CRA guidelines on what qualifies
for CEE
In 2007 Canada Revenue Agency released guidelines that it uses to
determine the tax treatment of the costs of community consultation,
environmental studies, and feasibility studies. The guidelines are
posted on the PDAC’s website and are available
here.
The mining world comes to the
PDAC
A glance through the list of countries
represented at this year’s convention leaves little doubt that Toronto
will be the hub of the mining world for the period March 1-4, when the
meeting is held. In addition to country exhibits in the Trade Show,
government and industry delegations are expected from more than 25
countries. Countries hosting presentation rooms this year include
Australia; Chile; China; Colombia; Greenland; India; Peru; and the West
African Economic and Monetary Union, a common market of Senegal, Mali,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo. The host countries
will discuss their mineral policies, investment climate, and exploration
opportunities.
Events taking place around PDAC
Convention 2009
Sometimes lost in the many events taking place in conjunction with the
PDAC’s annual convention are ‘affiliated events.’ While the association
is not involved in the organization of these events, we list them on our
website as a service to the industry. Some of these activities are
complimentary; others require a registration fee. Clicking
here will take you to the affiliated events web page which contains
full descriptions of each event. In the meantime, here’s the list:
ABC's of mining ●
Australia capital raising opportunities in the Canadian marketplace
●
China Mining Association reception ●
Climate change workshop: Implications for the exploration and mining
industry ●
EDC-IFC workshop on the environmental and social performance standards
●
Equator Principles, IFC performance standards & mining projects ●
Gateway to the world for the China mining industry ●
KEGS PDAC Breakfast: Geophysics in the urban jungle ●
KEGS symposium, PDAC 2009 ●
MapInfo/Encom Discover GIS training courses for geologists ●
Mining outlook: Key issues and opportunities ●
Surviving the global financial crisis in the mining industry ●
Sustainability reporting using the GRI Framework ●
University of Western Ontario reception.
International Mining Café
● March 2-4 ● An invitation to attend
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, in
collaboration with the PDAC and the Canadian Association of Mining
Equipment and Services for Export (CAMESE), is organizing an
International Mining Café from Monday, March 2 to Wednesday, March 4.
The café, which will be held in room 712 of the south building of the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, allows Canadian companies involved in
the mining industry to hold private meetings with Canadian trade
commissioners posted at the embassies and consulates from North America,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Meetings with
other groups can be arranged. There is no registration fee and you do
not have to be a delegate at PDAC Convention 2009 to participate.
However, you do need to register in order to obtain a meeting time.
Click here for more details.
Open session papers cover a wide
range of topics
The open session during PDAC Convention 2009 contains those papers
selected for presentation following a call for papers. The 21 successful
papers will be presented on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3 and 4 and are
grouped under the headings: Making the grade; Mining in society; and New
ideas. Click
here for titles and speakers.
30% off tickets to the Royal
Ontario Museum for PDAC members
The Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, is offering PDAC
members and delegates to PDAC Convention 2009 a 30% discount on
admission tickets. Current exhibits at the museum include the Teck Suite
of Galleries: Earth’s Treasures and the Nature of Diamonds. The Teck
Suite showcases some of the ROM’s exceptional specimens of minerals,
gems, rocks and meteorites, a collection among the finest in North
America. The suite also contains the newly located Canadian Mining Hall
of Fame.
Alongside the stunning diamond collection in the Nature of Diamonds
are displays that demonstrate their exploration and mining. These
include an authentic recreation of a kimberlite mine tunnel and a mining
video, Crystal Clear: Diamonds from Canada's North, highlighting the
stories of three people in the Canadian diamond industry - Charles Fipke,
Eira Thomas, and James Gowan. The Nature of Diamonds closes on March 22.
Click here for more information.
PDAC members qualify for 50%
reduction on Data Metallogenica subscription
Now into its tenth year, Data Metallogenica (DM), an online
encyclopaedia of ore deposits and an extensive repository of mineral
deposit data, continues to grow in scope and coverage. Based on the work
of Canadian geologist Peter Laznicka, DM is now the work of Australian
based AMIRA International. An annual subscription for PDAC members costs
US$75, a 50% discount off the regular price. Click
here for the latest
newsletter outlining developments, new galleries and other news.
Prime Minister urged to
re-allocate funding to granting councils
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Bill Mercer, president of the
Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences, commends the federal government
for a $750 million increase in support of the Canada Foundation for
Innovation and a $90 million increase in support of graduate
scholarships and industrial R&D internships. However, the letter decries
the $150 million cut to the granting councils, particularly NSERC. The
combination of these three initiatives, the letter says, provides
Canadian research with infrastructure and training, but takes away
experienced researchers to use the infrastructure and provide the
training. The full text of the letter is
here.
Economic crisis and alternative
financing strategies ● Wednesday, February 18 ● Toronto
Peter Hall, vice president and chief economist, and Stephen Callaghan,
district manager, Export Development Canada, will talk about the current
economic crisis and alternative financing strategies at the next CIM
Management and Economics Society discussion group. The event will be
held on Wednesday, February 18, beginning at 4.30 p.m. at the National
Club, 303 Bay Street, Toronto. There is no charge to attend.
More
details.
Meet the Mining Moguls
fundraiser will provide microfinance loans in South Africa
Women in Mining networks in Vancouver and Toronto invite everyone to
contribute to their campaign for The Townships Project in South Africa.
The campaign is supported by three celebrity mining moguls, Frank
Guistra, Rob McEwen and Eric Sprott, who have volunteered to spend an
hour of their time with winners of the Meet the Moguls contest. The
contest draw will be held at 4 pm on March 3 at the International Women
in Mining reception during the PDAC convention.
The Townships Project was founded in 1999 and is headed by Martha
Deacon, a former solicitor with Fraser Beatty of Toronto. She is
committed to the Townships Project because she says that every $50
microfinance loan to a resident of a small underprivileged community
changes lives by helping a family and by encouraging small-scale
entrepreneurism. Click
here
for more information or to make a donation. Visit Women in Mining at
PDAC Trade Show booth 342.
Share your prospecting stories with
filmmaker
Prospector/geologist/filmmaker Frank Racicot is seeking individuals who
are willing to share their funny, scary or unusual bush stories with him
at the upcoming PDAC convention. The best of these stories will be used
for a documentary. The rest of the best will be used for either a book,
TV or radio show. Frank would also appreciate talking with any
individuals who knew or worked with B.C and Yukon prospector Arnold
Racicot. Call Frank at 1 705 673 7117 or 1 705 691 5920 or email him at
frankracicot@hotmail.com.
