From today's National Post:

THE TREND: Private-equity plays in the mining sector will continue. “If [PE] has cash, there are some real bargains; companies are off 50% or more than they were six months ago,” says John Turner of Fasken Martineau, who is working on three other PE deals targeting the mining industry. Until recently, PE firms were gunshy about the sector. Now the funds are bringing in people with mining experience, either on the operational or financial side of the business, he adds.