Tag Archives: Timmins

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“Shadowy Mexican Underground Guerilla Leader Francisco Mario y Miguel Diaz Mocks Trumps Wall Proposal…we will simply dig tunnels!”

Saying Mexican Prostitutes, Drug Dealers, Murderers and Exploited Hotel and Casino Workers will Simply Tunnel their Way to poor paying jobs in the United States, Miguel Diaz laughed his trademark high pitched hyena laugh, before turning to his notorious Harvard educated translator Pedro dos Papagallos.

In a rare communique shadowy Mexican Underground guerilla leader Francisco Mario y Miguel Diaz mocked Donald Trump’s policy of building a wall along the border with the United States.

Through dos Papagallos, Miguel Diaz said:

“Wall? No stinking wall is going to keep us Mexicans from coming into los Estados Unidos de los Americas (United States of America). Pui.. I spit in Trumpones’ face.” declared Miquel Diaz.

Speaking in Mexican Miquel Diaz continued: “Este Trumpone ‘ee eees mui loco eef, eee teenks a steeenking muro donde este lo salle dos banos…can keeping usted froma deeeging di mundo’s mucho profundo tunnel eento Los Estados Unidos,” Miquel Diaz boasted laughing maniacally.

Speaking dos Papagallos, Miquel Diaz added, ” With all due respect Mr. Trump may go ahead and build his wall, Indeed he should build it all the way to Uranus, a place I am sure he is well acquainted with.”

The dos Papagallos  continued after listening intently to a 15 minute rant by Miquel Diaz : “Shirley, and I do mean Shirley (his El Paso Texas, girlfriend, narco-hooker, revolutionary, and drug dealer and all round bad Mexican) –

” If Trump is intent on building this wall let him spend his own billions and not bankrupt the decent hard working taxpayers of America…because while he is building his wall we will be tunnelling 10,000 ft below ground. One thing we Mexicans can stand is the extreme heat of hell.”

“And once the wall is built we Mexicans will come in even greater numbers to spite his ugly Gringo face…stupid Bianqui!” sneered Miguel Diaz in contempt through his translator. “We will flood through many underground highways from hell to bring drugs, prostitutes, and exploited hotel and casino workers employed by Trump him self.”

Neither Trump nor any member of his campaign cared to comment, However, in a news release issued later Trump’s campaign chair Bozo the Clown said if the Mexicans plan on building a tunnel to the US — well we will just have to build the wall a little higher.”

"If Miguel Diaz wants to build tunnels, well we just have to build our wall a little higher," said Trump's Campaign Manager Bozo the Clown.

“If Miguel Diaz wants to build tunnels, well we just have to build our wall a little higher,” said Trump’s Campaign Manager Bozo the Clown.

Hillary Clinton rolling her eyes once more said. “Yes, Miguel Diaz is right on, he has a point,” she said. ” Trump is elected and he builds his wall the Mexicans will just dig so many tunnels the Texas border will look like cheese cloth.”

And as mysteriously as Francisco Mario y Miquel Diaz made his appearance he disappeared into the vast Mexican underground.

But before he vanished into the ether the gathered reporters heard a cackling laugh and a sneering voice say in Mexican .. ” Trump ee ees mucho absolulement loco…no steeeenking muro keep Chicanos away. hahahahahahhha we fabricados unos profundo tunnelos dos los diablos….hahahahahahahah.”

And he was gone.

Has Daffy Donald’s bozo wall idea finally come tumbling down?

Here is Fake News’ wall expert John Cougar Mellencamp to give you his musical answer, John over to you.

 

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What’s North Anyways? Can a Memory of an Event in Toronto Be Considered Northern if the Memory is Experienced In Timmins, Ontario? by Frank Giorno

What exactly is north? And can a story about the taking of a photograph in Toronto in 1972 be considered a northern tale? What if that memory of taking the Toronto photo was experienced in Timmins, Ontario on a frigid -30 C afternoon on the feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2015?

John Calabro'languidly strikes a match to light his cigarette while sitting on the unfinished window frame of the Ghost of Bayview in 1972

John Calabro languidly strikes a match to light his cigarette while sitting on the unfinished window frame of the Ghost of Bayview in 1972

Here is a photo I took of John Calabro in and around 1972, I’m guessing. John is my oldest friend (since 1969) and the best man at my wedding to Cheryl Agoston in 1983. This photo of a silhouette of John ahhem…smoking, was taken at an abandoned high-rise south of St. Clair Ave. East off of Bayview in Toronto.

The newspapers of the day commonly referred to this place as the Bayview Ghost. The 7 story apartment building was started in 1960 on the border of the old City of Toronto and East York.

John and I used to have this postering business when we were high school students whereby many Toronto theatres such as he St, Lawrence Centre Stage, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, sometimes Factory Lab and Toronto Workshop Productions would hire us to plaster the city with the posters to promote upcoming productions. We even did one for the O’Keefe Centre to promote Katherine Hepburn’s appearance at what is now the Sony Centre.

We rode our bicycles to as many construction fences as possible through out what was then known as Metro Toronto. It was during these bicycle forays in quest of fresh construction fences that we discovered landmarks such as the Ghost of Bayview and others.

Location of course was everything. We figured if we could plaster the construction fences along Bayview and other highly traveled locales, we would be able to increase the exposure to the poster as the volume of commuters along that route was quite large. In the process we hope to increase the ticket sales for our clients.

John carried the glue bucket and two large glue brushes suspended from the handle bars of his bike that he probably assembled from various parts. John had a knack for putting bikes together from remnants of discarded bikes. He carried extra powdered glue in a knapsack. When we ran out of glue we would stop at a gas station, fill the bucket with water and mix a new batch of glue.

I carried the posters on my regal black Raleigh English Gentleman’s bicycle that my dad purchased for me from a very nice English man who rented the upstairs of our home on Davenport Road. His name was Arnold “Ted” Parkes and he was a bus driver for the Toronto Transit Commission. My black Raleigh had a carrier at the back and we would strap about 50 to 100 posters to it. In what was my first exposure to alternate energy sources, the black Raleigh came with a headlight that operated on pedal power. My pedaling produced the energy that powered my headlight. The faster I pedaled the brighter the light. The light would be considerably dimmer if I was tired pedaling home in the dark after a long day’s work.

If my memory serves me well, the reason the 7 story apartment building on Bayview south of St. Clair Ave. East was abandoned had to do with a territorial dispute over conflicting by-laws in Toronto and East York having to do with the provision of water services. There may also have been some dispute over the height of the structure as it was nestled in the northern outreach of Rosedale. The abandoned building was a magnet for a variety of nefarious activities partaken by youth and the homeless. There were also several reports of falls, injuries and I believe at least one death, which led to the eventual demolition of the structure before the owners could get the municipalities to make the appropriate by-law changes to complete the construction. I will have to research the old newspapers to get the specific details…in the meantime,here is the photo I took of John Calabro in the Bayview Ghost or the Ghost of Bayview in 1972 or there about.

For those interested in the technical details of the photo. I was using my Asahi Pentax with a Hannimex 250 mm long lens. I recall being about 10 to 20 feet away from the window where John was lounging leisurely and lighting a cigarette on the unfinished picture window of one of the suites on the first floor. I wanted to achieve the silhouette effect caused by the back lighting of the outside light. In the darkroom I had to expose the photographic paper longer than usual in order to get the background images of the field and the house visible. We have come a long way with the development of digital photograph.

The Asahi Pentax was my most precious position back then along with my black Raleigh and my darkroom. The Pentax was sold to me by Yvon Dumais, a grade 9 student who moved to Toronto from Sudbury to attend high school in 1969. We became great friends. We both joined the football teams at Oakwood Collegiate in 1969. I joined the bantam squad and Yvon joined the Junior squad. Unfortunately, at the very first practice Yvon broke his wrist. When healed Yvon went on to compete on the wrestling team.

Yvon lived with his older brother Richard in a rooming house on Pinewood Avenue, a block east of Christie St. and St.Clair Ave. West. His brother worked for Foster Advertising, operated by the legendary Toronto ad man Harry Foster. Richard gave Yvon the Asahi Pentax camera as a present in hopes that Yvon would really take to photography and thus help his younger brother find something that he would love and perhaps grow into a career.

But Yvon didn’t take to photography as much as I did and being the good friend that he was, Yvon sold me the camera so I could continue my passion for photography. In a great gesture of friendship and generosity Yvon sold me the the Asahi Pentax for $60. I paid for it with the money that I earned from the postering business. I was overjoyed because as much as I loved my previous camera, a Praktica SLR, the Asahi Pentax was top of the line. A Cadillac compared to the beat up American Motors Rambler that was my Praktica.

It was a few months later that Yvon left our high school, Oakwood Collegiate and indeed left Toronto as he signed up with the Canadian Armed Forces and was whisked out to Camp Cornwallis in Nova Scotia to begin his basic training.

In hindsight I now understand that Yvon sold the camera to me because I would not accept it as a gift…a gift he was offering in friendship because he would be far from Toronto. Insisted he should get something and off the top of his head said “Ok…give me $60 bucks.” I was very grateful for Yvon’s gesture.

I didn’t see Yvon again. At least I don’t remember seeing him again after he joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1972 or 1973.

Over the 2014 Christmas Holidays I visited with John Calabro and his family who have been living in a house on Pinewood Ave since the 1980s. I am certain their house is across the street from where Yvon Dumais lived with his brother in 1969 and 1970 on Pinewood Ave. Later I remember visiting Yvon in a small apartment on Avenue Road north of St.Clair and then one last place a white multi-story apartment building on the corner of Spadina Road and Bernard.

And I am equally certain that I am writing this Northern Blog because my visit with John tied together the photo I took of him at the Ghost of the Bayview, the Asahi Pentax camera I used to take the photo and the fact that Yvan the person who sold me the camera lived on Pinewood Avenue 40 years earlier.

But there is more. After I returned to Timmins, Ontario post-New Years, I had the opportunity to travel to Sudbury to cover an event at the Goodman School of Mines. I picked up the phonebook and found a Y.Dumais living in the Greater Sudbury area. I called him. At first he was cautious when I asked him if had gone to Oakwood Collegiate, but then he opened up and acknowledged he was my long lost friend Yvon Dumais. Which is more than I did 20 years ago when he tried to contract me via email and asked if I was the Frank Giorno who went to Oakwood Collegiate. I was going through one of my frequent depressive phases…I had separated from my wife. I was not in a good frame of mind. I never acknowledged his emails or phone messages. I regret not doing so.

Perhaps that old photograph of John Calabro, a great friend for so many years, taken by the generous gift, for that is what it was, from Yvon Dumais, an good friend from the days of our youth, was really meant to re-unite me with Yvon. The trip to Sudbury on January 15 and 16 gave me the opportunity to connect with him.

I visited Yvon and his wife and daughter at his comfortable home nestled in nicely treed lot. Birds of several varieties were constantly landing at his backyard feeder. I didn’t know this, but in 1976 Yvon suffered a major health challenge and particularly extreme form of arthritis that doctors feared would force him into a wheel chair for the rest of his life. But it has been 38 years and Yvon being the scramper that he is wrestled that arthritis to the ground. He is able to walk and get around with some pain, but he didn’t let his illness defeat him.

Although Yvon didn’t take to photography he developed and immense talent as an artisan working with wood, leather and other materials. I was really floored by the quality of his wooden toys, wooden trains, trucks, backhoes and trams, puzzles and leather bags and purses. His basement is crammed with intricate tools that he applies in pursuit of his hobby.

It was difficult to leave as there were still so many stories to tell from our lives over the 42 years since we were students at Oakwood Collegiate in Toronto. But we both live in the North now and though I am in Timmins 400 km to the north of Sudbury, I will be returning to Sudbury frequently and I will be sure to stop by and visit Yvon,the friend who gave me the Asahi Pentax at the low price of $60… a price I insisted I pay.

This February 12, 2015 I will be turning 60 years of age. In March I will be giving my daughter Sophie the Asahi Pentax and the lenses as a birthday gift as she has developed a passion for conventional photograph. I just wanted her to know the story behind this wonderful camera and and the good friend who sold it to me for next to nothing.

And that is my Northern Blog for today. Looking out the window at the snow and cold of Timmins, Ontario while remembering events that happened in the summer or early fall of 1972 at the Bayview Ghost in Toronto forty-two years ago and the generosity of my friend Yvon Dumais.

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Revitalized Timmins Voices Features Jessica Trudel and the Premiere of the Timmins Song by Frank Giorno

A revitalized Timmins Voices will be re-launched at Christopher’s Coffee House in Timmins on Wed. January 14, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. featuring Jessica Trudel and the recording of the “Timmins Song” (Timmins’ I’m In).

I hope you can all come out to support Jessica and to join in the recording of the Timmins Song.

JESSICA TRUDEL

Jessica Trudel is a terrific writer and champion of the spoken word as the President of Porcupine Timmins Toastmasters.

Jessica Trudel is a terrific writer and champion of the spoken word as the President of Porcupine Timmins Toastmasters.

Jessica Trudel has been writing stories, poems and essays for as long as she can remember. As a child, she wanted to do a lot of things for a living: veterinarian, architect, photographer… but she always wanted to be a writer “on the side.” It never occurred to her that she could actually ever write for a living. She freelanced as a writer and editor for 10 years before opening her own business, Cursor Communications. Now, she is a professional writer, getting paid to write for a living. It’s been an incredible journey! Now, she’s going to share with you a few of the pieces she’s written along the way.

THE TIMMINS SONG
The Timmins Song could be used for a way of rallying the Timmins community and instill pride, enthusiasm and joy in residents who periodical go through the bumps of the boom and bust cycle that is part and parcel of a natural resource based economy. In the long term the song can also be used to attract visitors to Timmins…the way “I Love New York” was for New York State and New York City.

The newly painted and squeaky clean Timmins Water Tower

The newly painted and squeaky clean Timmins Water Tower

The First Stage is to record a spontaneous and joyous version at the launching of the Timmins Song at the re-launch of Timmins Voices. I have invited Mayor Black,Charlie Angus MP and Gilles Bisson MPP, Michael Doody senior councilor and others to join in. And I am Inviting YOU. The readers of a Northern Blog to come out lend us your voices and enthusiasm to make the recording that much more powerful. I have purchased a professional quality video camera and the final product will look so much sharper with you belting out the words to the Timmins Song.

The Second Phase will be to sing the song at a Timmins Council meeting in the Council Chamber. The Third phase will be to choose a date in June or July and encourage as many people in Timmins to meet at Hollinger Park so we can do a massive recording of people of Timmins en masse singing the Timmins Song…Have a mining company loan us a plane to fly over and video tape the mass of Timminites singing the Timmins I’m In Song affectionately called the Timmins Song.

The fourth phase will be to record Timmins Born celebrities to sing the chorus including: asking Shania Twain, Frank Mahovolich, Peter Mahovolich, Steve Sullivan, Derek the comedian fellow, the CEO of Goldcorp, the Grand Chiefs, etc.
The video production will show visuals of all of the many facets that make Timmins a great place to live and work.

Please be sure to attend the re-launching of Timmins Voices on Wednesday Jan.14 2015 at 7:30 p.m.at Christopher’s Coffee House 35 Pine St. S. Our special guest will be Jessica Trudel. And we will record the Timmins Song that Jeff Baldock and I co-wrote. The song will be video recorded and we want everybody to join us at the front to sing the song while it is being recorded. It will be posted on Timmins Voices facebook, Timmins Voices Youtube..and my own youtube “Giornalisti channel”.

Here are the lyrics for ‘The Timmins Song’ by Giorno/Baldock (The GeeBees). Have Happy New Year…I will be back in Timmins Jan. 2.

FINAL LYRICS – THE TIMMINS SONG

I added a verse dealing with the physical attributes of Timmins: Kamaskotia Hill, Kidd CReek mine, McIntyre Head frame in Schumacher, South Porcupine, the Golden Dome mine. I felt this aspect was lacking in the original lyrics which strong on the spiritual. This version is better and all encompassing. Here is the Timmins Song

The McIntyre Mine Headframe in Schumacher

The McIntyre Mine Headframe in Schumacher

The Timmins Song Timmins I’m In) (c)
by Giorno/Baldock (copyright by Giorno and Baldock -“The GeeBees”)

Timmins, I’m In,
through thick and thin….
Together we’ll win!
Timmins I’m In
Are you in Timmins!
Timmins, I’m In

Let the goodtimes begin…
Through the snow and the wind…
Though it be 30 below.
Let your warm heart glow.

Together We Win…
Timmins I’m In
Through Thick and the Thin.
Timmins I’m In.

Through the good and the bad,
From the joyous to the sad…
The race is not to the swift
Nor the battle to the strong
Though the load it is heavy
Though the road it is long

Together we win
Timmins I’m In…
Together we win..
I’m in Timmins..
Through the thick and thin.

From the Hill of Kamaskotia
To the depths of Kidd Creek Mine
From the Schumacher Head Frame
To the South Porcupine
From the shine of the golden Dome
Timmins is my home

Timmins I’m In
Are you in Timmins?
Response: Alright…yea…
Rock on Timmins…
Together, Timmins We win..
We’re in Timmins

The City with a heart of Gold.
Despite the snow and the Cold.
Together we’ll win
Timmins We’re in
Together Timmins we win

Hope you print off a copy of the Timmins Song…gather with your friends and practice at home and then Join In the Revitalized Timmins Voices to cheer on Jessica Trudel and join in the recording of the premiere of the Timmins Song.

I’m In Timmins!

ARE YOU!

Happy New Years see you all on Friday January 2, 2015

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The Murder of Mario Wesley in Timmins Still Unsolved

As 2014 draws to an end, the murder of Mario Wesley in Timmins remains unsolved. Last April, I wrote one of my “A Northern Blogs” about my friend Mario Wesley titled “Mario Wesley Sculptor and Musician Battles Personal Demons.” I never posted it on A Northern Blog and only recently discovered it in my draft unpublished blogs. Mario never had a chance to defeat his demons. He was murdered on July 28, 2014. The first murder of the year in Timmins.

Five months later the Timmins Police still have not charged anyone with Mario’s murder. I understand that the Timmins Police are taking Mario’s murder seriously and have followed strands of leads all the way to Attawapiskat, where a police investigator traveled to question potential witnesses. Sources close to the Wesley family tell me Timmins police have questioned over 200 people who Mario knew and associated with…but nothing has led to the laying of criminal charges so far.

mario-wesleyShortly after Mario’s funeral, Timmins police placed posters around town of Mario playing a guitar and asked anyone with leads into Mario’s death to get in contact with them or with CrimeStopper. Officers also visited the Lord’s Kitchen, a community kitchen in the basement of the old Church of the Nativity on Spruce St. North where Mario used to meet his friends for a meal once a week.

Here is the Timmins Daily Press story reporting on Mario’s murder http://www.timminspress.com/2014/07/31/tps-probes-first-murder-of-2014

As we end a very sad and empty 2014 I certainly hope that police continue to work hard on solving Mario’s murder. Mario like all of us had his demons and I believe he would have conquered them. I know his daughters want the person or persons who murdered their father apprehended and brought to trial.

Mario Wesley Sculptor and Musician Battles Personal Demons

Here is the blog I wrote in April, 2014, that I posted on my Facebook page, but didn’t add to A Northern Blog until now.

“Artists and musicians are doomed to be cast in many instances as tormented souls who see and interpret the craziness of the world for the so-called sane majority. Mario Wesley my friend originally from Moosonee would fall into this definition. A man who is beset by hosts of personal demons, some inflicted by his early years of being abused in residential school, others being caused by his alcoholism which he battles successfully for a brief period…and when he does he produces such a beautiful song such as this one…”First Love”.

Mario is also a talented sculptor, working in soapstone. I purchased one of his sculptures and donated it to the Ojibway Cree Cultural Centre where it belongs for all to see and appreciate. Now Mario is afflicted with glaucoma and is legally blind. I wish he could beat his demons and continue writing songs and sculpting. Last Time I saw him he told me he had stopped drinking. I hope to set up an Artists Table at Timmins Urban Park this summer and am encouraging Mario to focus on his sculpting. He will sell many of his works, that I am sure, although with his glaucoma getting worse it will be increasingly more difficult for Mario to sculpt.

As for music, we will have our Friday afternoon open mic at Urban Park and I hope to encourage Mario to get up and sing his songs.

Gallery Owner in Thunder Bay Liked Mario’s Sculptures

Today, I got a comment on Mario Wesley’s First Love Video which is posted on my you tube site from a gallery owner named Louise in Thunder Bay, Ontario who was searching for Mario because she liked his sculptures. Maybe we can get Mario sculpting again and perhaps Louise in Thunder Bay can be sent a few to display in her gallery…I am sure Mario could use some of the proceeds of the sales.

Here is “First Love” By Mario Wesley recorded in September 2011 by Gillies Lake…unfortunately the ending is kind of bumpy as my editing skills failed me….I hope you enjoy this nonetheless.”

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The Benefits of Being Late: The Christmas Bird Count and One Degree of Separation

DSC04999Today was Christmas Bird Counting Day in Timmins. As usual I woke up too late to join the others at 7:30 a.m. so I went out around 10 a.m. and drifted to the general location where they were to be counting that was a 24 sq.km area with Highway 101-Highway 655 being the centre point. I walked to that intersection and then headed along a snow mobile trail… I counted 8 crows…more, but I think they were the same old crows circle over the President’s Choice parking lot. I then walked up a trail and ended up at the home of a local doctor where I counted 4 chickadees at his feeder…could have been more his two dogs were barking at me and scared the little chickadees…the doctor came out and was quite friendly, he got his binoculars from the house and pointed out the pine grosbeak with its splendid red and black plumage.
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And the a common redpoll…. smallish pudgy bird with a red splotch under its beak settled on the same tree a couple of branches below.DSC_0010

As it turned out the doctor’s daughter launched her book of photographs about Timmins at Timmins Voices…as I always say in Timmins there is one degree of separation. My photo of the pine grosbeak is the distant one…the excellent photos of the pine grosbeak and the common red poll are photos I took of the Audubon Bird Guide. Followed by some frosty photos of Timmins. The last photo is of the freshly painted Timmins Water Tower.

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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: “Gold and Cold” by Frank Giorno

Sitting in the warmth of theatre 3 in the Cinema 6 complex, watching the Timmins premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, I couldn’t help but think to myself – Timmins is the best place to watch this epic movie.

The movie opens to a massive, dragon-induced, firestorm reminiscent of the aerial bombings during World War 2. Flames of destruction everywhere. The Geneva Convention of middle-earth or its equivalent obviously had not banned such destructive weapon of mass-dragon destruction. Shortly after, the scene switches to a cavernous castle inhabited by the Dwarf-King, Thorin. The castle is knee deep..no make that hip deep in gold coins and gold treasures. With so much gold, I immediately thought of all the gold ever mined in Timmins and the Abitibi-Greenstone gold belt and imagined this is where it ended up.

Bilbo ankle deep in gold in the castle chambers

Bilbo ankle-deep in gold in the castle chambers

Gold plays such an important role in The Battle of the Five Armies –  as it does in Timmins and along the Abitibi-Greenstone Gold Belt in Northern Ontario and Quebec.

But that is not where the connection between The Battle of the Five Armies and Timmins ends. There is the cold…freezing, biting..bone chilling, cold. I thought of the walk from my apartment to the Cinema Six complex through a couple of feet of snow in -25 Celsius weather. Clear and cold…so clear I could see the Hunter up in the night sky – Orion. And now – there on the screen are the poor souls who had barely escaped the scorching hell of the fire-breathing dragon and such is luck that they would end up at the gates of Thorin’s mountain castle freezing in misery.

Gold and cold. The battle over the untold wealth of gold contained in the castle and the freezing mass of humanity outside the castle gate. Gold and cold. If someone were to name the two best words to describe the cities and towns of the Abitibi-Greenstone belt they would be “gold and cold”.

I really enjoyed the movie. Well-written, acted. The film held my interest and the fact I was watching this epic in the land of gold and cold added to the ambiance of the film. When the people at the gate were freezing I not only saw them trembling in the frigid land outside the castle gate — I felt it. When the camera panned on the endless gold…I thought of all the gold that has been mined up here only to end up vaults very similar to the gold-laden chambers of the castle or Fort Knox.

The real clincher for me was the Battle on Ice between King Thorin and the Orc commander. The two were battering each other all over  a frozen pond that reminded me of a frozen-over Pearl Lake or Gillies Lake. With each fracture of the ice’s surface, I thought of ice fishing and all the other frozen pleasures of the north.

I give this movie two mitts up! With all the gold and cold in the movie, I felt right at home.King Thorin, the Dwarf King, with a castle full of gold

King Thorin, the Dwarf King, with a castle full of gold

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KWG Mining Partners with Bold Ventures on Black Horse Deposit

Finally, after a month’s absence, I’ve returned to post the following article about KWG Resources and their exploration program in the Ring of Fire. The month was spent productively researching and writing articles for the March Issue of Mining Life and Exploration News Magazine, which will be released at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention. http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/conv/

The stories I wrote in January will be appearing on A Northern Blog shortly…

Mining Life and Exploration News will also be launching an online site with the latest news and features from the world of mining….stay tuned. http://mininglifeonline.net/

Glenn Dredhart the publisher of Mining Life and Exploration News also puts on The Canadian Mining Expo the largest mining industry show in Northern Ontario http://www.canadianminingexpo.com/

As for this story- the top part of the story is original and published here for the very first time. The second part of the story appears courtesy of Glenn Dredhart and Mining Life and Exploration News Magazine.

Please let me know what you think of the article and your comments are always welcome.

KWG Resources Signs Agreement with Bold Ventures Inc. to Fund Drilling Program at Black Horse Chromite Discovery  Site

By Frank Giorno

KWG Resources is the third company in the Ring of Fire that has advanced the most towards exploration of mineral potential and  towards finishing its feasibility studies and environmental assessment studies. Along with Cliff Natural Resources and Noront Resources,  KWG Resources Inc. (KWG) has found major sources of chromite at its Big Daddy property.

KWG-Bold Ventures  Agreement to Explore Black Horse Site  for Chromite

However a recent announcement made on February 4, 2013 could be a game changer. KWG Resources and Bold Ventures Incorporated – a fast rising exploration company – announced an agreement that will see Bold Ventures drill the Black Horse chromite discovery in the Ring of Fire, starting as soon as the transaction with Bold Ventures Inc. closes.

KWG_Bold Ventures_Coper Lake

The intent of the program is to determine whether this  chromite mineral deposit is of  sufficient quantity and quality to make it  feasible for mining. KWG is advocating the construction of a rail line as the best, most cost-effective method for transporting the chromite for refining.

“The Black Horse discovery encountered 55 meters of 45% chromite, the richest drill core recovered in the Ring of Fire”, said KWG President Frank Smeenk.

“There is compelling geological and geophysical evidence to suggest that this mineralization could be part of an extensive continuous emplacement. If this drilling program is able to confirm that, we would be the first Canadian company to develop markets for the Ring of Fire chromite by providing transportation over Canada Chrome Corporation’s contiguous claims, ” Smeenk said.

Bold Ventures Obtains Option to Acquire Black Horse from Fancamp Explorations Ltd.

Earlier in December, 2012,  Bold Ventures concluded a four stage option to acquire the Black Horse claims from Fancamp Exploration Ltd., subject to Fancamp retaining a price variable gross metal royalty (the “Fancamp Option”).

Under the terms of the recent agreement between  KWG and Bold Ventures,  KWG can acquire up to 80% of Bold Venture’s interest in the Fancamp Option by funding 100% of Bold’s earn-in expenditures and option payments. The current program has budgeted $2 million to drill the chromite horizon. An additional $1 million has been budgeted to drill a contiguous possible nickel target.

KWG – Bold Ventures  Agreement to Explore for Nickel and Other Non-Chromite Minerals

A joint venture between KWG and Bold Ventures was formed  for nickel and other non-chromite minerals identified during the exploration programs, in which KWG has a 20% working interest. KWG will have a right of first refusal to purchase all ores or concentrates produced by such joint venture whenever its JV interest exceeds 50%.
The agreement with Bold Ventures  is subject to due diligence, all necessary approvals and is expected to close by February 21, 2013. Bold Venture’s interest in the 20% carried interest for chromite and the 80% participating interest for nickel and other non-chromite minerals is subject to Bold Venture Option Agreement with 2282726 Ontario Limited (“Bold Venture’s Co-Venturer”), a subsidiary of Dundee Corporation. Under the Option Agreement,  Bold Venturer’s co-venturer may earn a 33 -1/3% interest in Bold Venture’s Ring of Fire (ROF)activities around the area of Bold Venture’s Ring of Fire claims in Ontario (the “Bold Venture ROF Project”) by funding $2.5 million of exploration work, over $2.0 million of which has been expended to date.

 

KWG’s Big Daddy Site Received a National Instrument 43-101 Compliant Resource Estimate

KWG working towards developing its Big Daddy site in the McFauld’s Lake area received a National Instrument 43-101 compliant resource estimate from Sibley Basin Group over the summer of 2012.
The report was based on an update of a 42-hole core-drilling program at the Big Daddy Mine in the Ring of Fire totaling 13,459 metres that was completed in March, 2012.

Objective of the Drilling Program

The objective of the program was to upgrade resources to the indicated and measured categories, suitable for use in mine design at Big Daddy.  The drilling program was managed by Cliffs Chromite Far North Inc. who are also developing the Black Thor chromite mine.

The results show that at a 15% cutoff, the measured resource is 29.5 MT (megaton), grading 29% chromium oxide (Cr2O3) the indicated resource is 7.9 MT grading 26.7% Cr2O3, and the inferred resource is 4.8 MT grading 25.0% Cr2O3.

“We are pleased to note that this updated resource calculation has now confirmed a measured resource category, an important step in determining feasibility of the Big Daddy deposit,” said Frank Smeenk, KWG President.

Helicopter landing at Big Daddy Site

Helicopter landing at Big Daddy Site – photo courtesy of KWG

“The overall size of the deposit has increased without drilling deeper. We are now presented with different options as to how best to mine the Big Daddy, including the possibility of ore sorting or selectively mining the high-grade massive domains with the potential for high-grade direct ship,” he added.

Previous Resource Estimates

The previous resource estimate prepared by Micon International (KWG PR, May 3rd, 2010) also modeled the deposit at a 15% cutoff and produced an indicated resource of 26.4 MT grading 39.37% Cr2O3. The Micon report indicated resource corresponds to the Sibley combined measured and indicated of 37.4 MT grading 28.5% Cr2O3. The lower grade and higher volume of the new model contemplates the use of a less selective approach to mining and incorporates lower grade material, resulting in a lower average grade.

The most significant difference between the two resource estimates is in the inferred category. The Micon model extrapolated the depth continuity to 250 to 300 m beyond the drilling intercepts, while the new model extrapolates the resource to only 50 m beyond drilling. For the purpose of mine planning, this conservative approach is more prudent.

The report entitled “National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report, Big Daddy Chromite Deposit, McFauld’s Lake Area, Ontario, Canada, Porcupine Mining Division, NTS 43D16, Miner Natural Resource Estimation Technical Report” has an effective date of June 1, 2012. The report has a signing date of June 27, 2012. The full report was filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) on August 13, 2012 along with the requisite material change report.

The Sibley Basin Group staff person responsible for this resource estimate is Mr. Alan Aubut, a Qualified Person as defined in 43-101 who is independent of KWG Resources Inc., and who has approved the contents of this press release.

Aggregate Permits Sought by Canada Chrome Corporation Along Route of Proposed KWG Railroad Right-of-Way

Meanwhile KWG Resources Inc. reported that its subsidiary Canada Chrome Corporation filed applications with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for thirty-two aggregate permits at sites that located within the mineral claims along the company’s 308 kilometre-long railroad right-of-way. The sites are located along the proposed route for KWG’s railway to the Ring of Fire region, and may provide material for the construction of the planned rail bed. An environmental assessment and consultation with affected parties have not yet been concluded.

KWG exploration team preparing ground prior to drilling...

KWG exploration team preparing ground prior to drilling. Photo courtesy of KWG

“In our meetings with Matawa First Nations Management Inc. officers and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to review our draft Project Description, we have indicated our preference that the consultation requirements and protocols be developed in their entirety by the affected First Nations, to ensure the adequacy of the process,” said KWG President Frank Smeenk.

“To make that exercise meaningful, we felt that the physical consequences of the development should be described as fully as possible within the regulatory framework. For that reason we have prepared and filed preliminary aggregate borrowing plans to enable a relatively more informed determination of consultation requirements.”

Plan for Permanent Amphibious Aerodrome

Canada Chrome Corporation has also made application to MNR under the provisions of the Public Lands Act, for the grant of title to the lands it has tentatively designated as the “Port of Koper Lake” at the northern terminus of its right-of-way. The application covers two 16-unit claim blocks which include the western shore of Koper Lake where temporary float-plane docking facilities are now in use. As included in the draft Project Description, preliminary plans envisage the development of a permanent amphibious aerodrome at that location together with an adjacent and permanent East-West all-weather runway and heliport terminal as an adjunct to a railroad terminal, fuel storage compound, communications hub, accommodation services, and repair and maintenance facilities.

KWG has a 30% interest in the Big Daddy deposit. KWG also owns 100% of Canada Chrome Corporation which has staked claims and conducted a $15 million surveying and soil testing program for the engineering and construction of a railroad to the Ring of Fire from Exton, Ontario where the Trans Canada line of the Canadian National Railway can be connected.

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Noront Resources Releases NI 43-101 Compliant Feasibility Study

Welcome to A Northern Blog. Today’s entry is the 4th in series dealing with mining issues. This article will examine a Canadian company – Noront Resources and its  role in exploring and mining development  in the Ring of Fire area of Northwest, Ontario.  The Ring of Fire has been described as having  the largest mining potential in Ontario, larger than what has gone on in the past.

The article on Noront appears courtesy of Glen Dredhart, the publisher of Mining Life Magazine, where the portion dealing with Noront’s work on the Ring of Fire initially appeared. For information on mining in Northern Ontario visit Glenn’s Canadian Mining Portal  at

http://www.canadianminingexpo.com

Glenn is also preparing to publish the first Mining Life magazine issue of 2013 featuring reports on prospecting in Canada and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada.

http://www.pdac.ca/

Noront Resources Releases NI 43-101 Compliant Feasibility Study in 2012

By Frank Giorno

Noront Resources Ltd. released results, on September 4, 2012, of an updated National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) compliant Feasibility Study (“FS”) for a stand alone nickel, copper, platinum group element (“Ni-Cu-PGE”) mine and mill complex at its 100% owned Eagle’s Nest deposit near  McFaulds Lake, the Ring of Fire.

“The feasibility study confirms Eagle’s Nest is economically viable and establishes the capital, operating and potential profits to a reasonable level of certainty, which will allow Noront to initiate discussions with various financial institutions to fund the proposed mining project ,” said Olya Yousefi, the Manager of Corporate Communications for Noront in a telephone interview with Mining Life.

 The Ring of Fire is located about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and about 70 km east of the Webequie First Nation. It is about 150 km west of the DeBeers Victor Diamond Mine. The area consists of muskeg swamps and has the potential to become a major mining site for chromite, nickel, copper, gold, and other minerals.

 Noront plans to develop a stand alone nickel, copper, platinum and palladium mine and mill complex at its Eagle’s Nest location near McFauld Lake. The mine, mill and tailing storage facility will all be situated underground.

Noront’s feasibility study assumes that 1.0 million tonnes per year of nickel and copper ore will be extracted from the underground mine using blast hole sub-level stoping. On site processing  will produce approximately 150,000 tonnes of high-grade nickel-copper concentrate per year which will be trucked to a rail siding located approximately 300 kilometres to the south.

Core samples taken from Noront's property in the Ring of Fire --photo courtesy of Noront Resources

Core samples taken from Noront’s property in the Ring of Fire –photo courtesy of Noront Resources

The feasibility study’s discounted cash flow (“DCF”) model indicates that Noront’s Eagle’s Nest project will produce an after tax Net Present Value (at an 8% discount rate, “NPV(8%)” of $543 million, based on the Assumed Metal Prices).

Other financial benefits include:

  • an after tax IRR exceeding 28%;
  • an estimated initial capital investment of $609 million;
  • an estimated life of mine sustaining capital cost of $160 million;
  • estimated operating costs (including road access fees) of $97 per tonne or $2.34 per pound of nickel equivalent to minus $0.31 per pound of nickel net by-product credits;
  • an estimated mine life of 11 years; and
  • a capital payback period of under 3 years based on a 100% equity project.

 

“In terms of benefits to the province, the current reserve identified at Eagle’s Nest would generate approximately  $420 million in tax revenues,” Yousefi said. “This figure does not include any future reserve increases resulting future exploration efforts in the camp.”

 

Along with its feasibility study, Noront has also submitted its terms of reference for their comprehensive environmental assessment to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. The terms of reference will serve as the basis for completing the environmental assessment

 

“The major challenge for Noront in developing the Eagle’s Nest site is the lack of existing infrastructure in the region ,” Yousefi said.

Transportation

One of the most crucial elements of the infrastructure is the construction of a road that will open up the area and allow materials to be trucked in to develop the site and ores and concentrates shipped out.

Noront’s feasibility study assumed that ore concentrate would be trucked along a north-south, all season road to a CNR loading facility near Nakina where it will be transferred to rail for further shipment.

The proposed north-south route has been proposed by Cliffs, a multi-national, diversified producer seeking to develop their chromite assets in the Ring of Fire.

In its pre-feasibility study, Noront assumed an east-west road would be the primary means of access to the Ring of Fire. At this time, Noront continues to identify this east-west route as an alternative to the north-south corridor, as require of the environmental assessment process.

All season North-South Road

 

Noront revealed that the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) in a letter dated August 10, 2012 said they were in early stages of discussion with Cliffs Natural Resources regarding a north – south all-season road that would connect the Ring of Fire to existing provincial transportation routes and railway lines.  The letter confirmed the Province’s intent to contribute financially to develop the proposed all-season road subject to various environmental, regulatory and financial approvals.

In the letter, MNDM advised Noront that “the current expectation is that the all-season road would be made available for use by industrial users other than Cliffs, with access fees generally based on proportional road usage, although specific terms are still to be determined.”

Details on the estimated capital costs of the proposed north-south road have not been provided to Noront. However, Cliffs Natural Resources has publicly stated that the cost of their proposed integrated transportation system is budgeted at $600 million. This cost is consistent with previous work completed by Noront on this alternative and was used as the basis to establish road usage costs in their feasibility study.

 

 “The decision of the Province of Ontario to financially support the north-south road corridor pending environmental approval, is a very positive development in unlocking the mineral wealth of the Ring of Fire, “said Wes Hanson,President and CEO of Noront states.

“Our discussions with the Province have confirmed that the all season

road will be accessible to all industrial users including Cliffs and that the costs to use the road will be based on proportional usage, a critical consideration for Noront as our concentrate shipments represent less than seven percent of the currently identified ore haulage along the corridor, “ Hanson added.

Refining Noront’s Ore Concentrates

Diagram of Noront's proposed milling operation planned for the Ring of Fire-photo courtesy of Noront

Diagram of Noront’s proposed milling operationplanned for the Ring of Fire-photo courtesy of Noront

Another component of Noront’s proposal that needs to be determined is where it plans to refine the nickel ore concentrated produced by the on site milling operations.

“The logical destination would be Sudbury where both Xstrata and Vale INCO are operating nickel smelters and where there is currently excess capacity.” Yousefi said. “Our initial testing indicates that this would be a marketable concentrate for most of the world’s existing nickel smelters.”

First Nations Relationships

“Noront has worked hard to establish solid relationships with local First Nations communities near the Ring of Fire discoveries.” Yousefi said. “We want to ensure that the communities of north-western Ontario realize the benefits of mineral development through long-term jobs and business opportunities.”

“We are very active in community consultation to  ensure the communities fully understand what we propose to do, when we propose to do it and how will it impact their communities now and in the future. We have also focused a great deal of effort on the  young people in the communities where we have been active.. Each summer, we hold  mining camps aimed at introducing the young people to the exploration and mineral development industry. We hope to highlight to the young people the importance of staying in school, what jobs will be available in their region in the future and what each job entails in terms of training and education. Noront hopes that future geologists, engineers, managers and other specialists originate from the various communities surrounding the Ring of Fire,” she added

First Nations student examining mineral samples- photo courtesy of Noront Resources

First Nations student examining mineral samples photo courtesy of Noront Resources

Exploration Potential

 

On July 9, 2012; Noront released the results of its winter drilling program which included some positive results. Noront reported that all six holes that were drilled intersected low-grade nickel sulphide mineralization, suggesting that the ground based geophysical surveys are a valuable exploration tool going forward. This system has dramatically increased the Company’s success rate in testing multiple targets within the Ring of Fire claims for nickel sulphide mineralization. The fact that all holes from the late winter program intersected nickel sulphide mineralization is a significant improvement from past drill programs.

The Ring of Fire was only discovered in 2007. By comparison, the Sudbury camp, one of the worlds most prolific sources of nickel, has seen the benefits of nickel mining and processing for over a hundred years. The potential for further resource growth is significant and the Ring of Fire may someday rival Sudbury as Canada’s most prolific nickel camp.

Other Nor0nt News

Windfall Lakes Project

Recently Noront announced agreement to sell it’s 25 percent interest in the Windfall Lake Project in Quebec to Maudore Minerals Ltd.  The Windfall Lake Project is a joint venture between Noront and Eagle Hill Exploration Corporation (“Eagle Hill”). Eagle Hill has earned a 75% interest in the project and is the operator. Maudore has agreed to pay a sum of CAD$10.0 million in cash plus three million warrants which entitle Noront to purchase common shares of Maudore at a price of CAD$2.20 per common share (“the Warrants”) (collectively the “Purchase Price”) in exchange for Noront’s current 25% interest in the Windfall Lake Project.  For more information on Noront’s agreement with Maudore visit

http://www.norontresources.com/?pressreleases&pressreleasesMain=1

In a news release issued on December 17, 2012 Eagle Hill Corporation announced that Stantec Consulting Ltd. (“Stantec”) had been awarded a contract to produce a pre-feasibility study (“PFS”) on the Windfall Lake

Eagle Hill’s interest in Windfall Lake is governed by the terms and conditions of an option agreement between Noront and Eagle Hill that was entered into on July 21, 2009 (“the “Option Agreement”).

In the December 17th Press Release, Eagle Hill states: “Under the terms of the Option Agreement to acquire the Windfall Lake Property, Eagle Hill must give notice of the Company’s commitment to cause the commencement of commercial production on the Property within one year of earning a 75% interest in the Windfall Lake Property (the “Notice”). Eagle Hill earned its 75% interest in the Property on April 20, 2012. In this regard, Eagle Hill has engaged Stantec to provide a mineral reserve estimate based on the results of the PFS. The results of the PFS will be available on or before April 20, 2013. Upon receipt of the reserve estimate, Eagle Hill will be in a position to deliver the Notice to the  options pursuant to the Option Agreement.” Eagle Hill’s press release also states “Once the obligations are satisfied, the buy-back provisions contained in the Option Agreement will be eliminated.”

For more information please go to http://www.norontresources.com/?pressreleases&pressreleasesMain=1

Noront Retains New York-based RB Milestone Group

Noront Resources Ltd. has retained New York-based financial communications firm RB Milestone Group, LLC (“RBMG”) to strengthen shareholder value through RBMG’s market intelligence, corporate advisory, public relations, and equity research initiatives.

Olya Yousefi, Manager of Corporate Communications of Noront states: “We have a great story to tell and we look forward to working with RBMG to further our reach.”

“We’re excited to be representing Noront Resources,” said Renee Volaric, RBMG’s Director. “RB Milestone Group’s experience in the natural resource sector will allow us to present significant opportunities to Noront, its shareholders and new investors.”

For more information see

http://www.norontresources.com/?pressreleases&pressreleasesMain=1

HiAlpha Mining Investment Conference

Wes Hanson, President and CEO of Noront Resources was a presenter at last month’s HiAlpha® Mining Investment Conference. Click here (http://youtu.be/RgZz_aDtYq0) to watch his interview with Fox Business Network contributor Stu Taylor.

For more information on Noront Resources please visit

http://www.norontresources.com/

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Historic Hollinger Mine Project Gets Ready To Re-Open in Timmins as an Open Pit Gold Mine Early in 2013

 Image By Frank Giorno

 Welcome to the first Northern Blog. My mission is to write about Northern Ontario issues. My mission is to present clearly written, well researched articles that present factual information about key Northern Issues.  That means that many of my articles will deal with extractive industries such as mining or forestry and pulp and paper. Transportation and energy issues are also major factors in living in the North as are the conditions of our First Nations communities and their relationship to Northern Development and their traditional cultural values.

 From time to time I will cover Northern cultural, literature, music, social, sports and technology.   I encourage you as my reader to engage in conversation and provide me with feedback on what I have written.

 The first article concerns a controversial proposal by Porcupine Gold Mines, a subsidiary of Goldcorp to re-open gold mining operation at the historic Hollinger site which has been closed to mining since the late 1980s. The PGM’s proposal covers both the short term development of an open pit gold mine and a long term closure plan for the site. The benefits of re-opening the Hollinger Site to mining include job creation and secondary spinoffs to local mining servicing industry, plus the creation of recreational lands after closure.

 Large signpost notifying residents and businesses of scheduled blasting times have already been placed by PGM at strategic locations around the mining site.  A firm start date for blasting and mining operations has not been established by PGM, but it is expected to be very soon.

 PGM’s proposal received unanimous support from Timmins Council and is backed by the majority of Timmins residents. There is however concern expressed by residents who live or have business on the periphery of the Hollinger site. The concerns are mostly over noise, vibration and dust issues and ground subsidence which could if it occur lead to major structural damage to nearby homes, one multi-story apartment building and nearby stores.PGM has committed itself  to ensuring that impacts will be mitigated by the creation of an environmental berm and mining practices that will consider the residents’ concerns.

The operation of a mining operation so close to an urban setting is not new. A couple of years ago Osisko Mines physically moved about 250 residents from Malartic, Quebec to mine gold that lay in the ground below the houses. A new open pit was built on land that not been mined before. In Timmins the Hollinger Mine has been in the area  since 1909 and the housing grew around the site over the last 100 years with an apartment building, shopping centres, the Shania Twain Centre, an Extendicare facility and trailer park built after the apparent closure of the mine in the 1980s.

 However in mining centres do mines ever close? Given the high level of exploratory activities around old mining sites in the North and other parts of Canada the answer would be no.

 The article on the re-opening of the Hollinger Site to mining appears courtesy of Mining Life Magazine. I want to thank publisher Glenn Dredhart for the permission use the article original published in the December, 2012 issue of Mining Life Magazine. For excellent coverage of mining issues in the North and throughout Canada visit the Canadian Mining Portal. Glenn’s company Canadian Trade Ex hosts the largest mining show in the North

http://www.canadianminingexpo.com

 Glenn also is in the process of setting up the Canadian Mining Portal which will carry the latest mining information on the internet including e-versions of Mining Life and Exploration News.  http://mininglifeonline.net/

 Hollinger Mine Project Gets Unanimous Approval to Proceed from

 Timmins Council.

 By Frank Giorno

 

Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM), a subsidiary of Goldcorp Corporation, received unanimous support from Timmins City Council in November for re-opening mining operations at the  Hollinger Mine site just east of downtown Timmins, ultimately rehabilitating the site and returning it to public use after it closes.

 

Council’s vote accepted the Site Plan Control Agreement with PGM as the outline governing how  the Hollinger Open Pit mine operates and how it would mitigate the concerns of nearby residents and businesses.

 

In summarizing the importance accepting of the PGM’s plans Mayor Tom Laughren said:

“I am a big supporter of this project. This council has done its due diligence. We have had

32 engineering reports, 40 plus public meetings, countless emails, third party reviews, legal and insurance opinions, five council meetings and the input of the Hollinger Public Advisory Committee.

 

“Goldcorp is one of the few companies I want to walk down this process with. I want to walk down and finish this project. It’s something this community will have and be proud of,” Laughren concluded.

 

Councillor Pat Bamford pointed to critical economic benefits that will be generated for Timmins.

“There is an economic momentum that comes from spending half a billion dollars over eight years and with a multiplier effect of three, four or even 10 times, Timmins will receive up to $5 Billion of economic momentum,” Councillor Bamford said.

 

 “I can’t help but believe that with the economic momentum from the project that there will be a positive effect on property values in Timmins including those on the periphery of the mine site,” Bamford explained addressing the concern residents had over possible loss of property value.

 

Council members also were relieved that PGM’s will provide a $10 million letter of credit to protect the city from potential lawsuits. Beyond that PGM will remain liable for claims arising from the mining related issues once the site is closed.

 

Councillor Noella Rinaldo who supported PGM’s proposal acknowledged the concerns of some residents, but believed that the Best Management Plan contained in the Site Plan Control Agreement addressed their concerns. Councillor Rinaldo encouraged PGM to improve their communications with the community.

 

“It is only fitting that we witness this historic mine being transformed into a modern working open pit mine – what a way to show the world that Timmins is a demonstrated leader in the mining field,”  enthused Councillor Andrew Marks.

 

Now that  PGM has received Timmins council support, the next step before it can open the mine is to obtain certificates of approval from the Ministry of the Environment for air quality and water taking.

 

Marc Lauzier’s Impassioned Presentation to Council

Image

Proposed Hollinger Open Pit Gold Mine -Courtesy of PGM

A week prior to Council’s vote of  approval of the site control plan agreement, Marc Lauzier, general manager of operations for PGM provided an impassioned presentation to council detailing the ways PGM benefits Timmins and addressing questions and concerns that have been swirling around the proposal since it was officially presented to council.

 

“Without mining there would be no Timmins, where would Timmins be without mining?” Lauzier said.

 Since 1910, over 19.5 million ounces of gold have been mined at the Hollinger Mine which stopped production in 1968, though some surface mining did take place into the early 1980s. The primary goal of PGM’s proposal is to restore the Hollinger site. The renewed gold mining was the way PGM will pay for the restoration of the site Lauzier said.

 

Lauzier responded to concerns raised about the impact of the project on property values by saying that prices may drop for a short period, but will in the long term increase because the eyesore of the existing unsafe Hollinger site would be replaced by a safe, reclaimed property that would be turned over to the city for public use.

 

Lauzier said PGM is opened to all reasonable proposals for the after use of the Hollinger property if the proposed public park is not wanted by Timmins. Some concern had been voiced that the maintenance of the park would put a financial burden on the City.

 

PGM would not guaranty property values Lauzier emphasized. No other mining company in Timmins has been asked to do so as there are too many variables. Lauzier pointed to the economic benefits of 130 jobs created by the project and the additional jobs created by local companies providing services to PGM.

 

The ore mined from the Hollinger site was needed to keep the Dome Mill operational Lauzier told council members. “Without the ore from Hollinger open pit the consequences would be drastic,” Lauzier said.

 

Lauzier also said that other mining companies are watching the outcome of PGM’s request to council.  “Other companies know that PGM has spent $25 million to rehabilitate the Hollinger site with the understanding that Timmins was open for business,” he said. “If our proposal is turned down what message would be sent to other companies involved with mining in Timmins

 

Timmins Regional Economic Outlook Presentation

 ImageHollinger prior to being mined and remediated- Courtesy of PGM

Paul Miller, Goldcorp’s Manager of Surface Operations earlier explained the benefits of the company’s plans to mine gold from an open pit mine to be built on the Hollinger site in downtown Timmins at the Timmins Regional Economic Outlook Conference October 15, 2012.

 

The Hollinger property currently consists of a number of old mined pits and sinkholes. Miller described the current state of old Hollinger mine property as over 250 acres that are “unsafe, unusable – a site with environmental problems, that we will return to a usable site”.  Miller said that PGM is committed to reclaiming the Hollinger site and rehabilitating it for the community as they have down over the years on other sites like the McIntyre Property by Highway 655 which today has  been re-vegetated withwalking trails for the public to use.

 Economic Benefits

  PGM plans to operate an open pit gold mine for eight years.  The mine will employ 180 people and create 130 jobs. The extraction of ore and the development of gold concentrate from the Hollinger site will also add 10 additional years to PGM’s overall operations and sustain 250 jobs over that period.

           

According to Miller, the direct mining cost associated with the property is $565 million excluding the costs of milling over the life of the open pit mine. Capital expenditures are estimated to be $87 million.

 

Addressing Environmental Concerns

 The Hollinger Mine property is situated in downtown Timmins, east of Brunette Ave., south of Algonquin Blvd. north of Shania Twain Dr.  and west of Hollinger Road in Schumacher. It is adjacent to a public park and commercial sites, the Senator Place Apartments, a nine story apartment building and residential areas including a trailer park.

 

Miller said that PGM will use the most environmental sound methods for mining the Hollinger site to ensure reduced noise, dust and vibrations. Miller described how PGM will meet these concerns by creating a 20 – 25 metre berm with gradual slopes to control dust and noise during construction and operation of the open pit mine. The berm will be constructed of vegetated earth or engineered walls where space is restricted.

Image 

Mining will start at the point farthest from the community and will move north and west, to minimize impact on the community. An estimated 4.4 million tonnes of soil and rock will be removed from the creation of the open pit mine and used to build the berm. The berm itself will take 6.1 million tonnes to construct.

  PGM will also set up noise; dust and vibration monitoring equipment to measure levels and respond quickly to increased levels that may impact on community members. The monitoring equipment will detect when noise, dust and vibration levels exceed acceptable limits.

PGM will use mobile and fixed monitoring stations to help respond quickly to public concerns and complaints about impacts from the Hollinger site. The environmental monitoring will be conducted by a third party to ensure objectivity and confidence in the results. Fixed monitoring stations will be set up onsite and one will be located in Gold Centre, in Schumacher. Real time monitoring results will be available on PGM’s website.

 

The concerns about increased heavy truck traffic from the mine to PGM’s milling facility at its Dome site has been addressed by the construction of overpasses over Vipond Rd. and Gold Mine Rd. Trucks will make the trip to the milling facility on a dedicated 5 km road between the mine and the Dome Mill and avoid routes used by the public.

 

As for dewatering of the site, PGM plans to pump water from the Hollinger site to a treatment facility now in place at the McIntyre mine. The treated mine water will be released into Little Pearl Lake.

 

A particular concern expressed by the owner of the Senator Apartments, located on Algonquin Blvd., north of the Hollinger property has to do with the plans to pump groundwater.

 Bill Hughes the owner of the Senator Place Apartments expressed concerned that vibrations and subsidence will create a hazardous situation that could result in structural damage to apartment building caused by sinking or shifting of ground due to the pumping out of groundwater to keep water out so mining can occur.

                                                                                               

Miller said monitoring will be the key to implementing PMG’s environmental protection plan. Monitoring results will trigger an investigation of the source of the problem and determine if there have been any negative impacts. Measures will be taken to mitigate the problem.  

 

Community Engagement

 “This project is as much about dealing and engaging with the community and mining responsibly in the community as it is about the technical challenges that come with mining,” Miller said

 

Miller said public consultation that has been ongoing since 2007 when a public advisory committee was established. More recently, a series of presentations about the Hollinger Project, during which the members of the community had an opportunity to express their concerns about the proposal, took place in the summer of 2012. As well, the Hollinger Community Information Centre was reopened in the summer of 2012 and a community liaison officer was appointed to help the public communicate its concerns and to help provide information to the public.

 

Members of the public can access an interactive website to read about the plans for the Hollinger Property, write their concerns and provide feedback on the project.   http://www.porcupinegoldmines.ca/en/ouroperations/hollinger.asp

 

Closure and Reclamation

 Once the mining at the Hollinger Property is complete PMG will turn the area into parkland with walking trails. The open pit mine will flood and turn into a lake. Water in the lake is expected to meet provincial standards and be used for recreational purposes.