The world’s mining and mineral industry is set to meet again
in Toronto this
year for the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). Set to
happen from March 3-6 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center- South Building,
the four-day annual convention features technical sessions, short courses and
workshops, evening events and luncheons for individuals, companies, and
organizations who are interested in mineral exploration. Last year, there were
more than 30,000 attendees from 125 countries.
Ever since it was organized in 1932, the PDAC convention has
continued to grow each year and is now considered a major event for the mining
industry. For 2013, activities include an Expanded Technical Program with 22
sessions led by experts in the industry; a Trade Show where 445 exhibitors
promote their technology, products, and services; the Investors Exchange with
580 exhibitors; a Prospectors Tent with maps, samples, and claim results from
independent prospectors; and the Core Shack that features the latest mineral
discoveries from all over the globe. There is also an Aboriginal Program and a
Student Program. The Investors Exchange and the Corporate Social Responsibility
Event Series are free and open to the public.
Students and professionals who wish to expand their
knowledge about relevant issues faced by the mining industry can attend any of
the short courses and workshops offered for PDAC 2013. Some of the topics to be
presented include: Health and Safety in Mineral Exploration; New Frontiers for
Exploration in Glaciated Terrain; Ni-Cu-PGE Deposits in Mafic/Ultramafic Rocks;
Investment Fundamentals: Understanding Mineral Exploration and Resource
Development and the Relationship to Company Stock Prices; Applied Structural
Geology: Minimizing Risk from Exploration to Mining; New Mines in the Old
World; and New Concepts for Ore Shoot Targeting.
A complete list of the topics
for the short courses and workshops can be found here:
http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/conv/2013/presentations-short-courses.aspx#A_practical_guide_to_land_management.
To learn more about PDAC 2013, read tips about how you can
best maximize your participation, view schedule of events, register, buy
tickets, download the Mobi mobile convention guide, visit the PDAC 2013 website:(http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/conv/index.aspx).
The development of off-shore wind farms in Ontario, Canada
has suffered a setback for more than a year now since the Liberal government
had imposed a moratorium on all off-shore wind projects since February 2011,
stating that more environmental and health studies need to be done. In a press
release, Energy Minister Brad Duguid had stated: “Fresh water wind turbines are
something that's relatively new, and the Ministry of the Environment needs a
level of comfort on the science before they can approve any further
consideration of them. On-shore, there's 30 or 40 years of peer-reviewed
science ... there's no evidence of health impacts from on-shore wind, but
off-shore wind is completely different."
Trillium Wind Power Corp., who had four off-shore wind power
projects that were derailed because of the moratorium, is now suing the
province for $2.25 billion in damages. The company’s lawyer Morris Cooper has
said that the “the only science involved….is political science,” arguing that
the province had “acted in bad faith” when it issued the moratorium.
Another company, SouthPoint Wind has also filed a $1 billion
lawsuit against the province and three provincial ministries (Environment
Canada, Hydro One, and the Ontario Power Authority) because of the moratorium.
It has been developing industrial wind power projects in Leamington, Union, and
Kingsville when the government cancelled applications. The company claims that
the government had acted “deliberately and deceptively” when it gave the freeze
orders.
If off-shore wind farming is not detrimental to health and
the environment, it is considered to be a significant energy resource. It
offers higher wind speeds; more constant winds; and lower wind turbulence
offshore that does not stress the turbine for a set wind speed compared to
on-shore wind farms. However, they are said to be more expensive to construct
and operate. Technologies like Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and SOnic
Detection and Ranging (SODAR) are just two of the innovative technologies used
to study the potential in selected sites for off-shore wind farming.
While the development of Canada’s wind off-shore wind farms
has suffered major setbacks, the technology has been well-accepted in Europe,
now considered as world leader in offshore wind power. In the United States,
the off-shore wind farm project in Block Island in Rhode Island developed by
Deepwater Wind has already finished three years of environmental studies on the
site and hopes to get its permits approved next year. If all goes well, they
will have all their five turbines operating in 2014.
Sources:
http://canmetenergy.nrcan.gc.ca/renewables/wind/1340
