“Avatar” has few fans among mining executies

Posted March 11, 2010 By móniyáw

In a case of art imitating life — with perhaps a little poetic license — Oscar-winning movie “Avatar” paints big mining companies as the villains of the future.

But real-life executives are not entirely amused by their fictional colleagues being cast in evil roles in what is already the biggest-grossing Hollywood movie of all time.

“Let me put it this way, my kids saw the movie, and my kids know I’m a miner, and they didn’t say anything to me,” said Peter Kukielski, head of mining operations for ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker.

“They didn’t say a thing, and they loved the movie. They saw it twice,” he told the Reuters Global Mining and Steel Summit in New York this week.

“I gotta say, I gritted my teeth a few times over the manner the mining company was presented,” said Charles Jeannes, chief executive of Canada’s Goldcorp. “I loved ‘Avatar’ — once you get past the storyline, I loved the graphics.”

. . .

Gerald Grandey, CEO of uranium miner Cameco Corp appeared resigned to the fact mining companies get a bad rap driven by environmentalists.

“When you get a movie like ‘Avatar’ — I have seen it and actually enjoyed it — I thought it was just unfortunate they defaulted to the easy conflict. It was too convenient to go back to the old stereotypes.”

“Cameco is a premier example of going into a remote region, Saskatchewan, where there are 28 aboriginal communities who had never heard of mining…and now after 25 years, well over 50 percent of our employees are aboriginal.

“What we’ve done is…overcome the peer pressure, the stereotypes, the culture, the welfare dependency, the drug and alcohol abuse, and one movie can put that back.”

Asked if he would you have hired the Na’vi, Grandey replied: “If it had been Cameco, they would have been walk-in employees, we’re looking for them!”

Ducks Unlimited is an example of a group that has done a lot for the environment, which was started by someone who enjoyed waterfowl hunting. I think that casting a mining company as bad for the environment is inaccurate and unfair.

The full article is here.

Categories: Arts, Business, Mining
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New tool targets Aboriginal youth for mining careers

Posted February 23, 2010 By móniyáw

Start them young.

It’s the rationale behind a recruiting tool designed to attract more Aboriginal youth into mineral exploration and mining careers.

With mining companies preparing big plans for development in the James Bay ‘Ring of Fire,’ training a local workforce for the future to build and service these developments is of paramount importance.

To get a head start, Sudbury’s Cambrian College and the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council (OMICC) have collaborated to take a fresh and long-term approach to keep the pipeline of skilled workers filled for generations to come.

Part of their strategy is to give career guidance to young people on what kind of jobs are available in the mining sequence, beginning at the prospecting stage and following through to mine development.

This spring, an interactive website will be launched in tandem with printed material targeting seventh and eighth graders.

[...]

The website mentioned in the article is Mining In Mind. Considering the organizations involved the web site seems lacking in content and pizzaz. Considering how tech-savy youth are today, this web site may detract Aboriginal youth from a mining career.

Categories: Business, Education
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Flathead River Basin protected by U.S. and Canadian authorities

Posted February 19, 2010 By móniyáw

Acting on a promise made in his government’s Feb. 9 throne speech, Premier Gordon Campbell signed an agreement Thursday with Montana to ban all mining, oil and gas, and coal development in the Flathead River Basin.

Campbell said his government will offer “some compensation costs” to companies adversely affected by the B.C. part of the moratorium, but dismissed those costs as “minimal.”

“We will be working with those companies, and we will make sure they are not punished for this,” Campbell said without going into detail. “We’ve always cooperated with those private-sector interests and we will continue to do so.”

Slated to take effect in July, the moratorium will affect all mining, oil and gas, and coal activities in the southeast B.C. valley, pleasing environmentalists but infuriating some of the companies with major stakes in the area.

[...]

Few people would argue that a complete moratorium on industry is necessary to protect natural resources. This is a promising opportunity, by managing our impact on the Flathead River Basin it will remain as a valuable resource for many generations. Read the full article here.

Categories: Business, Environment
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Mining near Chetwynd, B.C. threatens Burnt Pine caribou herd

Posted February 1, 2010 By móniyáw

I might argue that there is a potential for enormous wealth that could fuel the economy and help employ a number of people. On the other hand, it seems that with proper stewardship the caribou herd could be protected and still provide wealth in the form of tour and hunting guides. I have yet to see an example of an environmentally friendly mine that will not devastate the surrounding environment. From an economic viewpoint, it seems to me that the long-term sustainable industry will eventually be more profitable than any short-term gain.

A First Nation group from northeast British Columbia has gone to court to fight to protect a tiny, endangered caribou herd from a potential coal mine development.

The West Moberly First Nation of the Chetwynd area wants the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn mining exploration permits to save the habitat of the 11-member Burnt Pine caribou herd.

…

Willson said the area where the exploration is currently permitted to go ahead is within critical core wintering habitat of the Burnt Pine caribou herd.

“It confuses us as to why mining is allowed to go cut a tree down when the Ministry of Forests is not,” he said. “It’s a double standard there. Our big concern is this is going to wipe this herd out.”

Is there collusion among the various government bodies, if the provincial/state government cannot do something without violating the law, then the federal government steps in? Read the full story here.

Categories: Environment
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Nishnawbe Aski Nation prepared to blockade in response to unauthorized mining

Posted January 19, 2010 By móniyáw

A group of fly-in communities in Nishnawbe Aski Nation said Monday they were prepared to put up blockades. In response to the large number of unauthorized mining ventures in what they claim as their traditional territory, six communities served notice in a press release.

“Exploration on our traditional land is getting out of hand,” said Marten Falls Chief Elijah Moonias.

He noted more than 100 companies have staked claims inside what’s known as the Ring of Fire, near Koper Lake.

“We believe there will be development happening in this area, but we want to be a part of the development so we can benefit from it in the long-term,” Moonias added.

The proposed blockade would be located about 128 kilometres north of Marten Falls near the Ring of Fire.

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The full article is posted here.

Categories: Environment, Land Rights
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Assistance for Aboriginal Youth – Mining and Mineral Exploration

Posted January 7, 2010 By móniyáw

Years ago I was not a fan of funding projects such as this, but after witnessing the challenges faced by aboriginal youth struggling to gain access to opportunities that I use to take for granted, it is clear that more effort needs to be made.

THUNDER BAY – More Aboriginal youth who are considering careers in mineral exploration and mining have new resources available to explore opportunities in the industry. The Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council (OMICC) and Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology collaborated to produce new resource materials developed from an Aboriginal perspective. The effort involved a $22,000 injection of funds from the Ontario Government.

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Read the full article here.

Categories: Education
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Rights to land clash with economic development

Posted January 4, 2010 By móniyáw

In Ontario’s vast and remote Far North, it can take as little as a motorboat circling in a lake to stop mining exploration and development in its tracks. That tactic kept float planes from landing last year on a lake 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, the site of a standoff between the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation and a mining company, Plastinex Inc., which sought to pursue its exploration claims in the area.

The dispute, which saw native leaders put in jail and a $70 million lawsuit launched against the provincial government, has finally come to an end, but at a cost to taxpayers of $5 million.

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The new law strives to balance divergent yet vital interests – First Nations’ rights and the needs of mining companies, environmental protection, and economic development in the north. It mandates consultation with native communities at the very beginning and throughout the process. If things still go awry, it provides a dispute resolution process for aboriginal-related mining issues.

Until government builds trust with First Nations, these types of problems will continue to occur. Read the full story here.

Categories: First Nation
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