Judge orders Aboriginal protesters to stop blocking proposed uranium mine
NWT opens negotiations on hydro project with diamond miners
Thor Lake, NT: a picture of sustainable development in the mining sector
Starfield completes lease on Ferguson Lake property
Na-Cho Nyak Dun suspends all Keno Hill regulatory talks
Cooper Minerals thanks community of Deline for their support on the Great Bear Lake project
Nahanni National Park expansion can coexist with Prairie Creek mine
Women welders
Mine Training Society partners with Trade Winds to Success to assist Aboriginal women in the NWT to pursue a career in the mining industry
By Joe Bailey, Project Coordinator, Mine Training Society
Recently, the Mine Training Society (MTS) has expanded its training mandate to include funding to individuals who are seeking specific mine related training. Natasha Black and Trish Smith are the first individuals to be funded as individuals by the MTS.
(Left) Natasha Black, Behchoko, NT and Trish Smith, Yellowknife, NT
It was very coincidental how things came about. In May, I visited the Trade Wind offices to learn more about their program and explored the idea of having individuals from the north attend their training program. Upon my return to Yellowknife, Trish walked into our office and inquired about welding training. Trish Smith is a young Aboriginal female from Yellowknife, NT, a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation who had been looking for some training to help start her welding career in the mining industry.
We discussed the prospect of her attending the Trade Winds to Success training program in Edmonton. With Trish being a single mother of a young girl it would a tough personal decision since she would be away from her daughter for five months. Also, having never left her home community before and relocating to a large center like Edmonton and going alone made the decision very difficult. However, Trish was committed to pursuing a welding career and so with the support of her family and friends, she decided to make this huge personal sacrifice and go for it.
One week later, Natasha Black walks into our office and inquires about welding training – what a coincidence!
Natasha Black is another young Aboriginal female, a member of the Tli Cho Nation living in the Tli Cho community of Behchoko. Natasha’s story is one of change. She was tired of the small odd jobs here and there, she was looking for something more meaningful, she was looking for a career in the mining industry as a welder. Since being first introduced to welding in shop class in high school Natasha new she wanted to be a welder. However, it wasn’t normal for a young Aboriginal female to go into welding and so she tried other things here and there but felt something was missing.
This summer she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a welder. Her efforts led her to the Mine Training Society office in Yellowknife where I met her and we started working on her goals and training plan.
As with Trisha, it would be a difficult decision for Natasha. She would have to leave her community, family and friends for five months, but she knew in order to achieve her goals this was something that she had to do. Also, with Trish already going to Trade Winds it made the decision that much easier. They would both go into welding, travel together and more importantly, being the only two from the North, they would help and support each other.
In order for Natasha and Trish to make it down to Trade Winds, they had to demonstrate initiative. They had to have a game plan and they had to have the support of the mining company who would be willing to provide employment upon their completion of the program. More importantly, they also had to prove themselves as worthy candidates for MTS funding assistance, this involved a lengthy, detailed interview process by both the Mine Training Society and Trade Winds to Success staff.
The Mine Training Society and the Trade Winds To Success Program have partnered together to provide training to help Natasha and Trish achieve their goals in pursuing welding careers in the mining industry. The staff at Trade Winds, particularly Mia McHale, have been most helpful in making the transition from Yellowknife to Edmonton and helping with any challenges the girls may have encountered while in Edmonton. Congratulations to Natasha and Trish for having the strength and courage to pursue their dreams!
The Mine Training Society was established in September of 2004 and is a partnership of Aboriginal, mining industry and public governments (Tli Cho Government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation, BHP, Diavik, De Beers and Government of the NWT, Dept. of Education, Culutre & Employment). Ex-Officio members include HRSDC, Aurora College and the NWT Chamber of Mines.
Its mandate is to assist and support Aboriginal individuals and organizations to access and deliver relevant community-based mine training projects. Examples of training programs funded include heavy equipment operators, mineral processing technicians, apprenticeships, environmental monitors, office administrators, surveying, shotcrete training and more. The Mine Training Office is located in downtown Yellowknife, NT.
Judge orders Aboriginal protesters to stop blocking proposed uranium mine
By Frank Armstrong
Algonquin protesters barricading a proposed uranium site near Sharbot Lake, ON, met with police August 28th to discuss a judge’s order to end the blockade.
Insp. Garry MacPherson, head of the Ontario Provincial Police Aboriginal Relations Team, arrived that morning at the scene of the eastern Ontario blockade.
The Algonquins have been preventing a uranium prospecting company from entering the site since June 29.
On August 27th, a judge ordered the Algonquins to leave the site or risk being forced off by police.
MacPherson said police lawyers haven’t gone over the written order and didn’t yet have any plans to act.
If it’s determined police must follow the judge's order, the force will warn the protesters ahead of time, he said.
“We’re not going to sneak in. We’re not going to come in en masse or anything like that,” he told the Algonquins.
The hour-long meeting involved three police officers, including MacPherson, and six Algonquins, leaders of the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations.
It was held in the form of a traditional First Nations pipe ceremony and telling circle, a Native tradition that is meant to provide courage and encourage people to speak the truth.
Oakville-based Frontenac Ventures has been prospecting for uranium, but has been blocked from entering by the Algonquins who fear a uranium mine could destroy the region’s water table.
They say the provincial government shouldn’t have allowed Frontenac Ventures to prospect there before consulting with them because the land belongs to them.
According to an agreement signed by the British in 1873, any land not sold to or surrendered to the Crown belongs to their Aboriginal allies.
Frontenac Ventures is suing the Algonquins for $77 million and is seeking a court order that would permanently force the protesters off their land.
The Algonquins have said they won’t let Frontenac Ventures onto the site and have called on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to step up to the plate to end the stand off.
“We will keep this as peaceful as possible, but we will not be pulling down the barricade,” said Shabot Obaadjiwan Chief Doreen Davis.
A spokesperson from the Premier’s office said they could not comment specifically as the case is before the court.
Some protesters voiced fears of a repeat of Ipperwash or Caledonia, where Aboriginal land claims disputes have led to violence.
In Caledonia, ON, there were clashes over a housing development that was being built on land area Aboriginals claimed as their own.
During the 1995 Ipperwash crisis in Ipperwash Provincial Park, a provincial police sniper killed protester Dudley George.
MacPherson said the force has learned from those two experiences and doesn’t intend to repeat history.
He told the protesters that the interim injunction could probably arrive in the hands of a sheriff within a day and at some point the sheriff would visit the site.
A hearing for a permanent injunction application is to begin Sept. 20.
NWT opens negotiations on hydro project with diamond miners
By Bob Weber
The Northwest Territories has opened negotiations to sell hydro power to the Diavik diamond mine, a move northern leaders hope will lead to new mineral development in the central Arctic fuelled by cheap electricity instead of expensive diesel.
Great Slave Lake, NT
“Once there’s power there, it becomes basin-opening,” said the territory’s premier, Joe Handley.
Diavik’s energy needs are poised to double as the mine shifts from open-pit to underground operations, said spokesman Tom Hoefer. That means profits could be eroded by the rising price of diesel, used by almost all communities and industrial developments in the North to generate power.
Diavik’s move underground also means more fuel will have to be trucked in over an ice road that is already near its capacity – a capacity likely to shrink as climate change reduces the ice-road season. If the road melts before the season’s requirements are trucked in, as happened in 2006, fuel will have to be flown in at an even steeper cost.
“We’re interested in alternative power if the price is right,” Hoefer said.
Enter the Taltson River project.
Located 56 kilometres northeast of Fort Smith, NT, the project would expand an already-existing 20 megawatt generator to about 58 megawatts. The project, which would not require a new dam, would cost between $300 million and $350 million for the generator and would need about 700 kilometres of power lines and the necessary substations – enough to bring it to both Diavik and DeBeers’ new Snap Lake diamond mine.
A joint venture between the local Akaitcho and Metis development corporations and the N.W.T. Energy Corporation, the project has the support of area Aboriginal groups. Parks Canada has also agreed to allow a power line through land reserved for the future East Arm National Park on Great Slave Lake.
The project, now under regulatory and environmental review, could be generating power by 2011. However, hydro projects usually require decades of power sales to pay back the cost of construction, and the N.W.T.’s diamond mines will be closed up and returned to the tundra long before then.
Hoefer said Diavik is wary of attempts to use high electricity prices to make Taltson profitable within the lifetime of those mines. “In that case, were not interested,” he said.
But Handley says you’ve got to have faith in the potential of the North, especially the mineral-rich Slave Geological Province of the central barrens.
“We have to assume some risk here and say these are not the last mines in that area. It has to be a public investment.”
In fact, Handley is banking on it. He believes the availability of reasonably priced, dependable electricity would lower costs for everyone in the area, leading to longer lives for existing mines and making previously marginal projects more attractive.
Taltson, which is near the Alberta-N.W.T. boundary, could even eventually supply power to the Fort McMurray area, he said.
“There’s lots of scenarios that have to be played,” said Handley. “It looks like a good economic venture for our power.”
Hydro development has been a major theme for Handley, who recently announced he would not stand for re-election in the upcoming territorial elections.
He has proposed as many as seven expansions or new developments, including one for the Great Bear River, near the community of Tulita west of Great Bear Lake. That project could supply power to facilities required by the Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline, a $16-billion project currently under environmental review.
Thor Lake, NT: a picture of sustainable
development in the mining sector
The Thor Lake Rare Metals Project, located near Yellowknife, NWT is a treasure chest of rare metals, containing large resources of strange elements such as niobium, gallium and zirconium, but most importantly the rare earth elements such as yttrium, neodymium, dysprosium and terbium.
Avalon Ventures Ltd. was both delighted and honoured to be entrusted with the requisite Land Use permit from the Mackenzie Valley Land & Water Board, issued in mid July after extensive community consultations, so that it could proceed with its exploration program. The company started drilling operations on the Lake Zone Rare Earth Elements (REE) target in early August 2007, once crew mobilization and camp construction had been completed in July.
The first phase of the work program will involve a minimum of 3,000 metres of drilling in 20 holes which are all planned to test targets for high grade REE mineralization in the southern portion of the Lake Zone. The drilling program has a budget of $1.2 million In addition, the company has budgeted a minimum of $170,000 for environmental remediation work related to historical development work at the North
T-Zone as well as ongoing community consultation work. This environmental work will be carried out concurrently with the drilling. A second phase winter drilling program is planned for early 2008.
Avalon embraces the principles of Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility, and takes its responsibilities both to heart and to action. Every day, one can read how communities and the world at large wants to meet the challenges related to excessive greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. With five rare metal projects all located in Canada, Avalon offers the world unique access to rare metals and minerals that are vital in applications in energy-efficient consumer electronics, environmentally-beneficial energy production and conservation, aerospace, automotive and telecommunications.
The Thor Lake Project is a living demonstration of Avalon’s core values and its commitment to the fundamentals of ‘economic, environmental and social performance’ at work. Avalon sees great opportunities for partnering with Aboriginal communities in northern Canada to build and operate the new generation of environmentally-beneficial and sustainable mineral extraction businesses. Aboriginal peoples with their profound respect and attachment to the land are natural partners in developing the mines of tomorrow, which respect the environment and produce commodities needed to reduce environmental degradation. Avalon continues to proactively share information and engage in discussion sessions with the Yellowknife Dene, Lutselk’e, Deninu Kue First Nations and Métis associations of the Great Slave Lake region. There is no doubt in Avalon’s mind… the company both encourages and benefits from such consultation.
The Thor Lake Project continues to attract broad international attention. The requests for site visits and project updates by major consumers for specific groups of rare earths, academics, rare earth product producers, geologists, government and media continue to rise. These interested parties are not just looking at what the project has to offer, but as importantly, how the company and the communities can and will develop and manage this project respecting the land, waters, and the communities and wildlife that define the region. In this vein and as an integral part of its culture, Avalon strives to minimize any disruptive footprints in the design and delivery of its everyday activities.
Respectfully, the Thor Lake Rare Metals Project, under the leadership of Avalon and its community partners can and will showcase the three fundamentals of ‘economic, environmental and social’ performance… the cornerstones of Sustainable Development and Social Corporate Responsibility. In doing so, the Thor Lake Rare Metals Project can make a significant contribution to a world that desperately needs innovative solutions that can make materials stronger, lighter, faster, and requiring less energy to make… so that we can improve or replace many of today’s environmentally-unfriendly and inefficient transportation, energy and food production method. The Thor Lake Rare Metals Project will not only supply the right metals and minerals, but will do so in the right way.
Starfield completes lease on Ferguson Lake property
Starfield Resources Inc. has announced a five-year commercial lease covering 2,740 hectares surrounding the Ferguson Lake mineral resource has been signed with the Kivalliq Inuit Association.
“The commercial lease with the Kivalliq Inuit Association is a big step toward completing our camp facilities, airport and additional drilling,” said André J. Douchane, President and CEO of Starfield. “Having the long-term support of the regional communities in which we do business provides stability to our operations, and is also an important mandate of Starfield's mission.”
The Kivalliq Inuit Association is a Designated Inuit Organization that represents the interests of the Inuit people living in the Kivalliq region on the west coast of the Hudson Bay. The Association represents the region in the development, protection, administration and advancement of the rights and benefits of the Inuit people, as well as serves to promote their economic, social, political and cultural well being.
Starfield Resources Inc. is an advanced exploration and emerging early stage development company focused on its Ferguson Lake Palladium-Platinum-Nickel-Cobalt-Copper property in Nunavut, Canada. The property is emerging as Nunavut's largest ongoing base and precious metal project. Starfield has developed a environmentally friendly and energy-efficient hydrometallurgical flowsheet to recover platinum, palladium, cobalt, nickel and copper from Ferguson Lake massive sulphides.
Na-Cho Nyak Dun suspends all Keno Hill regulatory talks
The First Nation of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun (NNDFN) announced August 17th that they are suspending all regulatory dialogue with respect to Keno Hill Mines until suitable consultation and accommodation can be arranged with other governments.
“Governments have excluded us from any meaningful dialogue related to Elsa/Alexco proposed redevelopment of the Keno Hill Mines,” says Simon Mervyn, Chief of the First Nation of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun. “Although we have had some discussions in the past, they were ‘courtesy consultations’ and only paid lip service to our rights while the government eagerly cooperates with Alexco in furthering its objectives. Our First Nations people have used these lands for generations and we intend to be fully involved in the decision making process regarding their reclamation and redevelopment.”
In June 2005 both the government of Canada and the Yukon territorial government approved the transfer of the Keno Hill assets to Alexco Resources Inc., through its subsidiary, Elsa Reclamation and Development Company. The interim closing took place in April 2006. The recent decision of the Supreme Court of the Yukon in the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation vs Government of Yukon case established that there must be a “government-to-government dialogue” with respect to Crown approvals and transfers within the traditional territories of self-governing First Nations. The Na-Cho Nyak Dun is concerned that the Crown continues to cooperate with Elsa in a process that does not appropriately facilitate First Nation participation.
“We have done our best to take part in processes which have not been designed to include First Nations and do not take into consideration our capacity; [while] the Crown has bent over backwards to permit regulatory review of the Keno Hill project according to Elsa’s time frames.”
“It is time for the governments to properly and meaningfully come to the table to address First Nation rights before any more decisions take place with respect to Keno Hill.
In a recent letter to the Federal and Territorial Governments expressing concern about the Na-Cho Nyak Dun's lack of participation in regulatory dialogue Chief Mervyn stated, “Until such time that there is a process and funding for the Na-Cho Nyak Dun to independently evaluate, assess and contribute towards all ongoing regulatory processes with respect to the proposed redevelopment of Keno Hill, we have no other option but to withdraw from the processes”.
The First Nation of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun is a First Nation in the Yukon Territory of Canada whose main population resides in Mayo, Yukon. The Na-Cho Nyak Dun is a member of the Council of Yukon First Nations and was one of four First Nations to sign the Self Governing Agreement in 1993.
Cooper Minerals thanks community of Deline for their support on the Great Bear Lake project
Cooper Minerals Inc. has received formal approval from the Sahtu Land and Water Board (SLWB) for a Class A five-year drill permit at its Great Bear Lake iron oxide, copper, gold, silver and uranium (IOCG) project located in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The Port Radium, Contact Lake and Terra properties consist of a 100-per-cent interest in approximately 175,000 acres, 430 kilometres north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Cooper Minerals is the largest public company landholder in the area and was one of the first to begin acquiring property in these historic mining camps.
Cooper’s president and chief executive officer, Simon Tam, commented: “We would like to extend our thanks to the First Nations community of Deline for their support in the permitting process. It is a pleasure to work with such a progressive community, who support responsible economic development. Their support for permitting all of the mining companies in the area will result in more than 25 million dollars being expended in 2007 to develop The Great Bear Lake IOCG district. The exploration results derived from these expenditures will fuel this exciting area play.”
The Olympic Dam or iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) model is proposed as the main exploration target on Cooper’s properties in this part of the Great Bear magmatic zone. The Olympic Dam deposit at Roxby downs in the Gawler craton of southwest Australia, mined and operated by BHP Biliton, consists of dike-like, hematite-rich diatreme breccias in granite and felsic volcanics and has a reported resource of 2.32 billion tons of 1.6 per cent copper, 0.5 gram per ton gold, 3.5 grams per ton silver and 0.4 kilogram per ton uranium oxide (U3O8).
The Great Bear Lake area contains three historic mining camps, which are in close proximity and are geologically connected. These are the Port Radium, the Contact Lake and the Terra camps. The formerly producing mines in these camps produced intermittently from 1930 until 1985 over 48 million ounces silver, 15 million pounds of U3O8 and 7,000 tons of copper (Strand, 1996). Uranium, copper, gold, silver, cobalt and bismuth showings have been documented on the properties.
Stuart Van Bibber: Land and family values
A man strongly connected to family and the land, Stuart Van Bibber cannot remember a time when he was ever without either. As a youngster, the Selkirk First Nation native spent summers at the Minto Resort, located 250 kilometres north of Whitehorse, Yukon and owned by Van Bibber’s parents Geraldine and Pat.
Stuart Van Bibber in the field.
Serving bus tour lunches, “We were always outdoors,” he said. “We didn’t have TV out there, so we were always on the land.” In the fall, he would hunt and fish with his father and grandfather.
Those early experiences taught Van Bibber to love the land and to admire his parents. “I admire them for the way they persevere,” he said. “My father was the Chief of Selkirk First Nations. Now he is working for Minto Exploration Ltd. My mother dedicated her life to numerous boards and volunteered with various charity organizations. Now she is the Commissioner of the Yukon.”
Following his four-year degree at the University of Victoria, Van Bibber served as a policy analyst for the Yukon government and the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN). “At those two jobs, I would research information for CYFN negotiators.”
A significant piece of that legislation, the Yukon Environmental Socioeco-nomic Assessment Act (YESA), “Helped to get Aboriginal people involved in environmental assessments legally,” said Van Bibber.
Today Van Bibber stays on the land he loves, employed as an environmental scientist for Access Consulting Group (Access), a 100% Yukon-owned company now held by Alexco Resource Corp.
“I would recommend it for anyone who likes to be on the land,” he said, “for anyone [who] likes to travel – with a bit of a scientific curiosity.”
“I have been here for a year and five months,” he said. “I was hired out of a cooperation agreement between Selkirk First Nation and Minto Exploration Ltd. It stated that they were to hire a Selkirk First Nation beneficiary to work in the environmental programs for Minto Mine.”
“This is what I wanted to do,” he said. “I enjoy sampling water, testing soil. I enjoy every aspect of what I do. I enjoy keeping the land clean as best I can and helping companies, especially Minto Exploration Ltd., to keep in compliance with their licenses.”
Meanwhile, he gets to enjoy nature. “This spring we saw two moose with three calves. There were a couple of black bears out there and a couple of cubs as well,” he said.
A typical day is much tamer, however. Van Bibber works an eight-hour dayshift Monday to Friday. “I usually spend three days at the minesite, one day to travel up, meet with management, and just get my bearings for the first day,” he explained. “Thereafter, I tour around the site and talk with construction and mill supervisor, site personnel, and labourers.”
“As an environmental scientist, you are really the eyes and ears of the site,” he said. “You get to find out what is happening all over the site and help to make it a cohesive working unit.”
“Environmental scientists pick up what other people don’t see,” he said. “So if we are driving to the minesite and halfway up a road we see that there is some erosion happening, we bring that to the attention of the managers and they initiate mitigative measures. He then documents all repairs.
Van Bibber says he especially enjoys working with people, “When I travel up to the minesite, I get to meet with management and discuss what has been happening at the mine for the previous week, get up to speed, and listen to their questions. I enjoy speaking with everyone.”
“I am involved from the bottom up – doing everything from the ground all the way up to writing reports,” he said.
On site, Van Bibber samples the water, based on that week’s requirement. After adding preservative, he sends the labelled bottles to a lab for assessment. “I document everything and take photos,” he said. “After that, it is a matter of taking all of the lab results, putting them into tables, interpreting the data, and making sure that they are ready for publication in our monthly use license reports.”
Van Bibber appreciates his mentors, “Dan Cornett and Rob McIntyre really took me under their wing. They are really allowing me to grow and giving me room to learn, and to gain experience. In the meantime, they are giving me the direction to work in an industry that is oftentimes challenging and very dynamic.”
“I am cutting my teeth in the industry right now and getting more experience and absolutely loving it,” he said. In the future, Van Bibber would like to move up to management – “to be able to make a difference when it comes to development. I want development to occur in an environmentally friendly way that includes First Nations.”
In the meantime, the scientist remains connected with his family and the land. “Every fall, I head out with my father and grandfather and we go hunting for winter moose,” he said. “It is great to keep that tradition going.”
Nahanni National Park expansion can coexist with Prairie Creek mine
Canadian Zinc Corporation reports that it has been assured by the Government of Canada that in the proposed expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, the existing mining and access rights of Canadian Zinc with regard to its Prairie Creek mine will be respected and protected.
The proposed expansion of Nahanni National Park Reserve was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ft. Simpson, NWT August 8th. Canadian Zinc has been involved in co-operative discussions with Parks Canada with regard to the plans for Nahanni National Park Reserve. The Prairie Creek mine is not included in the interim land withdrawal area.
Nahanni National Park, NT
John Kearney, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Zinc welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement on the proposed expansion and anticipates that this initiative will bring clarity to the different policy objectives for the area: “Canadian Zinc believes that the Prairie Creek mine and the expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve can coexist and that properly planned and managed the expanded Park will not interfere with the operation of the Prairie Creek mine and similarly that the operation of the mine will not adversely impact upon the Park or its ecological integrity,” said John Kearney.
Parks Canada has been on record for many years as wishing to expand the current boundaries of Nahanni National Park Reserve in order to protect the ecological integrity of the Park including the Canadian Heritage South Nahanni River. In 2005 the Geological Survey of Canada undertook a mineral and energy resource assessment (MERA Study) to evaluate the mineral potential of the proposed expansion area. The results of that study have not yet been made public.
The boundaries of the proposed expanded Park have not yet been finalized and the final boundaries will be determined by the Government of Canada following publication of the MERA Study and consultation with local communities, other stakeholders and Canadians. Canadian Zinc has been assured by Parks Canada that the final boundaries will not include the site of or the access road to the Prairie Creek mine. Canadian Zinc looks forward to actively participating in the consultation process.
Both the inter-im land withdrawal and the proposed expansion of Nahanni National Park Reserve are directly linked to the Deh Cho First Nations treaty negotiations with the Government of Canada.
Development of the Prairie Creek mine has the support of a great majority of the peoples of the Deh Cho who are badly in need of the jobs, training and business opportunities that the mine will provide, while at the same time being committed to appropriate protection of their traditional lands.