News - 2019 Archive

May 13, 2019
NOVA SCOTIA GOLD SHOW COMING TO HALIFAX
Conference to showcase opportunities in province’s gold rush

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) will be holding the first ever Nova Scotia Gold Show in October.

“Nova Scotia is in the middle of a gold rush,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “One gold mine opened in 2017, four are in the permitting process and there is a lot of exploration taking place. The Nova Scotia Gold Show will be an opportunity for investors and exploration companies to learn about the exciting opportunities in Nova Scotia.”

The Gold Show will take place October 17-19, 2019 in Halifax:

• A tour of Atlantic Gold’s Touquoy gold mine will take place on Thursday, October 17. Due to space limitations, the tour is for investors only. The successful opening of Touquoy in 2017 triggered a rush of staking and gold exploration in Nova Scotia.
• October 18 will feature a series of speakers discussing gold projects and the province’s geology for gold at the Alt Hotel at Halifax airport.
• October 19 will feature site visits for attendees who want to visit some of the projects being discussed, including Anaconda Mining’s Goldboro Gold Project.

Featured speakers will include:

• Atlantic Gold, which opened the Touquoy gold mine in 2017 as part of its Moose River Consolidated Project (MRCP). The mine, the first of four planned in the MRCP, is expected to produce between 92,000 and 98,000 ounces of gold in 2019 at All-In-Sustaining-Costs between CAD$695 - $755 / oz. (US$521-566/oz. @ 0.75 USD/CAD) (atlanticgoldcorporation.com/).
• Anaconda Mining which is currently doing permitting for the Goldboro Gold Project, an advanced exploration and development project on Nova Scotia’s eastern shore. Anaconda also operates the Point Rousse Project located in the Baie Verte Mining District in Newfoundland. (anacondamining.com).
• Northern Shield Resources, while better known for generating high-quality Ni-Cu-PGE targets, recognized a unique opportunity that came its way in 2017. This led to the discovery of a large, low sulphidation epithermal gold system in Nova Scotia, the first of its kind in the province. Such systems are highly prized for their potential to host “bonanza” gold and silver grades (northern-shield.com/).
• Transition Metals whose Highland Gold project is a large regional stream sediment gold anomaly in the Cape Breton Highlands. It has similar geology to deposits in the Carolinas, Newfoundland and the British Islands. Work by Transition identifies potential for high sulphidation gold systems on the property (transitionmetalscorp.com/).
• Osprey Gold which has a portfolio of highly prospective gold assets in Nova Scotia’s most prolific mining district. The Company’s flagship project is Goldenville, located in the historical mining district of the same name – one of eastern Canada’s most significant gold belts. ospreygold.com/

More details about the conference are at tmans.ca/goldshow.

The Nova Scotia Gold Show is being organized by MANS in partnership with the Nova Scotia Prospectors Association and the Government of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia’s mining and quarrying industry employs 5500 Nova Scotians and generates $420 million per year in economic activity.

April 15, 2019
AND THE WINNER IS...
Winners announced in student video contest

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia 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."

"Congratulations to all students who took part in this year's contest, which showcases the importance of mining to our province's economy," said Energy and Mines Minister Derek Mombourquette. "This project helps students and adults better understand how mining contributes to job creation, opportunities for young people and a brighter future for Nova Scotia."

The videos can be viewed at: http://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/contest

The winners and runners-up of the contest are:

Best High School Video

• Winner: Christelinda Laureijs ($750), Homeschool, for "Times Have Changed"
• 1st Runner-up: Dongjia Jiang ($500) from Citadel High School for "No Picaxes. Not Disctrict 12."
• 2nd Runner-up: Olivia Cook and Bella Rivard ($250) from Forest Heights, for "Pick My Mind About It"

Best Junior High Video

• Winner: Katherine Sneddon-Simons and Rhianna Waligura-Newman ($750) from Gorsebrook Junior High, for "Mining's Got Your Back"
• 1st Runner-up: Quleanja Laureijs ($500), Homeschool, for "Salt Mining"
• 2nd Runner-up: 3 WAY TIE
  • Madison Sanford ($83) from Gorsebrook Junior High, for "Mining Interview"
  • Danika Reede ($83) from Gorsebrook Junior High, for "Why Mining is Better Now"
  • Dante & Yanic Jirotka ($83) from Hebbville Academy, for "Mining Matters"

Best Comedy

• Winner: Nicole Dion ($750) from Charles P Allen High School for "The Mining Rap"
• 1st Runner-up: Danika Reede ($500) from Gorsebrook Junior High for "The Mining Fairy"
• 2nd Runner-up: Katherine Sneddon-Simons and Rhianna Waligura-Newman ($250) from Gorsebrook Junior High for "Rock's Got Talent"

Best 30-Second Commercial

• Winner: Thomas Adams ($750) from Five Bridges Junior High for "Mining: A Modern Industry"
• 1st Runner-up: Dongjia Jiang ($500) from Citadel High School for "Life with Mining vs Life Without"
• 2nd Runner-up: Yanic Jirotka ($250) from Park View Education Centre for "Mining in Our Everyday Lives"

People's Choice

• Winner: Mikka Kaulback ($750) from Bridgewater Junior High for "My My ... Mining"
• 1st Runner-up: Mikka Kaulback ($500) from Bridgewater Junior High for "Mining Ad"
• 2nd Runner-up: Dongjia Jiang ($250) from Citadel High School for "No Picaxes. Not District 12."

The contest awarded $8000 in prizes and in its fifth year.

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."

The list of judges is below.

The 2019 Mining ROCKS! Video Contest Judging Panel:

1. Hon. Derek Mombourquette, Minister of Energy and Mines

2. Bill Mills, Mayor of Truro

3. Ernie Gilbert, Councillor, Municipality of the County of Cumberland

4. Bill Masters, Councillor, Municipality of the County of Colchester

5. Lloyd MacDougall, Band Manager, Acadia First Nation

6. Barry Carroll, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of the District of Guysborough

7. Cecilia Jamasmie, Editor, mining.com

8. Rhonda Ann MacDonald, Manager, Eastlink TV Community Programming, Halifax

9. Patrick McCarron, IT/AV Media Services Specialist, Nova Scotia Community College

10. Martha Cooley, Executive Director, Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative

11. Iain MacLeod, ad writer and marketing consultant

12. Phil Demont, freelance business and economics reporter

13. Jeff Newton, Past President, Mining Association of Nova Scotia

March 26, 2019
MANS APPLAUDS BUDGET
Provincial budget includes funding boost for prospecting and exploration

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) is pleased that the new provincial government budget includes a significant funding increase for the Mineral Resources Development Fund (MRDF).

“The province’s mining and quarrying industry employs 5500 Nova Scotians and there is great potential for us to create more jobs, especially in rural areas,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “The funding increase for the Mineral Resources Development Fund is another smart, strategic investment in job creation by the provincial government. MRDF is helping us find the mines and quarries of tomorrow, and creating more jobs for Nova Scotians.”

MRDF is a grant program that supports mineral exploration, research and education. It received $700,000 in last year’s budget but was allocated $1.5 million in the 2019-2020 budget. The increase fulfills a campaign commitment by the Nova Scotia Liberal Party to fund the program at $1.5 million per year. Details on MRDF are available at novascotia.ca

The budget did not include funding for Minerals Play Fairway (MPF), a proposed $19.5 million geophysical survey program that would help boost the industry by increasing knowledge of Nova Scotia’s geology. The program would also have many health, safety and environmental benefits such as:

• Helping find areas with potential for sinkholes. Sinkholes like the one in Oxford are usually caused by minerals naturally eroding in groundwater, which eventually causes the ground above to collapse. Identifying areas with higher potential for sinkholes would help the provincial and municipal governments with land-use planning and keep Nova Scotians and our infrastructure safe.
• Identifying areas with elevated uranium levels so governments can better-manage exposure to radon and uranium in well water. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer – an estimated 114 Nova Scotians die from exposure to it each year.
• Helping find and manage underground water sources, which is important as we deal with impacts from climate change.

More details on MPF are available at http://tmans.ca/minerals-play-fairway

“We understand that the province’s fiscal situation made it impossible to fund Minerals Play Fairway this year and we respect the tough choices government has to make,” said Kirby. “We appreciate the government’s strong support of our industry and look forward to working with the province on Minerals Play Fairway as funding becomes available.”

January 28, 2019
WAGE SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS HIGH PAY IN MINING INDUSTRY
Mining is the highest-paying resource industry in Nova Scotia

The Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) has released a survey of the province’s mining companies that illustrates the industry’s excellent wages.

“Mining and quarrying is the highest-paying resource industry in Nova Scotia,” said Sean Kirby, Executive Director of MANS. “Averages wages in mining are over $55,000 per year. An entry-level job, such as haul truck driver, pays an average of $25 per hour.”

MANS recently surveyed its producer members about several hourly positions on mine and quarry sites to get illustrative examples of the industry’s wages. The results were:

• Haul truck driver: $25.01
• Excavator operator: $27.93
• Electrician: $33.37
• Heavy duty mechanic: $31.31
• Millwright: $32
• Blaster: $31.73
• Mill/crusher operator: $27.99

According to the Nova Scotia Department of Finance, the average wage for all occupations in the province is $23.70 per hour, $1.31 per hour less than an entry-level job in the mining industry.

“Two big new mines opened in Nova Scotia in 2017 and created hundreds of new jobs, mainly in rural areas,” said Kirby. “Several additional projects are in the permitting stage now. It is an exciting time in the province’s mining industry and we are proud to be creating good, high-paying jobs for Nova Scotians.”

The survey focussed on positions that pay hourly rates because they are easier to compare on an apples-to-apples basis. It did not ask about higher-paying positions that pay annualized salaries, such as geoscientists, engineers and environmental scientists, because their specializations make direct comparisons difficult.

The mining and quarrying industry employs 5500 Nova Scotians and generates $420 million per year in economic activity.

The wage survey was conducted in January 2019.