Friday, June 27, 2008

Somebody's Getting Rich in Matawa Territory and it Ain't the First Nations

This 2008 TSX Venture 50 list ranks the top 10 companies in each of five major industry sectors for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007

The number one, two and three companies are all active on the territory of the Marten Falls, Webequie, Neskantaga and likely other First Nations. To date none of these companies have announced agreements with First Nations.Maybe some letters of comfort but no real early exploration agreements that address compensation for impacts, jobs and training guarantees, accommodation and catering, monies for legal and other technical advice etc.
Keep your eye on Phoscan who have an agreement with Constance Lake.This project is advancing rapidly with an archaeological screen of the new road.

Temex continues to be a problem and Northern Superior is setting a gold standard.
MINING Market Cap.Growth
1 Noront Resources Ltd., Ont. (NOT) 821%
2 MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd., Ont. (BMK) 1188%
3 Fancamp Exploration Ltd., B.C. (FNC) 661%
4 TTM Resources Inc., B.C. (TTQ) 1466%
5 Zeox Corp., B.C. (ZOX) 2150%
6 Brilliant Mining Corp., Alta. (BMC) 126%
7 Canplats Resources Corp., B.C. (CPQ) - 856%
8 North American Tungsten Corp. Ltd., B.C. (NTC) 114%
9 Phoscan Chemical Corp., Ont. (FOS) - 793%
10 Rockwell Diamonds Inc., B.C. (RDI) 693%

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Government of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug's Ultimate Objective

Government of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug's Ultimate Objective

Statement Of KI Chief and Council:

The leadership of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug were imprisoned and
exiled from March 17, 2008 to May 28, 2008 for opposing further
exploitation of KI homelands. The leadership is compelled to counter
act the tactics and injustices applied by the governments. The
Governments of Canada and Ontario reneged and failed on their legal
obligation and duty to consult and accommodate KI membership affecting
their homelands. KI at this time will not permit further exploitation
of homelands, regardless of consequences imposed by the Governments,
until such time the Government has met its legal obligations including
fulfilling the expectations of KI membership affecting their homelands.

As custodians of our customary homelands, speaking with one spirit, one
mind, one heart and as one family, utilizing and implementing the
original teachings and laws given to Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug by
the Creator, we will make every effort to restore and maintain balance
and harmony to our natural environment.

We will be guided by the wisdom and vision of our ancestors who have
passed onto the spirit world We will also confer with elders, spiritual
leaders and community members to explore, understand and exercise the
Natural Law given to us by the Creator which guides our traditional way
of life in harmony with all creation upon the land and waters of our KI
environment.

KI Chief and Council is embarking in a new process which will
strengthen it's present organizational structure by revamping and
restructuring it's governance through the usage of contemporary and
traditional knowledge and wisdom to reflect the mandate and direction
provided by the membership of Kitchenuhmaykoosib. The following areas
have been identified and approved by KI Chief and Council:

1. KI Customary Lands Documentation Initiative:

Begin to identify and determine which land areas are suitable for
potential development, which areas are sacred, areas of cultural,
spiritual and historical significance, cultural and traditional land
use areas, migratory corridors and spawning beds, reviving the
customary names of certain areas and incorporate indigenous
environmental and management regimes in the identified areas.

2. Revamping Existing Local Government to Reflect Contemporary and
Traditional Governance:

Review existing mechanisms presently used for the implementation and
management of various service delivery programs and incorporate
contemporary and traditional management practices to strengthen and
enhance the local government

3. Strengthening Cultural and Spiritual Components:

Strengthen the spiritual and cultural base and component of the
community including our relationship with our customary lands and all
natural resources which make up our overall KI natural environment.

4. Strengthening and Enhancement of Aboriginal and
Treaty Rights:

Creation and establishment of an Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Office
with major emphasis on the fiduciary duty and obligation to consult and
accommodate based on the various Supreme Court of Canada decisions
related to proposed development within the customary homelands of
aboriginal people.

To utilize international instruments protecting KI Indigenous peoples
from further cultural genocide and to achieve self determination.

Contact Information:

Additional information or clarification can be obtained by contacting
Chief Donny Morris or Councillor Samuel Mckay at the Band Office 807
537 2263 during regular business hours or Jacob Ostaman and Bruce
Sakakeep at 807 537 2614.

Missanabie Cree Chief Now Platinex/Metalex Negotiator

Rumour has it that Missanabie Cree Chief Glenn Nolan is now the chief negotiator for Platinex and Metalex in their talks with Matawa First Nations.Glenn follows in the footsteps of former Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegeamic who was once retained by Platinex and of course De Beers advisor former Deputy Grand Chief Brian Davey.
The situation now seems ripe for conflicts of interest when NAN Chiefs meet in Assembly.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Letter to Exploration Managers-How to Notify and Seek Consent of First Nations

How to Notify and Seek Consent of First Nation(s) for Early Exploration.[prior to staking]

Submit a Work Plan Detailing Proposed Exploration Program to Affected First Nation(s).

Elements of a Work Plan

a) full and detailed information about the Applicant including
contact information;

(b) indication of the Subsurface Resource(s) being explored;

(c) detailed sketch map or maps, survey plan or aerial photographs/
satellite imagery of the Proposed Exploration Program area and surrounding area, with maps showing:


i) the location of the Proposed Exploration Program area being applied for and if known identifying the First Nation(s) Areas of Interest where the Proposed Exploration Program is located;

(ii) the Proposed Exploration Program boundaries;

(iii) the location of any existing infrastructure, previous Exploration
activity or known debris within the Proposed Exploration Program;

(iv) all significant natural features within the Proposed Exploration Program, including any body of water;

(v) the location and distance of all significant natural features
within a 500 meter radius of the boundaries of the Proposed Exploration Program, including any permanent or seasonal body of water;

(vi) the proposed location within the Proposed Exploration Program of the principal features of the Exploration Program, including airborne surveys, ground surveys, diamond drilling, trenching,
pitting and stripping and any underground workings;

(vii) the locations of all dwellings, buildings, and boundaries
of First Nation communities located within a 500 meter radius
of the boundaries of the Proposed Exploration Program;

(viii) the proposed access to the Proposed Exploration Program and its location in relation to trails, wharves, airstrips, power lines or roads in the vicinity;

(d) location of the Proposed Exploration Program in relation to the nearest First Nation community, dwellings, roads and other existing infrastructure and a description of the visibility of the Proposed Exploration Program from the Community and dwellings, roads and other features and facilities such as look-offs and parks;

(e) detailed information about the Proposed Exploration Program including a description of the nature and extent of topsoil and other overburden, and the type of vegetation cover over the land to be affected by Exploration activity;

(f) detailed information about the means of accessing the Proposed Exploration Program area;

(g) identification and summary of any prior Exploration activity
carried out by the Applicant at the Proposed Exploration Program area including prior permits
and leases;

(h) identification and composition of all consumable materials
to be stockpiled or stored on Proposed Exploration Program area;

(i) detailed description of Exploration activity to be carried out,
and all infrastructure and facilities to be constructed for purposes
of accessing the Proposed Exploration Program area and carrying out the Exploration Program;

(j) the source of all water to be used in the Exploration Program
and their geographic locations;

(k) a full description of all water withdrawal and transmission
facilities including the total capability of the water withdrawal
facilities, the total withdrawal capability per day and
the amount to be withdrawn from each water source, the
uses to be made of the water, the place or places of use, discharge
treatment and discharge facilities, and the place or
places of discharge;

(l) measures to be used at the Proposed Exploration Program area to delineate and mark the Proposed Exploration Program area
on the ground, identify the Plan Holder and protect the
safety of individuals entering the Proposed Exploration Program;

(m) the size of the workforce to be employed in the Proposed Exploration Program;

(n) an Environmental Protection Plan;

(o) a Reclamation and Closure Plan including, where appropriate,
a plan for progressive reclamation of the Proposed Exploration Program; and

(p) any other information that the Applicant deems relevant and wishes to provide,

Pay necessary fees to First Nation(s).

The First Nation(s) may[or may deny access] issue a land use permit/and/or negotiate an access or early exploration agreement for purposes of carrying out work and activities authorized under the Work Plan for a maximum term of one year.

A Work Plan must be certified to be true, accurate and complete by the Applicant

A Work Plan must include an agreement on the part of the Plan Holder to assume all liability arising out of the Exploration Program
and to indemnify the First Nation(s).

A Work Plan shall be considered to be incomplete until it has been received by First Nation(s).

A Work Plan is not approved until it has been approved by the First Nation(s).

Work Plan May Proceed Only Upon Approval of First Nation(s).

Consent for access to and use of lands( including flying of airborne survey) is granted by First Nation by issuance of a permit/and/or an access or early exploration agreement. The First Nation may deny access to any and all of the exploration area.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Mining Act Reform and The Fox and Wanlin Show

The brain trust at MNDM have brought in former Regional Chief Charles Fox to run their First Nation consultation piece and Margaret Wanlin to talk to industry about what changes they want to see. I guess they don't trust the northern table to deliver the options on mining reform.Better to set up a parallel process and use the Northern table as a distraction.

Ironically the Ontario government is funding Mr. Fox to test the waters in his run at National Chief.Can't say his support in NAN is rock solid.The NNEC file and the revelations in the Bushie inquest should be enough to sink him.

Likely his real role is to one of intelligence gathering.We might say NAN is like a prison. A muskeg prison. In order to effectively manage a prison the guards need informants.And so we hire Mr. Fox. The job of Mr. Fox is simply to tell the wardens at MNDM where the divisions are in the NAN communities and how best to manage them in the interests of mining industry.Much like the informants in a prison. Issues management as they say in the trade.

On Wanlin-with the rising Canadian dollar killing hubby's tourism biz and no hope for his successful election I guess someone has to bring home the bacon.

We know what industry want.Free and unfettered access.For them permits look like red tape, the endangered species act a license to create parks and First Nations as simply bad guys holding them up for compensation.
I hold little hope for mining reform.We will tame this industry with markets campaigns outside of Canada( see the No Dirty Gold campaign], leverage from the socially responsible investment community, rising fuel costs, land claims and on the realization that the state has no answer to blockades and civil disobedience in the roadless far north.

BC On Early Notification, Not Early Enuff

May 7, 2008
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
MINERAL TENURE AND COAL ACTS AMENDMENTS IN FORCE
Notice to Private Land Owners Required Before Exploration
VICTORIA – Amendments to the Mineral Tenure and Coal Acts will be put in force on June 2, 2008, adding requirements to ensure free miners/mineral developers provide notice to private land owners and Crown land leaseholders before they enter the property to start any type of mining or exploration activity. Industry is being given notice of these changes at this time, so that companies can incorporate the new rules into upcoming exploration plans.

The Mineral Tenure Act and the Coal Act provide for the administration of the Province’s
mineral and coal rights. The two amendments are meant to reduce the potential for conflict between
free miners/mineral developers and land holders by promoting and facilitating open communication
between the parties.

The amendment to the Mineral Tenure Act requires people who explore for minerals (“free
miners”) and mineral developers to provide notice to private land owners and people holding Crown land leases or grants before entering the property to commence any mining or exploration activity. The Coal Act amendment ensures that the notice, content and delivery methods are consistent between the Mineral Tenure and Coal Acts.

The notice will advise the landowner of the free miner/mineral developers’ statutory right of
entry under the Acts, and inform the owner about the timing, scope and nature of activity to be done on the property.

Since November 2006, ministry staff have been consulting on the changes with industry and
land-holder stakeholders. They have also sought advice from other parties who contribute expertise
and best practices based on their own experiences interacting with resource developers and landholders.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Politics of Overlaps

The Australian

March 22, 2000, Wednesday

Premier tripped by brother on Wik

BYLINE: ROGER MARTIN

SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 8

LENGTH: 470 words



RICHARD Court's campaigning on native title has come back to haunt him, with revelations a land claim now known to be funded by his brother's steel company was used repeatedly by the Premier as a reason why the federal Government's Wik amendments should be passed.

Mr Court issued three press releases between August 1997 and June 1998 calling on Labor to support the Howard Government's 10-point plan and citing claims over the Pilbara township of Karratha as evidence of the unworkability of the original Mabo laws.

Mr Court said two claims were choking growth in the town.


But one of those claims was by the Yaburara people, which Kingstream Resources helped register by giving more than $55,000 to the claimants. Kingstream is chaired by Mr Court's brother and former federal Liberal candidate Ken Court, while the Yaburara's former lawyer was Liberal Party president David Johnston.

Mr Court would not comment directly on those media releases yesterday, but reiterated his belief that native title had held up development across Western Australia.

He told Radio 6PR he believed his brother had done nothing wrong by allowing Kingstream to fund the land claim.

"My brother is a person of the utmost integrity," Mr Court said.

"I have no difficulty at all in defending him publicly."

Kingstream Resources managing director Nik Zuks has admitted giving the Yaburara people more than $55,000 to help fund the 1996 land claim application.

The claim covers nearly 14,000sqkm of the Pilbara and does not affect Kingstream's own plans to build a $1.7 billion steel mill at Geraldton, some 2000km to the south.

But the claim does cover land on which rival steel proponent Mineralogy plans to build a $5 billion mine and mill, prompting that company to accuse Kingstream of commercial sabotage and threaten legal action.

Kingstream's funding of native title claims dominated state parliament yesterday, with Opposition Leader Geoff Gallop claiming Mr Court was in denial over the revelations.

He accused Mr Court of being too quick to jump to Kingstream's defence.

"We no longer have a Premier for all of the people of Western Australia, we have a defence counsel for his political mates," Dr Gallop said.

He claimed the Government had consistently refused to help resolve native title issues, and now friends of the administration had been exposed as causing many of the problems.

"The hypocrisy of the Government in respect of this issue is there for all to see," he said.

"It is their friends, their fellow travellers, stirring up problems in respect to native title in Western Australia."

Mr Court said Mineralogy's leases were not affected by native title, while Kingstream had interests in the Pilbara because it wanted to source its gas supply from the area.


SUBJECT: LITIGATION (90%); IRON & STEEL MILLS (89%); LAWYERS (78%); POLITICAL CANDIDATES (78%); POLITICAL PARTIES (78%); LEGISLATIVE BODIES (77%);

STATE: WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA (94%);

COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA (95%);

Mindanao Fights the Copper Miners - Philippines

Grand Theft Congo - DRC

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief tells it Like it is-No Progress in Talks With Ontario

Building an opportunity
Timmins Daily Press
Meanwhile, at the Building Bridges conference, Jonathon Solomon, the chief of Kashechewan First Nation, spoke about Aboriginal communities moving forward ...
http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1080376



Two years ago, Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit came to the first Building Bridges forum and talked about resource development.

He's frustrated he is back and nothing has changed.

"We're nowhere near implementing it," Louttit said. "These (government) ministries don't know what to do with it.

"We know what to do with it. They just need to let us drive it."

He said First Nations groups have talked about revenue sharing with the City of Timmins, but companies don't feel they have to share profit.




The government still says it believes in revenue sharing but it isn't happening, Louttit said.

"There's no legal obligation for companies to share at all, even if it's only five kilometres away from a First Nation community. It's up to each community to negotiate a settlement."

He said the more than 100- year-old mining act is basically a "free-for-all" for companies to come in and do what they want.

"I think any leader will tell you we're not against resource development. We're impoverished here, but we need to do it right."

Louttit said the government is taking advantage of First Nation communities with wind power, which he also said has been a free-for-all.

"It's time for us to get out of this poverty and enjoy the wealth of our land. The government is doing it, the municipalities are doing it and it's time we did it, too

Organizing To Win!

http://www.rabble.ca/in_her_own_words.shtml?x=72664

Queen's Park to Grassy Narrows: Organizing to win


There were times when we as activists had tactical disagreements, but we recognized that this issue was too important to walk away from.




>by Carmelle Wolfson
June 18, 2008



"I heard it on the television/ All the talking politicians/ Words are easy, words are cheap/ Much cheaper than our priceless land/ But promises can disappear/ Just like writing in the sand/" – Australian musician Yothu Yindi.

For years, every level of Canadian government has made assurances to the First Nations – most never carried out. But in just a couple weeks, we've seen amazing gains for First Nations communities in Ontario. Leaders have been freed from jail. The third largest logging company in North America has been driven away by resistance from the First Nations community that stakes claim on that land. Finally, diverse communities, organizations and individuals who have been hesitant to work together in the past are working hand-in-hand for Native land rights.

Sleepover for Sovereignty at Queen's Park

The Gathering of Mother Earth Protectors and Sovereignty Sleepover took place from May 26 to 29 at Queen's Park, but given the events of the past few weeks it feels like it's still ongoing. We were calling on the provincial government to respect the right to say no to environmental destruction on Native lands. We were demanding freedom for political prisoners Bob Lovelace and the KI-6.

The gathering culminated with Grassy Narrows, Ardoch Algonquin and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nations and their supporters grasping hands to make a wish, before offering tobacco into the sacred fire. Then we headed off for the final march. Normally, I would find this kind of stuff pretty cheesy, but somehow it just seemed like the right thing to do. The gesture was a spiritual custom from a Native tradition, but also symbolized disparate groups coming together to form a broad coalition.

Allies came from across Ontario to attend the gathering. KI community members travelled from one of the most remote communities in northern Ontario's Boreal Forest, while more than 20 Grassy Narrows folks walked from Kenora nearly 2,000 km along the highway. The trek took almost four weeks.

There was a general sense of optimism in the air as activists reunited with one another at the May 26 rally. It had been two years since I, along with a group of Rainforest Action Network interns, camped out at the Slant Lake Blockade in Grassy Narrows. Two years since the Earth Justice Gathering in Grassy saw over 100 activists from across the continent hold a 12-hour blockade on the Trans-Canada Highway. It was good to see everyone together again in one place. Even though it was Queen's Park, it felt like our own private party space (replete with rented party tents, a mobile stage, a sound system and three cooked meals served up every day).

While the high profile speakers (comedian Cathy Jones, novelist Thomas King, CPTer James Loney and former AFN chief Ovide Mercredi) and the CLC endorsed 2,000-strong-march on May 29 were the events most people heard about, it was the time spent in between where the real coalition building took place.

A broad coalition taking direction from First Nations communities

During the daily teach-ins, participants had the chance to learn about wide-ranging issues from locally specific (the politics surrounding the arrest of Tyendinaga Mohawk Shawn Brant) to far-reaching (the links between the Olympics, the G8 and the SPP). More importantly, we all had a chance to make lasting connections and discuss future action plans. Meetings and consultas are already underway in southern Ontario for 2010 resistance.

The weeks leading up to the Sovereignty Sleepover were filled with endless conference calls (Monday: rally and sleepover coordination, Tuesday: sovereignty sleepover logistics, and Friday: community and organization representatives). At Queen's Park we finally had the chance to meet face-to-face. The coinciding CLC convention offered an opportunity for union backing. While union members were less present at the campout, many endorsed the Gathering of Mother Earth Protectors, including OPSEU, CUPE, OSSTF, the Law Union of Ontario and of course the CLC itself. Prior to the event CPT and others allied with religious organizations like the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop, United Churches Bloor and Spadina and the Toronto Buddhist Peace Fellowship for endorsements and resources.

Key organizers considered the diversity of groups involved as well as how high the stakes were for the three First Nations communities. In response, they worked out a framework to deal with important tactical questions. Non-Native supporters would take direction from KI, Ardoch and Grassy Narrows community leaders, while RAN, CPT, ForestEthics, Canadian Federation of Students, OCAP, the Tyendinaga Support Committee, No One Is Illegal and the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid would provide logistical support in Toronto.

A conscious effort was made to take lessons learned from the 2006 Earth Justice Gathering to inform the way we organized this one. Everyone attempted to be inclusive and transparent in organizing this event. Security liaisons engaged in open dialogue with Queen’s Park, negotiating use of the front lawn to light a sacred fire and erect teepees, party tents and mosquito mesh tents for people to "rest their eyes" (the words of QP officials who didn’t want to admit they were giving us permission to sleep onsite).

Aboriginal Affairs minister Michael Bryant came out front of Queen's Park for a few brief moments to give interviews with the media, but didn't talk to any gathering participants. He reiterated that ye olde Mining Act should be revised. The act doesn't take into consideration outstanding Native land claims and allows companies to set up shop on private property belonging to settlers since they own only the surface rights.

Movement building leads to victories

But politicians' tokenistic gestures don't encompass the true power of the movement itself. The events of the last few weeks speak for themselves. The first and second victories came simultaneously on Wednesday, May 28. While the harsh sentencing of the seven Native leaders was clearly politically motivated, justice was finally served when former Ardoch Algonquin chief Bob Lovelace AND the KI-6 (Donny Morris, Cecilia Begg, Sam McKay, Jack McKay, Darryl Sainnawap and Bruce Sakakeep) were all freed from prison.

The courthouse was so packed that supporters spilled out onto the street. Bob Lovelace, the KI-6 and lawyer Chris Reid joined the crowd at Queen's Park to celebrate immediately following their release.

Although Uranium mining continues at the Robertsville site near Ardoch and Sharbot Lake, a precedent was set in the Ontario Court of Appeals when Lovelace was released. In response, Frontenac Ventures dropped the remaining injunction charges on Monday June 2 against him and other activists charged for protesting against the mine. Victory number three!

The final and most extraordinary victory came on Tuesday June 3 when one of the largest paper and pulp corporations in the world, AbitibiBowater, announced they would halt logging in Grassy Narrows and pursue alternative wood sources. The Slant Lake blockade at Grassy Narrows is the longest standing in Canada. Five and a half years of blockades in the community and solidarity actions targeting companies that AbitibiBowater supplies have crippled the logging industry in the Whiskey Jack Forest. Boise announced in February they would no longer purchase wood fibre coming from Grassy Narrows. AbitibiBowater say they cannot wait four more years while the province negotiates with the Grassy Narrows council.

"Now they can't say direct action doesn't work," a friend told me following the announcement. If something has been learned from the Grassy Narrows victory, KI and Ardoch will regain control over their lands.

RAN, CPT, Amnesty International, ForestEthics and others have all worked in solidarity with the Grassy Narrows community to fight destructive logging on their traditional lands. The unrelenting Grassy blockade in conjunction with outside supporters pressuring companies in urban centres meant they literally couldn’t afford to ignore us. Opposition to corporate greed and injustice need not remain a localized issue. Our personal connections could not be broken by distance alone.

A Peruvian from a community with the largest gold mines in South America said it very eloquently at the May 26 rally: "The Andean people are united with Canada's First Nations people to defend their water and their land." He went on to say, "This economic system that's based on greed wants to take away from us not only our land but also our spirit and our unity. And we're here to make sure that doesn't happen."

Through our solidarity networks we were able to break the isolation that can hinder resistance. Our arms stretched across rivers and highways. There were times when we as activists had tactical disagreements, but we recognized that this issue was too important to walk away from. When we build solidarity instead of division within our movements, we can accomplish so much more.

When we held hands at Queen's Park we were told to make a wish. I wished for logging to stop in Grassy Narrows. It looks like I wasn't the only one.

Carmelle Wolfson has been supporting Grassy Narrows in their fight to stop logging on their lands since 2005. She spent three months in the summer of 2006 camping out at the Slant Lake Blockade in Grassy, and is currently working on a documentary about the Grassy Narrows solidarity movement.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

3 Demands to Unite Us-Moratorium, Land Use Planning and Revenue Sharing

450, Third Avenue
Prince George, BC
V2L 3B9
Telephone: 250-564-9321
Fax: 250-564-9521

*For Immediate Release*

*June 18, 2008
*

*Takla** Lake** First Nation Roadblock to Protect Territory*

/Takla// Lake First Nation Territory//: /The Takla Lake First Nation hereby announce that we will not permit the use of Driftwood Forest Service Road past Kilometer 71 for industrial activities until further notice. “Our Territory has been flooded with tenures awarded to industry with no proper consultation and no accommodation” states Chief Dolly Abraham. “The whole top of our watershed is blanketed with tenures. The provincial on-line staking system has turned into the new gold rush”. Takla has set up a checkpoint at km 71 out of a particular concern about mining exploration activity in a sacred area of Bear Mountain.

Takla has repeatedly requested provincial Ministers to negotiate a land use plan and revenue sharing agreement. “We keep trying to negotiate with government in good faith and they keep putting us off”, states Chief Abraham. “If we don’t take action now, the government will hand over our whole territory to mining and forestry companies and there will be nothing left for our children”. Takla are quick to point out their willingness to negotiate. “We are willing to work with individual companies that come to us in a respectful way. We are also willing to allow mining and forestry in some parts of our Territory if government would ever come and negotiate a land use plan with us”. Takla is also allowing the few private citizens with land holdings in the area to pass through the checkpoint.

Takla representatives are angered that their rights and Territory have been seriously damaged by mining and forestry in the past and nothing has been done. “The government still hasn’t cleaned up the contaminated mercury mine at the Bralorne site”, stated Councillor Kathaleigh George. “It’s on their top 10 list of contaminated sites, and they won’t clean it up. This is in an important camping and hunting area and our Nation has a hard time accepting new mining when there is this old unfinished business”.

In the words of Chief Abraham: “We’ve had enough. If the government and industry want to come and work with us to clean up contaminated mines and develop sustainable land use plans, we’ll talk. If not, we will stand up, be stewards of our land, and do what we have to do to protect our Territory for future generations.

*- 30 -
*

*Contact:
Chief Dolly Abraham: ph (250) 996-7877, fax (250) 996-7874
Takla Mining coordinator (250) 564-9321 ext.27, fax (250) 564-9

Municipal Pressure for Mining Reform Grows-Uranium Ban Needed

This brings to 18 the number of municipal councils in Ontario demanding
changes to the Mining Act.

Motion for Presentation to City of Peterborough Council June
2, 2008

WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is situated on the banks of the
Otonabee River and is comprised of a landmass of just over 58 square
kilometers which supports a high quality of life to a growing
population of approximately 75,000 citizens through the benefits of a
multitude of green spaces, parks, recreational trails and waterways;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is located within the Otonabee
River watershed which is comprised of about 7000 square kilometres of
land, lakes, rivers and wetlands that are situated directly upstream
from Peterborough, and drain through the Otonabee River;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough derives all of its drinking water
from the Otonabee River;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is known as the gateway to the
"cottage country" of the Kawartha Lakes region, highlighting the
significance of Peterborough as a tourism support centre for
surrounding areas;

AND WHEREAS the Otonabee River constitutes an integral part of the
Trent-Severn Waterway, which is a National Historic Site of Canada
administered by Parks Canada, and is routed directly through the City
of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS the waterways of Peterborough and the Kawarthas are central
to overnight visitors' activities in the region which includes close to
300,000 overnight visitors claiming to have been boating during their
trip to Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

AND WHEREAS Peterborough and the Kawarthas generate 1,951,000 person
visits annually (2001), and an annual tourism-related revenue of $320
million for the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County combined.

AND WHEREAS tourism in Peterborough and the Kawarthas generates 3,520
jobs and almost $192.3 million in industry output (sales) for the local
economy (2001).

AND WHEREAS there are currently seven known uranium exploration
projects underway within the Otonabee River watershed in Haliburton
County, directly upstream from the City of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS potential uranium mining and milling projects pose health,
environmental and financial risks for residents of the City of
Peterborough caused by the introduction of recognized radioactive
toxins into the water, air and land;

AND WHEREAS applicable examples of watershed contamination due to
uranium mining operations include the Serpent River near Elliot Lake,
Ontario which is considered contaminated for a distance of over 100
kilometres downstream from abandoned uranium mining operations, and
people are cautioned not to drink the water or consume fish from this
segment of the river;

AND WHEREAS tailings from a uranium mining operation within the
Otonabee River watershed will unavoidably contaminate surface and
ground waters, and potentially have a direct detrimental effect on the
health of Peterborough citizens and a negative economic impact on the
City of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS no amount of radiation exposure has been found to be safe,
exposure is cumulative, uranium and its decay products remain
radioactive for tens of thousands to millions of years, and radioactive
contamination of water in present times will jeopardize the health of
local populations for generations;

AND WHEREAS children are especially prone to negative health effects
caused by exposure to ionizing radiation;

AND WHEREAS in Eastern Ontario, where there are significant numbers of
surface-rights only (SRO) properties, wherein the private landowner
owns only the surface of their properties;

AND WHEREAS the Crown holds all sub-surface mineral rights on SRO
property and on Crown lands;

AND WHEREAS under the Mining Act, 1990, licensed prospectors have a
statutory right to stake mining claims and conduct assessment work on
these properties, even if the surface rights are privately held;

AND WHEREAS under section 78 of the Mining Act, the holder of the
mining claim needs only to inform the surface-rights owner regarding
future mining assessment activities once, just prior to the
commencement of the assessment work;

AND WHEREAS this activity proceeds without authorization from the
municipality, conservation authority or having to undergo an
environmental review;

AND WHEREAS 19 Ontario municipal councils have, for reasons of similar
concern, already passed resolutions calling on the Province of Ontario
to place a moratorium on all uranium mining and exploration in Eastern
Ontario, to make substantive changes to the Mining Act and to begin
settlement plans for related native land claims, including the Cities
of Kingston and Ottawa, the Municipalities and Townships of Haliburton
County, Frontenac County, Lanark County, Dysart et al, Algonquin
Highlands, Highlands East, Minden Hills, Perth, Carleton Place, Lanark
Highlands, North Frontenac, Central Frontenac, South Frontenac, Tay
Valley, Beckwith, Mississippi Mills, and Drummond/North Elmsley;

AND WHEREAS concerned local citizens' groups are asking the City of
Peterborough to support and assist in protecting the local environment,
recreational tourism, health, the furtherance of our local economy and
the overall well-being of residents;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council for the City of Peterborough:

1. Petition the Province of Ontario and Premier Dalton McGuinty to
initiate an immediate moratorium on uranium mineral exploration, mining
and related processing in the Otonabee River watershed until such time
as all environmental and health issues related to uranium mining are
resolved;

2. Petition the Province of Ontario to undertake an immediate,
comprehensive, public review of the Mining Act, 1990, with a view to
curtailing the present system whereby the sub-surface rights of mineral
claims dominate the surface rights of private landowners, and whereby
Provincial land-use policies for Crown land gives overriding priority
to mining and mineral resource development.


AND FURTHER THAT a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Premier
of Ontario, to the Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines,
to the Ontario Minister Natural Resources, to Barry Devolin - MP
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, to Laurie Scott - MPP
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, to Dean Del Mastro - MP Peterborough,
and to Jeff Leal - MPP Peterborough, seeking their support.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

What to Do When Snakes in Suits(Mining Company or MNDM Variety) Come To your Community

What can communities do?

Understand what you are dealing with: If communities become aware of the possible presence of a psychopath, they should take steps to help any potential or actual victims understand the nature of the troublesome disorder.

Get help: Put these names into google with the word aboriginal. Call a lawyer. Chris Reid, Pape and Salter, Ron Maurice, Alan Donovan, Bryce Edwards, Kim Murray, Louise Mandell, Jackie Esmonde, Peter Grant. Lawyers help communities overcome such fears and confront opposition in an open but non-aggressive manner.

Do not try reason: Logic and rationality don't work on a psychopath and can be turned against the unsuspecting individual who is trying to resolve a situation.

Do not plead: If reasoning with a psychopath is useless then pleading is downright foolish as it's likely to be exploited as a sign of weakness.

Establish a power base: The best advice in dealing with a psychopath is to understand that power is likely to be the only language they'll respond to. Contact Mining Watch, Amnesty International, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, Forest Ethics, Wildlands League, Anglican Church, Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.Judy Rebick.Evelyn Baxter.

Exercise power with great care: It may be the only language a psychopath understands but wielding this power against such an individual or corporation is typically filled with difficulty.

Protect the victims: It's important to remember that the damage done by a psychopath in any community can adversely affect not only primary victims of manipulation but your land, water and the future of your children.

Psychopathy in the mining industry and government bureaucracy is a matter of mounting concern. Its impacts are evident in the recent rash of bad behaviour that could be characterised by excesses of callous greed and ruthlessness. Dealing with psychopathy will never be easy but increasing knowledge and awareness of the issue is the first step.

Three Days in May (Part 2)

Three Days in May (Part 1)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Thoughts of KI Councillor Sam McKay on His Recent Encounter at AOC with Minister Bryant

Saturday June 14, 2008

Good morning people, just coming by to let you know I'm still alive and
kicking. I haven't really felt like updateing since I got out of jail
plus it's been verrry busy. I guess people have been wondering what KI
is up to next. That's just it we've been so busy getting up to speed
on a lot of issues and at the same time planning the next steps for our
ongoing struggle in protecting our land....We know it's not over by any
means...The industry and the government still want the "platinum" from
our territory....Hopefully the gov't shows alittle more respect ( what
am I saying, gov't and respect in the same sentence) in dealing with
us, because it can only get messy if they try to pull another fast one.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Micheal Bryant got upset with me in Red
Rock FN last week at the Chiefs of ON Assembly....in front of all the
Chiefs at that...he was saying you, meaning KI, refuse to take part in
the "Northern Round Table" and does not want to be part of any "PTO's"
meaning NAN, COO, AFN, etc...in essence he was insinuating that KI is
being unreasonable and slowing down progress in Northwestern Ontario in
regards to resource development.

I only have this to say to that insinuation " I'm sorry (although I
make no apology for it) your Honorable Bryant that KI does not and will
not fit into your "assembly line template" on how your little injuns
should line up and behave."

Any way it's Saturday morning and too damn early to allow my blood
pressure to get up so high on account of Minister Bryant and his
"relationship building with Fisrt Nations".

Shabot Obadjiwan discussing consultation with govt and FVC

>
>> First Nation, Mining Company Open Dialogue
> Kingston Whig Standard,
> June 14, 2008
>
>
>> The Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation are working with a mining
>> exploration company to develop a consultation process to help resolve
>> a conflict over land on which the company wants to search for
>> uranium.
>>
>> The Shabot Obaadjiwan said they are also working with the provincial
>> government and the Algonquins of Ontario to develop a process that
>> will allow them to share information and talk about resolving
>> controversy, which flared up about a year ago north of Sharbot Lake.
>>
>> A release from the Shabot Obaadjiwan said all three parties have
>> agreed to focus on environmental concerns, Algonquin aboriginal
>> values, as well as health and safety.
>>
>> "We intend this to be a true dialogue, with opportunities to listen
>> and, through respectful relations, to make a new beginning at
>> addressing each other's concerns and interests," all four said in an
>> agreed statement.
>>
>> This agreement comes the same day that the Algonquins announced the
>> provincial gover nment has laid charges against Frontenac Ventures
>> and Gemmill Sand and Gravel Ltd. with breach of environmental
>> regulations.
>>
>> The release from the Shabot Obaadjiwan said road construction
>> permitting access to proposed uranium drill sites has damaged
>> sensitive wetlands. It also said dumping fill into the waterways has
>> severed the natural flow of the water.
>>
>> The two companies will appear in court in Kingston Aug. 7 to answer
>> to the charges.
>>
>> Copyright © 2008 The Whig Standard

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Issues at Heart of KI Dispute will be Fundamental to Reconciliation

The Globe and Mail (Canada)

June 12, 2008 Thursday

For once, Ontario squarely in Harper's camp

BYLINE: MURRAY CAMPBELL, mcampbell@globeandmail.com

SECTION: COLUMN; ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION; Pg. A10

LENGTH: 621 words

DATELINE: TORONTO

In Dalton McGuinty's view, it was a bit unseemly - even a bit
un-Canadian - to try to cast a shadow on a bright day of reconciliation
by talking about the nitty-gritty of his government's relations with
aboriginal communities.

"I'm disappointed," the Ontario Premier said yesterday when New
Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton asked him in the legislature to
emulate Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Enhanced Coverage Linking
Stephen Harper -Search using:

* Biographies Plus News
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by apologizing for his government's role in the jailing of native
leaders who were trying to protect their land from a mining company's
incursions.

"I don't think I've ever said that before, but I just can't think of a
better expression. ... The Prime Minister and I are on different sides
on many issues, but on this side I'm squarely in his camp, because I
think it's the Canadian camp."

Mr. McGuinty said he hoped the apology would "lay the foundation" for a
stronger future for aboriginals. "So I just don't know why the Leader
of the NDP would want to ..." he concluded before his microphone was
cut off.

The Premier is right that Mr. Harper's acknowledgment of the harm
caused by the policy of assimilation should be allowed to resonate for
a while before it is relegated to history. But sooner rather than
later, Ontario has to push along its own plan for reconciliation or
risk repeated conflicts on its doorstep.

Mr. McGuinty has already accomplished much to advance Ontario beyond
the bleak days after the 1995 police killing at Ipperwash Provincial
Park of native protester Dudley George. His government promptly
appointed an inquiry into those events after the 2003 election.
Subsequently, it has pledged to implement all the recommendations of
that inquiry's superb report in consultation with natives. As part of
that, the government has set up a separate Ministry of Aboriginal
Affairs, returned Ipperwash to native hands and set up a $25-million
"new relationship fund."

But much remains to be done to crack the central issue - land. Nearly
90 per cent of Ontario is owned by the "provincial" Crown, and much of
it is also the traditional territory of aboriginal communities beyond
the smaller tracts recognized in treaties. The land is carpeted with
trees and rich with subterranean minerals coveted by the world beyond,
and that's where the trouble often starts.

As Ipperwash inquiry commissioner Mr. Justice Sidney Linden noted:
"Conflicts over natural resources often stem from sharply different
understandings about the nature of the lands which aboriginal peoples
agreed to share with newcomers."

The judge's recommendation for an independent treaty commission to
oversee settlement of treaty and land claims has not yet been
implemented. The government is also faced with fundamentally reforming
mining legislation that allows companies "free entry" on traditional
land to reflect court rulings that it has a duty to consult with native
bands. It also has to set up a framework for sharing resources revenue
and policies for police interventions during disputes.

Amnesty International's Canadian secretary-general, Alex Neve, is
"increasingly concerned that the government has not demonstrated
sufficient political will." Sam George, the slain protester's brother,
agrees things could move faster. "But I would rather see it at a slow
pace than not move at all," he said.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant says he is frustrated by the
federal government's reluctance to set a deadline for resolving the
backlog of land claims.

"The level of satisfaction with the state of negotiations surprises me
and whenever the [federal] government gets asked questions in
Parliament about this, the response seems to be everything is moving
along exactly as it should," he said. "Well, it's not."

KIs Biggest Political Ally Hangs it Up

The Toronto Sun

June 14, 2008 Saturday
FINAL EDITION

Hampton saved the NDP's bacon

SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION; Editorial; Pg. 20

LENGTH: 335 words

It wasn't pretty being the leader of Ontario's New Democrats for the
past 12 years and now that Howard Hampton is retiring, he deserves the
thanks of his party.

Hampton, 56, the rugged, hardscrabble, hockey-playing, northern Ontario
boy, who grew up to become a lawyer, and, since 1987, the MPP from
Kenora-Rainy River, took over as NDP leader in 1996.

That was right after the disastrous five-year term of Bob Rae as
Ontario's NDP premier, after which the party became an endangered
species in Ontario politics.

Hampton served as attorney-general and natural resources minister in
Rae's cabinet, but the two seldom saw eye-to-eye.

While Rae is now a Liberal MP, the party he left behind has never
recovered from voter fury.

Critics will say Hampton failed to grow the NDP through three
successive elections in 1999, 2003 and 2007 and was often reduced to
begging first the Tories and then the Liberals to allow the NDP to
retain official party status.

But that's an unfair assessment.

Hampton, who was clearly nearing the end of his rope during a revealing
meeting with the Sun's editorial board just days before last year's
election -- he publicly questioned whether he was still the right
person for the job -- did a thankless job well.

That job was holding the NDP together in the aftermath of the Rae
debacle.

Were it not for Hampton, the NDP could have collapsed completely as a
political force in Ontario.

Hampton preserved the party to fight another day, no small achievement.

Married to long-time Nickel Belt MPP Shelley Martel, who retired before
last year's provincial election, Hampton understandably wants to spend
more time with his family.

Possible successors include Toronto NDP MPPs Michael Prue, Peter Tabuns
and federal MP Charlie Angus.

While Hampton reportedly will stay on as an MPP until the 2011
election, if Premier Dalton McGuinty is smart, he should offer him an
oversight job in Ontario's electricity sector.

Hampton knows the file cold and cares about the public. The Liberals
could do a lot worse.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Essence of Ontario's Hype of Mining Exploration for First Nations

Hope Sold to First Nations at Bad Odds

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Influential Economist Magazine on New Aboriginal Politics of Media, Courts and ENGO Allies

Rumour has it that a Greenpeace style direct action/media stunts organization is being formed by an unholy alliance of First Nation leaders and savvy environmental campaigners. Let's call it Redpeace for now. All that Pew Foundation money has to go somewhere.

Aboriginals in Canada
Finding their voice

Jun 12th 2008 | OTTAWA
From The Economist print edition
Canada delivers an official apology to its increasingly assertive indigenous peoples

FEW would dispute that Canada's shameful treatment of many of its aboriginals has left a stain on its image. Between 1870 and 1996, an estimated 150,000 indigenous children were wrenched from their homes and sent to Christian boarding schools, where many were sexually and physically abused. Yet until Stephen Harper, Canada's Conservative prime minister, rose in the House of Commons on June 11th to deliver an unqualified official apology to assembled leaders of Canada's 1m First Nation, Inuit and mixed-race Métis people, no Canadian leader had taken this step.

Parallels will be drawn with a similar act of contrition by Kevin Rudd, Australia's Labor prime minister in February. But the two differ in important respects. Australia offered an apology, but no compensation, to 55,000 mixed-race children forced into white foster homes. Mr Harper's apology follows a C$2 billion ($2 billion) settlement in 2005 of a lawsuit by former students of schools set up, in Mr Harper's words, “to kill the Indian in the child” by assimilating them into the dominant culture.

Mr Harper's decision to apologise now is probably aimed in part at curtailing future lawsuits by Indian victims of abuse, who chose not to take part in the earlier settlement. But it is also shows that he understands the value of saying sorry when the state has harmed its citizens. He recently apologised to Maher Arar, a Canadian tortured in Syria after wrongly being identified as a terrorist; and to Chinese-Canadians for the government's punitive Chinese head-tax policy of 1885-1923.

But this week's ceremony is also testimony to the increasingly sophisticated use made by Canada's indigenous tribes, who make up a mere 3.8% of the population, of the courts, alliances with environmental groups and targeted protests against mining companies to strengthen their otherwise limited influence.

This communications savvy was on display in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, on May 29th, when the premiers of the four, resource-rich western provinces decided to interrupt their annual summit to participate in a “national day of action” called by the First Nations, many in traditional feathered head-dress. Intended as a “we-share-your-pain” gesture beloved by politicians, it backfired when Chief Albert Mercredi took advantage of the assembled media to denounce the premiers for allowing mining development to pollute the aboriginals' air, land and water. The chief, whose own band lives on Lake Athabasca, downstream and downwind from massive tar-sands operations in Alberta, says the recent arrival of the internet in isolated communities allows them to keep track of the outside world's ideas and deeds.

Informal alliances with environmental groups, adept at using the media to generate political pressure, give aboriginal groups allies in the land-use disputes they once fought on their own. Their ends may differ—greens seized on the oily death of 500 ducks in an Alberta tailing pond last April to promote wildlife safeguards, while the native group downstream regarded the threat to human health as the salient point—but they help each other generate publicity. Tensions do arise, however. Whereas green groups tend to oppose any development, aboriginals are keen on job creation—so long as they are consulted about sustainable projects.

High mineral prices offer native Canadians living in the remote areas where most such resources are found another way to raise their profile. A well-targeted protest that raises corporate hackles—such as the one over a proposed platinum mine in northern Ontario that led to the arrest and imprisonment of six members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug band—can produce a quicker political response than years of patient negotiations. Ontario's premier now says he will change mining law to ensure that aboriginals are consulted in advance of any mining on their land. Across Canada, other groups are using similar tactics against a wide array of pipeline and mining projects, confident that pressure from frustrated companies will force politicians to take notice.

Although native Canadians may be speaking more loudly, they do not yet do so with one voice. No single group represents them all, which is one reason why there are no co-ordinated proposals to improve aboriginal living conditions, education and financial prospects, which still trail national averages by a wide margin. Still, with the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 providing a golden opportunity for protest, the First Nations, Inuit and Métis have time to hone their already sharp skills in getting out their message.

With All this Exploration Are we Likely to See any Mines?

Likely yes with sustained annual exploration expenditures in the $600 million range.

Here's what the Australian pointy heads say about what it costs to find a base metal mine.

Discovery costs
Mackenzie et al. (1997) reported that the average cost of finding and delineating an economic base metal deposit was about $120 million ($160 million in 2004–2005 dollars) and almost six times higher than for nickel but varied greatly between regions.

The decline in the rate of discovery of new base metals (excluding nickel) since the early 1990s suggests that the average cost of discovery of base metal deposits in Australia is likely to have increased since Mackenzie et al., (1998) study. Discovery costs have improved for nickel, however. Hronsky and Schodde (2005) estimated that, on average, each nickel sulphide deposit discovered in the Yilgarn Craton cost $17.7 million and nickel laterite deposits $6.5 million. This is substantially less than the $23 million ($31 million in 2004–2005 dollars) reported by Mackenzie et al., 1997 M Hronsky and Schodde (2005) noted that average discovery costs were ‘remarkably cheap’ at 5.2 c/lb ($115/tonne) for nickel sulphide and 0.6 c/lb for laterite nickel.

One fact to keep in mind.

• there is a broad correlation between intensity of exploration and rates of base metal discovery. However, the major peak in mineral exploration activity in the mid-1990s was not accompanied by significant discovery, as noted previously (e.g. Haynes, 2000; Parry and Parry, 2001

Resources Policy
Volume 30, Issue 3, September 2005, Pages 168-185
Exploration and discovery of Australia's copper, nickel, lead and zinc resources 1976–2005

A.L. Jaques M.B. Huleatt, M. Ratajkoski and R.R. Towner

Why I Like Ecuador Mining Reform, Sometimes Having an Economist Running the State Can Work, But Then Again Ecuador Has A Sketchy Shark Fin Export Policy

1. It got the Industry's attention by declaring a moratorium while the
mining reform process was set in motion.

2. It cancelled existing concessions. Every once in a while the
industry has to be reminded that the State controls natural resources.

3. A key goal of the new policy was to make companies accountable for
the social and environmental impacts of their exploration activities.

4.It provides for a veto of current mining projects.

5. It requires stricter environmental regulations and royalties that
return a fair share of profits to the state.

6.It creates a state run mining company.


Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa founded the Alianza PAIS—Patria
Altiva y Soberana ("Proud and Sovereign Fatherland Alliance"). The new
party espouses political sovereignty and regional integration, and
economic relief for Ecuador's poor. Correa, an observant Roman
Catholic, describes himself as a humanist, a Christian of the left, and
a proponent of socialism of the 21st century.

In addition to his platform on economic and social policy, Correa's
ability to communicate with Ecuador's indigenous population in their
own language also differentiated him from the other presidential
candidates. He learned Quichua in his youth during a year he spent
volunteering in a remote highland town.

Republic of NANistan?

Let's hope resource revenue sharing comes with Kazak-like Financial
Police.I can just see it now the NAN Financial Police with their AK47s raiding De Beers
offices in Toronto and demanding the records on IBA implementation at
Attawapiskat.

Power Putsch; After an armed seizure, years of criminal investigations
and millions of dollars in suspicious fines, U.S. power company AES
Corp. is retreating from Kazakhstan--the latest victim of cronyism in
poor, resource-rich countries.
Nathan Vardi
2639 words
2 June 2008
Forbes
84
Volume 181 Issue 11
English
(c) 2008 Forbes Inc.

After an armed seizure, years of criminal investigations and millions
of dollars in suspicious fines, U.S. power company AES Corp. is
retreating from Kazakhstan--the latest American victim of cronyism in
poor, resource-rich nations. Without warning, 24 foot soldiers of the
Pavlodar Oblast Financial Police showed up, carrying AK-47 Kalashnikov
automatic rifles. Their target: the Maikuben coal mine in northern
Kazakhstan, owned by the American firm AES Corp. Demanding documents
connected to a tax case in Kazakh courts, the troops brandished their
weapons to remove AES employees and seize the mine's administration
building, according to internal AES e-mails. With no cellular service
in the area, AES managers in the country struggled to communicate with
their staff as the occupation dragged into a second day.

They negotiated an end to the standoff with regional officials, who
persuaded the goons to pull back. AES never told investors or the press
about the armed takeover.

Operations at the open coal pit continued, and the company got slapped
with a tax fine.

. . .

Three AES executives who had already left the country for routine
career changes--two citizens of the U.K., one from New Zealand--were
placed under investigation in connection with the tax probe. Kazakh
authorities said they were wanted for questioning and threatened to
alert Interpol, according to an internal AES e-mail. Ten Kazakh workers
at AES were interrogated for eight hours a day over several days. They
were grilled about the political affiliations of AES employees, says an
internal company e-mail, and accused of being unpatriotic. "Why do you
work for Americans who steal from us?" they were asked.

. ..

But that official policy hasn't kept authorities from hassling foreign
operations. In November a regional Kazakh environmental regulator fined
Chevron's Tengiz oilfield project $310 million for alleged violations
involving the improper storage of sulfur. Chevron insists it has dealt
with the sulfur safely and legally, and is contesting the fine.

The Tengiz problem is a mere puddle next to the troubles at Kashagan in
the remote North Caspian Sea, the world's largest oilfield discovery in
the last three decades. Citing production delays and cost overruns, and
threatening new laws and fines to protect the wilderness, the Kazakh
government has extracted critical concessions from Western companies
developing the field. In January the chief executives of Exxon, Shell,
France's Total and Eni of Italy flew to Astana, the new northern
capital decreed in 1997 and built almost from scratch. There, in a
nine-hour meeting at La Rivière restaurant, the oil giants agreed to
fork over $5 billion to compensate Kazakhstan for delays and potential
lost revenue, and let KazMunayGas, the state oil company, double its
stake in Kashagan to 17% for the bargain price of $1.8 billion.

It doesn't stop there. Foreign firms in Kazakhstan, which pay a maximum
tax rate of 30%, plus value added taxes, have come to expect frequent
visits from the regional taxman. ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest
steel company, has been fighting $2.5 billion of tax claims associated
with its coal- and steel-producing assets in the country. The Ministry
of Finance claimed that ArcelorMittal should, among other things, be
paying Kazakh taxes on the income of a subsidiary in the United Arab
Emirates. ArcelorMittal says it has paid taxes in accordance with the
original privatization agreement and recently won court victories in
the case. (Unrelated to the tax cases, ArcelorMittal has had serious
safety issues: 71 Kazakh miners have died in two accidents in the last
three years.)

. . .

As AES packs it in, other American companies in Kazakhstan brace for
more hits. Not long ago President Nazarbayev declared that his
government would take greater control of energy resources. Soon after,
the environmental protection minister announced new taxes on foreign
oil companies.

How Mining Majors Handle Political Risk-Use a Junior MIning Front-oops I mean Partner

Business Report
More firms now take on political risk
Lauren Bitter
668 words
29 May 2008
The Star
e1
7
English
© Copyright 2008 Independent Newspapers (UK) Limited. All rights
reserved.

For the past few years, the metals and mining industry has witnessed a
flurry of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), totalling about $210.8
billion (R1.5 trillion) last year, as companies found it easier to buy
a running operation than start from scratch.

High metals prices have served as a great incentive for M&A activity,
as key raw materials such as copper, aluminium and nickel have rallied
to record highs.

Experts believe the M&A trend is likely to continue, although at a
slower pace, but scarce metal reserves in the earth's crust will force
firms to go where the assets are.

"Increasingly we are going to more remote areas, first to explore and
then develop projects," said Rio Tinto. "The reality is you have to go
a bit further afield these days to find new, good quality
mineralisation. The traditional areas have been explored."

That is exactly what Rio did when it teamed up with Canadian
exploration company Ivanhoe to develop the colossal gold and copper Oyu
Tolgoi deposit in Mongolia.

There have been repeated delays in Mongolian legislation to approve the
$13 billion project, which has pushed up costs, causing Ivanhoe to lose
money in the third quarter of last year.

But companies had not become discouraged by increased political risks,
as they had become much more adept at handling them, said a senior
industry expert.

Michael Lynch-Bell, a global mining and metals transaction leader at
Ernst & Young, said: "Firms are finding political risk easier to deal
with."

Anywhere in the world

Almost half of the participants in last year's survey by Ernst & Young
say there are no regions in the world that they will avoid.

"They have to take the risk," said Simon Gardner-Bond, a mining analyst
at Ocean Equities. "Because there are no deposits elsewhere for them,
it is the lack of supply that's driving people to go to the higher
sovereign risk areas."

Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique,
Kirgizistan and Tajikistan have recently entered the spotlight, thanks
to their mineral-rich deposits.

In the case of larger mining companies, setting up a joint venture or
buying a minority stake in the project looks more convenient than
owning the whole deposit.

"Due to political and safety issues, there are certain places you would
avoid, but you also have to monitor these areas," said Illtud Harri,
the spokesperson for the world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton.

Harri said bringing in partners was a good way of getting involved.

BHP Billiton did exactly that in war-torn Mozambique, by setting up an
aluminium smelter.

In some cases, majors prefer to act together in risky areas. BHP
Billiton, Anglo American and Xstrata operate a big coal mine in
Colombia that faces security risks.

On Tuesday a coal train from the Cerrejon coal mine, owned by the three
mining companies, was derailed by a guerrilla bomb attack.

David Rovig, the president of Greystar Resources, a Canadian mining
firm with a big gold and silver project in Colombia, said security
risks were still an issue, but the situation had improved
significantly, compared with five years ago.

"A lot of the easy stuff is gone,'' said Rovig. ''You're forced to look
where the minerals are."

In an environment of rising inflation and transportation costs, small
mining companies bold enough to take on the initial risks may hope to
be taken over by a major company.

Such firms "don't have enough resources to develop the mine and related
infrastructure, and their access to debt and equity funding is harder",
said Paul Knight, a joint global chief of metals and mining at UBS.

This scenario could open the door to more M&A activity. "In M&A, you do
a transaction now, and a year later you've got an operating mine – the
reward is much bigger," said Knight.

Ecuadorian Indigenous Peoples Ramp Up Right to Say No Camapign

Political Risk Alert - Correa Faces Opposition To Mining Program
124 words
21 May 2008
Business Monitor International
English
© Copyright 2008 Business Monitor International.

The powerful Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador
(Conaie) - the representative body of Ecuador's indigenous peoples -
has been officially declared an opposition party by the government
after the body's president, Marlon Santi, threatened the possibility of
protests to forestall the president's mining reform program. Conaie's
demands are twofold: to have the new constitution officially recognise
indigenous rights, and to have the authorities consult local
communities before extractive licences on their land are approved. One
regional chapter head has urged dialogue, and a timeframe for any
protest not been set. While the space for negotiation exists, President
Correa faces the very real possibility of widespread strikes and
roadblocks by the powerful lobby.

Matawa Mining Deal on Day of National Apology-Bad Timing?

International Nickel Ventures Corp - Update on INV's "Ring of Fire"
Properties
1284 words
12 June 2008
13:34
Market News Publishing
English
Copyright 2008 Market News Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

INTERNATIONAL NICKEL VENTURES CORP ("INV-T") - Update on INV's "Ring of
Fire" Properties International Nickel Ventures Corporation ("INV" or
the "Corporation") is pleased to advise that it has entered into a
Letter of Comfort with the Neskantaga First Nation ("Neskantaga") on
INV's Lansdowne House property, one of two large mineral properties the
Corporation has in the prospective "Ring of Fire" area of northern
Ontario. INV expects to immediately initiate an exploration program on
the property comprised of prospecting, gridding, geological mapping,
geochemical sampling and ground geophysics.

Robert Bell, President and CEO stated "INV is delighted to have been
able to develop an excellent personal and business relationship with
Neskantaga, culminating in the execution of a Letter of Comfort which
allows INV to access the Lansdowne property and outlines the benefits
and impacts of the project to the Neskantaga community. The first phase
of our partnership with Neskantaga includes exploration activities
involved with drill target identification. INV has committed, where
possible, to employ several members of the community to participate in
exploration activities. INV management believes that the strong
partnership with Neskantaga will continue to progress as the project is
advanced.

INV's large Lansdowne House and Fishtrap properties (14,880 hectares
and 12,160 hectares respectively) are located in the James Bay Lowlands
area and are underlain by large mafic-ultramafic igneous complexes
emplaced along major structures (see Figure 1, Regional Magnetics and
Structure) which appear to be related to the same geological terrane
boundary that hosts Noront Resources Ltd's ("Noront") McFaulds Lake
high-grade, nickel-copper-precious metal deposit. The press release of
June 4, 2008, announcing the significant sulphide intersection
discovered by the joint venture formed by Arctic Star Diamond Corp.,
WSR Gold Inc. and Metalex Ventures Ltd., 45 kilometres north of
Noront's Eagle One discovery, highlights the geological potential of
the "Ring of Fire" area.

Lansdowne House, located approximately 80 kilometres west of McFaulds
Lake, is underlain by a geological environment that has potential to
host nickel-copper-platinum-palladium-gold, base metal and gold
deposits. Previous diamond drilling on the property was concentrated
along a three-kilometre long trend of EM anomalies coincident with
magnetic highs (see Figure 2, Property Magnetics and Electromagnetic
Conductors, and Figure 3, Detail Area Magnetics and Electromagnetic
Conductors). Broad zones of anomalous mineralization were encountered,
with results ranging from weakly anomalous to intersections grading
0.74% copper and 0.40% nickel over 17.7 metres in one zone; and 0.79%
copper and 0.64% nickel over 21.5 metres, including 1.0% copper and
0.83% nickel over 14.9 metres, in another zone. Diamond drilling for
platinum-palladium-gold in the early 2000's intersected anomalous
precious metal values, ranging from 0.32 g/t platinum + palladium +
gold ("TPM") over 220.6 metres to 1.04 g/t TPM over 25.5 metres,
including 3.1 g/t TPM over 1.5 metres.

In addition to the nickel-copper-precious metal targets on the
property, widespread anomalous zinc and copper values occur in
association with felsic volcanics, sediments and iron formations, in
some cases coincident with conductive and magnetic bodies with
considerable untested strike length. The southern part of the property
is transected by shear zones which host two gold showings. Previous
owner, Aurora Platinum, reported gold values from outcrop grab samples
ranging up to 23.8 g/t at the Goose showing and 9.3 g/t at the Sandvik
showing.

In 2006, FNX Mining Company Inc. ("FNX") carried out an airborne
geophysical survey over the property and identified numerous untested
conductors, but did not complete any ground surveys or drilling. INV
plans to immediately initiate an exploration program at the Lansdowne
property, comprised of prospecting, gridding, geological mapping,
geochemical sampling and ground geophysics.

Like Lansdowne House, the 49 claim (760 units totaling 12,160 hectares)
Fishtrap property, located approximately 60 kilometres south of the
McFaulds Lake discovery, covers a large layered mafic-ultramafic
complex. The eastern half of the complex is being explored by third
parties for precious metals. There is no record of any previous
drilling on the Fishtrap property. FNX's 2006 airborne geophysical
survey identified a number of conductive zones associated with the
interpreted basal portions of the complex.

An access agreement has been reached with the Marten Falls First
Nation, in whose traditional territory the property is located, and
gridding has been completed over the previously identified conductive
zones. Ground magnetometer and electromagnetic geophysical surveys are
underway, with drilling to follow.

To view Figure 1 - Regional Magnetics and Structure, please visit the
following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/inv612a.pdf

To view Figure 2 - Property Magnetics and Electromagnetic Conductors,
please visit the following link:

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/inv612b.pdf

To view Figure 3 - Detail Area Magnetics and Electromagnetic
Conductors, please visit the following link:

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/inv612c.pdf

About INV

INV is an international mineral resource company focused on the
acquisition, exploration and development of base and precious metal
projects in Brazil and Canada. Currently, INV's primary assets are: (1)
the advanced-stage Santa Fe-Ipora nickel laterite deposits located in
Goias State, Brazil; (2) the Montcalm nickel-copper property located
contiguous to Xstrata Nickel's operating nickel mine in the Timmins,
Ontario area; (3) its nickel-copper-precious metals properties located
in the 'Ring of Fire' area in northern Ontario and (4) its
nickel-copper sulphide properties, including Niquelandia, Damolandia,
and Taquaral, located in Brazil.

For further information please see INV's Management's Discussion and
Analysis dated May 14, 2008 and other technical reports filed on SEDAR
and available on INV's website at www.nickelventures.com.

All That Attention on Mining Act One of Reasons Ontario Yet To Create Treaty Commission

File this as one of the strangest responses yet.Maybe Bryant really
is channelling Kreskin. It's in the eyes.Will be interesting to see how
First Nation members on the Ipperwash Implementation committee see
things.


Thursday » June 12 » 2008

Ontario has yet to implement any of Ipperwash inquiry recommendations
Federal government's co-operation needed, minister insists

Lee Greenberg
The Ottawa Citizen

Thursday, June 12, 2008

TORONTO - One year after a seminal report outlined steps to a better
relationship between First Nations and provincial authorities,
Ontario's government has yet to implement one of its top
recommendations.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant yesterday said he is waiting
for the federal government's co-operation to set up an independent
treaty commission.

"We can't do it without the federal government's agreement and
co-operation, as they have done with other provinces," he said
yesterday.

. . .
Mr. Bryant insists that federal authority is needed. He adds that
"there's not been a level of focus on this (federally)."

An Ipperwash implementation committee made up of provincial officials
and First Nations leadership was focused on other issues, particularly
the provincial mining act, when it met for the first time in April,
said Mr. Bryant.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, meanwhile, yesterday touted his
government's achievements following the Ipperwash Inquiry, which
resulted, most notably, in the creation of a standalone aboriginal
affairs ministry.

"If you were to contrast what we've done in the last eight months with
(what has been done in) the last 80 years, I think some might argue
that we're moving at a pretty fast clip," Mr. McGuinty told reporters.

Australian's Say Junior Miners May be Set for a Tumble

The Age (Melbourne, Australia)

June 10, 2008 Tuesday
First Edition

Juniors expected to slash spending

BYLINE: Jamie Freed

SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 267 words

THE amount of money junior miners spend on exploration could drop
sharply because of difficulties in raising funds in a tough equity
market.

Citi analyst Julian Bu has noted financing of initial public offering
was down 90% on the Australian Securities Exchange through May compared
with the same period last year. The Toronto Stock Exchange was down
72%.

"With such large and consistent falls in financing volume, we are hard
pressed to believe junior miners will not be affected," he said.

"Therefore, unless things improve quickly, juniors will have less to
spend and the exploration drilling cycle could turn."

From 2002 to 2007, exploration spending by junior miners rose 900%,
meaning they were responsible for just over half of global spending on
minerals exploration. In 2001, juniors had accounted for just a
quarter.

Mr Bu's report, focused on drilling contractor Boart Longyear, said
there was anecdotal evidence that juniors were finding it hard to get
finance.

The ASX website yesterday showed six potential exploration floats had
no proposed listing date, meaning the expected offer close date had
passed without enough funds being raised.

Mr Bu said a slowdown in exploration spending by junior miners could
force down the cost of drilling, affecting contractors such as Boart
Longyear.

Drillers now dedicated to these juniors would have to turn to the
majors.

A year's lag between metals prices and exploration spending meant Boart
Longyear's earnings could be shielded for a year.

But he said the lag offered little protection if metal prices fell.

Citi has a "sell" recommendation on Boart Longyear.

First Nation Consultation Could Temper MNDM Hype of Ontario as Risk Free

Ontario Exploration Spending to Rise 25% on Higher Metal Prices
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=a4ceOfIUxBuc#

By Rob Delaney

June 10, 2008 (Bloomberg) -- Mining companies including Cia. Vale do
Rio Doce and Xstrata Plc will spend 25 percent more this year on
exploration in Canada's Ontario province amid rising interest in
searching for deposits in stable nations, the government said.

Exploration expenditures in Canada's largest metal-producing province
may increase to C$629 million ($616 million) from C$502 million in
2007, said Marc Leroux, marketing manager with the province's Ministry
of Northern Development and Mines. Ontario produced C$10.7 billion of
metal, mostly nickel, gold and copper in 2007, according to the
ministry's data.

Mining companies, driven by copper and gold prices that reached
records this year, are seeking deposits in lower-risk countries as
governments in developing nations try to revise agreements to gain more
from their mineral wealth, Leroux said.

``Mining companies have come to appreciate the lack of political risk,
the rule of law, security of tenure, and all of the elements that
create a reliable investment climate,'' Leroux said in an interview
yesterday. ``We're expecting a lot of work to come in over the next 10
years or so.''

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. said last week that plans to start
its copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the second half
of next year are at risk because of logistical difficulties and poor
infrastructure. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., seeking to develop a copper and
gold project in Mongolia with Rio Tinto Group, has been negotiating
with the nation's government for more than five years.

The price of nickel, Ontario's largest mineral product by value, has
more than doubled in the past five years as economic growth in China
boosted demand for the ingredient used in stainless steel. Gold,
Ontario's No. 2 metal, has more than doubled in that period, and copper
has more than quadrupled.

Claims Rise

The number of exploration concessions claimed in Ontario's Sudbury
district, where Vale and Xstrata's largest Canadian operations are
based, rose 36 percent to 27,000 last year, according to the ministry's
data. Exploration spending in Ontario has risen from C$219 million in
2003, according to the department.

Vale announced in June 2007 that exploration drilling confirmed the
presence of copper and nickel deposits that may extend the life of a
106-year-old mine it controls in Sudbury. The Creighton Deep project
has the potential to almost double proven and probable reserves of
nickel and copper at the Creighton mine, Vale said at the time.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Delaney in Toronto at
robdelaney@bloomberg.net

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

NDP Pushes McGuinty to Apologize to KI and Bob Lovelace

The New Democrats tried to push McGuinty to apologize to Ontario aboriginal leaders for conflicts with mining companies that have led to some chiefs being jailed for trying to block exploration on their lands.

"It seems to me, given the recent history of Ontario, this premier has something to apologize for,'' NDP Leader Howard Hampton told the legislature.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Why Muskoka Cottage Owners Will Win Campaign For First Nation Consultation

who needs constitutional rights when you have angry cottage and property owners.


Tuesday » June 10 » 2008

Forget academia, the future's in mining

Lloyd Brown-John
Special to The Windsor Star

Monday, June 09, 2008

This is all about archaic mining rights legislation in Ontario and the almost desperate need for the provincial government to update a rights erosion law.

Coming from backwoods British Columbia, I studied geology in my early years. I've never lost interest in rocks and minerals so it was with enormous pleasure that I joined my cousin Jack Brown-John at his home near Horsefly, B.C. a few weeks ago.

Cousin Jack is nationally famous in as one of this country's top competitive loggers. Indeed, Jack travelled the world demonstrating his skills with a chainsaw and falling axe. But time and an accident slowed him down somewhat, so now he's turned to another of his loves, prospecting.

Horsefly, B.C. is in the heart of B.C.'s "gold rush country" and almost everybody has some nuggets cached away somewhere.

But Cousin Jack is different. "You can pan for gold any day, the real future is in minerals." So Jack prospects and registers claims. He has hundreds and many are rich in lead and zinc and copper and molybdenum. Jack explained details for staking a claim and registering it and even how to claim-jump.

So after some cultural upgrading in B.C., I returned to Ontario and started to explore mining legislation in Ontario. Well Lo! ... you can file mineral claims in Ontario even if somebody else owns the land.

Ontario's quaint 19th-century mining legislation allows a prospector to enter your land, stake out a claim, file and register that claim and even begin exploratory drilling on your land without your permission.

You see, in Ontario, your "property rights" are only superficial. You do not own the mineral rights beneath your own property.

I read through Ontario's Mining Act and realized there was an opportunity just itching to be taken.

Cousin Jack had demonstrated how to blaze and stake a claim and how to nail pink plastic ribbon on claim stakes and blazes -- so why not, thought I.

I bought a new axe and a file for sharpening the axe, a huge roll of pink plastic ribbon, donned my official old prospector's hat and set out around our neighbourhood in lovely rural Kingsville to stake my claims.

I consulted geological maps and discovered a possibility that oil and natural gas could be found in my backyard and ravine.

There is also potential for salt and, if worse comes to worse, I can always open an aggregate quarry and harvest sand and gravel. We may not have gold in the ground in Kingsville but by jimminey-crackers we still have resource exploitation potential.

Some of my neighbours have not been sympathetic to my prospecting. One complained loudly when I took my axe and blazed along the trees of his driveway. And, he's still fuming about the pink ribbons I've hung in his magnolia tree. But, I showed him the Ontario Mining Act and he cowered under my threat to call out Ontario's Mines Minister Michael Gravelle and troops to enforce my mining claims.

Another neighbour was upset simply because I explained to her that her in-ground swimming pool violated my sub-surface mineral rights now that I'd staked a claim around her red maple trees and hung pink ribbon on her forsythia bushes. I warned that her menacing shotgun would be no match for my right to call in the Ontario Mining Commission and its enforcement brigade. I adjusted my GPS, spat a wad of chewin' tobacco into her daffodils, and carried on.

Of course, with all my neighbours, I've induced them to my point-of-view with the prospect of big royalties they will surely earn once we bring in a few gas wells in their front and back yards. I suppose the prospect of being a petroleum baron in Kingsville has mollified their initial shock and turned it to awe.

We will know much better next year after our initial test well drillings are completed.

My neighbour with the greenhouse has expressed some concern about the drilling rigs operating between his greenhouses. I had to tape my pink ribbons on his greenhouse as the usual nails punched holes in the plastic sheathing.

My Cousin Jack would be so proud of me knowing that his instructions on staking a mining claim have been so assiduously followed -- well, maybe. You see, I'm just satirizing.

No, my immediate neighbors in Kingsville are safe from rapacious mining companies, but many folks in Ontario are not.

Many residents of Ontario who have bought that ideal piece of woodland acreage are almost annually finding themselves confronted by mining companies and prospectors staking claims on their land.

Ontario has an 80 year old mining law that more or less quietly encourages mining companies to stake claims on private land because Ontarians do not own the mineral or sub-surface rights on their own land.

It is long past the appropriate time for Ontario to bring its mining laws into the 21st century. One provincial ministry almost solely dedicated both to a region and an industry does not make for equity in rights for all Ontarians.

Lloyd Brown-John is professor emeritus, public administration, at the University of Windsor.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Is this Exploration Boom about Investment or Speculation?

http://www.bcbusinessmagazine.com/bcb/top-stories/2006/09/01/rock-stars


If you look into any one of the 400 or so juniors that call Vancouver home, chances are you’ll find a credible geologist at the heart of the business and a number of serious projects aimed at bringing a mineral-producing mine to life.

That’s not to say the scam factor has been eliminated completely. A new exploration company typically goes public with a share price well below a dollar, and anywhere you find stocks whose value can jump 40 or 50 per cent with a swing in price of a dime or a quarter, you’ll find unsophisticated investors dreaming of instant riches. Close on their heels will be unscrupulous promoters eager to relieve them of their money.

Vancouver Sun columnist David Baines has made a career of exposing fraud in Vancouver’s junior public companies and he’s convinced that swindles didn’t disappear with the death of the VSE.

“If anyone thinks this market has changed its character to one where the process has changed from speculation to investment, they’re crazy, they’re delusional,” Baines says. He points to the example of De Beira Goldfields, a company founded by a Vancouver longshoreman and headed by two Australians with a history of online pornography and gambling. De Beira was grounded by the B.C. Securities Exchange in June after its market capitalization had soared from zero to more then US$600 million in 35 trading days, following extensive promotion in newsletters and online chat forums.

However, Baines concedes that there is a key difference between De Beira and the hundreds of legitimate Vancouver exploration companies: its shares traded only on the largely unregulated Over The Counter Bulletin Board in the U.S. and the equally fast and loose Frankfurt Exchange.

When asked if a TSX or TSX-Venture listing reduces the likelihood of similar scams, Baines replies, “Yes, I think so,” adding that if an OTCBB company is co-listed on the TSX -Venture Exchange, “that’s fine, because they always have to adhere to the highest standards. The bulletin board may have virtually no standards, but the TSX does.” Several dozen of B.C.’s approximately 400 exploration companies trade exclusively on the OTCBB.

Will it all come crashing down again? Maybe. Certainly no one will argue that metal prices will remain at their current peak indefinitely. And whenever people start saying it’s different this time around, the smart money heads for the hills. But for now, the new crop of Vancouver juniors has no time to look in the rearview mirror. As Fronteer’s Mark O’Dea puts it, “We’re cashed up and we’re going to do what we’re supposed to do: go out and find big deposits.”

Death and resurrection of Vancouver’s junior scene
Vancouver saw its last mining boom in the mid 1990s, when promoters went into overdrive as news of a massive gold find in Indonesia fanned the flames of speculation on the VSE. But following the NDP government’s expropriation of the Windy Craggy mine in 1993, a string of disasters converged in what seemed certain to spell the end of Vancouver’s reign as an internation hub of mineral exploration

1988- The VSE at its best
Local geologist Ron Netolitzky and partners team up with Murray Pezim to raise exploration capital on the VSE. Gold discoveries at the Snip and Eskay Creek properties in northwest B.C. spark a frenzy of trading, pushing share prices into the stratosphere. By the early ’90s, investors, geologists and promoters have cashed in their chips as discoveries move from exploration to production.

1993- Omen of doom
In an unprecedented move, the NDP government expropriates the site of the planned Windy Craggy mine from Royal Oak Mines and turns it into the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. Royal Oak kick-starts the mining industry’s exodus from B.C. by picking up stakes and moving its head office from Vancouver to Kirkland, Washington.

1997 The Bre-X debacle
The biggest gold discovery in decades – 200 million ounces in Busang, Indonesia – turns out to be a fraud. When the Calgary company, trading on the ASE, began
hyping its find in 1991, the VSE erupted in a frenzy of speculation and penny investors propelled junior mining stocks to the stratosphere. It comes crashing down in 1997 when independent analyses confirm a massive fraud.

1999 Death of the VSE
Some blame it on Bre-X. Some attribute it to the death of Murray Pezim in 1998. But on the eve of the 21st century, it is clear that the VSE is an anachronism. The VSE hooks up with the Alberta Stock Exchange to become the Canadian Venture Exchange, housed in Calgary. Within two years, it is swallowed by the Toronto Stock Exchange to become the TSX-Venture Exchange.

2006 The return of the juniors
More than 400 junior exploration companies call B.C. home, and they’re raising money like never before. The previous year, 41 B.C.-based juniors went public on the TSX and TSX-Venture Exchanges. In June 2006 one company, Fronteer Development Group, raises $38.4 million.

Prediction-Court of Appeal Written reasons will Turn on Issue of Reconciliation

Jail sentences set aside.



Posted: June 09, 2008


by: Kate Harries


* http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096417468



Seven leaders freed by Ontario court of appeal

TORONTO - An Ontario appeals court has set aside the six-month jail
sentences imposed on seven aboriginal leaders who were incarcerated for
refusing to cease protesting mining exploration in their traditional
territory.

''Justice was done,'' said Bob Lovelace, former chief of the Ardoch
Algonquin First Nation.

He, along with the ''KI Six'' - Chief Donny Morris and five other members of
the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) First Nation - walked out
of the Osgoode Hall courthouse with their freedom in May after a daylong
hearing before three Ontario Supreme Court justices.

Lovelace vowed to continue his fight, even if it meant further jail time.

''We plan to continue to protect our land,'' he said. ''I'm hoping from this
whole exercise the government will want to engage in some meaningful
discussion that will lead some place that won't be back to jail.''

''I think history has been made,'' said KI council member Sam McKay. ''I
think it's time the government starts taking aboriginal issues really
seriously. I think we have an opportunity to do relationship-building
between the government and aboriginals, but the government has to be willing
to do their part.''

A possible way forward was spelled out a few months ago in a joint proposal
from the KI and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations that called for a moratorium
on mining exploration pending the recommendations of a joint panel to be set
up with representatives from the government and the two communities. That
would lead to negotiation of an interim measures agreement that would
provide for land withdrawals and joint decision-making on resource
extraction.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant agreed to a joint panel with KI,
but refused to include the Ardoch Algonquins in the deal - which meant that
KI refused to be part of it.

Michael Gravelle, minister of Northern Development and Mines, has refused to
heed calls for a moratorium while new rules are worked out.

Calls for reform of the underlying legislation, Ontario's mining act, based
on a free-entry system that allows claims to be staked and exploration to
start without environmental assessment or the consent of affected First
Nations or landowners, have also come from many parties, including Robert
Kennedy Jr.

''I have great respect for the way in which these community leaders have
faced threats to their traditional lands,'' the Natural Resources Defense
Council lawyer wrote in a May 22 letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty. ''I know
that for these communities, the land and waters of their traditional
territory is their life, their livelihood and the future of their
children.''

While McGuinty has said that it's time for the mining act to be reformed,
the government has offered no details of its priorities. Gravelle spokesman
Anne-Marie Flanagan said the government is carrying out full consultation
with affected stakeholders.

''I can't give you any timetable,'' she said. Asked whether an end to the
free-entry system is under study, she added, ''I can't get into speculation
of what the changes might be.''

Anna Baggio, of CPAWS Wildlands League, said talk of reviewing the mining
act is meaningless unless free entry is replaced by a permit system that
enshrines the rights of aboriginal communities and landowners to say ''no''
and implements rules for development that protects the values of ecosystems
prior to mineral tenure being handed out.

The government's inaction is evidence that the Liberals are afraid of a
backlash from the mining industry, she said. But this is the time to show
leadership because, if left unresolved, the jailing of leaders who stand in
the way will continue.

''If you don't have the right to say no, you don't have any rights at all,''
Lovelace said.

In Ontario's booming mining sector, uncertainty rewards unprincipled
behavior.

New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton cited the case of a company that
initiated talks with Neskantaga First Nation before staking a claim - only
to be outflanked by a second company that staked the claim, cleared the land
and obtained government approval.

Nevertheless, ministers like Gravelle and Bryant and their representatives
insist that consultation is a necessary part of exploration.

All the while, First Nations such as Gull Bay, Webequie, Eabametoong and
Marten Falls are coming forward to complain that claims are being staked
without their knowledge or consent - unsurprisingly, since that's what the
mining act sanctions.

The judges were careful not to tip their hand as to the rationale for
overturning the harsh penalties - including fines as high as $25,000 in
Lovelace's case - imposed by lower-court judges in Kingston and Thunder Bay.
The reasons will be released later, they said.

The ruling will be important. The issues are critical to resource
development and aboriginal self-determination - whether accommodation of the
right to say no is implicit in the Ontario government's legal duty to First
Nations, what weight should be given to aboriginal law, and whether there
should be a check to the criminalization of protest.

One thing was clear. Ontario government lawyer Malliha Wilson, who supported
release of the seven appellants, conceded under questioning by the judges
that the six-month sentences bore no relation to the ''couple of weeks''
applied to previous first-time offenders in the context of political
protest.

The judges zeroed in on the contrast between Wilson's statement that the
government sees itself a conciliator and the position taken in January by
Owen Young, the government lawyer at the sentencing hearing for the KI Six,
who called for ''a financial penalty that hurts.''

''The word 'hurts' and the word 'reconciliation' are polar opposites,''
Justice James MacPherson pointed out.