PDAC e-News and Activities, September 25, 2009 - No. 66
Page Index
PDAC continues its campaign to stop Bill C-300
Canadian Mineral Industry Federation submits
brief to Canada’s mines ministers
PDAC president speaks to St. John’s Board of
Trade
We’re looking forward to meeting members at
upcoming annual reviews
Virtual PDAC gets better
Bill Pearson honoured for his leadership in
geoscience
Federal government launches CSR e-bulletin
Reports on diamonds and gold reserves
published by Metals Economics Group
Aeromagnetic surveying book for the
non-specialist
Women In Mining seeks sponsors to help fund
research
Mining Indonesia: Unlocking mineral
potential ● Conference ● October 14-17
China Partnering Forum ● October 16 ●
Toronto Board of Trade
International Association on the
Genesis of Ore Deposits Symposium 2010
PDAC continues
its campaign to stop Bill C-300
Over the summer, the association has taken every opportunity to voice
its opposition to Bill C-300, An Act respecting Corporate
Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing
Countries. All MPs have received a copy of the PDAC’s
position statement articulating the reasons for the mineral
industry’s concern about the private member’s bill. Meetings have been
held with John McKay (Lib., Scarborough-Guildwood), the sponsor of the
bill; Bob Rae (Lib., Toronto Centre); John McCallum (Lib.,
Markham-Unionville); and NDP MPs Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury) and Claude
Gravelle (Nickel Belt). The bill received two one-hour debates in the
House of Commons and has been referred to the Standing Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Hearings will resume this fall,
and the PDAC is on a list of potential witnesses to speak. For more
information, contact
Philip
Bousquet.
If you’re in Toronto on the evening of Thursday,
October 15, and you’re interested in this topic, you might like to
attend a debate on the bill. Among the debaters will be John McKay and
PDAC President Jon Baird. The event is being organized by the Canadian
International Council (CIC) Toronto Branch and McMillan LLP. The $25
registration fee for non-CIC members covers the debate and a reception.
Full details are
here.
Canadian Mineral Industry
Federation submits brief to Canada’s mines ministers
Canada’s energy and mines ministers met for their annual meeting in St.
John’s, NF & Lab. at the end of August and beginning of September. In
keeping with the theme of the meeting, the Canadian Mineral Industry
Federation, comprising national, provincial, and territorial
associations in the mineral industry, urged ministers to take action to
sustain the country’s exploration and mining sectors. The main points of
the federation’s brief were 1) mines ministers must focus on their core
functions of promoting and protecting the industry; 2) the industry is
facing challenging times but has a bright future; 3) the development of
infrastructure is key to the industry; 4) Governments must attend to
aboriginal relations and economic development; and 5) The importance of
a social licence for companies. Click
here for a full copy of the
submission.
PDAC president speaks to St. John’s
Board of Trade
An audience of close to 70 was present at a St. John’s Board of Trade
luncheon on Tuesday, September 1 to hear PDAC President Jon Baird talk
about the importance of exploration and mining to Newfoundland and
Labrador. He also spoke about the costs to the province of the uranium
moratorium in Labrador and introduced the PDAC’s e3 Plus: A Framework
for Responsible Exploration to his audience. The event was well covered
by local media. A full copy of Baird’s presentation is
here.
We’re looking forward to meeting
members at upcoming annual reviews
The PDAC will be represented at a number of annual reviews and regional
meetings across the country this fall. First off will be the
Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Resources Review 2009, to be held
at the Delta St. John’s Hotel, November 5-7. By the way, if you
are going to be in St. John’s, be sure to visit the
Johnson GEO CENTRE which is located on the road leading to Signal
Hill. This is a superb resource which offers something of interest for
everyone in four exhibit areas: our planet; our province; our people;
and our future. Equally magnificent is the building itself which is
wedged in a natural rock basin excavated to create space for its
construction.
At the
Manitoba Mining & Minerals Convention, to be held at the Winnipeg
Convention Centre November 19-21, Jason Wilson, program director,
aboriginal affairs & resource development, will be speaking on the topic
Mineral exploration benefits for aboriginal communities at an aboriginal
mining workshop. And during the following week, President Jon Baird will
be speaking to delegates at
Québec Exploration 2009 (November 23-26, Château Frontenac, Québec
City) about e3 Plus: A Framework for Responsible
Exploration.
Virtual PDAC gets better
Those delegates and exhibitors at PDAC conventions familiar with Virtual
PDAC will be pleased to hear of enhancements being made to the
system. These include a new facility to create multiple, sortable lists
in My Plan (a personal area where users can manage their event diaries,
view session information, build contact lists, and send secure private
messages). The new functions will be available with the latest release
of Virtual PDAC in January 2010 for delegates. Exhibitors will be able
to preview the site towards the end of 2009. Virtual PDAC 2009 is still
live at
www.virtual-pdac.com and will remain so until the new site is activated
in January 2010. For further information about the system or about
sponsorship opportunities, contact Gareth Hector,
gareth.hector@virtual-exhibition.com.
Bill Pearson honoured for his
leadership in geoscience
The Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG) has announced
that Bill Pearson is the recipient of this year’s Canadian Professional
Geoscientist Award. Eligibility for the award includes a solid career as
a professional geoscientist, an outstanding record of voluntary service
to the community, and service to one of the provincial or territorial
professional associations regulating geoscience in Canada or to CCPG.
Bill was the founding president of the Association of Professional
Geoscientists of Ontario from 2000 to 2003. He was also instrumental in
the formation of the CCPG. The press release about Bill’s award is
here.
Federal government launches CSR
e-bulletin
The Trade Commissioner Service Support Division of the Department of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) has launched a corporate
social responsibility e-bulletin. The intent of the new publication is
to provide relevant, up-to-date information about DFAIT and the federal
government’s CSR initiatives at home and abroad. To be added to the
distribution list, send an email to
csr-rse.bts@international.gc.ca. The first issue of the bulletin is
here.
Reports on diamonds and gold
reserves published by Metals Economics Group
Halifax-based Metals Economics Group released two reports on its
research this summer. The first, reporting on a gold reserves
replacement study, concludes that between 1999 and 2008 the world’s
largest gold producers replaced almost twice their reserves lost through
production. The average cost of replacing reserves was $83/oz. The
report is
here.
The second study, available
here, reported on a 73% drop in the value of diamond
transactions in 2008-2009 from the previous year.
Aeromagnetic surveying book
for the non-specialist
Aeromagnetic Surveys: Principles, Practice and Interpretation is a new
publication recently published by Geosoft and available as a free
download. A paragraph from the advertising states: “Author Colin Reeves
pulls together 25 years of research and knowledge to provide an
authoritative guide that describes the way the earth’s magnetic field
interacts with crustal rocks to produce anomalies, introduces the
principles of airborne magnetometers, and explains how survey data are
processed to generate maps and images.” The book, which was written in
2005, contains 151 pages and four pages of references. Some images are
in colour. The target audiences are students planning a career in the
resource sector and geoscientists wishing to learn more about potential
field geophysics. Click
here for the link.
Women In Mining seeks sponsors to
help fund research
Women make up close to 50 percent of the Canadian labour force but only
13 percent of that of the mineral industry. Women In Mining (WIM)
Canada, in partnership with MiHR, MAC, NRCan, PDAC, CIM, the Native
Women’s Association of Canada, Cameco Corp., and Deloitte, is conducting
RAMP-UP, a study on the status of women in the mineral industry. The
research will target employers; current and past female workers;
students in minerals- and metals-related post secondary education; and
educators. This
brochure provides
more information about the project and invites sponsorship for the
research.
Mining Indonesia: Unlocking
mineral potential ● Conference ● October 14-17
The 14th Bi-annual Indonesian Mining Conference and Exhibition will be
held in Jakarta from October 14-17, 2009. The first day of the
conference will include a ‘national mining forum’ that will focus on the
changed relationships between central and regional governments under the
country’s new mining legislation. Part of the ‘mining village’ will be
devoted exclusively to booths and meeting space for investors,
prospectors, and junior companies. Full details
here.
China Partnering Forum ● October
16 ● Toronto Board of Trade
A one-day conference, the China Partnering Forum, will be held in
Toronto on Friday, October 16. Of special interest to our members will
be a series of presentations on the resources sector. Topics in this
part of the conference include investment and purchasing of North
American projects from a Chinese perspective; cultural, political, and
logistical issues; and a discussion on the capital markets and China’s
growing influence. The cost to register is US$399. A full program and
registration details are
here.
International Association
on the Genesis of Ore Deposits Symposium 2010
The 13th quadrennial symposium of the International Association on the
Genesis of Ore Deposits (IAGOD) will be held in Adelaide, South
Australia, from April 6-9, 2010. Theme of the symposium is Giant ore
deposits down under. Click
here for more information or contact Ian Graham,
i.graham@unsw.edu.au.
|
