Discover by Category
Mining Insider.
1,000 stories
Greenhills wins Canadian mine safety award
Teck Coal's Greenhills Operations in Elkford, B.C. received the John T. Ryan Safety Trophy for coal mines at the CIM Awards Gala. The award recognizes exemplary safety accomplishments in the mining industry and was presented as part of the annual CIM Convention in Montreal.
CIM honours the leaders of the Canadian mining industry at Awards Gala of the CIM 2015 Convention
The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) held its annual Awards Gala on May 11, 2015 in Montreal, honouring over 50 individuals and organizations for their achievements in various mining fields. The event was sponsored by Caterpillar and recognized leaders across safety, sustainability, exploration, and technical excellence categories.
Maclean to showcase safety and productivity innovation at 2015 Timmins Mining Expo
MacLean Engineering is showcasing their new Mine-Mate BT3 Boom Truck with front suspension system at the 2015 Canadian Mining Expo. The innovation reduces operator vibration and increases productivity, with one mine reporting tramming time reductions from 55 to 37 minutes.
Dominion Diamond Corporation and Diavik Diamond Mine get top nods for 2015 TSM Excellence Awards
Dominion Diamond Corporation and Diavik Diamond Mine received the 2015 TSM Environmental Excellence Award for their Joint Regional Grizzly Bear DNA Program in the Northwest Territories. The program surveyed 16,000 km2 and identified 136 grizzly bears from 4,709 hair samples, indicating a stable or increasing population above 1990s estimates. The collaborative monitoring program has since expanded to over 30,000 km2 with additional mines participating.
EduMine’s Simon Houlding awarded Vale Medal at CIM 2015
Simon Houlding, founder and VP of EduMine, was awarded the prestigious Vale Medal for Meritorious Contributions to Mining at CIM 2015 in Montreal. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the Canadian mining industry through founding EduMine in 1999 and building it into the world's largest provider of online mining professional development and training.
Re-branded Levaero brings new altitude to aviation
Pilatus Centre Canada has rebranded as Levaero Aviation after 20 years of service, with existing leadership remaining in place. The company operates Northern Ontario's largest aircraft Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul facility and serves as the exclusive Canadian sales and service centre for Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 aircraft.
Taseko announces improved economics at its Gibraltar Copper Mine
Taseko Mines has completed an updated mine plan for its Gibraltar Copper Mine that significantly improves economics through a 50% reduction in strip ratio from 4.3:1 to 1.9:1. The new plan features 749 million tons grading 0.272% copper equivalent with 24 years of operation producing 138 million pounds of copper annually. The company estimates the mine could generate approximately $100 million in annual operating profit at current metal prices.
APEGBC professional practice guidelines respond to Mount Polley recommendations
APEGBC is developing new professional practice guidelines for dam site characterization assessments in response to the Mount Polley tailings dam breach report. The guidelines will establish standards of care and professional obligations for engineers and geoscientists, scheduled for release in March 2016.
Fed. Competition Bureau greenlights Holcim/ Lafarge merger - with conditions
The Federal Competition Bureau approved the merger of cement giants Holcim and Lafarge with conditions requiring Holcim to divest all Canadian operations and some U.S. assets. The deal creates the world's largest cement company but requires asset sales to preserve competition in the Canadian market.
Fortune Minerals and POSCAN complete sale of Arctos coal licenses to BC Rail
Fortune Minerals Limited and POSCO Canada Limited have completed the sale of Arctos coal licenses to BC Rail. The transaction involved an agreement with the British Columbia Government, though specific financial terms were not disclosed.
Study documents impacts of tailings impoundment spill on Quesnel Lake
University of Northern BC researchers published a comprehensive study documenting the impacts of the August 2014 Mount Polley tailings dam breach on Quesnel Lake. The research found significant environmental changes including a 7.7cm lake level rise, elevated temperatures, widespread sediment plumes covering 1,000 square kilometers, and copper concentrations above freshwater ecosystem guidelines.
Dillon Gage launches precious metal platform for Canadian retirement accounts
Dillon Gage Metals launched a Closed Loop RRSP platform enabling Canadian coin dealers to set up self-directed retirement accounts for clients to purchase and store precious metals. The platform partners with Questrade Inc. and stores metals at International Depository Services of Canada in Toronto. This streamlines the previously complex process of using RRSP funds to buy investment-grade gold and silver coins and bullion bars.
Student engineering team wins provincial competition
Five UNBC environmental engineering students won the BC Water & Waste Association Student Design Competition by developing a biogas production solution for Kelowna's wastewater treatment plant. Their design would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% while producing energy and recovering nutrients for fertilizer.
Project Heavy Duty returns to the Elk Valley
Project Heavy Duty returned for its third year in the Elk Valley, providing 24 grade 11-12 students with hands-on heavy equipment training from May 12-13. The program is a partnership between Southeast School District #5, College of the Rockies, and local heavy industry including Teck Coal, aimed at developing skilled trades workers for the mining sector.
Mount Polley could restart “within months,” says Imperial Metals
Imperial Metals announced that Mount Polley gold-copper mine could restart within months if granted a permit, potentially bringing back about half of the mine's 370 employees. The mine has been closed following a devastating tailings pond breach that caused an environmental disaster in central BC.
First concentrate shipment from Red Chris Mine
Imperial Metals achieved a major milestone with the first shipment of copper concentrate from its Red Chris mine in northwest British Columbia on April 11, 2015. The concentrate was loaded onto the new vessel M/V Edward Oldendorff at Stewart Bulk Terminals, marking both the mine's inaugural shipment and the ship's maiden voyage.
Recent developments in Eastern Europe’s Mining industry
Eastern European countries are ramping up mining activities with Hungary opening coal concession bids, Czech Republic supporting uranium mining renewal, and Poland showing 2% coal production growth. The developments align with regional energy strategies and growing nuclear power demand from Asia.
Barrick to sell part of Chilean copper mine – Zaldivar
Barrick Gold Corp. plans to sell part of its Chilean Zaldivar copper mine to reduce its $13 billion U.S. debt burden amid slumping copper and gold prices. The partial sale represents a major strategic shift away from copper for the world's biggest gold producer, which is targeting $3 billion in debt reduction this year.
American Creek wins decisively at BC Court of Appeal
American Creek Resources won a decisive unanimous victory at the BC Court of Appeal, confirming its 51% controlling interest in the Treaty Creek gold-copper property. The court dismissed Teuton Resources' appeal entirely and upheld special costs awards against Teuton for reprehensible conduct during litigation.
Mine rescue teams to compete in Elkford
The 94th East Kootenay Zone Surface Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition will be held in Elkford on May 9, 2015, featuring emergency response teams from all five Elk Valley coal mining operations. The event includes five skill challenges, with winning teams advancing to provincial and national competitions.
The top 10 issues mining companies will face this year
Deloitte released its 'Tracking the Trends 2015' report identifying the top 10 challenges facing mining companies this year. Key issues include operational excellence, innovation adoption, energy costs, project pipeline constraints, financing difficulties for juniors, talent acquisition, geopolitical uncertainty, stakeholder engagement, and government relations.
NexGen Energy announces winter drilling results
NexGen Energy reported exceptional winter 2015 drilling results from its Arrow Discovery at the Rook I property in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin. Drill hole AR-15-44b intersected 190.70m of total composite uranium mineralization including 40.45m of off-scale radioactivity, substantially expanding the high-grade core of the A2 shear. The company plans to deliver an initial resource estimate by end of 2015.
NovaCopper agrees to acquire Sunward through court arrangement
NovaCopper agreed to acquire Sunward Resources through a court-approved arrangement valued at approximately US$27.6 million, creating a combined company with US$23 million in cash. The merger will advance the Arctic and Bornite copper-zinc deposits in Alaska's Ambler mining district, with plans for a US$8-10 million field program this summer.
Spenceley brings wealth of global mining experience to Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch appointed Jim Spenceley as Senior Vice President for Mining to focus on energy, water and telecommunications solutions for mining clients. The appointment comes as mining companies face pricing pressures and need expertise to improve efficiency and capital investment positioning.