DRC bans export of cobalt and copper concentrate
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is grabbing headlines again in a way that many investors would prefer that it didn’t.
Regulatory Issues
Editorial: Serving up a little Tax-Mex
International mining companies happy to be invited to their usual seat of honour at the fiesta in Mexico are a little unnerved to find that this time, they’re going to be the piñata, and the Mexican government is winding up for a…
How Mexico reclaimed its mantle as a top mining nation
“There is support for mining politically, the geology is excellent, the people are incredibly friendly and the food is delicious.”
Silver Wheaton suffers collateral damage from Pascua-Lama delay
It wasn’t just Barrick Gold (ABX-T, ABX-N) and its shareholders that took it on the chin yesterday after news that construction on the Chilean side of the Pascua-Lama project had been suspended in response to environmental and regulatory…
Editorial: Whither gold?
Gold is a wonderful symbol of indestructible beauty, but all kinds of gold investment strategies have been going down in flames this year.
How will juniors handle Ontario’s new permitting regime?
New rules designed to lessen conflict between the mining sector and aboriginal communities in Ontario kicked in on April 1, but neither cash-poor juniors nor the province’s First Nations seem ready for them.
Editorial: Theories of devolution in the NWT
The transfer of power from the federal government to the Northwest Territories government has been going on in stages for decades as the territory’s population and economic base has steadily grown and matured. With Yellowknife established…
Delving deeper into Colombia’s mining issues
Colombia is one of the world’s most enigmatic mining jurisdictions. There is no denying that the country’s lost “cocaine” years have left behind lots of unrivalled, prospective ground that is ripe for modern exploration….
Getting a social licence: not easy, but necessary
When more than 30,000 miners, investors and mining executives gathered at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention in Toronto earlier this month, there was lots of talk about the tough time they now have in…
Tough markets will bring more proxy contests in 2013
Kevin Thomson is a senior partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and has acted in a number of proxy battles on behalf of both activist shareholders and target companies. Last year Davies represented Bill Ackman and his hedge fund…
Avanti encounters Nisga’a opposition at Kitsault
VANCOUVER — Just two weeks after announcing a permit milestone at its Kitsault molybdenum project 140 km northeast of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Vancouver-based junior Avanti Mining (AVT-V) has run into opposition from the…
How ‘contagious’ is resource nationalism in Africa?
Resource nationalism is infectious, and as more mining jurisdictions take resource nationalist measures, others come under domestic pressure to do the same, said Peter Leon, head of Africa Mining and Energy projects at Johannesburg-based law…