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Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications

Côté Gold project back on track: IAMGOLD moves Gogama gold project toward feasibility – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 26, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

In 2013, IAMGOLD held out a lot of promise for its Côté Gold project near Gogama, acquired a year earlier from Trelawney Mining. But then the price of gold dropped, and the project was put on the backburner.

“As with most mining companies, we just tried to survive,” said Steve Woolfenden, IAMGOLD’s director of environment, during an April 21 talk in Sudbury to kick off that city’s Modern Mining and Technology Week. “We’ve managed through that downturn.”

In the background, IAMGOLD was still chipping away at the environmental assessment (EA) process, and today, the company has emerged with a renewed optimism about the project, although the plan has been amended from its earlier version.

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Local Angle: Healthy Hudbay better in ever-shrinking world – by Jonathon Naylor (Flin Flon Reminder – April 25, 2017)

http://www.thereminder.ca/

During the so-called Great Recession of the late 2000s, several residents remarked that Flin Flon was left basically unscathed by the economic ravages occurring elsewhere in the world.

It wasn’t entirely true. The recession saw Hudbay suspend its Snow Lake operations, causing a ripple effect of layoffs that reached Flin Flon, and prompted the company to scale back its use of local contractors. Nevertheless, the notion that Flin Flon is insulated from global turbulence – that we are an economic island – gained traction during those tough times.

But globalization is a very real force in the mining industry and, by extension, Flin Flon’s economy. The acension of Donald Trump and his “America First” platform has politicized the issue of globalization down south. Here in Canada, mining globalization enjoys support from both the right and the left.

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Mining sector shines for province – by Karina Brino (Prince George Citizen – April 24, 2017)

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/

Karina Brino is the president & CEO of the Mining Association of B.C.

Community representatives, First Nation and government leaders, and members of B.C.’s mineral exploration and mining industry are gathered at the Minerals North conference in Prince George this week to discuss important opportunities and challenges facing the industry.

One of the issues on their minds is how the government will support the industry to be globally competitive and able to produce the commodities we all need and use daily, while providing a stable, prosperous and sustainable future for every citizen of British Columbia.

Exploration and mining are an essential part of the economic and social fabric of this province. The industry contributes more than $7.8 billion annually to the provincial economy, which includes 30,000 jobs that supporting families in rural and urban communities.

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Mining industry undergoing ‘remarkable transformation’ – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 24, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Modern Mining and Technology Week kicks off in Sudbury

At a time when the mining industry is undergoing a sea change in technology and innovation, it’s never been more important to engage youth and educate them about the available opportunities in the sector.

That was the message shared on April 21 during the annual business luncheon to kick off Modern Mining and Technology Week 2017 in Sudbury. The weeklong event features activities geared toward elementary and high school students to educate them about the mining sector and encourage them to consider pursuing careers in the industry.

Honorary chair Don Duval said the sector is in the midst of a “remarkable transformation” that is seeing the industry adopt innovation and new technology at an extraordinary rate, and he’s witnessing this change firsthand in his capacity as executive director of Sudbury’s Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT).

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Northern Ontario is Canada’s future; Conservative leadership candidate promises he will make Ring of Fire a national priority, boost regional health care – by Erin O’Toole (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – April 23, 2017)

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/

THIS week in Thunder Bay, I visited the Terry Fox memorial and was reminded of the tremendous determination of this iconic Canadian and the community spirit he continues to inspire three decades after his death. Canadians are a generous people who help our neighbours at home and have long played a role in helping around the world from Vimy Ridge to Kandahar.

Northern Ontarians have always gone the extra mile to answer the call of service to help their neighbours. Local leaders know the needs of their communities far better than bureaucrats in Ottawa. That’s why it’s time we empower Northern Ontario to set its own course and become a national economic driver once more.

From Kenora to Thunder Bay to Timmins, northerners know the needs of their communities and the tremendous potential of projects like the Ring of Fire. As an Ontario MP, I also recognize that the development of resources in our north not only creates jobs in this area of the province, but will benefit all Canadians through resource royalties and the addition of secondary processing jobs.

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Timmins leads Ontario for mining exploration – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – April 19, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

The value of mining exploration across the North is down, but exploration in the Porcupine Camp continues to be the busiest and most lucrative in all of Ontario. Mining exploration in the Porcupine Mining District alone showed a value of more than $19-million worth of exploration work that was carried out on 6,709 claims during 2016.

That was part of the report tabled this week by Ed van Hees, Ph.D.; the regional resident geologist for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in Timmins.

His report also showed that the $19-million exceeded the level of exploration work when compared to the other individual mining districts in Ontario. Work in the Thunder Bay area was just over $18-million. Next in line was exploration work in the Larder Lake area which was listed at a value of nearly $12-million. The Red Lake mining district was listed at only $8.6-million.

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Conservative leadership hopeful calls for federal support for Ring of Fire – by Matt Vis (tbnewswatch.com – April 20, 2017)

https://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Federal leadership candidate Erin O’Toole visits Thunder Bay, calls on Ottawa to make development of Ring of Fire a priority.

THUNDER BAY – Erin O’Toole views the Ring of Fire as a project of national significance that needs to receive more attention from Ottawa.

Visiting Thunder Bay on Wednesday, the federal Conservative leadership candidate said developing the potentially lucrative Northern Ontario mineral deposits would be a priority if he were to lead the country. “Infrastructure should not just be subways in a couple of cities in the country,” O’Toole said.

“This is what the federal government should do with infrastructure funding. It’s not just about transit in a few parts of the country. If we can help access jobs, resources, opportunity, that’s where the federal government has a role in roads, access to resources and intertie of electricity transmission. There’s a whole range of things we can do to make this possible.”

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[Industrial Disease] Tracking a toxic powder – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – April 20, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Administered as an antidote to silicosis, McIntyre Powder has become anything but the miracle cure it was touted to be in its early days.

As part of the Workplace Safety North conference on health and safety in mining, the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers presented findings from clinics they conducted, during which they interviewed current and former miners. They registered 325 miners, all male, all born between 1876 and 1963. They looked at instances of respiratory and neurologic symptoms. Their findings were telling.

“There are a number of important findings related to existing literature,” Dave Wilken, chief operating officer of OHCOW, told the audience. “Those are mainly neurological, respiratory and cardiovascular.”

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Mining symposium highlights modernization in exploration – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – April 18, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – After more than 120 years of prospectors staking claims in Ontario, the old and honoured practice of putting a claim post into the ground is soon to be over. A new system of staking claims online by clicking on a computer map through the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) is scheduled to come on stream next winter.

One can only imagine what Jack Wilson, Benny Hollinger and Sandy McIntyre would say. You could even add the names of John Larche and Don McKinnon to that list of legendary claim stakers and mine finders who lived in glory days of gold prospecting in Timmins. They might laugh at how easy it all seems. They might also lament the loss of tradition.

Back in the day, claim stakers were required to head out on the land where their prospect was located. They would place a four-inch wide post in the ground, tag the post and then set off blazing a trail 400 metres to the south for post No. 2, 400 metres west for post No. 3, 400 metres north for post No.4 and then cut the final trail 400 metres east back to post No. 1. The first man to rush back to the mining recorder’s office would win the claim.

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Arbitration hearing on QIA-Baffinland royalties dispute starts April 18 (Nunatsiaq News – April 18, 2017)

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

Inuit org alleges mining company in breach of Mary River IIBA obligations

A long awaited arbitration hearing aimed at resolving a complex dispute between Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association over advance royalty payments for the Mary River project got started April 18 in Vancouver before a three-person panel, the QIA has announced in a release.

In a statement of claim filed Aug. 26, 2016, the QIA alleged that Baffinland, under their Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for Mary River, owed them, at that time, at least $6.25 million in advance payments.

Under the Mary River IIBA, Baffinland has already made advance payments to QIA—against future royalties— worth a total of $20 million: $5 million on the date the IIBA was signed, $5 million after the water licence was received, and $10 million after making their final construction decision.

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A new model for hauling ore: Cementation develops injection hoisting technology for transporting ore to surface – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 19, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A new technology developed by Cementation in North Bay is holding promise as an alternative for bringing ore mined underground up to the surface. Created as a more efficient, cost-effective option to existing models that employ ramps or vertical shaft systems, “injection joisting” transports ore to the surface using a pump-driven pipeline loop.

Cementation president Roy Slack said the technology has real potential to bring substantial value to the industry. “Any time you can impact the capital and operating costs, not only does it mean that existing mines become more efficient, but it can also make the difference between a marginal mine and a profitable mine,” Slack said.

“Some orebodies that may not get developed, this may be a method that allows them to get developed, so that means jobs, that means value creation.” The company has been working on the technology for roughly the last five years, but it came to the forefront of the industry in early March when it was selected to share the $1-million top prize — out of 153 submissions — with Kore Geosystems in the Disrupt Mining contest.

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Comics hero Big Nick ‘pretty versatile’ – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – April 18, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Click here to donate to their kickstarter initiative: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/666555592/big-nick-2?ref=nav_search

Big Nick scarcely has time to celebrate keeping Sudbury and Canada safe before battling his latest subterranean scourge, the colossal Bedrock Titan, in the latest offering from Expired Comics.

Big Nick #2 follows the adventures of Sudbury’s very own superhero, a former mine rescue worker trapped in a mine shaft, only to emerge 30 years later, not a day older, but armed with mysterious powers including the ability to grow so large he can wield the iconic Big Nickel as a shield.

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Going deep in Sudbury: Onaping Depth project holds promise for Glencore – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 18, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

When Shayne Wisniewski envisions what the future of underground mining will look like in Sudbury, he sees depth and he sees innovation. As general manager of mining projects for Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore), Wisniewski is responsible for evaluating the company’s Onaping Depth project, which will extend to a depth of more than 2,500 metres, considered an ultra-deep mine.

Located about a 45-minute drive from the city of Sudbury, in the vicinity of the company’s Craig and Onaping Mines, the nickel-copper-PGE deposit was first discovered in 1994, when the company was looking for the down dip extension for Onaping and Craig, Wisniewski said.

Glencore undertook a drill program in the area in 2014 and discovered a fair-size indicated and inferred resource in two zones: a contact zone and a footwall southeast zone.

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NPI: Northern Ontario needs people – by Staff (Sudbury Star – April 17, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Northern Ontario is leaking workers and people. If nothing is done, that could easily turn into a flood, The Northern Policy Institute warns. In a release, the Northern Policy Institute said the North will be short 75,000 workers and 150,000 people by the year 2041, even after allowing for the expected growth in the region’s Indigenous population.

To make up for such losses, Northern Ontario would have to attract, on average, some 6,000 people a year, starting next year and every year for the next 25 years. “This will require real resources, significant effort and serious commitment,” the institute said.

It will also require an evidence-based plan. To that end, the Northern Policy Institute has launched a new project, Northern Attraction, to collect the evidence, engage with experts, and develop that action plan to share with key decision-makers, community partners and the broader public.

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[Ontario] Poor rail service continues to plague north – by Éric Boutilier (Sudbury Star – April 17, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Éric Boutilier is a spokesperson with the Northern & Eastern Ontario Rail Network.

I’ve recently made an observation as a lifelong resident of Northern Ontario: if you don’t own or are unable to operate a vehicle, don’t expect the government to care or assist you with your need to travel to and from your community.

If you’re sick, poor, frail or live in an isolated region, both the provincial and federal governments don’t see the need to provide you with a safe, reliable and comfortable means of transportation in order to access health care, education, tourism opportunities, or to visit family and friends.

Since 2012, the Liberals and Conservatives have axed a number essential transportation routes without public consultation. The Grits cut the Northlander, the region’s only daily train, in favour of an “enhanced bus service.”

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