Ottawa City Council Petitions Ontario for a Moratorium on Uranium Exploration and Mining

The City of Ottawa yesterday passed a Council motion to petition the Province of Ontario to impose an immediate moratorium on uranium exploration and mining; to resolve native land claims in Eastern Ontario; and to publicly review the Ontario Mining Act.

It now joins Kingston, Carleton Place, Perth and eight other rural governments in asking Ontario to reconsider its position on uranium development in the Ottawa River watershed.

For more information: http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/occ/2008/02-27/cpsc/reportindex19A.htm

Ontario - "Yours to Prospect"

(Click on the image to enlarge it, click on you "back" button to return to this page.)

The Ontario Government's tourism slogan is: Yours to Discover. After the sentencing handed down by the provincial court in Kingston last Friday for contempt of court charges against members of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, the Province should officially re-brand itself as: Yours to Prospect.

The sentencing is a disturbing development in the uranium story in eastern Ontario. It raises many concerns, but the one I find the most disquieting is as follows. Under the terms of the sentencing, in addition to jail time and significant one-time and ongoing fines, the defendants are not entitled to mount their core defence, a challenge of the constitutionality of the Ontario Mining Act, because they have refused to abide by the terms of the contempt order.

The provincial court has issued this sentence despite the fact the Supreme Court of Canada has already ruled provinces must consult with Aboriginal people before granting development permits if Aboriginal rights are at issue. The Province failed to do so clearly indicating it is to date not interested in a fair reconciliation of mining and Aboriginal rights. To make matters worse, the provincial court has effectively issued a "gag" order against the defendants.

To recap: the Supreme Court says provinces have to respect Aborignal rights and consult over land use with Aboriginal people; the Province issues exploration permits without consulting Aboriginal people; the Aboriginal people protest and point out the fallacy of the permits; the Provincial Court finds the Aboriginal people in contempt and removes their right to challenge the constitutionality of the law used to grant the exploration permits. (Note: two of the three defendants, one an elderly man and another a single mother, have agreed to the terms of the court in exchange for avoidance of jail time. One defendant has been incarcerated.)

So far, the Province of Ontario, through the Ontario Mining Act and the provincial court system, has trumped Aborignal rights (not to mention private property rights) in favour of mining rights. Mr. Reid, the defence lawyer for the Ardoch Algonquins is correct, in my view, in suggesting an appeal is in order.

For a very good article on the court preceedings, see the excellent story in the Kingston Whig Standard by Sue Yanagisawa:

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=906107

Reply to Ecojustice Canada's Letters to Minister Bechard of the MRNF

A written response was received by Ecojustice Canada last week from the Ministry des ressources naturelle et de la Faune (MRNF) in response to two letters sent to Minister Bechard.

The first Ecojustice letter was sent in July 2007 by Ecojustice Canada's (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund). It addressed constructive suggestions about amending the Quebec Mining Act in light of the explosion of uranium mining claims in West Quebec (see: http://no-uranium.blogspot.com/2007/07/sierra-legal-defence-fund-open-letter.html).

The second Ecojustice letter (co-signed by WQ-CAMU / COQCEU) was about SOQUEM Inc.'s mineral claims registered in La Peche (see: http://no-uranium.blogspot.com/2007/12/quebec-government-mining-company.html).

The response, in summary, is as follows:

1. Ecojustice's concerns will be taken into consideration while developing the Quebec Mineral Strategy.
2. Section 17 of the Quebec Mining Act does state that mineral development is a favoured activity but it must take into account possible other uses of land.
3. MRNF confirms that no exploration or mining company can access or perform any work on private property without the consent of the property owner.
4. MRNF has no involvement with SOQUEM Inc., therefore any questions about SOQUEM's activities should be directed to SOQUEM.

Of note, the response says that mining companies are much more responsible now than in the past - their survival depends on it. I have a few issues with that biased opinion given some of the observations I've made and things that have been reported to me about exploration companies active in West Quebec, including:

• poorly announced, organized and timed public meetings on exploration programs by exploration companies to avoid public participation while trying to give the impression consultation is taking place
• promises to respect community wishes and then failure to do so when asked by the community (specifically, one company was asked to withdraw its claims after overwhelming objections in La Peche to its activities and it failed to do so after publicly stating it would not conduct projects where the community is opposed)
• three known cases of trespassing by exploration companies on private property - even after being told in writing by two of the landowners consent to come on private property was not being granted
• inflated promises of jobs by one company that fly in the face of published government and industry data on the total number of jobs in the uranium mining sector in Canada
• false public statements made by one company about how an open pit mining operation, once completed, will leave the natural environment "pristine" (i.e., in its original, untouched state)
• publication of false information by at least one exploration company about its mineral holdings, by stating its claims are in close proximity to an active uranium mine on Grand-Calumet Island (this is completely false) to try to attract investors
• published reports on mineral holdings by some locally-active companies that do not conform to securities regulations (see NI 43-101 regulations on reporting mineral holdings to the public): http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/Regulation/Rulemaking/Current/Part4/rule_20051007_43-101_sd-mineral-projects.jsp

Download a copy of the MRNF's reply here (PDF): http://know-uranium.org/docs/wq-camu/13-02-2008_Response_letter_from_MRNF.pdf

So, we'll have to wait to see what the Quebec Mineral Strategy has to offer. For more information on the Quebec Mineral Strategy see:

http://no-uranium.blogspot.com/2007/09/minister-bechard-announces-brief-public.html

and

http://no-uranium.blogspot.com/2007/10/selected-submissions-on-quebec-mineral.html).

Ian Tamblyn and Friends In Concert - February 20, 2007

Ian Tamblyn and Friends
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 7:30 PM
National Library of Canada


The fun starts at 7:30 pm with Arthur McGregor, of the Ottawa Folklore Centre, as MC.

Admission is $25.00. Tickets will be available through all CD Warehouse oultlets, Legend Records (Lincolin Fields Shopping Centre Carling & Richmond Road) and the Ottawa Folklore Centre on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South.

More info can be had by contacting: sandymanor@mazinaw.on.ca

PRESS RELEASE

February 5, 2000

Ian Tamblyn in Concert against uranium mining in eastern Ontario & west Quebec.

Canadian music stars donate their talents to the continuing fight against uranium mining.
Ian Tamblyn, appearing in concert at The National Archives on Wed., February 20th, joins a growing list of Canada's top musical talent in donating their time and talent to help raise funds in the fight against uranium exploration and mining in eastern Ontario & west Quebec.
Opening for Tamblyn, are: Rice Lake Thunder, an Algonquin Teen Drumming Circle that will touch you with the rhythm of the drum. Terry Tufts & Kathryn Briggs, two masterful performers will entertain, and Terry will sing a specially written song, "A Brighter Shade Of Green" from "The Anti-Uranium Trilogy" CD.

Neville Wells, member of the country music hall of fame, and a masterful performer, will perform "Masters Of Greed" as part of his set. Neville's lyrics in this song leave no doubt as to how his feels about what mining interests want to do to the land where he grew up and went to school. Get ready for some Frontenac humour. Dwain Scudder - "that's udder with an S and a C up in the front " - says it like it is. "The Miners Are A'Comin,'" the third song on The Anti-Uranium CD, and written by Frank Morrison, lead singer of one of the sixties top rock bands, "The Townsmen," will be sung by Dwain.

The fun starts at 7:30 pm with Arthur McGregor, of the Ottawa Folklore Centre, as MC. Admission is $25.00. Tickets will be available through all CD Warehouse oultlets and Legend Records (Lincolin Fields Shopping Centre Carling & Richmond Road).

More info can be had by contacting: sandymanor@mazinaw.on.ca.

Whatever your opinion on uranium exploration and mining upriver of Ottawa, this promises to be one of those evenings that people tell you about afterwards, and you kick yourself for not having been there.

Tamblyn has just returned from the Antarctic. On hearing about the concert he agreed right away to be involved. Other singers, songwriters and musicians who have or will be appearing at fundraisers to help raise funds include: Jenny Whiteley, Joey Wright, Bytown Blue Grass, Lynn Miles, Jennifer Noxon, Nathan Sloniowski, Sarah Harmer, Luther Wright and Kathleen Edwards.
Print Information about the effects of uranium mining will be available at the concert. People from Ottawa, West Quebec, Lanark and North Frontenac who have come together to fight the exploration and mining of uranium so close to urban centres will be in attendance.

The Meltdown Continues (No Pun Intended!)

Yesterday one financial analyst, James West, of resourcexinvestor.com, put forward a cogent explanation of why uranium company stock prices are tanking recently.

Cameco, he points out, is off 26% from its 52 week high. Nothing compared to my recently reported dismal 74% average drop in stocks for the juniors poking around West Quebec, but not good by any standard (this is all seeming more and more like the dot com bust of 2000).

There are a lot of reasons for the collapse, but hopefully the summary below, inspired by Mr. West and embellished by yours truly, will make some of the most important ones clear (see the source article link below for the original story):

1. There is no shortage of uranium supply - existing mines can and are providing sufficient uranium to meet needs (Canada exports over 80% of its annual production, and is the supplier of about 30% of world output).

2) Since more and more new potential sources of supply of uranium are nearer and nearer major population centres, the backlash against potential new mine development will become more pronounced, affecting the fortunes of the companies that have recklessly staked claims near places like Ottawa/Gatineau. Other examples are not hard to find: Virginia, Colorado and Nova Scotia come to mind immediately.

3) Lots of companies are trying to bring more uranium to market all over the planet, meaning there will likely be a glut even bigger than the current one in future.

4) Other sources of energy are showing more long term promise without the threat of tailings and nuclear waste hanging around for thousands of years - hydrogen, wind, solar and thermal, (and don't write off old-fashioned efficiency and conservation), have more promise, lower risk and shorter timelines than nuclear ever will.

5) Uranium mines bring out opposition (and as we get more educated and start to "know" uranium, we get smarter and better at opposing) but imagine how much opposition there is going to be to new nuclear plants in the backyards of major population centres - permitting and environmental assessments are going to be a complete political nightmare - possibly causing governments to lose power in future elections (yes, this could mean you Mr. McGuinty!).

6) There are likely as many nuclear power plants being decommissioned now than there are new ones coming on stream - no net gain any time soon for the "clean, green, safe and cheap" source of power at the core of the nuclear renaissance. The time it takes to get a new plant into operation compared to the attrition rate of the aging existing stock of plants is not favourable for the industry - no wonder it is desperately trying to sell us on the renaissance. The reality is alternatives could quite possibly make nuclear redundant before it has time to resurge beyond plant replacement rates.

Another point Mr. West makes is that the spot uranium price we often hear quoted does not reflect the much lower, long-term supply price that is actually being paid to the vast majority of suppliers of uranium. So the hype, once again, is way out in front of reality.

So, does Mr. West throw in the towel on uranium players? No, he still holds out hope that companies that avoid the problems noted above are still likely to be viable. The good new for us here in Ottawa/Gatineau is that none of the companies staking claims here would pass the test. They are all facing the challenges outlined above and not one of them has a plan to prosper at long term prices like the majors are getting, in the face of stiff and growing opposition from local citizens (just wait for the BAPE process in Quebec, should it ever come about, if you want to see opposition!).

Overall I find Mr. West's article encouraging for those of us who see the insanity of developing uranium mines, especially near population centres, in increasingly scarce major watersheds and in or near tracts of pristine wilderness that if conserved and managed with a vision could be the source of endless generations of diversity, enjoyment and economic development.

Now if only the legislators with the power to change the Quebec Mining Act would smell the coffee we'd all be moving in the right direction.

Article source: http://resourcexinvestor.com/news.php?id=4537

Is This the Future of West Quebec (and Eastern Ontario)?

The image above is an annotated Google! Earth image of the Elliot Lake area (click the image to enlarge it, use your "back" button to return to this page). It highlights several tailings management sites that are undergoing perpetual management to try to minimize their impact on the environment.

Here is a chronology of the Elliot Lake mining experience:

Elliot Lake, Ontario:

o Uranium discovered in 1953

o The Lacnor Mine operated from 1957 to 1960, producing 2.7 million tonnes of waste. (Rio Algom)

o The Nordic Mine operated from 1957 to 1968 and produced 12 million tonnes of waste. (Rio Algom)

o The Panel Mine and Mill produced uranium from 1958 to 1961, and then again from 1979 to 1990. It produced 16 million tonnes of waste. (Rio Algom)

o The Pronto Mine and Mill processed 2.1 million tonnes of uranium ore between 1955 and 1960, when the mill was converted to process copper. Copper processing continued until 1970. The Pronto Mill produced 4 million tonnes of waste. (Rio Algom)

o The Quirke Mine (1 and 2) and Mill operated from 1956 to 1961, and then from 1968 to 1990. It produced 46 million tonnes of tailings and waste rock. (Rio Algom)

o The Spanish-American mill operated from 1958 to 1959 and dumped 400,000 tonnes of waste in Oliver Lake. (Rio Algom)

o The Milliken and Stanleigh mines and mills produced 20 million tonnes of waste and tailings. The Milliken mill operated from 1958 to 1964, and the Stanleigh mill operated from 1957 to 1960, and again from 1983 to 1996. (Rio Algom)

o Denison Mines Limited operated in Elliot Lake from 1957 to March 1992, producing about 70
million tonnes of waste at the Stanrock (inactive since 1964), Can-Met, and Denison (inactive since 1992) mines.

o By 1976 all 55 miles of the Serpent River system were badly contaminated with acid generating, highly radioactive wastes. An official Ontario report noted that there were no living fish in the entire river located downstream from the mining wastes.

o In 1978 alone, more than 30 tailing dam failures were reported.

o In August 1993, two million litres of contaminated water spilled from a tailings site at Rio Algom’s Stanleigh mine as a result of a power failure. Rio Algom was charged by the Atomic
Energy Control Board with one count of failure to provide appropriate training for its employees, and one count of failure to prevent the spill under “reasonably foreseeable circumstances”. The radiologically and chemically contaminated water spilled into McCabe Lake.

Source: www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Uranium/Uranium_Canada_2006, p. 2.

Here are selected extracts from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency's 1996 report on "decommissioning" the Elliot Lake tailings sites (a nice word for saying industry is preparing to hand off perpetual management of the sites to the government and taxpayers):

"The tailings of the Elliot Lake uranium mines present a perpetual environmental hazard. The tailings contain sulphide minerals, which generate acid when exposed to air and water concurrently. They also contain various heavy metals, including radioactive isotopes of thorium and radium, the solubility of which is increased when exposed to acidic conditions. Radioactive contaminants are an important public concern.

To establish an effective containment system for the wastes, the panel concludes that the tailings must be permanently contained in such a way as to insulate them from concurrent exposure to air and water, and to prevent their dispersion into the environment. In the Elliot lake environment, the best way to do this is to keep the reactive tailings permanently water saturated.

Given the permanent nature of the hazards presented by the tailings, the panel recommends that an adequate containment system must be supported in perpetuity by effective care and maintenance programs. Such programs must include vigilant monitoring, maintenance, repair and, as necessary, system modification in the light of experience and technological advances. There should also be a capability to repair promptly major failures caused by exceptional unforeseen events.

The longevity of the tailings hazard must also be considered in the context of inevitable uncertainties regarding the detailed behaviour and long-term evolution of the complex ecological systems associated with the areas."

Depressing but essential reading.

Source: http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/010/0001/0001/0014/elliot_e.pdf

One Uranium Exploration Company's Travails

One high profile uranium exploration company active in West Quebec seems to be experiencing growing pains. It's stock is off about 75% from its 52 week high, and it is running out of cash it needs to continue its global exploration program, including servicing hundreds of claims in West Quebec.

According to a recent article originally published at minesite.com, the following is happening:

• it faces "depleted financial reserves"
• its stock price "sucks" (quote of the President)
• uranium market prices are "cooling down"
• it is being "dramatically re-branded"
• its priorities are shifting to Australia, and
• continued exploration in Quebec appears to "not to be possible at present" due to financial hardship unless it finds a joint venture partner.

We know from recent public statements the Quebec Government isn't interested in uranium in West Quebec, so that rules out a possible partnership with SOQUEM Inc. Although with over 6,000 active and pending claims throughout the Province (147 of those are in West Quebec: 40 in 31F09, 61 in 31F16 and 46 in 31K01), who knows what SOQUEM's really looking for.

Combined with the news from two other companies that appear to be on the brink of implosion, and the one-year minium delay from another company due to problems accessing claims on private property, the uranium patch in West Quebec appears to be poised for a slow start in 2008.

Maybe that will buy some time for the Pontiac's economic development strategy to be completed without the time pressures of hot and heavy exploration work.

Another Exciting Story About A Junior Exploration Company

One of the fourteen known exploration companies in West Quebec has an interesting story (no, this is not the company that I mentioned "disappeared" recently).

The story starts on this web site: http://www.otter-lake.com/home.php. While on the site look in the top right corner of the page for the American stock ticker symbol of the company.

Now go to the Pink Sheets stock trading system and look up the symbol here: http://www.pinksheets.com/pink/quote/quote.jsp?symbol=otlk. (You should see a surprising graphic and something written in latin on the upper right of the page.)

From there, click on the tab "news" and see there is an entry about an order from the British Columbia Securities Commission: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/comdoc.nsf/allbyunid/98ceb536479907d188257306007bfdf3?opendocument

There is an odd note on the "company info" tab about another company that seems to be filing information on OTLK's behalf: http://www.broadengate.com/.

On the original corporate site (not the site that is referenced in the filings), the president, secretary and sole director are all the same person (http://www.otter-lake.com/directors.php). On this site, it is a different list of officers: http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/people.asp?symbol=OTLK.PK.

This company's stock has fallen from a 52-week high of $1.83 to $0.04 recently, for a loss of 97.81%.

What to make of this?