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It has some 2.5 million residents, is the fifth most populated city and the
third largest financial centre in North America. As of July 1, 2006 the
surrounding Greater Toronto Area (GTA) boasted a population of over
5.9 million. In addition to the City of Toronto, the GTA includes the regional
municipalities of York, Halton, Peel and Durham.
The GTA is one of North Americas fastest-growing urban areas and
Canadas undisputed business and manufacturing capital. As an economic
area, the GTA consists of 25 municipalities and four regions in a total area of
around 7,100 km2. Vast parts of the GTA remain farmland and forests including
protected sections of the Oak Ridges Moraine, Rouge Park and the Niagara
Escarpment.
According to the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), Canadian markets have
become a magnet for investment from around the world. Through TSX
Groups equity and energy markets, investors and issuers have discovered fast,
low-cost and liquid trading from the single largest source in the world of equity
financing for mining issuers. A strong economy backs the TSX and a country
rich in natural resources. The TSX trading floor closed in 1997, making it the
largest stock exchange in North America to opt for a floorless, electronic
(or virtual trading) environment.
Kirk Rodgers is Co-ordinator of the North American Ore Evaluation Services
Group of Golder Associates, based in Toronto. This group provides mineral
resource evaluation and engineering services to the mineral industry. Asked
what makes for a good financial centre for the mining industry? he respondsthat it must be boring. By boring, I mean it should not produce headlines
about military coups, civil unrest, racial disharmony and financial flight. By this
measure alone, Toronto is thankfully not a very exciting place. But Toronto
actually is exciting in many other ways: it has a vibrant economy, a diverse
ethnic makeup with virtually every nation of the world represented and good
cultural life.
Corruption is not a problem in Toronto, Rodgers reports. Toronto is the
financial capital of a G8 country that ranks in the top 10% of corruption
watchdog Transparency Internationals International Corruption Perception
Index 2006. Canada has a stable currency, a solid and highly efficient banking
sector and excellent telecommunications. For those accustomed to cities like
London or Tokyo, Canada offers cost relief. Annual studies by KPMG
consistently rank Canada as leading other G7 countries as the most
cost-effective location for business.
For mining companies seeking financing, Toronto offers a financial sector
that is well-experienced in the uncertainties and rewards of mining. The country
has produced a wealth of highly-skilled geologists, geophysicists, hydrogeologists
and other professionals able to help a mining company fully understand a
mineral deposit and the technical requirements necessary to bring it into
production. Professional firms (such as Golder Associates) are familiar with the
need to be able to answer the kinds of questions a financial source might have
about the economic realities of a mining prospect.
The fraud cases that received global media coverage a decade ago have
prompted a revamp of the procedures previously used to report technical
information on mineral properties. This has resulted in a continuing process of
building improved ore-evaluation methodologies, with checks and balances to
reduce the chances that investors will be misled. These procedures were put inplace and are monitored by the Ontario Securities Commission, the TSX and
other entities, to give investors confidence by providing easy access to information
that will help them make informed decisions. Current rules on mining-sector
disclosure are in many ways better than those found in many other jurisdictions.
50 International Mining FEBRUARY 2007
Located on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto, the largest city inCanada and the provincial capital of Ontario, hosts some of the worlds leading
mining, technology and engineering companies. John Chadwick and
Sally Higgins look at some of the highlights
The greatest
mining centrein the world
MINING CENTRES
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To cite another KPMG study,
the 2006 Global Mining
Reporting Survey, Canada is
ahead of the global pack in
disclosing reserve and resource
information and cash production
costs, beating out other countries
including South Africa, the UK,
Australia and the USA. It all adds
up to an attractive picture for a
mining company seeking financing
for its next venture.
According to NL Technologies
Vice-President of Engineering,
Richard Oxby, Toronto is a great
place to conduct research and
development. Toronto has three
universities, is home to many
major technology manufacturersand has a huge pool of highly
skilled and talented engineers.
The company finds Toronto an
ideal location for its head office.
Toronto is close to several mining
centres located in the Sudbury
region, the US and South America.
As the hub of many mining, construction and engineering companies, there
is a need in Toronto for a facility to bring together this huge pool of talented
workers and potential employers. CJ Stafford & Associates provides executive
search and recruitment for these industries and have been in business since
1981. With over 25 years of experience the company offers clients unparalleled
insight into the nuances associated with hiring for these sectors and a good
understanding of how to attract the best talent. International recruitment
capabilities have been enhanced since joining an alliance of search consultants,
strategically located in Australia, South Africa, England, South America and the USA.
Micon International is an independent, employee-owned consulting
company providing geological, mining engineering, metallurgical and
environmental consulting services to the mining and minerals sector, worldwide.
Micons head office is in Toronto. Since the mid-1990s, the firm has also
operated from Norwich in the UK and an office was established in Vancouver
in 2004.
Strong financial and commodity markets have allowed both junior and
senior companies good opportunities for raising funds and Micon has prepared
numerous independent technical reports in compliance with the requirements
of NI 43-101. These have related to independent due diligence on mineral
properties, mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates, preliminary assess-
ments and project feasibility studies. Prior to the inception of the instrument,
Micon acted as the technical consultant to the TSE/OSC Mining Standards Task
Force (MSTF) and prepared the technical study on Standards for the Acquisition
and Reporting of Technical Information by the Mining Industry, appended to
the MSTF report. Micon also provides independent engineer services to banks
funding mineral property development and is presently engaged on several
such assignments. Over the past two to three years, much of Micons work in
Toronto has resulted from the citys prominence as a centre of international
mining finance and the importance of Canadian stock exchanges for mining
company listings.Among Micons current assignments are the preparation of the feasibility
study for the Nico gold-cobalt-bismuth project in Canadas Northwest
Territories, ongoing mineral reserve audits at the operations of Norilsk in Russia,
monitoring the development of the Voskhod chromite deposit in Kazakhstan,
resource estimation for the
Maracs vanadium-titanium-iron
property in Brazil, due diligence
assessment of tungsten proper-
ties in China, monitoring the
development of the Las Brisas
gold property in Venezuela,
monitoring the development of
the aldag nickel property in
Turkey, mineral resource esti-
mates for base metal properties
in Canada and an independent
technical report on undeveloped
uranium properties in the US.
Centre for technologyOptech is a world leader in the
development, manufacture and
support of laser-based instruments.Well-known in the international
mining community, Optech
offers client-driven solutions in
mine cavity monitoring systems
for underground mines, 3D
imaging scanners for open pit
mining and a variety of level and positioning instruments for process control
applications. Optech recently relocated to Vaughan, Ontario, just minutes from
downtown Toronto.
In addition to its mining related products, Optech produces laser-based
airborne terrestrial mapping, hydrographic surveying, space-based atmospheric
monitors and spaceborne landing/docking systems.
Optech recently announced the release of an Extended Range (ER) option
for its ILRIS-3D laser-based scanner. With a 40% increase over its already
industry-leading range, the ER scanner is capable of generating accurate point
cloud data at ranges exceeding 1,500 m. ILRIS-3D offers quick conversion of
XYZ data to user selectable data formats, allowing file compatibility with mine
planning or analysis software.
An additional available option is motion compensation, which makes
possible the coordination of selected Position and Orientation Systems (POS) to
ILRIS-3D. As a result, ILRIS-3D can produce precise, geo-referenced data
when scanning from moving platforms such as mobile vehicles and boats.
Optechs Cavity Monitoring System (CMS) provides fast, reliable and efficient
scanning of underground cavities. By collecting thousands of measurements
per minute, the data can be used to determine stope volumes, stope dilution,
backfill volumes and create detailed drawings and data formats for use in any
software workflow. With the recent introduction of the wireless feature,
scanner operation can be controlled from a safe zone outside the cavity to
enhance operator safety.
Optech recently announced that its Sentry series of laser-based level monitors
were awarded ATEX certification in addition to the existing CSA, FM and CE
approvals for hazardous locations. This will help extend the utility of this level
monitor into the European process control market.
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), located in the GTA, aims to
provide innovative electronic solutions for complex customer requirements.
According to MDA, space and the mining industry have a lot more in common
than many realize. Both are harsh and technically demanding workplaces thatrequire innovative solutions to ensure they remain safe and productive. MDA is
perhaps most famous for developing the Canadarm, which flies on all NASA
shuttles, and also Canadarm2, which is a fundamental tool on the International
Space Station. MDA is recognized worldwide as the leader in space robotics and
MINING CENTRES
52 International Mining FEBRUARY 2007
MDAs 3D photo imaging system, Instant Mine Modeller (iMM), maps underground and open pit
workings for geological modelling, surveying and mine management information. The 3D model is
accurate, is created within minutes of acquisition and contains full dimensional, texture and colour
information of work faces.
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continues to provide advanced
information
solutions and novel
technology
solutions for the
global mining
community.
MDA has used
experience from a
previous mars rover
project to create a
3D photo imaging
system called Instant
Mine Modeller (iMM), which maps
underground and open pit workings for
geological modelling, surveying and mine
management information. The 3D
model is accurate, is created within
minutes of acquisition andcontains full dimensional, texture
and colour information of work
faces. The real time digitized as
built model can be used for
dilution control, ore grading, rock
fault analysis and volume
calculations. As the models are tied to survey co-ordinates, they can be
immediately integrated into existing mine management software tools and
compared with mine plans, allowing changes in work scope to happen before
the next work shift.
Experience in demonstrating iMM has revealed that 3D models have the
potential to deliver significantly more accurate geological information of workings,
to streamline process, and improve productivity and safety. Developments are
continuing to integrate other sensor data into the 3D digitized model.
Open pit mining has become reliant on GPS for accurate mobile equipment
positioning and drill orientation. Using this technology in the underground
environment is far more challenging. MDA is currently developing a positioning
technology, coined U/GPS, that does not require supporting infrastructure to
locate mobile equipment in real time. U/GPS uses a variety of
on-board sensors and software algorithms to globally and accurately
locate mobile equipment in an underground environment. The
result is that underground mines can begin to track resources, and
make real time decisions that will impact safety and productivity.
The key to making informed processing or project decisions is the
acquisition of reliable, reproducible flotation data from a representative
ore sample. Canadian Process Technologies (CPT) Mini Pilot Plant
(MPP) has demonstrated advantages over conventional piloting
methods including smaller sample size requirements, reduced
operating time to steady state and the ability to perform variability
analysis.
The level of risk involved in financial investment decisions can be
reduced substantially when it can be confidently demonstrated how
ore will react in the milling and concentration process. Reducing
the risk and removing uncertainty are important outcomes of an
effective piloting programme. However, that process
becomes even more beneficial when it is timely,
widespread and at a reasonable cost.Investment dollars are sought after by many competing projects. Once an
ore deposit is identified it becomes important to prove its economic viability
quickly, firstly to attract those investment funds and secondly to reduce the
time to take the end product to market. Conventional pilot plants require a
finite period of time, i.e. build the pilot plant, sink the shaft and acquire the ore
sample.
The MPP is a completely operational self-contained modular unit which uses
only core samples, already acquired, for a complete detailed engineering analysis.
It is not unusual for the ore deposit to be spread out over a large expanse of
land area. Clearly the majority of ore deposits are not homogenous so it
becomes important to either assess the ore for differing variabilities, or to make
calculated assumptions based a single large shaft.
During the exploration phase core samples are generally extracted over the
expanse of the deposit. Therefore instead of assuming ore variability, a MPP is
able to process those same core samples taken from many different locations
within the deposit and to provide engineering data that incorporates ore
variability qualitatively.
Assessing the concentration process to obtain the engineering data necessary
to develop a final process flowsheet can be costly using a conventional full
scale pilot plant. The cost to build a full scale pilot plant is not insignificant and
can range from one to several million dollars. The personnel required to
operate and maintain the facility will add more costs. Also significant are the
costs to acquire a sufficient volume of sample: 10,000 kg or more for acomplete detailed ore analysis. Obtaining and transporting that much sample
ore is very costly.
Contrast that to a self-contained MPP that is able to provide the same high
level of engineering data and analysis for less than $0.5 million and using
already acquired core samples. Brazilian producer CVRD chose to use the MPP
approach to acquire critical operational information from core samples on its
Salobo and Sossego properties. Backing up CPTs claims for the MPP, CVRD has
reported that test work using the MPP to replicate a conventional pilot plant
was performed more quickly, and less expensively, and resulted in better
information and better decisions earlier in the evaluation of the deposits..
ConMico of Concord, specializes in custom-made high pressure pump systems
for mining applications. Its products include durable, lightweight grouting and
cement-injection plants for use in soil consolidation, grout jetting to 10,000 psi,
pile formation, tunnel forming and repairs, forming water curtains, back filling
and grouting of cracks in tunnels and mine shafts. For pump systems,
ConMico manufactures high pressure colloidal mixers, double drum mixers,
agitators, as well as accessories including packers, valves and high pressure
fittings. Shotcrete and concrete pumps are
54 International Mining FEBRUARY 2007
MINING CENTRES
Canadian Process Technologies Mini Processing
Plant is a completely operational self-contained
modular unit which uses only core samples, already acquired,
for a complete detailed engineering analysis.
Optech's tripod-mounted Cavity
Monitoring System collects thousand of
measurements per minute to determine
the dimensions of underground cavities.
A new addition to this technology is a
wireless feature enabling remote
operation.
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also available. ConMico engineers
and manufactures high pressure
water jet systems up to 50,000 psi
and up to 1,200 hp for jet boring,
underground hydraulic power units,
coating removal, de-scaling and
cutting. The companys latest
development is a hydro-rock fracturing
machine for high production mining
requirements. The companys latest
project was with Codelco Chile for a
hydro-rock fracturing machine for a
high production mining requirement.
NL Technologies (NLT) came into
existence in 1983 from a product
licensing agreement between Levitt-
Safety and a research project funded
by a consortium of several major
mining companies, many of whichare also headquarteredin Toronto. NLT
offers a complete line of miners cap
lamps, charging systems and more
recently a line of underground net-
work and communication solutions, branded as the Northern Light Digital
Mine. The most innovative solution so far is the Northern Light Messenger cap
lamp, which is an integration of two-way messaging, paging and emergency
alert functionality plus the cap lamp.
According to NLTs Vice-President of Sales & Marketing, James Hackwood,
location has turned out to be
very important indeed. Over
the past year we have sent our
expert team of engineers to
several mines to conduct
testing and site surveys for
underground digital networks.
Each mine is unique, this
makes on-site testing
important. Being able to go
into a mine and design the
best network possible is
important and being head-
quartered in a central and
international location like
Toronto, allows us the freedom
to do just that.
Foremost is a manufacturing
company with a diverse line ofheavy equipment, tooling
and accessories for a variety of
applications including
mining and mineral
exploration, transportation, water wells, construction, environmental and
geo-technical, seismic work, and oilfield drilling.
For the mining/mineral exploration sector, Foremost specializes in the
Exploration Series of drilling rigs, reverse circulation drill pipe, semi-automatic,
rig-mounted pipe handlers and drilling consumables such as rotary deck
ConMico specializes in custom-made high pressure pump systems for mining applications. The
companys latest development is a hydro-rock fracturing machine for high production mining
requirements.
02/07
26-28 June Hillhead Quarry Buxton England
www.hillhead.com
Hillhead 2007 7 Regent Street Nottingham NG1 5BS United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 115 945 3887 Fax: +44 (0) 115 958 2651 Email: hillhead@qmj.co.uk
http://www.hillhead.com/http://www.hillhead.com/8/13/2019 Greatest Mining Centre in World
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bushings, cushion connectors and floating cushion
subs. These products generate significant cost
savings, reduce maintenance requirements, and
improve drilling productivity and equipment life.
Foremosts Exploration Series of mineral
exploration drills are available in either tracked
(MPD 1500) or wheeled (W750) configurations.
The W750 is mounted on a proven, Foremost
designed, articulated carrier with large
floatation tires to minimize ground pressure. The
MPD 1500 provides all the benefits of the wheeled
units with a tracked undercarriage for extreme
climbing ability on steep grades and side slopes.
These units are highly mobile and provide
flexibility, reliability, and low environmental impact
on all terrain. These units feature leveling decks for
work on sloped terrain and are capable of RC
drilling. For monitoring of cuttings and sample
collection, an optional cyclone is available. Forextra pipe, water and fuel, Foremost also manu-
factures a support vehicle.
Over 40 years of experience in the manufacture
of RC products have led to durable, reliable, and
advanced drill pipe designs. Foremost offers
various drill pipe configurations, with or without
connector tubes, to suit customers requirements.
Foremost Floating Cushion Subs prolong top
drive bearings and gear life while providing a
means of making up and breaking out threaded
connections on casing and drill pipe. The allowable
axial movement of cushion subs sliding spindle
decreases both the impact on the rotary drive
when the two mating threads and the load on the
flanks of the treads of the components being
connected.
Replacing a friction or non-rotating bushing on
the deck of a blast hole drill, the Foremost Rotary
Deck Bushing reduces drill vibrations and friction
to drill string components and permits higher
operating speed. The Foremost Rotary Deck
Bushing provides stabilization for collaring in the
bit and increases bit life. No modifications to the
drill are required
Foremost Cushion Connectors have proven
track records in a broad range of applications
worldwide. It will assist in protecting the rotary
drive and mast assemblies against both torsional
and axial vibrations/shock loading in moderate and
extreme drilling conditions. Increased drill availability
and decreased drill maintenance provide quick
return on the investment.
Great minesAgnico-Eagle Mines is an international growth
company focused on gold, with operations in
Canada and advanced-stage projects and
opportunities in Canada, Mexico, Finland, and the
USA. Agnico-Eagles flagship LaRonde mine in the
Abitibi region of northwest Quebec is Canadas
largest gold deposit and is a strong foundation for
international
expansion.
Gold reserves
are 5.3
Moz.
LaRonde
includes
under-
ground
mining
operations, a mill
complex, a
MINING CENTRES
NL Technologies Messenger, developed in Toronto, is a
two-way messaging device integrated into the Northern
Light Cap Lamp that operates on an underground
wireless local area network. The Messenger device
contains an internal processor capable of
sending, storing, and deleting
messages.
Agnico-Eagles LaRonde property includes under-
ground mining operations, a mill complex, a
treatment plant, a secondary crusher building and
related facilities.
56 International Mining FEBRUARY 2007
Visit PAH & Runge at:
SME booths 623 & 625PDAC booths 310 & 312
www.pincock.com
43-101 Studies, Stock Exchange Listings
& IPOs
Audits & Third Party Reviews
Environmental & Mine Closure Services
Expert Witness, Legal & Insurance Support
Feasibility Studies
Independent Engineer / Due Diligence
Management & Operational Reviews
Market Support Services
Merger / Acquisition Support
Privatization & Advisory Support
Resource Modeling, Reserve Estimation
& Mine Planning
Valuation, Appraisal & Fairness Opinions
303-986-6950
Part of the Runge Group
pincockallen &holt
Over 38 years servingthe Minerals Industry
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