News - 2015 Archive | The Mining Association of Nova Scotia

News - 2015 Archive

December 15, 2015
ONE MONTH UNTIL EARLY BIRD DEADLINE IN STUDENT VIDEO CONTEST
OVER $8000 IN CASH PRIZES

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is reminding junior high and high school students that January 15 is the early deadline in the “Mining ROCKS! Video Contest”. Students who have submitted their entries by that date will be entered into a draw for $500.

The contest, which is open to all junior high and high school students in Nova Scotia, encourages kids to produce short videos about mining and quarrying. The winners in five different categories will be awarded $1000, with $500 going to the runner-ups.

“The videos can be about virtually any aspect of mining and quarrying, including its economic importance, environment and reclamation, historical facts and beneficial end-uses of mining products,” said Sean Kirby, MANS’ Executive Director. “And we encourage students to have fun with it – to be creative and make their video stand out from the crowd.”

“I am very pleased to be a judge for the video contest and to work in partnership with the mining association on educating students about the industry,” said Membertou Chief Terry Paul, one of the contest judges. “We all want to create more opportunities and a brighter future for our children, and the video contest is a good way to teach them about mining.”

Students will upload their videos to the MANS website and a panel of judges, who are mainly independent of the industry, will pick the winners for the Best Junior High School Video, Best High School Video, Best Comedy (a new category this year) and Best 30-Second Commercial.

The fifth category, the People’s Choice winner, will be decided by the public through an online vote.

The final deadline for entries is February 26, 2016.

For more information, go to www.NotYourGrandfathersMining.ca/contest

October 5, 2015
Student Mining Videos Rock Nova Scotia TV screens this month
“Mining ROCKS!” airs on Eastlink TV

Halifax, NS - Videos produced by Nova Scotia students about mining and quarrying will be featured on Eastlink TV this month thanks to a partnership between the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) and Eastlink TV.

“Students from across the province created incredibly clever and interesting videos about mining and quarrying,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “We are delighted that Eastlink TV is making these videos available to viewers across the province.”

The half-hour show features entries in the MANS’ “Mining ROCKS! Video Contest and interviews with students who made the videos, as well as Membertou Chief Terry Paul, and tours of a producing coal mine and several reclaimed mines.

“At Eastlink we pride ourselves on being ‘truly local’ and are pleased to present programming made by these talented Nova Scotia youth,” says Lee Bragg, CEO of Eastlink.

Hosted by Sackville High School student Levi Marshall, a self-described “proud Mi’kmaq” and winner of the Best High School video category, Mining ROCKS!” will air on Eastlink TV - Channels 10 (SD) and 610 (HD) - Saturdays at 5:00 pm and Mondays at 6:30 pm for the entire month of October and OnDemand.

MANS’ 2016 video contest is now open. Submissions can be made across five different categories. The winners will be awarded $1000; runners-up will receive $500.

The deadline for video entries is February 26, 2016. In addition, students who get their videos in by January 15, 2016 will be entered into a $500 “early bird” draw.

For more information, go to http://NotYourGrandfathersMining.ca/contest

September 21, 2015
MANS LAUNCHES SECOND YEAR OF THE “MINING ROCKS! VIDEO CONTEST”
OVER $8000 IN CASH PRIZES

As students settle into the new school year, the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is hoping to inspire junior high and high schools to get creative – and win big.

Today, MANS announced that the “Mining ROCKS! Video Contest” is back for a second year. The contest, which is open to all junior high and high school students in Nova Scotia, encourages kids to produce short videos about mining and quarrying. The winners in five different categories will be awarded $1000, with $500 going to the runner-up.

“The videos can be about virtually any aspect of mining and quarrying, including its economic importance, environment and reclamation, historical facts and beneficial end-uses of mining products,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director. “And we encourage students to have fun with it – to be creative and make their video stand out from the crowd.”

“I am very pleased to be a judge for the video contest and to work in partnership with the mining association on educating students about the industry,” said Membertou Chief Terry Paul. “We all want to create more opportunities and a brighter future for our children, and the
video contest is a good way to teach them about mining.”

Students will upload their video to the MANS website and a panel of judges, who are mainly independent of the industry, will pick the winners for the Best Junior High School Video, Best High School Video, Best Comedy (a new category this year) and Best 30-Second Commercial.

The fifth category, the People’s Choice winner, will be decided by the public through an online vote.

The judging panel includes Lloyd Hines, Minister of Natural Resources, Membertou Chief Terry Paul, as well as several accomplished film and media professionals.

The deadline for video entries is February 26, 2016. In addition, students who get their videos in by January 15, 2016 will be entered into a $500 “early bird” draw.

For more information, go to http://NotYourGrandfathersMining.ca/contest

June 26, 2015
MANS INVITES MLAs TO “SCRATCH & LOSE”
Unusual scratch cards promote new web site: www.800LostJobs.ca

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia is giving MLAs some unusual scratch cards to educate them about the industry's challenges.

“Mining and quarrying is a large and important industry in Nova Scotia – we employ 5500 people and generate $420 million per year in economic activity – but we also face significant challenges,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “We have had a lot of bad news in recent years, including the loss of over 800 jobs. The good news is there are easy things the provincial government can do to help the industry create jobs for Nova Scotians, particularly in rural areas.”

The scratch cards look like lotto cards but instead of scratching to see whether you have won a prize, scratching reveals statistics about how the industry is struggling. The cards promote a new web site being launched by MANS - www.800LostJobs.ca – which highlights that:

The industry has lost over 800 jobs since 2008.
Nova Scotia is the highest cost jurisdiction in Canada in terms of tax/royalty payments to the provincial government.
Nova Scotia is seen as the least attractive province for mining companies to invest in.

The site also lists policy proposals that would help the industry grow and create jobs, including giving mining/quarrying the same fuel tax rebate other resource industries get.

“Government policies are making it harder to explore, open mines and create jobs for Nova Scotians,” said Kirby. “We need to do a better job attracting investment and showing the world that we are open for business.”

April 29, 2015
SURVEY: GOVERNMENT POLICIES BIGGEST OBSTACLE FOR MINING INDUSTRY
98% feeling less optimistic about industry’s future post-budget

Nova Scotia’s mining industry is feeling less optimistic about its future in the wake of a broken government promise to give the industry the fuel tax rebate in 2015, according to a recent survey.

“Mining and quarrying is a large and important industry in Nova Scotia – we employ 5500 people and generate $420 million per year in economic activity – but we also face significant challenges,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS). “We need the provincial government to help us grow and create jobs for Nova Scotians. We need the government to follow through on its promise to give us the fuel tax rebate and fix other policy problems that are hurting the industry.”

An industry survey conducted by MANS following the provincial budget shows that many industry players feel a lack of government support is harming the industry.

The survey asked: “Given the provincial government's decision not to extend the fuel tax rebate to the mining/quarrying industry in the recent budget, do you feel more or less optimistic about the future of the industry in Nova Scotia?” 98% of survey respondents chose “less optimistic.”

For the first time in the two years that MANS has conducted the survey, government regulation was chosen as the biggest obstacle companies face. All past surveys showed that the general state of the economy was the industry’s biggest challenge.

Asked whether the Government of Nova Scotia's overall impact on the industry was positive, negative or neutral, 80% chose negative; 20% chose neutral; and no one chose positive.

The industry survey was conducted April 21-28. The 51 respondents included the full range of industry players: producers, prospectors/explorers and service/supply companies.

According to various studies, Nova Scotia’s mining and quarrying industry lost 800 jobs in the past half dozen years; Nova Scotia is the highest cost jurisdiction in Canada in terms of tax and royalty payments to the provincial government; and global mining executives see Nova Scotia as the least attractive province in which to invest.

April 20, 2015
MANS: BAD NEWS KEEPS PILING UP
Government policies contribute to mining industry’s challenges

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia is sending cards to MLAs to highlight bad news the industry has faced recently, and to call on the government to help the industry create jobs.

“Mining and quarrying is a large and important industry in Nova Scotia – we employ 5500 people and generate $420 million per year in economic activity – but we also face significant challenges,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “We need the provincial government to help us grow and create jobs for Nova Scotians. We need the government to follow through on its promise to give us the fuel tax rebate and fix other policy problems that are hurting the industry.”

The cards to MLAs highlight that:

The industry lost 800 jobs in the past half dozen years, and its economic output shrank by $80 million per year.
Nova Scotia is the highest-cost jurisdiction in Canada in terms of tax/royalty payments to the provincial government.
A global survey of mining executives shows that Nova Scotia is seen as the least attractive province in which to invest. 2014 was the sixth year in a row that Nova Scotia ranked last in Canada.
The Ivany Commission said traditional industries like mining and quarrying "will provide the essential foundations for Nova Scotia's rural economy." However, Ivany also highlighted the need for government to "provide a modern and responsive legislative framework to support and promote sustainable mineral resource management."

The cards note several policy proposals that would help the industry grow and create jobs, including giving mining/quarrying the same fuel tax rebate other resource industries get. The industry was disappointed the government did not fulfill its commitment to starting giving the rebate to mining in the 2015 budget.

A November 10, 2014 news release issued by Natural Resources Minister Churchill promised that the industry would start receiving the rebate in 2015: “Mr. Churchill said the government will start phasing in a fuel-tax rebate program for mining and quarrying vehicles, and introduce a revised Mineral Resources Act, in 2015.” The government news release is available at: http://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20141110002. A May 13, 2014 letter from Minister Whalen also made clear that 2015 was the year the industry would start receiving it: “A phase-in of the rebate over the final three years of our mandate is the most reasonable approach.” The letter is at http://tmans.ca/images/Whalen-rebate-letter-2014-05-13.pdf.

April 15, 2015
AND THE WINNER IS…
Winners announced in student video contest

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia's is pleased to announce the winners of its "Mining ROCKS! Video Contest."

“Students from across the province created incredibly clever and interesting videos about mining and quarrying,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS). “We congratulate all the students for their excellent work and thank them for participating in the contest.”

The videos can be viewed at: http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/your-winners-are.

The winners of the contest are:

Best High School Video: Levi Marshall ($1500) from Sackville High School ($500).
Best Junior High Video: Nicholas Adams ($1500) from Five Bridges Junior High School ($500).
Best 30-Second Commercial: Jerry Li ($1500) from Halifax West High School ($500).
CIM Foundation People's Choice Award: Jerry Li ($1500) from Halifax West High School ($500).

Other prizes/donations:

Early Bird Draw: Grace Naugler and Raegyn Judge from Hebbville Academy. Naugler and Judge shared a $500 prize.
$1000 donation to Lunenburg County YMCA for the first entry in the contest which was submitted by grade 11 student Blake Holland.
$1000 donation to Hebbville Academy for the second and third entries in the contest, which were both submitted by Grace Naugler and Raegyn Judge.
$500 donation to Sackville High School for the school draw.

Twenty-one videos were submitted to the contest by junior high and high school students from across Nova Scotia. There were over 1100 votes for the CIM Foundation People's Choice Award.

The contest’s panel of judges includes Zach Churchill, Minister of Natural Resources, Membertou Chief Terry Paul, Cecil Clarke, Mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality as well as accomplished film and media professionals.

The contest awarded over $11,000 in prizes and donations in its first year.

All donations to schools and non-profit organizations come with no strings attached and can be spent on each organization's priorities.

Nova Scotia's mining and quarrying industry is a key creator of jobs and prosperity for Nova Scotians. It provides 5,500 jobs, mostly in rural areas, and contributes $420 million dollars to the province's economy each year. The Ivany Commission said traditional industries like mining and quarrying "will provide the essential foundations for Nova Scotia's rural economy."

April 9, 2015
MANS DISAPPOINTED WITH BUDGET
Fuel tax rebate promise not fulfilled

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is disappointed the provincial government has not followed through on a promise to start giving the fuel tax rebate to the mining and quarrying industry this year.

“The government promised it would start giving us the rebate in 2015 to support the industry and help us create jobs, particularly in rural areas," said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia. "We are disappointed the government has not fulfilled this commitment."

The provincial fuel tax is supposed to help pay for public roads and highways by charging the vehicle owners who use them. The government gives other resource industries a tax rebate for fuel used in vehicles that do not go on public roads, such as fishing boats, farm tractors and forestry harvesters. Nova Scotia does not give the rebate to mining and quarrying.

Nova Scotia’s mining and quarrying industry employs 5500 people and generates $420 million per year in economic activity. However, it also faces significant challenges:

According to 2013 research commissioned by the government, Nova Scotia’s mining and quarrying industry lost approximately 800 jobs in the previous five years, and its economic output shrank by $80 million per year.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nova Scotia is the highest cost jurisdiction in Canada in terms of tax/royalty payments to the provincial government.
According to the Fraser Institute’s global survey of mining executives, Nova Scotia is seen as the least attractive province for mining companies to invest in. 2014 was the sixth year in a row that Nova Scotia ranked last in Canada.

March 22, 2015
WEDNESDAY IS PEOPLE’S CHOICE VOTING DEADLINE
1000 votes cast so far in student video contest

There are only three more days to pick your favourite video in the Mining Association of Nova Scotia's "Mining ROCKS! Video Contest."

“Students from across the province created incredibly clever and interesting videos about mining and quarrying,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS). “Over one thousand votes have been cast so far in the People’s Choice category and the competition is fierce. We hope more people will vote in the next few days and support these talented students.”

Twenty-one videos were submitted to the contest by junior high and high school students from across Nova Scotia. The videos can be viewed and voted on at: www.NotYourGrandfathersMining.ca/the-vote. The CIM Foundation People's Choice Award voting closes on Wednesday, March 25th.

All members of the public are invited to vote for the People's Choice. You can vote for multiple videos, but you can only vote for each video once.

The winner of the CIM Foundation People's Choice category will receive $1500, plus $500 will be donated to their school or non-profit organization. All donations to schools and non-profit organizations come with no strings attached and can be spent on each school's or organization's priorities.

There are three other prize categories in addition to the People's Choice: Best Junior High School Video, Best High School Video, and Best 30 Second Commercial. A panel of judges will pick the winners of these categories. The panel includes Zach Churchill, Minister of Natural Resources, Membertou Chief Terry Paul, Cecil Clarke, Mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality as well as accomplished film and media professionals.

The contest will award over $9000 in prizes in its first year.

February 25, 2015
AND THE WINNER IS....
Up to you

The deadline for entries into the Mining Association of Nova Scotia's (MANS) "Mining ROCKS! Video Contest" has come and gone, and now it's time to vote for your favorite video. The CIM Foundation People's Choice Award voting kicks off today and closes March 25th.

"We asked junior high and high school kids to produce short videos about mining and quarrying and to have fun with it - to be creative and make their video stand out from the crowd," said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. "They certainly rose to the challenge. The entries are in and now it's time for the public to decide which video is the People's Choice."

Twenty-one videos were submitted to the contest by junior high and high school students from across Nova Scotia. The videos can be viewed and voted on at: http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/the-vote.

All members of the public are invited to vote for the People's Choice. You can vote for multiple videos, but you can only vote for each video once.

The contest will award over $9000 in prizes in its first year.

February 10, 2015
LAST CALL FOR CONTEST ENTRIES
February 20 is deadline in student video contest

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is reminding junior high and high school students that there are less than two weeks to go until the final deadline in the Mining ROCKS! Video Contest… and there is lots of cash up for grabs.

“The Mining ROCKS! Video Contest is is open to all junior high and high school students in Nova Scotia,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “We are asking kids to produce short videos about mining and quarrying and to have fun with it – to be creative and make their video stand out from the crowd.”

So far, MANS has awarded “extra incentive” donations to the Lunenburg County YMCA and Hebbville Academy. Both organizations received $1000 thanks to some pretty creative kids – Blake Holland, Grace Naugler and Raegyn Judge. In addition, Grace Naugler and Raegyn Judge’s video won the “early bird draw”, worth $500.

The videos are available at http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/submissions.

All donations to schools and non-profit organizations come with no strings attached and can be spent on each school’s or organization’s priorities.

Contest winners in each of four different categories will be awarded $1500, with $500 going to their school or non-profit organization. The contest will award over $9000 in prizes in its first year.

The judging panel includes Zach Churchill, Minister of Natural Resources, Membertou Chief Terry Paul, Cecil Clarke, Mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality as well as accomplished film and media professionals.

The final deadline for entries is February 20, 2015. The CIM Foundation People’s Choice voting begins February 25th and goes until March 25th. Prizes will be awarded in April.

January 22, 2015
MANS HANDS OUT “EARLY BIRD” PRIZE
$500 GOES TO LUCKY SOUTH SHORE JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) today announced the winners of the “early bird” draw for the Mining ROCKS! Video Contest.

Junior High student Grace Naugler, of Bridgewater, is the lucky winner of $500 along with her friend Raegyn Judge. The Hebbville Academy students submitted two videos to the contest: “Mining In Nova Scotia” and “Exporting Aggregate from Nova Scotia”.

As luck would have it, Grace and Raegyn submitted the second and third entries to the contest, earning two $500 donations for their school, totalling $1000. High school student Blake Holland, who attends Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School, submitted the first video to the contest, which earned $1000 for the Lunenburg County YMCA.

“The Mining Rocks Video Contest is is open to all junior high and high school students in Nova Scotia,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “We are asking kids to produce short video about mining and quarrying and to have fun with it – to be creative and make their video stand out from the crowd.”

When informed that his school would receive a $1000 donation thanks to Grace and Raegyn’s videos, Hebbville Academy Principal Stephen Johnson said: "Hebbville Academy is very proud of our students, Raegyn Judge and Grace Naugler. The hard work and creative spirit demonstrated in their educational mining videos will serve to benefit all of our school community. Many thanks to The Mining Association of Nova Scotia!"

The videos are available at http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/submissions.

All donations to schools and non-profit organizations come with no strings attached and can be spent on each school’s or organization’s priorities.

Contest winners in each of four different categories will be awarded $1500, with $500 going to their school or non-profit organization. The contest will award over $9000 in prizes in its first year.

The final deadline for entries is February 20, 2015. Prizes will be awarded in April.

For more information, go to http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/contest

January 12, 2015
MANS DONATES TO SOUTH SHORE SCHOOL, YMCA
$2000 DONATED AS PART OF MINING ROCKS! VIDEO CONTEST

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is making financial donations to two south shore organizations thanks to some pretty creative kids.

As part of its Mining Rocks Video Contest, MANS is donating $1000 to the Lunenburg County YMCA and $1000 Hebbville Academy because students in their programs made the first entries in the contest.

High school student Blake Holland, who attends Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School, submitted the first video to the contest, which earned $1000 for the Lunenburg County YMCA. "This award means a lot to me,” said Blake. “I was happy to raise money for the YMCA. I am excited that this money will be put towards the Cooking Programs, Youth Leadership Programs and other programs at the YMCA King Street Youth Centre. This was a great opportunity."

Junior high students Raegyn Judge and Grace Naugler, who both attend Hebbville Academy, submitted the second and third videos to the contest, earning two $500 donations for the school, totalling $1000.

"Hebbville Academy is very proud of our students, Raegyn Judge and Grace Naugler”, said Stephen Johnson, Principal of Hebbville Academy. “The hard work and creative spirit demonstrated in their educational mining videos will serve to benefit all of our school community. Many thanks to The Mining Association of Nova Scotia!"

The videos are available at http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/submissions.

All donations to schools and non-profit organizations come with no strings attached and can be spent on each school’s or organization’s priorities.

Contest winners in each of four different categories will be awarded $1500, with $500 going to their school or non-profit organization. The contest will award over $9000 in prizes in its first year.

The deadline for videos to be entered into a $500 “early bird” draw is January 16. The final deadline for entries is February 20, 2015. Prizes will be awarded in April.

For more information, go to http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/contest

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