /CNW/ – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) today released its annual report on the level of payments made by the mining industry to Canadian governments.  The report, prepared by ENTRANS Policy Research Group, details the direct revenues that accrue to government from the industry in the form of corporate taxes, royalties and employee income taxes.

“The mining industry makes a significant contribution to Canada’s economy each year,” noted MAC’s President and CEO Pierre Gratton, “ranging from capital investment, stock market activity, Aboriginal community jobs and training, and northern development.  The level of payments made to governments detailed in this study is another useful measure of this contribution, particularly valuable because these revenues are used to support health care, education and other critical government services.”

Highlights from the report include: Read the rest of this entry »

This column was originally published in the Late Summer, 2010 issue of Highgrader Magazine which is committed to serve the interests of northerners by bringing the issues, concerns and culture of the north to the world through the writings and art of award-winning journalists as well as talented freelance artists, writers and photographers.

Timmins Owes its Very Existence to Six Men Not Three!

Timmins city clerk Jack Watson says with a note of bitterness in his voice:
“We submitted all six and were upset with the decision. We appealed but lost.”

The community that calls itself The City With a Heart of Gold has every right to the motto because literally the ground beneath it, the heart of Mother Earth, has arteries of gold.

There has been gold production in Timmins continuously since 1910 and it will continue for  many more decades. There is no reason for a thriving modern city to be located in the middle of nowhere; there is no port to support international trade, no junction of railways, no meeting of highways that is a destination point.

Yet, Timmins is in the midst of a four-year celebration of 100 years of history and achievements.

No achievement was greater than the exploits of these six men: Sandy McIntyre, Hans Buttner, Harry Preston, John (Jack) Wilson, Benny Hollinger and Alex Gillies.

They discovered in 1909 the gold deposits that became the Big Three producers in Canadian mining history, the Dome (1910-still in production), the Hollinger (1910-1968) and the McIntyre (1912-1988).

Yet earlier this year the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inducted just three of the six into its illustrious membership. Wilson and Harry Preston found the gold outcrop that was to become the Dome or as its workers fondly called it, The Big Dome. Only Wilson made into the Hall. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Stothart is vice president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues.

Throughout the history of the global environmental movement, no issue has seen anything approaching the elaborate policy structure and negotiation frameworks that surround the climate change and greenhouse gas mitigation area. 

International climate change policy has been focused around the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for over 20 years.  The IFCC is a United Nations entity created in 1988 that writes extensive reports, drawing upon input from 2500 scientific experts, 800 contributing authors, 450 lead authors, and 620 expert reviewers.  IPCC reports typically stretch into the thousands of pages. 

The UNFCCC has coordinated 15 Conference of the Parties (CoP) sessions over the past fifteen years.  These sessions have in the past featured hundreds of environmental groups, business delegations, and government departments.  Thousands of bureaucrats congregate at CoP sessions, often held in exotic locations that entail enormous travel distances and related airline GHG emissions.  Between CoP sessions, numerous working groups interact and themselves congregate in sub-committee meetings at locations around the world.  There are some 192 countries engaged in the UNFCCC process and these individual countries in turn support their policy discussions and documents with equally substantial resources and bureaucracies.  Some countries, such as Australia and the UK, have created entire government departments around climate change policy. 

In Canada, at least eight “climate change strategies” have been unveiled since the mid-1990s – five by Liberal governments and three by Conservatives – each plan outlining targets, actions, and commitments supported by the loftiest of communications rhetoric and printed on the glossiest of paper.  Through the years, the federal government has outlined plans and processes for clean development mechanisms, offset systems, early action credits, technology funds, reduction targets, emission trading systems, cap and trade systems and carbon taxes.  One particularly memorable offset document contained a 34 page glossary.  The combined worth of these documents, plus a toonie, would today buy a Starbucks coffee.  Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues. www.mining.ca

With due respect to cobalt and coal, it is fair to state that diamonds and gold are the world’s two most prestigious minerals.  They are the minerals that hold the deepest emotional meaning among consumers, with traditional and cultural ties to commitment, union, luck, love and marriage.  They are also the minerals that are most indicative of personal wealth, affluence, sophistication and social status.  These two minerals and the corresponding industries have long shared a number of similarities in terms of the surrounding market-drivers, price mark-ups and social pressures.     

For example, the fundamental driver of the global market in both gold and diamonds is jewelry.  According to the World Gold Council, fully 68% of the world’s demand for gold over the past five years was for use in jewelry.  While the delineation is less exact in diamonds, it is estimated that gem-quality diamonds used in jewelry account for over 80% of the value of the world diamond market. 

A second point, and the converse from the above, is to note that the industrial application market for diamonds and gold is relatively modest in size.  Only 14% of world gold demand stems from industrial uses (while the remaining 18% is for investment purposes).  While there are important industrial uses in dental, electronics, medical and environmental fields, and growing potential in nanotechnology, these industrial uses for gold face the challenge of being commercially feasible at raw material price points that are currently well north of $1000 per ounce.  Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues. www.mining.ca

The Canadian development aid community, like many aid providers around the world, is often described as slow, inefficient and disorganized.  In a recent article in the Globe and Mail, aid consultant Ian Smillie noted that it takes Canada’s official agency CIDA an average of almost four years to move an aid project from concept to approval, while projects sent to the CIDA Minister for approval are often returned for revision a dozen times.   

It is important to note that the leveling of criticism toward Canada’s aid agency is not particularly new, nor is it restricted to the present government.  Many past studies and evaluations have lamented the inefficiency of global aid delivery.  A recent report provided to Australia’s foreign minister concluded that the performance of AusAID suffers from having no clear objective.  Globally, western democratic countries have spent $2300 billion on foreign aid over the last five decades with minimal progress.  Aid systems seem incapable of delivering cheap medicines to children or inexpensive bed nets to families to prevent malaria deaths.  Extreme poverty and preventable diseases continue to kill thousands of men, women and children each year in developing countries despite these hundreds of billions of dollars in aid flow. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Stothart is vice-president, economic affairs of the Mining Association of Canada. He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests regarding federal tax, trade, investment, transport and energy issues. www.mining.ca This column was originally published November, 2009. This column was originally published in May, 2009.

Amidst the doom and gloom of present economic times, it can be difficult to find signs of optimism that could generate light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. While economic predictions can be easily contradicted, it seems evident that there are some positives emerging from the present recession and that, more importantly, mineral prices are destined to rebound in the not-too-distant future.

Sanity is returning to input costs and waiting lists

The business environment that existed until mid-2008 was one of frenzy, cost explosion and waiting lists. Companies seeking to buy mining equipment were assigned lengthy delivery times. Basics such as large tires for mining trucks carried a one-year or longer delivery lead time. As noted in 2005 by the president of a Virginia machinery company, “there are eight people trying to get the same tire.”

Capital projects that began with cost budgets in the hundreds of millions ended with budgets in the billions. Companies reported that capital investment cost projections were doubling or more during the 2005 to 2007 timeframe. The need for $16 per hour fast food workers in oil sands country was going unmet. Marine shipping costs and timelines were expanding rapidly.

Read the rest of this entry »