Ontario Mining Review Fall 2016 by DEL Communications Inc.

Fall 2016

Mining Review

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Ontario Mining Review PRINTED IN CANADA 09/2016

Message from the

Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle

Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines

Ontario has a strong history of success, perseverance and innovation with more than a century of mineral production to build on. In a global economy with fierce international competition, Ontario has consistently been a global leader. Mineral production in the province hit $10.8 billion in 2015 to make us the leading Canadian mining jurisdiction. We also topped the Canadian exploration spending chart in 2015 with $393 million in expenditures – making Ontario one of the top 10 mining jurisdictions in the world. And we’re not done yet. We have significant new mining projects that are in various stages of development, with 30 of them in advanced stages. Further, our government continues to lay the groundwork to drive smart, sustainable and collaborative development in the Ring of Fire region. Our government and Premier Kathleen Wynne remain steadfast in our commitment to Ontario’s mineral sector to ensure growth, prosperity and sustainable development for the benefit of Northerners and all Ontarians. To meet this commitment, we are taking action through initiatives guided by Ontario’s renewed Mineral Development Strategy, a 10-year road map that will position the province as the global leader in sustainable mineral exploration and development. The strategy is directly aligned with the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, reiterates the vital role that exploration plays in Ontario’s economy and outlines the steps to achieving long-term growth and prosperity in our mineral sector. Earlier this year, we partnered with the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA) and

announced a $5-million government investment over the next two years – through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation – to support a new Junior Exploration Assistance Program (JEAP). The JEAP provides incentives to qualified corporations for grassroots mineral exploration in Northern Ontario and for indigenous skills training or capacity building. Prospectors are a key part of the exploration cycle and we are committed to sustaining this specialized skill set and Ontario’s rich prospecting legacy. In support of this, we launched a prospecting training course that we will deliver in partnership with the OPA. Small mineral exploration companies continue to see improved access to capital with the Ontario Focused Flow-Through Share Tax Credit. This credit provides investors in early exploration projects in Ontario with a refundable tax credit of five per cent of eligible expenditures. These programs are all designed to stimulate exploration activity to promote the discovery of the new mines of tomorrow. And our government is ready to support those new mines with: • A globally competitive mining supply and services sector that makes our mines among the safest in the world; • Access to global capital markets – approximately half of the world’s public mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSX-V; • A skilled workforce and a steady stream of industry-ready workers from postsecondary institutions boasting leadFall 2016

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ing-edge mining, geology and engineering programs; • Indigenous training institutions that are creating a homegrown indigenous workforce with the skills necessary to pursue leadership opportunities and participation in the mining sector; • Significant investments in R&D focused on increasing efficiency, lowering production costs and improving operating and safety conditions; and • Continued progress in Mining Act Modernization with proposed amendments that promote global investment in Ontario. Our government is working harder than ever to ensure our mineral sector is competitive and innovative by attracting jobs and investment, increasing mineral discovery rates and fostering a culture of innovation. We are determined to be the global leader in sustainable mineral exploration, development and production. While there have certainly been challenges for this sector in recent years, there is also immense opportunity – the opportunity to lead a market rebound, to attract new business and investment and to spur innovative technology solutions that revolutionize every stage of the mining process. Our government is committed to building up Ontario and one of the ways that we do this is by continuing to make our mining sector a priority. With the diversity of our base and precious metals and with the talent, innovation and spirit of Ontarians, we have a recipe for success. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.

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Energy solutions for ultra-deep mines By Kylie Williams A number of alternative energy sources and innovations are being developed across Canada to overcome the challenges of mining at depths greater than 2.5 kilometres below the surface. Ranging from electric vehicles to geothermal heating and cooling options, these products and solutions are rapidly being brought to market by small to medium enterprises, or SMEs, who are nimble and focused on creating commercializable products industry can use right now. In recent years, the rate of discovery of shallow ore deposits has dropped off substantially. Future mines, necessary to sustain a growing global population, will likely be more than two kilometres deep, so researchers and industry are joining forces to overcome the numerous physical and economic challenges. “I do believe it’s going to become normal for us to be operating at these depths,” says Damien Duff, vice-president of geoscience and geotechnical R&D at the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) based in Ontario which hosts the UltraDeep Mining Network (UDMN). At depth, explains Duff, the costs are higher and the challenges are numerous. Natural rock stresses increase with depth and present a number of geotechnical challenges, and the geothermal gradient increases, resulting in rock temperatures more than 50 degrees Celsius. Ventilation becomes a priority as fresh, cool air is essential to keep people safe and machinery operating efficiently. Transporting workers, equipment and rock is exponentially harder than at the surface, too. Focus on practical innovation The UDMN has taken a unique approach to optimizing and reducing energy use in deep mines by creating a network of 45 partners that not only includes global mining companies, universities and research

bustion engines are not efficient in deep mines as 70 per cent of the fuel becomes heat.” Pratt and his small team are planning to ship the fully functional 100-per cent electric underground mining vehicle back to Ontario later in 2016, where it will perform the same duties it did with a diesel engine, except with zero emissions and negligible heat contributions to the space.

Damien Duff.

institutes, but a number of SMEs who are actively turning the knowledge generated by the network into products, software and best practices that the industry can use directly. “SMEs are where the innovation really happens,” says Duff, “In recent years, we’ve changed the focus to turning knowledge into commercial products.” Replacing diesel with electric vehicles underground Vancouver-based FVT Research has been working with UDMN for just over a year to build one of Canada’s first 100-per cent electric underground mining carriers for a mine in Sudbury, Ont. The 35,000-pound carrier, donated by fellow UDMN partner Glencore, is currently undergoing conversion to 100-per cent battery electric. “In deep mines, companies can spend up to half of their operating budget pumping fresh, cool air underground to keep vehicles and machinery operating,” explains FVT Research CEO Todd Pratt. “Internal com-

Energy solutions on tap Replacing diesel engines with electric vehicles is just one of the many projects the UDMN is looking at to reduce and optimize energy use in mines. A range of refrigeration options for deep mine cooling are also being explored. “Geothermal energy is grossly underutilized in Canadian mines,” says Duff. “We can harness the natural geothermal capacity that exists within the waters that circulate through our mines and use it to our advantage.” A UDMN-supported research team at McGill University is showing how geothermal energy can be used to offset the power requirements of the mine itself, or be a source of energy for surface infrastructure, mining buildings or the neighbouring communities who rely on the mine. Other teams are looking at optimizing the design of freezing systems to save money, using liquid air for cooling at depth or pairing ice stopes with wind turbines to generate electricity and reduce costs at deep mines. Changing the way mining has been done for hundreds of years is necessary to survive and thrive in ultra-deep mines. Practical, market-ready solutions are demanded by mining companies to keep workers safe and to stop costs from becoming prohibitive. With the support of global mining companies, and the knowledge generated by researchers, SMEs are leading the way for step-change innovation. Fall 2016

Here’s looking at you, Kidd By Kevin Vincent

Open-pit surveyors in 1966.

One of Canada’s most prolific mines is celebrating 50 years of production in 2016. Most mining executives would dance in the streets if they got 50 good years out of their orebody. With five decades in its rearview mirror, Kidd Operations in Timmins, Ont. can not only rejoice, but revel in the fact that the world’s deepest base metal mine still has life in it. That life has led to an unimaginable production record: extraordinary engineering accomplishments, homespun expertise that is shared around the globe, an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship

and a commitment to the highest standards of safety that other industrial operations can do little more than envy. It all started more than five decades ago. Nov. 8, 1963 changed the fate of a northern Ontario city. A young Canadian geologist, Ken Darke, dragged a two-ton diamond drill 25 kilometres north of the town of Timmins, Ont. into Kidd Township. He was looking for sulphide deposits – and what he discovered was mind-boggling. One of the first holes was logged as Kidd 55-1, and when the core was pulled the following day, Darke and his drill crew stared

in wonder. It had a foot of solid copper. The company that hired Darke, Texas Gulf Sulphur, would shortly become the operator of one of the world’s richest deposits of zinc, copper, lead, silver, tin, cadmium and indium. When Darke shared the news with senior Texas Gulf officials, they couldn’t board a plane fast enough. Vice-president and manager of exploration Richard Mollison and senior geologist Walter Holyk flew to Timmins, arranged for a swamp buggy and headed off to view the drill core at the site for themselves.

“Unlike an agricultural business, you can’t hope that the gold or copper or zinc from a mine is going to stay there (and sustain itself) forever.” 8

Ontario Mining Review

They were equally amazed. The pair agreed it was a major discovery. They ordered drilling to be put on hold, the discovery site disguised and the drill moved to the north where a dummy hole was drilled. It wasn’t until December that assays on 55-1 were released. The official assay was extraordinary. That discovery hole was included 602 feet averaging 1.18 per cent copper, 8.1 per cent zinc and 3.8 ounces of silver. Subsequent drill holes delivered even better results and, today, the company has now been in production for more than 50 years. Today, as the company advances deep underground below the unimaginable 9600-foot level, the man in charge of that undertaking is balancing both short- and long-term expectations for the workforce and the community. “A resource has a finite end,” says Kidd Operations mine manager Steve Badenhorst, who took over the post in January of 2016 from Tom Semadeni. He points out that a decision late in 2015 to target the 9,600 level extends the mine’s life an extra year to 2022. “Unlike an agricultural business, you can’t hope that the gold or copper or zinc from a mine is going to stay there (and sustain itself) forever. After 50 years, Kidd definitely has an orebody that extends deeper, but the infrastructure was developed to extract the top 1,100 feet. We have extended that over a long period of time to where we are now reaching the end of that infrastructure.” Badenhorst says there is more to the Kidd orebody, but the company would need to develop highly expensive, new infrastructure and a new hoisting system to go after that material. Even if prices for copper and zinc rose dramatically, the ore is so deep and so expensive to extract that it would be counterintuitive to engage in the pursuit just because it’s there. In the interim, the company is taking time out in 2016 to reflect on the extraordinary impact Kidd has made on the city of Timmins and surrounding area over the past 50 years. And while the final chapters have yet to be written, the opening chapters, all five decades, are remarkable indeed.

Steve Badenhorst.

With more than 20,000 employees over those years and a staggering investment in equipment, contractors and the community, Kidd Operations has been a multigenerational economic engine for a city that once believed it would live and die on the price of gold and a modest lumber industry. The Kidd story began to unfold and take on a life of its own on Nov. 9, 1963 when a drilling team, financed by Dallas-based Texas Gulf Sulphur, stumbled on to the equivalent of the treasure of Monte Cristo. It was the exact moment that every lonely prospector who ever dragged his aching body through swamps and across frozen rivers fantasizes about when his mosquitotortured head rests at night. That discovery, known as Hole 55-1, set off an extraordinary string of events. It sparked a claim-staking stampede. It triggered an unparalleled fever in stock markets around the world. It gave rise to one of the most profitable business ventures of the past century. And it turned ordinary men into millionaires. Yet, for all of its magnificent riches and the drama that comes with it, Kidd Creek more importantly breathed life into a town that felt it was on life support, the worldfamous Porcupine Mining Camp. The camp

would become known as the town and eventually the city of Timmins. It is forever grateful for that single drill-hole. The town’s glory days that were built on staggering gold deposits appeared to be quickly fading in the early 1960s. The seemingly endless feeling of prosperity was on the decline. One of three major employers, the Hollinger Gold Mine, was on its last legs. Families were fearful of losing their homes. Community leaders were preaching the gospel of economic development that never came. Prospectors and geologists set their sights on other, more promising venues. Only a few people held out hope. It doesn’t matter whether it was deliberate intent or a stroke of luck – 55-1 came at the right time. Many have speculated that if the drill rods that day were pointed even a fraction of an inch in either direction, perhaps an entire city would be a ghost town today. But that was not the case. The hole was spotted right where it was supposed to be. It changed lives, it spawned millionaires and it renewed faith in the explorative nature of the region. While the future of Kidd has an impending and inevitable finish date, its past is timeless. Indeed, there is no other mine in the world like Kidd Creek. Fall 2016

Ontario’s future for lithium exploration and development appears bright By Leonard Melman Almost without warning, a major upheaval is beginning to take place in auto manufacturing around the world, an upheaval which appears likely to have a dramatic effect on metals mining here in Ontario and perhaps around the world as well. The upheaval is the sudden emergence of a monumental increase in estimates for electric car demand and production in coming years. Perhaps the most identifiable reason for this sudden surge of interest in electric cars is the growth of the “green” movement which openly decries the potential negative impacts of continued fossil fuel consumption and has been seeking an alternative to internal combustion and diesel engines for cars and light trucks. Thanks to increasing numbers of supporters, growing budgets and evident political influence, their voice can no longer be easily set aside. The electric car, which requires no fossil fuel, has become the movement’s vehicle of choice and the possible growth of that mar-

Ontario Mining Review

ket could indeed be most impressive. Current estimates for total electric car sales are now running near 540,000 per year and the estimated total of electric vehicles now on the road is close to one million. Quite amazingly, as public acceptance of electric vehicles becomes widespread and expanding production facilities ramp up, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects approximately 20 million electric vehicles to be on the road by 2020. According to Great Britain’s Imperial College, that same agency “estimates that by 2050 annual sales of battery electric vehicles will reach approximately 50 million vehicles per year.” One of the core considerations in the manufacture of electric vehicles is the battery unit and, at least for the moment, the preferred composition for vehicle batteries is lithium-ion. In addition, the Imperial College study indicated some rare earth metals (REM) such as neodymium and dysprosium will be needed.

Given the astonishing growth now envisioned for electric cars, it should come as no surprise that the metals mining industry is predicting a virtual explosion in the demand for lithium in coming years. At present, lithium’s strongest demand comes from industries such as consumer products including cellphones, ceramics and glass. These industries account for approximately 55 per cent of total usage. Therefore, if the auto component of lithium demand grows aggressively, questions have been raised regarding the mining industry’s ability to meet future demands. Total annual lithium demand is expected to rise from the current 170,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) to 347,000 tonnes by 2020 and 687,000 tonnes of LCE by 2025. It should also be pointed out that the current price for lithium carbonate is about $6,000 per tonne, but this is expected to rise to a range of $10,500 to $12,000 per tonne by 2025. Because of these anticipated increases in demand and price, a securities ‘boomlet’ for mining shares which have any identifiable relationship to lithium exploration or development has been underway during the past year and some of the price gains have been quite impressive. Several shares have advanced by 400 per cent or more during the past year and at least two have achieved gains in excess of 1,000 per cent. Lithium mining generally takes place under two exceedingly different set of circumstances. Some of the most profitable producing mines which also hold the world’s largest reserves recover their production from ‘lithium in brine solution’ while other lithium mines produce hard rock spodumene which is further processed into end products such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Among the world’s largest brine solution lithium countries, we find Chile (which has the world’s largest lithium reserves), Bolivia, Argentina and the United States while leading countries with active hard rock lithium mines include Australia, China and Portugal. While Canada is not yet a major lithium producing country, exploration and development activity has picked up noticeably in recent years with activity centred for the most part in Quebec, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. However, Ontario is now seeing a definite upturn in lithium exploration activities. According to the Ontario Geology website, a promising area for lithium exploration is known as the Wabigoon Subprovince of the Superior Province. This area extends from northeast of Thunder Bay toward the Manitoba border and southwest to the area just above the MinnesotaOntario border. Thanks to the new market sup-

ply/demand equation for lithium, several exploratory projects are presently being revitalized after previous periods of dormancy. Examples include International Lithium and Pioneer Resources’ joint venture, Mavis Lithium Project; Pacific Iron Ore Corp.’s Big Mack property; Houston Lake Mining Inc.’s PAK Lithium Project; and Avalon Rare Metals’ Separation Rapids Lithium Project. The potential rewards for successful exploration and eventual production could be enormous in light of Tesla Motors Inc.’s decision to build the world’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant just east of Reno, Nev. This super-sized project will cost US$5.5 billion, cover 5.5 million square feet, hire 6,500 workers and ultimately produce lithium-ion batteries in sufficient quantity to enable the annualized production of 500,000 electric vehicles for Tesla by 2020. That will take lithium – and lots of it. A recent Fortune Magazine article quoted Tesla president Elon Musk declaring that, “…for Tesla to meet its target of 500,000 vehicles per year, we would basically need to absorb the entire present lithium-ion production.” The Fortune study also points out that Tesla’s growing lithium requirements are hardly the only demand factor to consider, noting, “…China will build twice as much lithium-ion battery capacity as the U.S. by 2020. Tesla’s ‘Gigafactory 1’ may be (comfortably) the biggest factory being built, but it is only one of at least 12 such projects across the world…” The fundamentals for growth in lithium demand appear solid, and with 13 identified battery supply projects already in construction, sufficient lithium supply must be found to initiate and maintain production at those facilities. It would appear that this state of affairs could truly permit substantial increases in lithium exploration and development within the province of Ontario going forward.

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Tiny creatures making a big splash in Ontario mines By Kylie Williams

University of Guelph genomics students, Muneer Ul-Huda and Valerie Levesque-Beaudin, sorting insects for DNA analysis. Photo credit to Centre for Biodiversity Genomics.

Stored in the basement of a building at the University of Guelph is an unusual library. As of late June 2016, it contained five million snippets of DNA or “barcodes” for 550,000 unique species – the first and largest collection of DNA barcodes in the world. Ontario is the birthplace of DNA barcoding. Dr. Paul Hebert, director of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) at the university, began collecting short, standardized regions of genetic material to quickly and definitively identify plants and animals in 2003, and was awarded the Order of Canada for his pioneering work in 2015. Today, DNA barcoding is best known for its health and agriculture applications, like identifying the fish species in sushi restaurants or tracking invasive species across bor12

Ontario Mining Review

ders – but it also has innumerable applications to water, forestry, energy, manufacturing and even mining. Genomics and mining “Biology – plants, animals, microbes – are part of the mining environment and process already,” says Dr. Helen Petropoulos, director of business development and research at Ontario Genomics. “Species are identified during environmental monitoring, for example, and microbes are used in bioleaching and bioreactors, and plants are part of reclamation and remediation.” Genomics combines biology, genetics and computer science to provide an in-depth look at the DNA of all living things, and barcoding is one application of this rapidly

Valerie Levesque-Beaudin, a University of Guelph genomics student, collects specimens from a malaise trap, similar to those used on the New Afton site. Photo credit to Centre for Biodiversity Genomics.

University of Guelph genomics student, Chris Ho, closely examines an insect. Photo credit to Centre for Biodiversity Genomics.

A biologist carefully removes a small piece of an insect for DNA extraction. Photo credit to Centre for Biodiversity Genomics.

emerging field of science. Mining is set to benefit via increased production, lower costs and improved sustainability as we explore the role of biology and genetics in ore deposit formation, metal processing, water treatment and mine site rehabilitation. Rehabilitating with bug soup Mining companies have an obligation to rehabilitate areas disturbed by their extraction activities but measuring biodiversity before and after disturbance can be challenging. One of the first companies to take a chance on genomic technology for this purpose was New Gold Inc., who collaborated with researchers at CBG to explore the potential of DNA barcoding for site rehabilitation at their New Afton copper-gold mine in central British Columbia. “It’s very difficult to actually obtain the full information of what lives in a particular area. Barcoding seems to offer a new way,” says Dr. Dirk Steinke, a senior researcher and director of education and outreach at CBG. Insects and spiders make up the majority of species found in the grasslands and wetlands around the New Afton site. Using lowmaintenance malaise traps – small, tent-like structures coupled to collection bottles – the team captured a cross-section of the bugs flying and crawling around previously disturbed remediated sites and undisturbed sites around the mine. “People underestimate how many different species live there and how much they can actually tell you about the environment,” says Steinke, explaining how important these arthropods are as plant pollinators, recyclers of nutrients, scavengers and food for larger animals.

The collection bottles are sent to CBG where staff prepare the catch for DNA sequencing. Currently, the process involves a biologist removing a small piece of each insect, perhaps a leg, and sending it to the laboratory where tissue and DNA are extracted, but the next step is high-throughput sequencing, also called next-generation sequencing. “You take the same bottle, throw it in a blender and mix everything together,” says Steinke. The mix is sent for DNA extraction and readings, and identifies nearly every species in the mix. New sequencing machines can generate millions of sequences in a single run. “There’s no regulatory driver to do the genomics; we just see it as a tool by which we can get the right information to guide our management practices,” says Scott Davidson, manager of environment, social responsibility and tailings at New Gold’s New Afton Mine, where plans are underway to extend the project into surrounding grassland areas. Dust control Genomics is also being used to guide dust stabilization approaches to help reduce the thousands of litres of freshwater mining companies spray onto unsealed roads, tailings piles and berms each year. Early stage studies are underway in Ontario to see how securing the roads and piles in place with carefully selected blends of enzymes and biopolymers can reduce and optimize water use. “We’re using a genomics approach to identity and generate different micro-polymers and surfactants to deliver dust control and soil stabilization,” says Samuel Toledo of ABC Dust Technologies. With support from Ontario Genomics, Toledo partnered with researchers at Laurentian University to test bioremediation approaches

using native plants and micro-organisms in extreme cold weather conditions using samples from mines around Sudbury. ABC Dust Technologies is currently developing Canadian blends of biopolymers and enzymes for dust control and soil stabilization for a wide range of weather conditions. Forging ahead These are just a sample of the studies underway to demonstrate how effective genomics can be as a tool for saving millions in water treatment and mine closure costs, guiding exploration and dramatically increasing metal recovery during ore treatment. “Genomics methods need to be validated in mining processes,” says Petropoulos, “There’s still research to be done, but companies are starting to see the potential, and are willing to invest in the work now so they can benefit going forward.”

Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology: Mining research expertise beyond compare laurentian.ca/lmit Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6 +1 705-675-1151 ext. 5088 Email: lmit@laurentian.ca laurentian.ca/lmit

Fall 2016

Hard-Line makes safety easy Teleop line of products to improve mining industry By Cindy Chan This heavy equipment remote control company prioritizes productivity and safety above all else. Hard-Line, a technology business established in 1996 in Sudbury, Ont., services various industries, mostly the mining industry. According to Ryan Siggelkow, senior vice-president of operations for Hard-Line, the company’s core products include RRC (radio remote control), Teleop (teleremote control system), the LP401 (a low profile loader) and Farsight (video system), which are all sold internationally. Teleop allows operators to sit in a control booth, office or any area that is far removed from the machine and operate via remote control and video. There are several upgrades in the Teleop line, such as Teleop Multi and Teleop Auto. “Our Teleop Multi system [is] where an operator can switch between multiple pieces of equipment from an operator’s station. He can run one machine for a couple of hours,

and when another job needs to be done, he can switch to another machine,” Siggelkow explains. “You’ll have areas that are too dangerous to send people, but the job needs to get done, so we put remote controls on those machines so people can run those from a distance. They stay safe and the job gets done.” Teleop Auto is the latest product offering and will be released shortly. Siggelkow says Teleop Auto is being tested on-site in an underground environment. According to Siggelkow, with this product, the operator would be running the machine from a distance in a control booth – but, at the same time, there is no interaction between the machine and operator whatsoever. “The operator selects an area on the map, telling the machine where to go and the machine would drive to that area autonomously, keeping itself centred in the tunnel,” Siggelkow explains. “It minimizes damage, and the machine can drive a lot faster when the com-

puters are running it rather than when an operator’s driving.” Although radio remote control technology has been around for years, Siggelkow says that Hard-Line has improved upon it. “We weren’t the first to do it, but we feel we’re the best,” Siggelkow says. Hard-Line initially noticed that companies designed, manufactured and sold electronics made for stationary equipment such as cranes. The company took it one step further and made the products simpler for easy diagnostics and repairs, and suitable for machines being used in harsh environments. “With Teleop, nobody has to be in the mine,” Max Gray, vice-president of sales and marketing for Hard-Line, says. “Nobody can be in a drift when the machine is being operated from the surface. When people are removed from the site, nobody can get hurt.” For more information, visit hard-line.com.

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Ontario Mining Review

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Tailings Mitigation and Mine Closure Plans

9/8/16 10:29 AM

Introducing the TILTRanger

Exploring underground mines just got a lot easier and more efficient. Clickmox, a privately owned, federally incorporated business that provides product development and consulting services to the mining and industrial sectors, released the third version of the TILTRanger drone. According to Clickmox president Naeem Ahmed, the company did a soft release of the product, but an official release is currently in the works. The TILTRanger is a high-tech, dronebased 3D laser scanning and mapping system specifically designed for GPS-deprived areas such as underground mines, according to Ahmed. “The scanning system scans while the drone is [either] moving or stationary – the idea is it scans and maps hard-to-access areas in underground mines, such as cavedin openings, stopes, ore/waste passes and ventilation shafts. You simply fly the drone in and out, getting the 3D laser map and scan of that area,” Ahmed explains. “We have been flying drones for some time in different mines, so we have a lot of experience in terms of what works and what doesn’t,” he says, adding that Clickmox built the product in partnership with Inkonova, a company in Sweden.

According to Ahmed, the TILTRanger has tilting rotor technology. In regular drones, the rotors are fixed but the TILTRanger has rotors in the front and back that tilt. “Because of that, the drone can hover and fly almost vertically,” he says, adding the TILTRanger can climb walls and roll on the ground as well because it has wheels and rotors that tilt. The TILTRanger also

has guards around it to protect it from damage while hitting mine walls and other surfaces and has high-definition cameras on the body. The drone can also be flown above-ground for which the scanner can be mounted at the bottom of the drone for scanning and mapping. For more information, visit clickmox.com.

TILT Ranger A drone specially designed for underground mines and other hard-to-access areas. Based on Clickmox’s LiDAR and Inkonova’s tilting rotor drone technologies. Available now. • Specially designed to work with our 3D laser scanning system. • Tested in mine drifts, ore passes, ventilation shafts and other underground mine cavities. • It can also be used above ground for scanning and surveying.

Clickmox Solutions 1545 Maley Drive Sudbury Ontario P3E 6K1 1 705 207 5345 | info@clickmox.com | clickmox.com

Fall 2016

Cobalt: The cradle of hard-rock mining in Canada By Douglas Baldwin

Speaking to the Empire Club in Toronto in 1909, Rev. Canon Tucker told the story of a widely travelled American who was asked where Toronto was. He thought for a moment, scratched his head and said, “Oh, yes, that is the place where you change cars for Cobalt.” Although the value of the silver discovered in Cobalt soon surpassed the riches uncovered during the Klondike Gold Rush, few people today know of Cobalt’s history or even of its existence. Prior to 1903, the vast expanse of land lying between Hudson’s Bay and Sudbury in northeastern Ontario was largely uninhabited. When work crews engaged in the construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway uncovered silver deposits of almost unequalled richness about 400 kilometres northeast of Toronto near the Quebec border, they touched off one of the most colourful and exciting mining booms in Canadian history. Mining engineers, professors, politicians and journalists from around the world visited Cobalt and praised its potential. The Boston Financial News gushed that the camp’s “history reads like a romance. Its richness is beyond comprehension.” Cobalt was soon on everyone’s tongue. Electric light inventor Thomas Edison, hy16

Ontario Mining Review

droelectric baron and owner of Casa Loma Sir Henry Pellatt, ex-prime minister Wilfrid Laurier and future prime ministers Robert Laird Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King and poet William Henry Drummond were only a few of the hundreds of thousands of people who caught Cobalt fever and visited the mining camp. Concentrated in an area of less than 13 square kilometres, Cobalt mines supplied almost 90 per cent of Canada’s silver production between 1904 and 1920 and added another $80 million in dividends (to put these numbers in perspective, miners earned $2.50 a day). By the time the boom petered out in the 1920s, the camp had become the fourth-largest silver producer ever discovered. Prior to Cobalt, mining played only a small part in Ontario’s economy and in the people’s interest. Cobalt dispelled this apathy and mining went on to become one of the province’s most important resources. Mining companies licensed to work in Ontario, for example, grew from 43 in 1903 to 683 four years later. Cobalt exploded the myth that there were no precious metals east of the Rocky Mountains, and, in the space of a few short years, the province witnessed the rise of a rich mining industry.

Spreading out in all directions, prospectors discovered silver in Elk Lake, South Lorraine and Gowganda. They found gold in Kirkland Lake and Timmins. These discoveries encouraged further exploration in northern Canada and beyond. A new generation of prospectors, surveyors, geologists, chemists, mining engineers, financiers and promoters used the skills and capital acquired at Cobalt to develop the mineral resources of the north. For the next half century, nearly every major discovery in Canada – from Noranda to Eldorado to Elliott Lake – was due to the skills and financial resources acquired at Cobalt. In the process, the foundations were laid for the establishment of an important mining industry in a part of the continent that had hitherto been almost unknown. As the editor of the Journal of Commerce announced in 1913, Cobalt “added a new industry to the life of Ontario…. Attracted the world’s attention to Ontario’s hinterland and advertised it more quickly than any other means.” The silver ore at Cobalt presented the world’s mining and metallurgical engineers with several unusual and puzzling problems. The ore’s high arsenic content made milling and refining difficult and costly and soon nearly every mining school and

laboratory in North America began testing it. To benefit from the nickel, copper and cobalt byproducts in the silver ore, the Ontario government passed the Metal Refining Bounty Act in 1907 to encourage the treatment of these ores in Ontario. The result was the establishment of a refining industry in Ontario with smelters at Copper Cliff, Orillia, Thorold, Deloro and Welland. The search for the most efficient and profitable mining and milling techniques created a well-trained horde of Canadian geologists, mining engineers and metallurgists ready to tackle not only the resources of the northern half of the continent, but also to venture to Australia, South Africa and South American mining camps. Cobalt’s contribution to Canada’s engineering, chemical, industrial, manufacturing and hydroelectric sectors of the economy explain why it is often described as “the cradle of Canada’s hard-rock mining industry.”

The discovery of silver also radically changed northeastern Ontario, resulting in new towns, hydroelectricity plants, better transportation services and a broadening of trade and commerce. As the major supplier of goods and services to the north, Toronto was a major beneficiary. In 1912, Arthur Coleman, professor of geology at the University of Toronto, told the Empire Club of Toronto, “There are plenty of houses in Rosedale, that have been paid for with silver from Cobalt… I think you may say, without a particle of doubt that the surprising and rapid growth of Toronto is very largely due to the [discovery of silver in Cobalt].” The enormous public interest in junior mining stocks created by the Cobalt boom resulted in the creation of the Toronto Standard Stock and Mining Exchange in 1908. Thanks to the booming market for Cobalt stocks, Toronto overtook Montreal as Canada’s financial headquarters.

About Cobalt’s dramatic story is detailed in Dr. Douglas Baldwin’s new comprehensive Cobalt: Canada’s Forgotten Silver Boom Town (Indigo Press, 2016). This richly illustrated biography of Cobalt is a highly entertaining story of immense capital accumulation, labour strife, technological progress, new government policies and ventures, regional growth and the struggle for law and order. Except for the printing costs, the profits from the sale of this book go to the Historic Cobalt Legacy Fund, which was created in 2014 to preserve Cobalt’s historical past and cultural heritage. It supports such heritage organizations as the Cobalt Mining Museum, the Classic Theatre and the Cobalt Heritage Silver Trails. This book can be ordered from Nicole Guertin (nicole.guertin@gmail.com) or at www.cobaltboomtown.com. Fall 2016

Ring of Fire updates By Kevin Vincent One of the biggest economic showdowns in Canadian mining history is at a standstill and no one seems to know how to get it moving – if at all. The major players in the Ring of Fire, which include the Ontario government, First Nations community leaders and Noront Resources Ltd. are seemingly entrenched in their positions and rarely, if ever, are all three at the same table. The challenges for the Ring of Fire are numerous – not the least of which is the price of commodities. In 2015, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. sold its stake in the Ring of Fire to Noront for $20 million. That sale came after the company spent $550 million to acquire potential mining rights in the region. Cliffs’ officials suggested afterward that the massive mineral deposit might not see the light of day for the next 50 years. That sentiment isn’t shared by Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle of Thunder Bay. Gravelle has been stick-handling the contentious development since it was first discovered in 2008. He says that his ministry is working diligently behind the scenes to push the project ahead. At a recent mining conference in Timmins, Ont. this summer, Noront CEO and president Alan Coutts told a lunchtime audience that the Ring of Fire represents a multibillion-dollar economic windfall for the area and that it will be a win-win opportunity for everyone involved, including First Nations communities. By the fall of 2011, the Ring of Fire was considered one of the largest potential mineral reserves in Ontario with more than 35 junior and intermediate mining and exploration companies covering an area of approximately 1.5 million hectares. Although the Ring of Fire covers 5,000 square kilometres (approximately 1,930 square miles), most discoveries made by 2012 were within a small, 20-kilometre strip. Gravelle calls the region home to one of the most promising mineral development opportunities in Ontario in more than a century. The battle lines, however, are numerous. Impact benefit agreements, or IBAs, with First Nations communities throughout the re-

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gion are complex and far from complete. Smaller players like KWG Resources are pushing for rail access while Noront officials are adamant that road access is the preferred option. In April 2016, KWG invited engineers from a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Construction Corp. to the region. They surveyed a proposed 328-kilometre route as part of detailed engineering work before they would make an investment decision based largely on whether they would have access to the end product – the extraordinary deposits of nickel, chromite, copper and platinum. One indication that the Ring of Fire is still open for discussion is the question of energy. Coutts says his company was planning to haul tens of millions of litres of diesel up the James Bay coastline by barge in order to operate the mining infrastructure. First Nations groups are opposed to diesel on their traditional lands. While the fossil fuel is used for heavy equipment in many communities, the potential for damage to the environment is underscored by the longstanding diesel contamination event in Attawapiskat that closed the local school and impacted the health of hundreds of families. Patrick Chilton, the newly appointed CEO of Five Nations Energy, a Timmins-based hydroelectricity provider for the communities of Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat, may have changed Coutts’ mind. Chilton says it was highly unlikely that First Nations communities would allow massive volumes of diesel to pass through their traditional lands and that the alternative was to potentially extend the hydroelectric infrastructure that runs 90 kilometres northwest from Attawapiskat to the De Beers Victor Diamond Mine.

Chilton’s presentation, which followed Coutts’, opened the door to a more eco-friendly alternative. That decision as well is likely years away. In the interim, the mayors of Northern Ontario’s five largest cities are anxiously waiting for the Ontario government to pull everyone together. The mayors of Timmins, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie know that industrial supply companies in their respective communities stand to benefit greatly if the project is ever given the green light. “We’ve been talking about developing the Ring of Fire for years, but there has been little progress to-date,” said Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs. Hobbs and the other mayors know the Ring of Fire is a huge priority for Northern Ontario. The development has large economic potential for the local mining industry, the construction industry and the financial industry, not to mention the overall economic benefits for First Nations communities and the province. Both Ottawa and Ontario are looking to make major investments in infrastructure to spur the economy and help struggling First Nations communities. Recent attention on youth suicides in Ontario’s fly-in reserves has heightened the political focus on social and economic challenges faced by isolated First Nations. Ontario has already pledged $1 billion toward Ring of Fire infrastructure and has asked Ottawa to match that amount. The federal budget included $8.4 billion for indigenous issues, including social and green infrastructure yet none of those dollars have been specifically earmarked for the Ring of Fire.

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Fall 2016

Exploring structurally controlled mineralization at the base of an ancient meteorite impact crater By Shannon Katary Students from Hamburg University in Germany in the field. From left to right: Martin Clark (PhD candidate), Torben WĂźstemann (MSc candidate), BjĂśrn Bombach (BSc) and Lisa Bendschneider (MSc candidate).

Ontario Mining Review

Since its inception in 2007, the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) in Sudbury has supported worthwhile geoscience projects aimed at developing a better understanding of how Sudbury footwall (high value) orebodies are formed and, perhaps more importantly, how new ones may be discovered. To that end, a number of worthwhile projects have been supported at multiple academic institutions including the Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC) at Laurentian University, the Western University in London, Ont. and the University of Hamburg in Germany. At the University of Hamburg, research has focused on structural studies as a way to better constrain the understanding of the development of the eastern part of the Sudbury Basin. Mineral resource deposit formation at Sudbury, Ont. is intricately related to processes of large meteorite impact cratering and post-impact orogenic deformation. Meteorite impact created the 1.85 Ga Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC). The so-called Main Mass of the SIC consists of an originally flat and about four-kilometre thick impact melt sheet ponded in a crater that may have been up to 250 kilometres in diameter. The initially superheated melt sheet led to melting and, consequently, assimilation of Archean and Paleoproterozoic host rock. Cu-Ni and PGE-rich ore deposits formed upon cooling of the melt sheet and are spatially associated with the base of the Main Mass and host rocks close to the thermal aureole. Orogenic deformation following meteorite impact transformed the originally flat Main Mass of the SIC and its host rocks into a synformal fold basin, the Sudbury Basin. This deformation not only prevented large parts of the Main Mass and its rich mineral deposits from erosion, but also created

unprecedented natural laboratory conditions to investigate igneous, metamorphic and deformational processes occurring at the base of a large impact crater. It is within this geological realm, which is unique on Earth, if not our solar system, in which Dr. Ulrich Riller of the University of Hamburg and his students endeavour the emplacement of mineralization as part of a three-year research project funded by CEMI and Vale. The project is conducted in close collaboration with Lisa Gibson and Dr. Peter Lightfoot (both from Vale). Dr. Riller brings to the table more than 20 years of research activity at Sudbury, firsthand scientific experience of the Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, and his current involvement in the deep drilling project of the Chicxulub impact structure in Mexico. Together with Sudbury, these impact structures are the largest known on Earth. The economically most valuable mineral resources at Sudbury are associated with the Main Mass of the SIC and occur either at the basal contact of the SIC (i.e. contact deposits) or in host rocks close to the basal contact (i.e. footwall deposits).

Transport and emplacement of respective mineral phases in the tectono-thermal aureole of the SIC depends significantly on deformation processes that occurred in the brittle to brittle-ductile realm. Furthermore, prominent faults formed or activated during post-impact deformation may have significantly displaced mineral deposits. Thus, knowledge of the geometry of the basal contact, the structural processes controlling transport and emplacement of Cu-Ni-PGE mineral phases and a sense and magnitude of displacement on prominent faults are paramount for mineral deposit exploration, notably in the eastern Sudbury Basin, the East Range. In total, the CEMI and Vale-funded project includes seven graduate and 10 undergraduate student projects. The projects encompass structural field and drill core analyses, inference of fault segment orientations from LiDAR data, 3D-kinematic restoration of kilometre-scale fault zones, inversion of fault-slip data, interpolation of principal strain axes, microstructural and quantitative image analysis of grain-scale mineral fabrics, as well as analogue model-

ling experiments. Collectively, the projects are expected to significantly advance our understanding of the structural evolution of the East Range and the deformation mechanisms operating during mineral deposit formation at the base and below the Main Mass of the SIC. A highlight that emerged from the combination of LiDAR data analysis and faultslip inversion and which promises to be of importance for exploration in other mining camps is a G.I.S.-based work flow to infer slip vectors on prominent faults. This work flow was developed by PhD student Martin Clark. Besides providing quantitative estimates of fault displacements in exploration target areas, his work explains also the complex kinematics of non-planar faults and how the Main Mass of the SIC in the East Range acquired its peculiar curvature. The other structural field studies, drill core and microstructural analyses are ongoing and geared towards understanding the influence of rock rheology on the emplacement of mineralizations in the thermal aureole and adjacent host rocks.

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Fall 2016

Corrosion maintenance Mining has been an integral part of the global economy for hundreds of years and has helped us evolve technology and create new products and services in just about every country across the globe. Canada has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources and rates among the leaders in supplying a wide array of minerals to the global markets. According to the Mining Association of Canada, it’s one of the largest mining nations in the world. Canada is ranked in the top five countries in the global production of 14 major minerals and metals: first in potash; second in uranium and niobium; third in cobalt, aluminum, tungsten and platinum group metals; fourth in nickel, salt, sulphur and titanium; fifth in diamonds, cadmium and gold. Two of the 10 deepest mines in the world reside in Canada: Kidd Creek (eighth) and Creighton (10th). Both are located in Ontario and mine copper, zinc and nickel respectively. All subterranean mining enterprises operate in harsh conditions where both humidity and naturally corrosive elements in the soil lead to a severe corrosion problem. This type of environment costs the industry billions

in repair, replacement and maintenance. All forms of corrosion are found here and affect unprotected steel and aluminium surfaces, as well as “all” electrical systems and components. Pitting corrosion, galvanic, cracking, surface, intergranular, de-alloying, fretting and high-temperature corrosion are present. A maintenance solution to the ravages of corrosion is the Corrosion Block line of anti-corrosion fluids and greases. Corrosion Block uses polar bonding to attach its molecules to ferrous or non-ferrous metals, a microscopic thin film (less than .0004 of an inch) layer is established that is totally hydrophobic and will not conduct electricity. Corrosion Block has molecules that are elongated rather than round with the positive and negative poles at the extremes. The molecules repel each other somewhat like rectangular magnets repel each other. Therefore, Corrosion Block “creeps” and demonstrates amazing capillary action, and the product will creep into micro-cracks to protect against corrosion. The Corrosion Block film does not leave a sticky residue as it contains no solids such as oil, tar, silicone or animal fats. It is also very

low in VOCs contributing to a healthier air quality. Hydrophobic and dielectric, Corrosion Block can be used directly on electronics and electrical contacts. Areas that benefit from these features are the groundbased installations like high-voltage electrical panels, switchgear and transformers. Maintenance engineers from global mining operations agree there several areas that are especially vulnerable to corrosion and which can greatly benefit by a regular corrosion maintenance schedule. A few of these areas include rigging cables, wastewater treatment and pumping equipment, underground machinery/tools/electrical installations and panels, access shafts and elevators leading underground and air-conditioning and ventilation systems. The electrical systems of any mining operation represent the nerve centres which act as the command and control for the entire operation. Critical among them are the internal/external and subterranean lighting, CCTV and communications systems. All of these are susceptible to moisture-induced corrosion. Recent inspection of a rapid coal loading terminal showed fine coal dust released during loading caused havoc with the greases previously used. The coal dust easily attached to the lower-quality grease and became a grinding paste that very quickly ate away at the pulleys, bearings and rollers. Corrosion Block grease was tested in the same application and was found to attract far less dust and extended the working life of components, reducing the need for constant costly part replacement and reducing downtime and resulting delays. Corrosion Block is non-toxic and nonhazardous, and it is ideal for use in any mining applications while also withstanding the corrosive effects of corrosive mining water for up to 12 months, depending on the amount of abrasion encountered. For more information, contact Lear Chemical Research Corporation at 1-800-256-2548.

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Fall 2016