~Page'3, News, Tuesday, November 12 1991 More efficient mining method may also be more environmental Tailings are created during the milling process,(above), when the minerals are removed from the ore (in this case, the zinc and copper). By returning the tailings underground, less go into the tailings pond, and gaps in the backfill may also be filled. Minnova Mines at Winston Lake is currently testing the feasibility of using tailings material to backfill under- ground openings created by the mining out of zinc and copper. Tailings are what's left of the mined ore after the minerals have been extracted, and gener- ally have the consistency of sand. Many mines use system As minerals are mined out of the underground ore body, the resulting spaces are filled with backfill, which is gravel imported either from other underground areas, or from the surface. Adding tailings to the back- fill process makes it possible to YOUR NEWSPAPER... FOOD FOR THOUGHT POSCCCSCS This Christmas, help protect an acre of rainforest for just $25. With help from Canadians, World Wildlife Fund has protected thousands of acres of tropical forest --- through the Guardian of the Rainforest campaign. But forests are being destroyed at the rate of one acre every second! To protect an acre for your friends and family this Christmas, call 1-800-26-PANDA. e ¢.%) World Wildlife Fund 90 Eglinton Ave. E. Suite 504 | WWF Toronto,ON M4P2Z7: fill in gaps that may occur if gravel alone is employed. Many mining operations use tailings as backfill. The tailings are readily available and can be transported easily through a system of small tunnels and pipelines for placement in des- ignated areas. Additional benefit An additional benefit is the return to the mine of material that otherwise would have been stored on surface, in the tailings pond. By using them under- ground, the size of the area that must be rehabilitated after the mine closes is significantly lessened. It also provides for more water storage than would other- wise be occupied by tailings solids, thereby reducing water treatment costs while ensuring clean water. Uses waste rock Winston Lake presently uses coarse waste rock to fill open- ings created from mining. Even though this backfill is an effec- tive and safe support medium, tailings could potentially fill all void remaining in the rock mass. The fine tailings can migrate through the rock and create a material similar to weak cement. The tailings must not only provide the required fillings, it must also allow water to drain through it. This means that only the coarser portion of the actual tailings can be used, so the THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TERRACE BAY WELFARE ASSISTANCE Effective immediately the Welfare Administrator will be available for appointments on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. To schedule an appoint- ment, contact the municipal office at 825-3315. friendly finer tailings are sent to the sur- face impoundment area. This is because the finer material drains poorly and weakens the strength of the backfill. In operations where strength must be increased, small quan- tities of cement are added to the tailings. This can vary from two to ten per cent of the total material, measured by weight. Winston Lake is hoping to add tailings fill to the existing rock mass to increase the sup- port capability to the rock and seal off any voids remaining in the rock mass. However, how effectively | the use of tailings as backfill will work at Winston Lake will not be known until testing is completed. An extensive monitoring of various fill parameters will be ~ used to evaluate the benefit of this additional fill to the mining process. . "Testing is expected to be completed by the end of December. Share the wealth gears up for Christmas By Darren MacDonald The News "Share the Wealth", a charitable organization that collects food, toys and money for the needy in the Terrace Bay/Schreiber area during Christmas, is gearing up for another holiday season. Last year, the group col- lected $2,100, which it used to purchase turkeys, vegeta- bles, potatoes, bread, butter, Christmas cake, wrapping paper and batteries for 41 needy families. It also collected canned goods, which were included in the food hampers. Share the Wealth organizer Carol Cringle says the group wants to make sure "no kids in the area lose out" on the Christmas extras. "A lot of people think there's no need in this area because it's so rich," Cringle says. She says that there are 150 continued on page 8 Union and company agree continued from page 1 take her back as an employ- ee, but Talrico said they want- ed her to work shift work. "Mona had always worked steady days," he said. "Basically the agreement is Mona will return to work with full seniority as of Monday, Nov. 11." Mike Yakamovich, Admin- istrator at Thunder Bay Homes for the Aged, also said he was pleased with the agreement they had reached. "Yes, we are quite happy,' he said. Yakamovich said _ that although he couldn't discuss the specifics of the agreement, the important thing is the prob- lem was solved amicably. "The point is that it was a negotiated process between the union and ourselves and a set- tlement was _ reached," Yakamovich said. i Seminar for owner/operators of commercial motor vehicles A seminar for owner/operators of commercial motor vehicles operating out of Jackfish, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Rossport and Pays Plat will be held on the evenings November 21 and 22 Topies will include documentation, dangerous goods, motor vehicle inspection, hours of work (log books) The seminar, sponsored by the Aguasabon Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Terrace Bay Police Service. Terrace Bay Recreation Multipurpose Room. Nov. 21,1991 7 - 9:00 p.m. Nov. 22, 1991 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Registration Free!