Harper's cabinet mulls massive Chinese resource project in Arctic
"Another massive Chinese-owned resource project is before Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet.
It would be hard to exaggerate the proposal's scope. Centred at Izok Lake, about 260 kilometres southeast of Kugluktuk, the project would stretch throughout a vast swath of western Nunavut.
Izok Lake would have five separate underground and open-pit mines producing lead, zinc and copper. Another site at High Lake, 300 kilometres to the northeast, would have another three mines.
MMG also wants a processing plant that could handle 6,000 tonnes of ore a day, tank farms for 35 million litres of diesel, two permanent camps totalling 1,000 beds, airstrips and a 350-kilometre all-weather road with 70 bridges that would stretch from Izok Lake to Grays Bay on the central Arctic coast.
MMG plans a port there that could accommodate ships of up to 50,000 tonnes
Izok Lake would be drained, the water dammed and diverted to a nearby lake. Three smaller lakes at High Lake would also be drained. Grays Bay would be substantially filled in.
The result would be a project producing 180,000 tonnes of zinc and another 50,000 tonnes of copper a year."
HD mining says won't replace all of its Chinese workers until 2026 (If ever)
"HD Mining, the Vancouver-based miner that in early October sparked controversy and legal actions with its plan to bring in up to 2,000 Chinese miners for its proposed $300 million coal mine, won't replace all of its foreign workers by Canadians at least until 2026.
The information came to light in court last Friday, after an attempt by two unions to stop more temporary Chinese workers from coming to Canada was dismissed by a Federal judge, reported The Journal of Commerce.
Documents tendered in the case showed that HD Mining's transition plan to replace temporary foreign workers with locals at its northern British Columbia coal project would take 14 years. They also revealed the company won't start hiring Canadian miners for more than four years."
I guess it all depends on your definition of "temporary".
Union suggests B.C. coal mines controlled by Chinese gov't
"VICTORIA -- The United Steelworkers says it has dug up what it calls close ties between the Chinese government and the reportedly privately-run coal mine in northeastern British Columbia embroiled in a foreign-worker controversy.
The union released a report Wednesday that suggests HD Mining International Ltd. -- the firm developing the proposed Murray River mine near Tumbler Ridge -- has ownership links to the government in China, where workers receive low wages in unsafe conditions.
A union report titled "Who Owns Huiyong Holdings and other Questions on Planned Chinese-Owned Coal Mines in B.C. " examines the ownership of Huiyong Holdings Group, which owns Huiyong Holdings (BC) Ltd., and holds 55 per cent of HD Mining.
The union' allege HD Mining wants to bring the workers to Canada and pay them lower wages than what Canadian miners earn for comparable work, depressing the labour market and causing irreparable harm."
HD Mining refuses to show B.C. unions the files on work permits for Chinese miners
" VANCOUVER—The mining company that is bringing in hundreds of miners from China to work on a northern B.C. coal operation is refusing to release its files on the temporary work permits it obtained from the federal government.
On Dec. 7, a federal court judge ordered HD Mining and the federal Human and Resources and Skills Development ministry to provide two B.C. unions with documentation on how the permits were requested and approved.
But HD Mining now says it has no “legal obligation” to open its files.
“We do not understand why the unions are continuing to press this litigation,” HD Mining chair Penggui Yan said in a statement. “HD Mining believes that all parties need to move beyond this litigation and work toward the constructive development of this project.” "
So a hostile foreign regime now controls our resources, is bringing in "temporary" workers to fill the jobs, and apparently has no "legal obligation" to abide by the decisions handed down by Canadian Courts.
Water drives First Nations angst on the streets and on the reserve
"Mining companies have flooded into the James Bay lowlands, into the area now dubbed the Ring of Fire. They've found an enormous expanse of chromite, enough nickel for a mine, and other metals that may hold potential in future years.
It's no surprise that water is constantly on his mind. It's also on the mind of the First Nations protesters who have taken to the streets in cities across Canada and blocked roads over the last few days in the Idle No More effort.
"The protection of water is a sacred obligation to indigenous people. Without clean water, life will cease to exist. Our obligation to protect water is an overall respect for life itself," said Chief Isadore Day of the Serpent River First Nation, near Elliot Lake, in an email as he wrapped up a weekend protest that briefly shut down the Trans-Canada Highway.
Protection of water is a large part of what has driven his people into the streets, Day said. Ottawa's latest omnibus bill changes the Navigable Waters Act to remove federal oversight from all but a few of Canada's lakes and rivers — without consulting the people whose health and livelihoods depend on them.
"This is why our people are opposed to the omnibus bill; it blatantly disregards water," Day said."
The Communists have put a great priority on manipulating Canada's political system, Canada is the largest holder of freshwater reserves in the world, thanks in part to responsible environmental protection. Canada is now a target. Always be prepared. The first order of business in every colonization is to corrupt the political elite, for they are the most out of touch, and they perceive their fate to be unconnected to the well being of their people. First they come for the gold, then the copper and the timber, then the land itself, and finally when all humanity is destroyed, the last drop of water.
Now we stand on guard for all humanity against the tides of darkness, we stand on guard for thee.
Hunger Strikes
By Elizabeth May"Government House leader Peter Van Loan even tried to block my amendments in particular – arguing to the Speaker that they should not be tabled because there was no chance they would pass. There’s an interesting appreciation of democracy. Fortunately, the Speaker rejected the notion quite firmly. But Van Loan was right. No amendments succeeded, whether NDP, Liberal, Bloc or Green. C-45 has cleared the House and the Senate, but as the cross-country #idlenomore movement takes off, the Canada-China Investment Treaty and its potential to violate treaty and Constitutionally protected aboriginal rights is not yet ratified."
China passes rules tightening internet controls
"China's government tightened controls on internet users today by enacting rules requiring them to register their names, a move made after online postings about graft and abuses rattled the ruling party.
The measure would require network service providers to ask users to provide their real names and other identifying information to allow users to post information publicly or when signing agreements for access to the Internet, fixed telephone lines or mobile phones, Xinhua said.
Beijing promotes internet use for business and education, but bans material deemed subversive or obscene and blocks access to many websites."
A look at the year ahead. 2013 Potential War and Continuing Economic Collapse.
Chinese think tank: conflict inevitable between Japan, China over Senkakus
"The “report on the development of the Asia-Pacific region” points out that China’s rapid development is raising anxieties in surrounding nations, forcing them into taking precautions and requiring them to accept the “readjustment” of the power balance."
Professor: Don't Be Surprised If There's A War Between Japan And China In The Next Year
"Chinese planes flew near Japanese airspace Monday to assert its claims to Japan's Senkaku islands (China calls them the Diaoyu islands).
The move came just as Japan announced its new prime minister.
Hugh White, a professor at Australian National University and a former Australian defense official, believes this is the latest sign the two countries are heading to war.
And the U.S. will be dragged in."
China challenges Japan - U.S. Alliance
"When a Chinese military surveillance plane overflew the islands two weeks ago, Japan scrambled fighter jets in response. The next day, an editorial in Global Times, a mainland newspaper tied to the Chinese Communist Party, said the overflight “marks the beginning of China’s air surveillance” of the islands.
So China is already telling us that it will continue its aggressive ways even if this results in a military conflict with Japan. It’s not too hard to figure out that a China-Japan military conflict will soon involve the US.
In the last year, we have already seen China’s aggressive behavior on display with the Philippines, and the Philippines also has a defensive treaty with the US. Apparently, China didn’t seem to care about the treaty.
The Chinese have also elevated the level of tension for all ships entering the South China Sea starting in 2013:
China’s plan to board and search ships that illegally enter what it considers its territory in the disputed South China Sea could spark naval clashes and hurt the region’s economy, Southeast Asia’s top diplomat warned on Friday."
Three possible scenarios in South China Sea
"1. There is no hedemonic power that is willing to create a stable order. The US is in decline. US leadership is sleeping.
2. There is no avoidance of overly aggressive behavior by China.
3. China appears to want only bilateral talks with individual countries. This is a divide and conquer strategy. No regional solution appears in the horizon.
4. China has already used economic strategies to punish Japan and Philippines.
5. Institutions for dialog exist, but they are not being used effectively.
6. The concept of win-win does not appear in the Chinese language. I’m not making this up."
In 2013, the great unraveling of the global economy (Failure of Globalism)
"The disparate prospects of each continent have little in common. To the extent that they can be linked by a single theme in 2013, however, it is the idea of the unraveling of the global economy and the political integration that supported it. After two decades of globalization, this year will see each of the big political theaters re-erecting barriers and focusing more on domestic repairs than on global expansion. The unraveling has its roots in longer-term trends, but it is set to step up in the next year."
Petitioners Ask Former Security Czar to Explain His Vast Budget
"Zhou headed the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC) for five years, but was replaced after the recent 18th Party Congress. Under his leadership, the state organ’s stability maintenance expenditure has been rising every year, and is mainly used to oppress petitioners and dissidents, as well persecute Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance. In 2012, the expenditure rose by 11.5 percent, even surpassing China’s military expenditure"
China academics warn of "violent revolution" if no political reform
"The letter said democracy, rule of law and respect of human rights were "a global trend that could not be stopped".
"China's 100 years of bloody and violent history - especially the painful and tragic lesson of the decade-long Cultural Revolution - show that once we go against the tide of democracy, human rights, rule of law and constitutional government, the people will suffer disaster and social and political stability will be impossible," the letter said."
Be careful, this could be a decoy to project weakness when in fact the regime is strong. Art of War.
Chinese Men Jailed for Calling On Hu Jintao to Disclose Assets
"Contrary to new Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign talk, several people have been sentenced to prison and re-education through labor after they called on officials to disclose their personal assets earlier this year. "
Some Tariffs finally raised to protect against China’s Photovoltaic Manufacturers
"According to statistics of EU ProSun, in 2011, China reached a total PV production capacity of 45 GW but domestic consumption was only 2 GW. The production capacity spurred by massive subsidies and state incentives was over 20 times higher than actual demand for solar powered electricity. The only way out was exporting the surplus production.
“More than 90 percent of PV products made in China were exported to foreign countries,” Xie Chen, an analyst at the Silicon Branch of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, said to Securities Daily, a Chinese business daily. “About 60 percent are exported to Europe and 30 percent are exported to the United States and other countries.”
European company SolarWorld said China’s massive production overcapacity and government-funded export drive have left the world industry in ruins. In the U.S. market alone, at least 22 solar producers have closed plants or laid off significant numbers of workers. Chinese producers also have experienced losses in the billions of dollars, but those companies survive as a result of Chinese government bailouts, SolarWorld added.
EU ProSun said, in 2012 alone Chinese dumping of solar cells forced over 30 European companies to close shop, lay off workers or be taken over by foreign investors. Thousands of jobs were lost, many factories closed and research and development (R&D) halted."
