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This paper presents the results of a benchmarking study on face support practice in seismically active mines in Australia and Canada. The choice of ground support strategies is based on the anticipated strainburst hazard as well as corporate, legislative, and operational requirements. Although mines appear to employ similar face support standards, using friction rock stabilizers and mesh, the details and the resulting coverage vary from site to site. The variations in design and coverage result in significantly different residual risks. The case is made for documenting strainburst events at the mining face and using this information to formally assess the effectiveness of implemented face support practice at the various mine sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pareto-lognormal frequency distribution, which can result from multifractal cascade modeling, previously was shown to be useful to describe the worldwide size-frequency distributions of metals including copper, zinc, gold and silver in ore deposits. In this paper, it is shown that the model also can be used for the size-frequency distributions of these metals in Canada which covers 6.6% of the continental crust. Like their worldwide equivalents, these Canadian deposits show two significant departures from the Pareto-lognormal model: (1) there are too many small deposits, and (2) there are too few deposits in the transition zone between the central lognormal and the upper tail Pareto describing the size-frequency distribution of the largest deposits. Probable causes of these departures are: (1) historically, relatively many small ore deposits were mined before bulk mining methods became available in the twentieth century, and (2) economically, giant and supergiant deposits are preferred for mining and these have strongest geophysical and geochemical anomalies. It is shown that there probably exist many large deposits that have not been discovered or mined. Although overall the samples of the size-frequency distributions are very large, frequencies uncertainties associated with the largest deposits are relatively small and it remains difficult to estimate more precisely how many undiscovered mineral deposits there are in the upper tails of the size-frequency distributions of the metals considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geotechnical Journal is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The mining industry, considered a traditional and conservative industry with respect to innovation, finds itself at a turning point due to the increasingly complex challenges, such as declining ore grades. These challenges have created an imperative to innovate. Parallel to the above, several digital innovations are being implemented in many mining operations across the globe. Not only do these provide solutions to the existing problems but also radically transform mining processes, increasing efficiency, profitability, and the ability to comply with stricter regulations. The incorporation of mature and incipient technologies into the mining industry has opened up many opportunities for long-established firms as well as knowledge-based start-ups. This includes potential suppliers in countries where mining accounts for a significant share of the GDP but the development of productive linkages remains suboptimal, as in Latin American countries. While in recent years, some suppliers in Latin America have made important contributions to increasing innovation in the mining industry, most suppliers in the region have not been able to do so. This paper provides an overview of the innovation paradigm of the mining sector from a global perspective, i.e., how innovation processes take place in countries with a long-established technological leadership in the mining sector, such as Australia and Canada. Given the importance of suppliers in this process, a special attention is paid to innovation in various stages of the supply chain. This is in order to provide a departure point for identifying windows of opportunity for equipment and service suppliers in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The productivity of milling circuits is sensitive to the size of mill feed. Uncertainty about the size of caved ore presents unique challenges to forecasting and controlling mill throughput rates. Part I of this paper showed how fragmentation size and hang-up frequency relate to geology, proximity of drawpoints to the cave boundary and the height of draw at the New Afton mine. The second part, presented here, investigates the impact of varying caved fragment size on mill performance. Analysis of historical mine and mill data showed that mill feed size and subsequently mill throughput are sensitive to the areas being mucked within the cave. Fragmentation measurements of drawpoint muck, comminution tests and calibrated mill models were used to assess the impact of variations in feed size and hardness on New Afton mill performance. Image-based size analyses of drawpoint muck and comminution tests showed that coarser material generally contained harder rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geotechnical Journal is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dr. Cabri has a number of criticisms of Djon and Barnes (2012). Some of the criticisms are valid and are the result of what we consider to be minor errors and omissions that can occur when an M.Sc. is converted to a paper. However, none of these change our conclusions, and we stand by our interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

From the late 19th to the late 20th century, the cities and industries of the world became increasingly reliant on fireproof materials made from asbestos. In focusing on the town of Asbestos, Canada, this paper will show how this process of market boom and bust shaped a fierce local culture rooted in working and living on a rapidly changing environment. By analyzing the successive expansions of the giant mine located in the centre of Asbestos, this paper will highlight how unique understandings of self and place develop in mining communities and form a complex culture rooted in a constantly changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article contains a case study focusing on the safety procedures related to the mining industry in Canada. The purpose of the study was to identify the best mining practices in Canada. The paper contains an overview of the laws and procedures regulating the mining industry in Canada as well as the procedures for enforcing environmental and safety regulations. The procedures for changing and constantly updating the safety regulations are also being discussed. This was also done for the purpose of identifying the best practices. The article also addresses the procedure for investigating mining accidents in Canada. The article emphasizes the importance of a three-way partnership (management of the mining company, labor union, and the Ministry of Labor). That three-way partnership is important from the perspective of revising and modifying the mining safety regulations as well as enforcing those regulations. Participation of the labor union as well as the management of the mining company in updating safety regulations makes them more practical and reflective of real safety issues. Unpractical and obsolete mine safety regulations are being eliminated. The labor union and mine management feel the ownership of the mining safety regulations. This fact makes it easier to enforce new regulations. The article also focuses on environmental protection procedures. Environmental risk evaluation is conducted before a mining permit is issued. This is being done by the provincial government. During the mining operation, the Ministry of Labor is handling the environmental protection issues. The Ministry of Labor is constantly checking the compliance with the safety as well as the environmental and sustainability guidelines. Using artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technology is also being mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, mining engineers plan an open pit mine considering pre-established conditions of operation of the plant(s) derived from a previous plant optimization. By contrast, mineral processing engineers optimize the processing plants by considering a regular feed from the mine, with respect to quantity and quality of the materials. The methods implemented to optimize mine and metallurgical plans simultaneously are known in the mining industry as global or simultaneous optimizers. The development of these methods has been of major concern for the mining industry over the last decade. Some algorithms are available in commercial mining software packages however, these algorithms ignore the inherent geological uncertainty associated with the deposit being considered, which leads to shortfalls in production, quality, and expected cashflows. This paper presents a heuristic method to generate life-of-mine production schedules that consider operating alternatives for processing plants and incorporate geological uncertainty. The method uses iterative improvement by swapping periods and destinations of the mining blocks to generate the final solution. The implementation of the method at a copper deposit shows its ability to control mine and processing capacities while increasing the expected net present value by 30% when compared with a solution generated using a standard industry practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the dual disciplinary perspective of law and political economy, this papers draws on a select literature to identify (1) two characteristics of Canadian mining rights and regulations which may generate social dissatisfaction, (2) the two main techniques currently implemented in order to answer social demands, including those of indigenous peoples and communities, and (3) three important governance 'transformations' emerging from these phenomena. It concludes with a number of lessons. In spite of the ongoing and recent efforts to reform the mining regime in certain provinces or territories, mining rights and regulations in Canada are still based on the free mining principle where mining is paramount to any other activity, be it social or economic. Efforts to respond to dissatisfaction over extraction projects and social demand for changes have focused on strengthening negotiated local economic benefits and a quest for local support in order to ensure the social acceptability of projects in the sector. These phenomena lead to three major ongoing governance transformations: the regulatory stalemate in spite of the need for reform, ongoing shifts in multi-level governance, and the devolution of responsibilities to the private sector. In the context of the stronghold of the free mining principle and negotiated agreements, the focus on social acceptability takes for granted or even reinforces the withdrawal and selective absence of public authorities and overlooks their possible roles and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on early work and concept development for Optimal Mine Site Energy Supply, where the specific energy supply requirements and constraints for mineral production operations are considered against methodologies that have been applied for other sectors and in other energy policy regimes. The primary motivation for this research is to help ensure that Canadian mineral producers will achieve reduced production costs through improvements in the efficiency with which they consume energy resources. Heat has not yet been considered for the mining sector in an integrated manner, which makes polygeneration of great interest. The methodology that optimizes configuration of polygeneration systems for mine sites has not been reported before. The variety of mining circumstances, temporal variations in energy prices, institutional inertia, and conservatism in design for mines are some of the reasons for this. This paper reviews some aspects of precedent energy management practice in mineral operations, which highlights energy challenges characteristic of the sector and sets out the initial formulation of optimal mine site energy supply. The review indicates the additional benefits of energy supply systems for mine sites that concurrently meet all utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate is an important component of the operating environment for the Canadian mining sector. However, in recent years mines across Canada have been affected by significant climatic hazards, several which are regarded to be symptomatic of climate change. For the mining sector, climate change is a pressing environmental threat and a significant business risk. The extent to which the mining sector is able to mitigate its own impact and adapt to climate change will affect its long-term success and prosperity, and have profound economic consequences for host communities. This paper draws upon case studies conducted with mining operations in Canada involving in-depth interviews with mining professionals and analysis of secondary sources to characterize the vulnerability of the Canadian mining industry to climate change. Five key findings are discussed: i) mines in the case studies are affected by climate events that are indicative of climate change, with examples of negative impacts over the past decade; ii) most mine infrastructure has been designed assuming that the climate is not changing; iii) most industry stakeholders interviewed view climate change as a minor concern; iv) limited adaption planning for future climate change is underway; v) significant vulnerabilities exist in the post-operational phase of mines. This paper argues for greater collaboration among mining companies, regulators, scientists and other industry stakeholders to develop practical adaptation strategies that can be integrated into existing and new mine operations, including in the post-operational phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evolution in tactical mine management systems is underway, powered by IT and new management tools. This paper considers the specific data infrastructure needs for such systems that were identified in field studies in operating underground metal mines. These were formulated into a methodology to create a mine-focused information system through structured data modelling and process mapping. The importance of data items particular to mining systems became evident through this study, such as workplace, process descriptions, and details of production process outputs. Some of these new data items can be used to integrate data thereby enabling new management tools and techniques. The application of the data infrastructure design methodology at operating mines was seen to improve management's understanding of the production system and to enable the creation of tactical management tools. This paper discusses the need, principles, and specifics of designing a data infrastructure specifically for underground metal mining. It stems from a collaborative PhD study that developed a methodology to create a tactical mine management system that was applied in underground mines in the Sudbury basin, in Ontario Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geotechnical Journal is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law & Policy is the property of McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law & Policy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Native Studies is the property of Brandon University, CJNS, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aboriginal law has developed to require Aboriginal peoples to be "consulted and accommodated" if their rights may be impacted by a government decision, including a government permit or approval of a project of a private proponent. For example, hunting rights often exist throughout a First Nation's treaty or traditional territory (i.e. far beyond the limits of reserves), and the duty to consult and accommodate can be triggered by mining and other resource development. Contrary to the common understanding of some of those unfamiliar with this area of law, this duty applies not only to activities undertaken under federal authorization, but also to those under provincial authorization. The Crown's "duty to consult and accommodate" Aboriginal peoples has become a central theme in the discussion of natural resource development in Canada. In response to various decisions of Canadian courts, the Government of Ontario significantly overhauled its Mining Act in 2009 to provide for some consultation with Aboriginal communities. Those changes came in to effect in the spring of 2013. This paper will describe the constitutional duty to consult as it has been described and elaborated on by courts in Canada and some of the implications it has for resource extraction in Ontario. It will then undertake a case study discussing Ontario's attempt to respond to its duty to consult by amending the Mining Act regime. Finally, the paper will consider the flaws in the Mining Act and the reasons that exploration companies and surveyors working for them should be prudent and pro-active when undertaking intrusive activities in the traditional territories of Aboriginal peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]