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High Grade Shallow Resource to Unlock Value at Burns Central
October 02, 2024
Lefroy Exploration Limited (“Lefroy” or “the Company”) (ASX:LEX) is pleased to provide an update to the Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Burns Central prospect located in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. The update is based on the original MRE statement (refer ASX release 4 May 2023) which was prepared by consultant, Mr Chris Grove, of Measured Group Pty Ltd in accordance with JORC 2012 guidelines.
HIGHLIGHTS
- A significant shallow high-grade Au zone has been delineated within the existing Burns Central Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).
- The Burns high grade zone totals 4.22Mt @ 1.18 g/t Au for 15G,285 contained ounces (applying a 0.5g/t Au cut-off grade) which includes:
- 46,538 oz of gold (Au) in oxide,
- 8,154 oz gold (Au) in transitional; and
- 104,5G3 oz gold (Au) in fresh rock
- Burns Central displays a consistent high-grade corridor extending over 650m strike length, and open to the northeast and southwest, with significant previously reported intersections including:
- 61m@ 2.G6 g/t Au (from 120m), including 37m @ 4.23 g/t Au (from 126m) in LEFR320
- 3Gm @ 3.87 g/t Au (from 26m) in LRR003; and
- 30m @ 2.43 g/t Au (from 27m), including 17m @ 3.G g/t (from 38m) in LRR004
- The MRE is drilled to G8% Indicated status and 2% Inferred for gold, with 34% of the gold resource contained within oxide and transitional material.
- The deposit is contained within a well-defined structural control with additional targets located along-strike.
- The Company is in the final stages of preparing an MRE update for the Mt Martin deposit located elsewhere on its tenure.
LEFROY CEO GRAEME GRIBBIN, COMMENTED:
“We are pleased to be revisiting the deposits across our tenure to update the diverse Lefroy Resource base and unlock the value of our landholding. “The reporting of the Company’s maiden MRE at Burns Central in May 2023 demonstrated the expansive size and potential of the Au and Cu system at Burns. Applying a higher grade (0.5g/t) Au cut-off to the existing resource, we have now been able to demonstrate the significance high-grade gold potential of the Burns Central resource, with this higher-grading zone containing 15S,000 near surface ounces grading 1.18g/t Au.
“The definition of this structurally controlled, shallow, high-grade core at Burns Central represents a remarkable opportunity for the Company to explore for and grow its existing portfolio of shallow mineral resources, currently totaling 1.1Million ounces.”
AN EVOLVING BURNS RESOURCE STORY
The Burns Central Deposit forms part of the Burns Gold-Copper Project (‘Burns’ or ‘Project’), 70km southeast of Kalgoorlie in the highly prospective Kalgoorlie Terrane of Western Australia. Burns is located within the broader Lefroy Gold Project, proximal to the St Ives gold camp (Gold Fields Ltd JSE: GFI) and the Daisy Milano and Mt Monger gold operations (Red 5 Limited ASX: RED).
The previously reported mineral resource estimate (MRE) at Burns Central (refer ASX release 4 May 2024) consisted of two volumes: "Min Enriched" for near-surface oxide and saprock enrichment, and "Min" for fresh rock sulphide mineralisation. Applying a nominal 0.1 cut-off value for each metal, this reported a total MRE of 42.95 million tonnes grading 0.36g/t Au and 0.14 % Cu.
REALISING VALUE WITH BURNS HIGH-GRADE CORRIDOR
In keeping with Lefroy’s focus to progress and commercialise the Company’s portfolio of shallow advanced gold deposits (refer ASX release 27 March 2024) an internal review of the high-grade potential of the Burns Central resource has now been completed.
The Company is pleased to report that a significant high-grade zone has been delineated within the existing Burns Central MRE. Reporting only blocks within 200m of surface and applying a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t Au, this zone reports 4.22Mt @ 1.18 g/t Au for 15G,285 contained ounces (Table 1), reported across oxide, transitional and fresh mineralisation categories.
Significantly, this high-grade zone is reported at over 98% Indicated resource classification, with combined oxide and transitional material representing over 34% of the total resource.
Furthermore, the contained gold ounces (159,285 oz) within this recently calculated high grading central core represents 32% of the entire gold ounces (497,472 oz) reported in the May 2023 original MRE. Expressed differently, 32% of the contained gold ounces at Burns Central are contained within 10% of the defined tonnes (159,258 oz within 4.2Mt versus 497,472 oz within 42.95Mt).
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Lefroy Exploration Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
15h
Digging for Votes: BC NDP and Conservatives Tout Mining Platforms
BC's mineral exploration and mining sector contributes C$7.3 billion to the province's GDP, and according to the Mining Association of BC (MABC) critical minerals extraction could grow that amount significantly.
To unlock this value, the NDP and Conservative parties agree that mine permitting and development need to be streamlined and fast tracked to benefit BC, as well as national energy transition ambitions.
“Northwest BC has the critical minerals that are in high demand worldwide, giving us a huge advantage in the global movement to a clean economy,” said NDP Premier David Eby. “Our plan will get mining projects moving that grow BC’s economy, create good jobs across the Northwest, and benefit communities directly.”
To achieve this, the NDP wants to boost the province's critical minerals sector while maintaining high environmental, safety and Indigenous partnership standards, Eby said during a September 24 campaign stop.
His party's plan includes setting clear timelines for permit reviews on priority projects with support from the newly established Critical Minerals Office, which will also coordinate with the federal government to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and enhance First Nations engagement. The NDP also proposes to introduce union-led training programs, expand the clean energy electricity grid and fund infrastructure upgrades in the northwest.
Additionally, Eby has promised that resource development will bring lasting benefits to local communities through the Resource Benefits Alliance and expanded revenue-sharing and equity opportunities for First Nations.
“For too long, communities across BC’s Northwest saw the impacts of resource projects — like more wear and tear on roads and highways, increased demand on local services–but they weren’t seeing enough of the benefits,” Eby noted.
“We took action to change that. We’re investing money directly back into infrastructure communities like Terrace and Vanderhoof while building up the economy.”
BC's current critical minerals strategy
Most of the themes outlined in the NDP's non-costed platform are in line with the first phase of the province’s Critical Mineral Strategy, which was released by Eby’s government in January.
Independent of the national initiative, which identifies 31 critical minerals vital to the country’s energy transition ambitions and economic future, the provincial strategy aims to position BC to benefit from its geological makeup.
Of Canada’s 31 critical minerals, BC holds reserves of 16. Notably, the province produces 50 percent of the nation’s annual copper output and accounts for 100 percent of its molybdenum mining.
Copper and molybdenum are both considered critical minerals, as are magnesium and zinc, which BC also produces. At the moment exploration is ongoing in the province for seven more critical minerals, including nickel, cobalt, graphite and vanadium, which are essential for technology applications and the energy transition.
Phase 1 of the BC strategy includes creating a Critical Minerals Project Advancement Office, developing a minerals atlas for exploration and collaborating with First Nations on infrastructure projects like the North Coast Transmission Line.
The strategy also focuses on maintaining high environmental standards through initiatives like the Energy and Mines Digital Trust project, along with enhancing transparency.
Conservatives take issue with NDP's mining approach
BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad took aim at the NDP’s resource industry track record in a September 24 press release that also outlines his party's plans for the mining sector.
“The mining and mineral exploration industry, a cornerstone of British Columbia’s economy, has been stifled by increased regulatory burdens, inefficiencies in permitting, and a lack of rural infrastructure investment under the leadership of David Eby’s government,” the statement reads, highlighting the NDP's "excessive red tape."
It goes on to point to permitting delays, regulatory overreach, lack of infrastructure investment and uncertainty in Indigenous consultation as challenges hampering the sector under the current provincial government.
To address some of the outlined issues, the Conservatives are proposing to streamline the permitting process and reduce regulatory burdens. The party also wants to hold companies accountable for site cleaning and remediation, and make investments in critical infrastructure. Its other goals are to pursue economic reconciliation with Indigenous communities, provide competitive tax incentives and position BC mining at a global level.
“British Columbia should be a global mining superpower,” said Rustad. “But under the NDP, we’ve missed critical opportunities. The Conservative Party will reinvigorate the industry, create jobs, and ensure that rural BC and its communities thrive once again.”
Mining industry reacts to NDP and Conservative platforms
Responding to the release of both platforms from BC's leading political parties, Michael Goehring, president and CEO of MABC, underscored the need for the government to support the mining sector.
“The provincial election presents a pivotal moment for British Columbia’s political parties to champion the essential role of BC’s mining sector in the future of our province,” he said. “Commitments to streamline the permitting process for critical minerals projects are not just welcome — they are crucial.”
Goehring went on to acknowledge that the overviews presented address issues his organization has championed over the years. “Both main parties clearly understand BC’s critical minerals potential. As representatives of the mining sector, MABC will be there to ensure they follow through on their commitments,” he said.
“Together, we can create a streamlined and efficient permitting process that fast-tracks project approval, advances economic reconciliation and partnerships with First Nations, while maintaining BC’s world-leading environmental protections. It’s a win for the entire province, and the time to act is now," Goehring added.
The Association for Mineral Exploration also issued a statement following the release of the NDP and Conservative platforms. In it, President and CEO Keerit Jutla emphasized the importance of greenfield mineral exploration.
He warned that without a focus on exploration, the foundation of BC's critical minerals future could be undermined. While encouraged by the NDP and Conservative parties' pledge to streamline permitting process, Jutla took issue with a perceived lack of exploration support in the NDP's plan.
“The BC NDP’s mining platform, while commendable, falls short by not explicitly supporting the indispensable role of mineral exploration,” he said. “We urge all political parties to integrate a comprehensive approach to mining that includes robust exploration initiatives to support a thriving mining sector in BC.”
According to a 2024 MABC study on the economic impact of critical minerals in BC, more than 1,100 publicly listed exploration companies are based in Metro Vancouver. There are currently 17 proposed critical minerals mines in development stages, representing significant near-term investment, employment and tax revenue.
Voting in BC’s 2024 provincial election will conclude on October 19.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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15h
Supply Chain Disrupted as US East and Gulf Coast Ports Face Worker Strike
A large-scale dockworkers' strike has commenced at major ports along the East and Gulf coasts in the US, halting container traffic and disrupting a significant portion of the nation’s trade.
The walkout, initiated by members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) early on Tuesday (October 1), is expected to impact US imports and exports, and could send ripple effects through global supply chains.
According to Bloomberg, ports from Maine to Texas have effectively ceased operations as a result of stalled negotiations between the ILA and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) after months of discussions.
The ILA, which represents approximately 45,000 dockworkers, is demanding better wages and a rollback of provisions on port automation. Primary points of contention between the parties center around the automation of port terminals, which the union argues threatens job security for its members.
ILA President Harold Daggett has been vocal in opposing automation, stating that workers should not bear the burden of technological advancements that could lead to job losses.
“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes,” he said.
The union is also seeking higher wages and better working conditions in the face of inflation and rising living costs.
The strike affects 14 major ports that handle roughly half of all US containerized trade, making it one of the largest recent disruptions to US port operations. Additionally, it's the first major strike of its kind in almost five decades.
While the USMX has proposed wage increases and enhancements to worker benefits, including contributions to pension plans and healthcare options, the union has rejected these offers, calling for more substantial increases in pay and greater protections against the introduction of automated technologies in port operations.
The strike follows months of warnings from the union, which had threatened to take action if no deal was reached by the Monday (September 30) deadline.
White House intervention potentially on the table
The Biden administration has been closely monitoring the situation, but has not yet intervened.
President Joe Biden, known for his pro-union stance, has refrained from invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, a federal law that would allow him to order the striking workers back to their jobs for an 80 day cooling-off period.
While the government has encouraged both sides to return to the negotiating table, there has been no direct involvement in the labor dispute so far. Some business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce, have called on the president to take action, citing the potential damage to the economy.
Suzanne Clark, CEO of the chamber, expressed concerns about the economic fallout, stating that "it would be unconscionable to allow a contract dispute to inflict such a shock to our economy."
The immediate impact will be felt in industries that rely heavily on imported goods, such as retail, manufacturing and automotive. The pharmaceutical and electronics sectors are also likely to feel the effects of the action.
Retailers in particular are bracing for potential shortages of goods, especially as the holiday shopping season approaches. Aside from that, it's possible that the strike could have a knock-on effect on international trade as goods destined for US markets are delayed or rerouted through other ports.
The economic cost of the strike could reach as much as US$4.5 billion per week, depending on the duration. A week-long strike could take up to a month to recover from, with cascading delays in the shipping industry. Some experts predict that the strike could last for several weeks if negotiations remain stalled.
As the strike enters its second day, attention is focused on whether the White House will step in to prevent further disruptions. For now, both the union and port operators appear entrenched in their positions.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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01 October
Jeffreys Find Gold Mine. Second Toll Milling Campaign Completed. 6,295 Ounces Produced; Gold Sales Total $23.5M.
Auric Mining Limited (ASX: AWJ) (Auric or the Company) is pleased to announce reconciliation of the second gold milling campaign for 2024 from the Jeffreys Find Gold Mine (the Project), near Norseman, WA. This campaign ran for 42 days, beginning on 24 July 2024 and finishing on 4 September 2024.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The second toll milling campaign for 2024 has been completed.
- 6,295 ounces of gold produced from 128,000 tonnes milled.
- Gold sales for this campaign total $23.5 Million.
- Highest sale price at AUD$3,859 per ounce.
- Average sale price at AUD$3,731 per ounce.
- Auric has received initial surplus cash distribution of $2.0 Million.
MANAGEMENT COMMENT
Managing Director, Mark English, said: “We are in the sweetest possible place with the mining of Jeffreys Find.
“Total production for the year has passed 7,500 ounces. Another toll milling campaign is scheduled for the end of November. It will be a mighty run home for Auric as the project draws to conclusion.
“Whilst the campaign processed lower tonnes than expected, the gross revenue was higher due to the extraordinary gold price.
“The reconciled yield of 1.65 g/t was marginally below expectation but the recovery of 93.2% was excellent.
“BML has a contract with Greenfields for 300,000 tonnes to be processed so it won’t be long before milling starts again. We are anticipating a further 142,000 tonnes to be processed in 2024 and early into 2025 at Greenfields.
“Jeffreys Find will produce substantial cash for Auric. It has been an outstanding investment,” said Mr English.
Photo: The Jeffreys Find Pit; 30 September 2024.
Through Auric’s joint venture partner BML Ventures Pty Ltd of Kalgoorlie (BML) a total of 127,610 dry metric tonnes was processed by The Greenfields Mill at Coolgardie (Greenfields or Mill) with a reconciled recovery of 93.2%.
A total of 6,295 ounces of gold was recovered at a reconciled head grade of 1.65 g/t.
Gold sales amounted to $23.48 Million for the campaign with an average gold price of AUD$3,731 per ounce. The highest gold price achieved during the campaign was AUD$3,859 per ounce.
Stage Two of mining in 2024 has now produced 7,551 ounces of gold with total gold sales to date of $27.95 Million.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Auric Mining, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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01 October
AI: The New Safety Inspectors for Mining Equipment
The mining industry, known for its complexity and operational challenges, requires stringent safety measures to ensure both the safety of its workforce and the efficient operation of heavy machinery.
From trucks and drills to conveyors and crushers, mining equipment is subject to constant wear and tear. Traditionally, manual inspections have been the standard, but these are time-consuming, prone to human error, and offer limited real-time insight. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI)—a game-changer for enhancing safety inspections across mining operations.
Enhancing Paperless Mining Equipment Inspections with AI
AI is transforming the way safety inspections are conducted in mining, allowing operators to not only streamline processes but also improve accuracy and safety.
Here’s how AI is reshaping mining safety:
1. Image Analysis and Defect Detection
AI-powered image recognition can analyse high-resolution images of mining equipment such as haul trucks, excavators, and drills to detect cracks, corrosion, leaks, and other mechanical defects that may be overlooked by human inspectors. This technology enhances the accuracy and consistency of inspections, particularly in rugged and hazardous environments where frequent manual checks are difficult.
2. Predictive Maintenance
By analysing historical data from previous equipment inspections, AI can predict when machinery components are likely to fail. This predictive maintenance model reduces unexpected downtime and ensures that critical mining equipment operates smoothly. It also allows companies to schedule repairs before a major failure occurs, thereby enhancing the overall safety and productivity of the mine.
3. Real-Time Monitoring
AI can integrate with IoT (Internet of Things) sensors on mining equipment to provide real-time data on various performance metrics, such as engine temperature, hydraulic pressure, and machine load. By analysing this data, AI can detect anomalies early, helping to prevent breakdowns and accidents that can jeopardize worker safety.
4. Automated Reporting
AI can generate detailed and automated inspection reports, complete with images of any detected issues, suggested corrective actions, and compliance notes. This not only saves time but also eliminates the risk of human error in documentation, ensuring that safety protocols are accurately followed and tracked.
5. Risk Assessment
AI evaluates multiple factors, such as equipment usage patterns, age, wear and tear, and operating conditions, to generate risk scores for individual pieces of machinery. This helps prioritize maintenance efforts on the most vulnerable equipment, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to maintain a safe working environment.
6. Compliance Management
Mining operations must adhere to strict safety regulations and industry standards (e.g., MSHA, ISO). AI helps automate compliance checks and generates comprehensive, audit-ready reports that ensure your mining equipment meets all safety standards without the need for manual verification.
Benefits of AI-Enhanced Mining Equipment Inspections
1. Improved Safety
By identifying potential equipment failures early, AI helps reduce the risk of accidents that could endanger miners and cause costly operational delays. This proactive approach to safety ensures that any machinery defects are addressed promptly, safeguarding the well-being of workers in hazardous environments.
2. Increased Efficiency
Automating data collection, analysis, and reporting streamlines the inspection process, freeing up operators and safety personnel to focus on other critical tasks. With AI, mining operations can maintain optimal safety levels while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.
3. Enhanced Decision-Making
AI provides real-time insights and predictive analytics, allowing for more informed decisions about equipment maintenance and safety protocols. Mining operators can rely on AI data to schedule repairs or replacements, reducing downtime and improving the longevity of equipment.
4. Better Compliance
Ensuring compliance with mining safety regulations is a time-consuming task, but AI makes it easier by automating checks and generating reports that can be readily shared with regulatory bodies. This reduces the administrative burden on safety managers while ensuring all machinery complies with necessary standards.
5. Cost Reduction
Mining operations can see significant cost savings by reducing downtime, minimizing the risk of accidents, and optimizing maintenance schedules. With AI-driven inspections, mines can avoid costly repairs, equipment replacements, and regulatory fines.
Challenges and Considerations
While AI offers numerous advantages for mining equipment inspections, it is not intended to fully replace human inspectors. Challenges such as data quality, algorithm bias, and cybersecurity concerns need to be addressed. Additionally, a skilled workforce is necessary to oversee the implementation and management of AI technologies within mining operations.
Conclusion
By adopting AI, the mining industry can elevate safety standards, protect workers, and ensure equipment reliability. The future of mining safety inspections lies in the intelligent collaboration between cutting-edge technology and human expertise. This partnership between AI and human oversight can lead to safer, more efficient, and cost-effective mining operations.
Hear more from
Naaman Shibi
Paperless Solutions Expert
Pervidi Paperless Solutions
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01 October
Exploration ground truths point to future innovation path
The key to maximising the value of high-quality real-time data acquisition and processing is AI
Technological innovation is the cornerstone of human progress. At their best the foundational technologies of the modern world – such as the global internet, digital technologies, space travel, clean energy, and AI – fill me with a belief that hard problems are not permanent fixtures in time and space.
They are mutable barriers humanity must overcome to build a brighter future for our planet.
We now face a paradox on the road to net zero: delivering the minerals needed to fuel the global adoption of clean energy technologies depends on the rate of new mineral discoveries. That makes the global mining industry not only an essential partner on the road to net zero but elevates the complexity and structural obstacles involved in modern exploration as critical problems that must be solved to achieve climate progress.
Innovators in this field need a reality check: mineral exploration is a balancing act of constantly shifting macro-level conditions (market pressures, investment cycles, shifts in exploration strategy, regulation, budgets, and price volatility etc).
This means every exploration company faces unique operating conditions that are either enabling their progress, slowing it down, or forcing it into stasis. However, when you examine the challenges of explorers on the ground and how they compound across the exploration lifecycle, a clear innovation path starts to emerge.
At the project level implementing a strategy in highly remote and rugged environments with incomplete datasets and changing budgets can be a real struggle. Exploration teams are often being pulled in several directions at once while managing the planning, logistics, data interpretation, strategy modification, and budget for each stage of their program.
Add the complexity of integrating vast amounts of data of various types and quality – each with their own weighted significance for the specific project – while reducing human bias in the analysis represent incredibly time and cost-intensive steps for exploration teams.
This is a significant contributor to why it takes up to 16.5 years to identify and operationalise a new mine (according to the International Energy Agency).
When I survey the technology landscape of the world today there are some very specific capabilities that can address these fundamental challenges in the exploration workflow.
Satellite connectivity, for real-time exploration data collection and processing. High-quality and scale invariant 3D multiphysics data, for streamlined integration of diverse 3D and 2D exploration datasets. Multimodal and multiscale artificial intelligence (AI) to radically narrow the exploration search space, enhance data-driven decision-making, while also de-risking and identifying new opportunities faster.
Expecting major or early-stage explorers to cultivate the expertise and resources needed to develop and integrate these technologies is unreasonable: their focus is and needs to stay fixed on discovery. They also don’t need multiple new technology providers and software to build into their planning cycle and strategy, adding more complexity.
The real-time and predictive capabilities enabled by advanced satellite connectivity, real-time multi-physics data acquisition, and AI must be combined into a plug-and-play technology stack that can be deployed rapidly at any stage of the exploration journey with minimal environmental impact. This represents more than just profound gains in efficiency at every level of exploration. It represents a unification of the end-to-end exploration journey, enabling data-driven learning in exploration on a previously unimaginable scale.
The key to maximising the value of high-quality real-time data acquisition and processing is AI. By linking a continuous feed of high-quality exploration data to custom multi-scale, multimodal AI models, the onsite teams working on the frontlines of exploration today can integrate and interpret vast amounts of data, challenge hypotheses, and arrive at actionable decision points faster. This creates shorter and more insightful learning cycles, strengthening a positive feedback loop of enhanced decision making at every stage of the exploration journey.
Looking at the arc of mining innovation before us, I see a deeper integration of these technologies across the global exploration value chain.
As we continue to strive for a net-zero future the operational challenges involved with mineral discovery can no longer be viewed as isolated hurdles. They must be addressed through a unified technological approach that empowers exploration teams with real-time data, AI-driven insights, and streamlined workflows, enabling them to deploy resources towards opportunities faster, with enhanced precision, while minimising environmental impact.
Instead of accepting complexity and operational headwinds as table stakes, we must view them as opportunities to drive down the time and costs involved between each step of the exploration journey using the latest wave of innovation in space, 3D multi-physics integration and AI.
With this approach we can meaningfully reduce the time to discovery, unlock sustainability across the mining lifecycle and set the industry up for a renaissance in data-driven exploration. Then, as mineral supply and demand equalises, clean energy technologies scale, and the inputs needed for the advanced technologies of the future are secured, the critical role of our industry will come into focus as the foundation of the clean energy future we aim to build.
The convening power of IMARC drives the future of the global mining value chain into the present.
IMARC’s invaluable role in forming a shared understanding of the challenges we face, opportunities for collaboration, and solutions that can move the industry forward, is critical to the progress we work tirelessly to achieve. We look forward to seeing you there!
*Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, is a keynote speaker at IMARC 2024 in Sydney, Australia, from October 29-31.
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Flavia Tata Nardini
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Fleet Space Technologies
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01 October
Port of Montreal Strike Exacerbating Canadian Mining Sector's Supply Chain Woes
The Québec-based Port of Montreal, a critical hub for Canadian trade, is facing another labor strike that threatens to disrupt industries reliant on the movement of essential goods.
Longshore workers at the Viau and Maisonneuve Termont terminals initiated a three day strike early on Monday (September 30) morning, halting operations. The terminals handle over 40 percent of the port’s container traffic.
The strike, involving around 350 dockworkers, follows a contract dispute between the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the union representing the workers, which is affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
One of the main grievances of the striking workers is the issue of unpredictable work schedules, and they have made demands for better conditions and higher wages. The MEA has expressed disappointment over the lack of resolution, which persists despite mediation efforts and an emergency hearing before the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The work stoppage at the Port of Montreal is expected to continue until Thursday (October 3), but there is no guarantee that further strikes won’t occur if negotiations remain unresolved.
The mining industry in particular is feeling the impact of these disruptions. Montreal serves as a key gateway for the export and import of various minerals, metals and raw materials such as iron ore, nickel and gypsum.
These materials are essential for manufacturing processes and are transported to smelters and refineries in the region.
The current strike marks third job action taken at the port since 2020.
“Canada cannot afford another strike at any port across the country. The federal government should make ports an essential service, so they remain operational at all times. Small businesses and their employees should not be subjected to the uncertainty of strikes and lockouts in the nation's supply chain infrastructure,” said Jasmin Guenette, vice president national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
In 2020, Montreal port workers were on the picket line for 12 days, which impacted 115,000 shipping containers.
At the time, a statement from the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) underscored the impact of the work stoppage and its potential to undermine Canada’s position as a reliable trading partner.
"Mining is a leading customer at the Port of Montreal. With supply chains already under strain, this stoppage is another hit to the industry's ability to move vital materials efficiently," said Pierre Gratton, the MAC's president and CEO.
He echoed this sentiment in August when faced with a short-lived rail strike in Canada.
"Over the last several years, Canada has witnessed an unprecedented level of disruption in its supply chain through labour actions by railway and port workers, the pandemic, and civil disruption in the form of random and sporadic rail blockades," he said. "The reliability and reputation of Canada’s supply chain continues to deteriorate."
Gratton further emphasized the importance of a stable supply chain to support industries critical to Canada’s economic recovery and the global shift toward green technologies, such as electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure.
In a broader context, uncertainty in Canada's supply chains may deter investment at a time when the sector needs capital to meet rising global demand for minerals and critical metals. The CFIB notes that the strike's impact could have ripple effects on small- and medium-sized enterprises that depend on imports and exports moving through the port.
“Small businesses and their employees should not be subjected to the uncertainty of strikes and lockouts in the nation's supply chain infrastructure,” said Guenette in the CFIB's statement.
Like the mining industry, many small businesses are pressing the federal government to declare ports an essential service, a move that would keep them operational during labor disputes.
With growing calls for intervention, federal authorities may be prompted to take more decisive action in preventing further economic fallout from labor disruptions at Canadian ports. However, as labor negotiations continue, the mining sector and other industries remain at the mercy of potential delays.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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