Saving Communities Group to hold Meet in the Fort

S.T.R.O.N.G. is a Northern Ontario nonprofit group from a dozen communities in Northern Ontario. Its main objective is to prevent the destruction, dismantling and ongoing depopulation of Northern Ontario communities that is happening as a result of poor or discriminatory government policies, as well as the failure of multinational corporations to adapt, reinvest and innovate in Northern Ontario by adding value to the region’s raw resources.
The President of the group, Al Simard will be at CNC in Fort St. James to talk about the experiences which are very similar to ours.
"Despite contributing enormously to provincial government coffers, both regions have a profound sense of alienation from the provincial legislatures and corporate boardrooms to the South."
Mark this on your calendar:
Fort St. James:
7pm, Monday, April 21
Fort St. James Campus, College of New Caledonia
Simard is also scheduled to speak in Prince George and Mackenzie
--- full story from Opinion 250

Project Endurance

Canfor is embarking on Project Endurance, a plan to run Apr 1 2008 - Apr 1 2009 to reduce all costs by 10%. It's also asking contractors to follow along. As in the near future, they'll be 'enduring' rising fuel costs and a newly imposed Carbon Tax, it means they are being asked to submit 10% lower bids when costs will be higher than they are now. We realize Canfor's lost $360 million last ear, but really, how much are people supposed to endure? Proposing that if people suffer even more, things will improve? Or shall they suffer even more before the inevitable end?
This ring's with all the promise of George Bush's Iraqi "Enduring Freedom", a really bad choice of name to tag the Canfor project with.
--- read full story on Opinion250.com

Courts Approve P & T Sale

The sale of our local P & T mill has cleared the BC Supreme Court and U.S. Bankruptcy courts and is now awaiting regulator clearance.
The $6 million sale to Sinarmas Group is the sorry end to Pope & Talbots $39 million star acquisition from Canfor, and there is no mention of future plans from the new owner.
-- more info from the PG Citizen

Chief Warns Mt. Milligan

Nakazdli Chief Fred Sam warned Mt. Milligan not to toot it's own horn so much until it settles matters like jobs and revenue sharing with the local Nakazdli Nation.

"This proposal by Terrane at Shus Nadloh requires the free, prior and informed consent of our people and the discussions with the Crown and the company are not proceeding well," asserted Sam.

Shus Nadloh is the First Nation's name for Mount Milligan.

Sam said if the company, mining association and the province keep ignoring the Nak'azdli's rights, the project will not get to the construction phase.

Sam reiterated that the Nakazdli Band is not opposed to the mine.
--- full text PG Citizen

Millgan touted as "Next mine to open in BC"

The Mount Milligan gold and copper project, north of Prince George, was named among the leading contenders to be the next mine to open in B.C. by provincial mining officials.

Speaking to reporters by tele-conference Tuesday from a major international mining convention in Toronto, Dan Jepsen, the CEO of the Association of Mineral Exploration B.C, said it was a "no-brainer" to develop Terrane Metal's Mount Milligan project, which had been permitted once already, that time under Placer Dome.

---PG Citizen

Milligan News

This year is expected to be a "breakout year" for the Mount Milligan gold and copper mine near Mackenzie, says an official at Terrane Metals.

During a Thursday presentation to the Fraser-Fort George Regional District board, Glen Wonders said the Milligan site, unlike most mines in B.C., does not pose infrastructure challenges. It's accessible via Fort St. James and Mackenzie with low-cost power nearby
---- PG Citizen

"Fire Sale" Describes Price For Pope & Talbot Mill

The $6 million price revealed for the sale of P&T's mill in the Fort has been described as a 'Fire Sale' in the PG Citizen. Talk persists around town that a bid by a local consortium was over 4 times that price.
Is $6 million the price realized after debts or the total price? That seems to be a fair question that has not been clarified.
There are now many questions to be answered. A suggestion that it may be run at a loss to provide wood chips and a writeoff for the pulp mill in Mackenzie is made in the Citizen article.
But at such a low value, an asset stripping could be viable as well that would see the land and equipment sold off and the wood trucked direct to Mackenzie. The town must stand united to make sure that doesn't happen!
---PG Citizen article