Scouts can now earn digital prospecting badge

NEWS RELEASES

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AND MINES

********************** Minister presents first prospecting badge to Scouts

TORONTO – The Ontario government is promoting mining by partnering with Scouts Canada on the first-ever digital prospecting specialty badge to be used in the Canadian scouting movement, Rick Bartolucci, Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines announced today.

"The future of mineral development lies in the hearts and minds of our youth," said Bartolucci, who presented the first badges to the 13th Burlington Scouts at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Annual Convention. "By earning these badges, these young people have not only developed important skills but also insights into prospecting which may ultimately lead them to consider a career in mining."

Developed by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) in collaboration with Scouts Canada, the new digital prospector specialty badge is aimed at encouraging young people to improve their mapping skills and expand their knowledge of resource-based industries.

"We're extremely grateful that the ministry has worked with us to develop the criteria for this important skill set," said Don Burgess, Scout Leader, 13th Burlington Scouts, who led the effort to establish the new badge. "The scouts have enthusiastically embraced the curriculum that has led them to learning these new skills."

As part of the curriculum, the ministry facilitates access to its award winning CLAIMaps web site as well as providing links to similar sites in other jurisdictions. Scouts earning the badge are asked to generate a site-specific map and identify geographical co-ordinates, change the scale of the map, and identify specifics such as the contour elevation of a particular lake.

Participants are also asked to manipulate and experiment with a map to determine various aspects of mining claims.

The curriculum for earning this badge is available to about 84,000 scouts across Canada.

********************** Mining in Northern Ontario: building relationships with Aboriginal communities

TORONTO — Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) have released a new video designed to provide Aboriginal communities with a better understanding of the mining industry in Northern Ontario. The video, entitled Our Community...Our Future: Mining and Aboriginal Communities, describes the mining sequence from government geological surveying and mapping through the entire exploration and mining process, to mine closure and site rehabilitation.

The video was unveiled today at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada International Convention and Trade Show by the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Rick Bartolucci, Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines. "This video is an example of the success that can be achieved through collaborative work among governments, industry and Aboriginal communities," said Minister Lunn. "The video will enable Aboriginal peoples to have a better understanding of the mining process so that they can make more informed decisions about mining and exploration in their communities." "This video will help Aboriginal communities and the mineral industry better understand each other, which will lead to stronger relationships and mutual benefits that may lead to community economic sustainability," said Michael Carpenter, Chief, Attawapiskat First Nations.

"The production of this excellent educational video is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word," added Minister Bartolucci. "We are working with our First Nations partners to strengthen our relationship and deepen the understanding of our respective values, concerns and goals, and to foster a climate that provides opportunities for prosperity for all." Filmed in Northern Ontario, the video was produced by NRCan and MNDM with support from a number of First Nations communities and exploration and mining companies that are active in Ontario.

The video is available in both official languages, as well as in three Aboriginal languages: Cree, Oji-Cree and Ojibwa.

This initiative reaffirms the commitment of the governments of Ontario and Canada to work with Aboriginal communities to increase and enhance their participation in the exploration and mining industry.

To get a copy of the video, please visit www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms or www.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndm/mines.

********************** Ontario goverment strengthens mineral sector to promote prosperity and create opportunities

New mineral development strategy supports Northern, rural and aboriginal communities

TORONTO – The Ontario government is moving to implement a strategy that will enhance the mineral sector's global competitiveness, while opening new opportunities for all Ontarians, Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, has announced.

"The McGuinty government is promoting prosperity across the province by ensuring the long-term sustainability and global competitiveness of this vital Ontario industry," said Bartolucci, releasing Ontario's Mineral Development Strategy at the annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).

The strategy builds on the provincial government's current initiatives, programs and services as it strives to ensure that the mineral sector continues to contribute at a high level to Ontario’s regional and provincial economies.

It outlines a series of key strategic objectives and action items, which the government will now address in the implementation stage.

"The mineral exploration sector has long sought a framework under which this dynamic Ontario industry could continue to grow and prosper," said Garry Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospectors Association. "The Mineral Development Strategy provides us with that framework, and we look forward to working with the province on its implementation."

George Pirie, co-chair of the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council, pointed to action items that focus on opportunities for new value-added and mineral-related economic activities. "The strategy promotes community development and will expand opportunities for all Ontario residents by helping the mineral sector achieve its full potential," he said.

The strategy proposes an engagement process that aims to promote positive mineral sector relations with Aboriginal communities and supports the aspirations of Aboriginal communities by encouraging their enhanced participation in the benefits of resource development and ensuring that communities are appropriately consulted.

"A Mineral Development Strategy for Ontario is long overdue and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines is to be congratulated for bringing this important initiative forward," said Chris Hodgson, President of the Ontario Mining Association. "The strategy provides an opportunity for all ministries and all Ontarians to better understand that mining is a solution provider and vital contributor to Ontario's economy."

While a mineral development strategy would apply to the entire province, the mineral sector is particularly important to the Northern Ontario economy.

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