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PDAC e-News and Activities, August 12, 2009 - No. 65
Page Index
PDAC calls on Ontario government to withdraw Far
North legislation
Association requests representation at
Bill C-300 hearings
PDAC president will address the St.
John’s Board of Trade, Newfoundland
Awards committee will be selecting
2010 awards recipients
Communities, commodities, certainty ● CAMA
● November 1-3 ● Toronto
China Mining 2009 ● October 20-22 ●
Tianjin, China
Kinross founder donates $10 million to
Queen’s mining department
Industry professionals are being
sought as ‘virtual’ mentors for young people
101 Things to do with a Hole in the Ground
Question the hype about climate change
PDAC calls on Ontario government to
withdraw Far North legislation
In a presentation to Ontario’s Standing Committee on General Government
on August 6, President Jon Baird contended that enactment of Bill 191,
Far North Act, would deprive all Ontarians of the economic benefits that
derive from mineral resource development, particularly those First
Nations communities that make up most of the North’s population. The
proposed legislation would see some 225,000 sq. kms of the northern
boreal withdrawn from development. A copy of Jon’s speech is
here. The committee also heard from consulting geologist Stewart
Jackson who spoke eloquently about the folly of locking up land when
nobody knows what lies beneath its surface. He provided the committee
with a list of valuable mines that were discovered on land seemingly of
little worth. Mr. Jackson is allowing us to release the notes he used.
They are
here.
The association has also made a formal submission on Bill 191, and this
is available
here. This is the third submission the PDAC has made to the Ontario
government following Premier Dalton McGuinty’s announcement in July last
year that his government would preserve 50 percent of the northern
boreal to help combat climate change and would modernize the Ontario
Mining Act. The association has since made formal submissions on a
discussion paper released by the Ministry of Northern Development and
Mines on the Ontario Mining Act and on Bill 173, Mining Amendment Act.
Click here for copies of these submissions.
In developing these submissions, the association has worked in
collaboration with the Ontario Prospectors Association and the Ontario
Mining Association. As we have pointed out in our submission on Bill
191, “the Ontario legislative proposals have a strong potential to
accelerate the debate on the same issues elsewhere in Canada.” For this
reason, the association is encouraging all members, wherever they are
working, to become familiar with these matters.
Association requests representation at
Bill C-300 hearings
As we reported in our last e-newsletter, Bill C-300, An Act
respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or
Gas in Developing Countries has passed second reading in the House
of Commons and is now on the agenda of the House Standing Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Development. The PDAC has submitted
its request to be represented at the committee’s hearings when it
resumes its deliberations in the fall. In the meantime, the association
has developed this
position statement on Bill C-300 for distribution to all MPs prior
to the resumption of Parliament in the fall. Our message is that the
bill is unnecessary, fundamentally flawed and was developed with no
consultation with industry. Members are urged to contact their own MPs
to relay their views on the proposed legislation. For further
information on this subject, please contact
Philip Bousquet.
PDAC president will address the St.
John’s Board of Trade, Newfoundland
Following his presentation on corporate social responsibility (CSR) to
the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto in June, President Jon Baird was
encouraged to take his message across Canada. He will be speaking next
in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Tuesday, September 1 at a Board of Trade
luncheon at the Holiday Inn St. John’s. In his address, Baird will raise
concerns about Bill C-300 and will speak to the CSR advances that the
mineral industry is making. Would members in Newfoundland please
distribute this
invitation
as widely as possible, including politicians and members of the business
community. People do not have to be members of the Board of Trade to
attend this event.
Awards committee will be
selecting 2010 awards recipients
A reminder to all members that the association’s Awards Committee is
starting to develop its recommendations for the PDAC’s 2010 annual
awards recipients. Selection criteria and nominating information are
here.
Communities, commodities, certainty ●
CAMA ● November 1-3 ● Toronto
The 17th annual conference of the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals
Association (CAMA) will be held at the Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto,
November 1-3. The theme of this year’s conference is Communities,
commodities, certainty. Highlights include a pre-convention
workshop on consultation and accommodation, and concurrent workshops on
building a mining exploration company from the ground up; exploration
agreements; and skills training and development. To register and for
more information,
click here.
China Mining 2009 ● October
20-22 ● Tianjin, China
2009 will mark the eleventh year for China Mining Congress and
Exhibition. This year’s event, which is hosted by the Ministry of Land
and Resources and the Tianjin Municipal Government, will be held at the
Tianjin Binhai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on October
20-22. Further details for delegates and exhibitors are
here.
Kinross founder donates $10
million to Queen’s mining department
Bob Buchan of Kinross Gold has donated $10 million to the mining
department at Queen’s University at Kingston. Buchan is a Queen’s
alumnus, and his donation is the largest single donation to mining
education in Canadian history. The mining department is to be renamed
the Buchan Department of Mining. Part of the donation is to be directed
to teaching students about the social and environmental responsibilities
of the mining industry.
Industry professionals are
being sought as ‘virtual’ mentors for young people
Youngsters have so many career options, and making a career or study
choice can be difficult without some solid work experience. Here’s where
you might come in! The Mining Industry Human Resources Council has set
up a virtual mine mentor program. The new program provides a platform
for students from post-secondary mining programs to establish electronic
relationships with industry professionals. The idea is for mentor and
mentee to be able to chat and to share ideas online about mining, career
opportunities, and career paths. The time commitment for mentors is
three hours a month for three months. Clicking
here
will take you to the program’s website.
101 Things to do with a Hole in the
Ground
A new book, written by Georgina Pearman and produced by the UK’s Eden
Project, illustrates how many innovative projects have been built in
disused mines, including a football stadium, film set, mushroom farm,
sauna, wine cellar and airport. The colour illustrations and brief
descriptions in 101 Things to do with a Hole in the Ground take
the reader on a world tour of heritage and tourist attractions, wildlife
habitats, educational, sport and leisure facilities and dozens of
industrial uses. It is sponsored by the European association of mining
industries, Euromines, and the Rio Tinto-Eden Project partnership. One
of the author’s favourites is “the 36 kilometres of wine cellars in a
disused limestone mine in Moldova.” She continues, “I have a feeling
that this is only just the beginning, though – there are bound to be
uses we haven’t heard of yet.” More information about the book,
which costs £9.99, is available
here.
The Eden Project is a theme park that has been created in a disused
china clay quarry in Cornwall, England, to demonstrate the relationship
between humans and their environment. Click
here to learn
about this fascinating project.
Question the hype about climate change
The Fraser Institute has launched a video series to encourage young
people to “question the hype” about human-caused global warming and
climate change. The first video, The Climate is Constantly Changing,
can be viewed at
www.youtube.com/QuestionTheHype. Please note - the video is targeted
at high school students.
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