 | |
| Author | Charlie Angus |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Mining history, corporate misbehaviour |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | House of Anansi Press |
Publication date | February 1, 2022 |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-1487009496 |
Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower is a 2022 book by Canadian politician Charlie Angus.
The non-fiction publication documents the mining history of Cobalt, Ontario, and tensions between mining corporations and the population.
Cobalt is written by Canadian politician Charlie Angus. A member of the New Democratic Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay since 2004. [1] [2] It is published by House of Anansi Press. [3]
Cobalt documents the events in Cobalt, Ontario around the turn of the 20th century, in particular the power and role of mining companies. [2]
The book notes how prospecting rushes are told from the perspective of White settlers, despite the trade in metals by Indigenous peoples for two thousand years prior. It notes the theft of land from Indigenous peoples, the exploitation of workers and the environmental damage that occurred in early-20th-century Ontario, and subsequently on a global scale. [4] The book notes how the federal Government of Canada was complicit in the abuses of land ownership that mining companies engaged in. [5]
Don Curry's review of the book in Bay Today described the book as "gripping", "hard hitting" and a "page turner". [6] The book was shortlisted for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's Speaker's Book Prize in 2022. [1]
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Province of the Canadian Shield, a vast rocky plateau located mainly north of Lake Huron, the French River, Lake Nipissing, and the Mattawa River. The statistical region extends south of the Mattawa River to include all of the District of Nipissing. The southern section of this district lies on part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Shield which occupies the transitional area between Northern and Southern Ontario. The extended federal and provincial quasi-administrative regions of Northern Ontario have their own boundaries even further south in the transitional area that vary according to their respective government policies and requirements. Ontario government departments and agencies such as the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation define Northern Ontario as all areas north of, and including, the districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing for political purposes, and the federal but not the provincial government also includes the district of Muskoka.
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 38971(2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource extraction, and is supported by industries related to lumbering, and to the mining of gold, zinc, copper, nickel and silver. Timmins serves as a regional service and distribution centre. The city has a large Francophone community, with more than 50% bilingual in French and English.
Temiskaming Shores is a city in the Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It was created by the amalgamation of the town of New Liskeard, the town of Haileybury, and the township of Dymond in 2004. The city had a total population of 9,634 in the Canada 2021 Census. Temiskaming Shores is Ontario's second-smallest city, in terms of population, after Dryden. Haileybury is the seat of Timiskaming District.
Cobalt is a town in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 1,118 at the 2016 Census. The population is now closer to 943.
Charles Joseph Angus is a Canadian author, journalist, broadcaster, musician and politician. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Angus has been the federal Member of Parliament for the riding of Timmins—James Bay since winning the 2004 election. He is the NDP critic for Ethics, Federal Economic Development, Initiative for Northern Ontario, Indigenous Youth, Income Inequality and Affordability, and Deputy Critic for Labour.
Grievous Angels are a Canadian alternative country band, active since 1986. The band's name is a reference to the Gram Parsons album Grievous Angel. Their primary leader is singer-songwriter Charlie Angus, who entered electoral politics in 2004 as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Timmins-James Bay.
Eabametoong, also known as Fort Hope or Eabamet Lake by Canada Post, is an Ojibwe First Nations band government in Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. Located on the shore of Eabamet Lake in the Albany River system, the community is located approximately 300 km (190 mi) northeast of Thunder Bay and is accessible only by airplane via Fort Hope Airport or water, or by winter/ice roads, which connect the community to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail. The Eabametoong First Nation Reserve is completely surrounded by territory of the Unorganized Kenora District.
The Cobalt silver rush was a silver rush in Ontario, Canada that began in 1903 when huge veins of silver were discovered by workers on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO) near the Mile 103 post. By 1905 a full-scale silver rush was underway, and the town of Cobalt, Ontario sprang up to serve as its hub. By 1908 Cobalt produced 9% of the world's silver, and in 1911 produced 31,507,791 ounces of silver. However, the good ore ran out fairly rapidly, and most of the mines were closed by the 1930s. There were several small revivals over the years, notably in World War II and again in the 1950s, but both petered out and today there is no active mining in the area. In total, the Cobalt area mines produced 460 million ounces of silver.
Cobalt is a chemical element; it has symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silvery metal.
The Ring of Fire is a vast, mineral-rich region located in the remote James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario, Canada. Spanning approximately 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi), the area is rich in chromite, nickel, copper, platinum group elements, gold, zinc, and other valuable minerals. Discovered in the early 21st century, the Ring of Fire is considered one of the most significant mineral deposits in Canada, with the potential to greatly impact the nation's economy and global mining industry. The development of this region has been a subject of ongoing debate, as stakeholders weigh the economic benefits against environmental concerns and the rights of Indigenous communities in the area. Despite these challenges, the Ring of Fire had remained a focal point for the Canadian mining sector and government, as well as international investors. By July 2023, the federal and provincial governments were no longer in agreement on priorities for federal funding of the Ring of Fire. Georgia Lake lithium project, KGHM's Victoria mine proposal and the Onaping Depth nickel project—which will produce minerals required for the low carbon economy—had become higher priorities, particularly as the Ring of Fire project is situated in a region of "vast, environmentally sensitive...peatlands".
Bev Sellars is a Xat'sull writer of the award-winning book, They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School, describing her experiences within the Canadian Indian residential school system. She is also a longtime-serving Chief of the Xat'sull First Nations.
Tanya Talaga is a Canadian journalist and author of Anishinaabe and Polish descent. She worked as a journalist at the Toronto Star for over twenty years, covering health, education, local issues, and investigations. She is now a regular columnist with the Globe and Mail. Her 2017 book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City was met with acclaim, winning the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction and the 2017 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Talaga is the first woman of Anishinaabe descent to be named a CBC Massey Lecturer. She holds honorary doctorates from Lakehead University and from Ryerson University.
Billy-Ray Belcourt is a poet, scholar, and author from the Driftpile Cree Nation.
Waubgeshig Isaac Rice is an Anishinaabe writer and journalist from the Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound, Ontario, in Canada. Rice has been recognized for his work throughout Canada, including an appearance at Wordfest's 2018 Indigenous Voices Showcase in Calgary.
Status/Non-Status, formerly known as WHOOP-Szo, is a Canadian alternative rock band from Guelph, Ontario, led by Anishinaabe-Canadian singer-songwriter Adam Sturgeon. The band is most noted for its 2019 album Warrior Down, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Mining has been conducted on an industrial scale in present-day Canada since the late 18th century. The industry remains an important aspect of the economy of Canada to this day, particularly in the North, and Canadian-domiciled mining companies have increasingly expanded their operations globally.
Kerr Addison Mines Ltd was a Toronto-based mining and gas company that owned various mines throughout Canada, including the Agnew Lake Mine, the Kerr-Addison Mine and Chesterville gold mine.
Ignace Tonené, also known as Nias or by his Ojibwe name Maiagizis, was a Teme-Augama Anishnabai chief, fur trader, and gold prospector in Upper Canada. He was a prominent employee of the Hudson's Bay Company.
The Kerr–Addison Mine is an abandoned Canadian gold mine in the Kearns area of McGarry, Ontario. In 1960, the mine was the largest producer of gold in North America. The mine produced the second most gold overall in North America, with the Homestake Mine being the leader.
An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 is a 2017 non-fiction book about the California genocide by history professor Benjamin Madley.
