Thanks for the link Buxom. It made for some very interesting reading. I liked the talk about how our production at McWatters will grow from 500 tpd.

Here is some interesting Stainless Steel Reading.

http://www.estainlesssteel.com/stainless-steel-news.shtml

Interesting how FNX has been stockpiling their ore too. We are lucky that we have our own mill and can export our concentrate to China.

I also found the article about Voisey Bay interesting. Read in particular the forecasted price for Ni. This seems like a really tough strike for the miners. It will not be easy for them.

Voisey's Bay joins other locals on picket line

Posted By RON THOMSON, FOR THE SUDBURY STAR

Posted -12 sec ago

Strikes in Greater Sudbury, Port Colborne and Voisey's Bay are an attempt by Vale Inco to "squeeze the blood out of our members," a top Steelworkers official charged on Friday.

"We're appreciative of our brothers and sisters in Voisey's Bay for joining us on the picket line," said Wayne Fraser, director of United Steelworkers District 6.

"We'll be bargaining together for a successful conclusion."

More than 3,000 Steelworkers in Greater Sudbury and Port Colborne have been on strike since July 13.

More than 450 Steelworkers in Newfoundland and Labrador hit the picket line on Saturday, after voting 99% in favour of striking.

Negotiations between Vale Inco and the union in Voisey's Bay broke off in June.

There has been no collective agreement in place since March.

Pensions, benefits and bonuses are issues both here and in Voisey's Bay.

Vale Inco said little about the pending strike at its Newfoundland operation.

"No bargaining meetings are scheduled" with Voisey's Bay workers, Cory McPhee, a Vale spokesman in Toronto, told Bloomberg.comin an e-mailed response to questions.

Fraser said Vale Inco has been "ruthless" prosecuting the strike in Greater Sudbury and Port Coloborne and expects the same for workers in Voisey's Bay.

For example, Fraser said Vale Inco has been telling injured workers in Greater Sudbury they must cross the picket line or be cut off from disability benefits.

"This is how ruthless they are, this is how uncaring they are," he said.

"On Tuesday, we're thinking we're going to proceed with a complaint to human rights on behalf of those 200 people. We think it's discrimination at its worst.

"It's an indication of the things this company is doing, it's an indication of who these new owners are," he said.

With nickel prices at more than $7 a pound right now and expected to climb to $11 or $12 next year, Vale doesn't need the concessions it wants from its workers, Fraser said.

"Those were predictions made by Vale at the bargaining table," he said. "This isn't about sustainability; this is about squeezing the blood out of our members."

With Sudbury and Voisey's Bay now on strike, and Thompson, Man., on production shutdown until the end of August, Vale Inco has been producing little nickel in Canada since the spring.

That, said Fraser and nickel analyst Terry Orstlan, should force the price up.

Orstlan said demand for nickel slows in the summer, but if the strikes continue into the fall, the impact of lower nickel production will become more evident.

"They're going to have to think about what to do with respect to the customers," Fraser said. "We expect sometime in September, maybe August, they will have to declare force majeure."

A declaration of force majeure releases a company from contractual obligations for circumstances beyond its control.

Earlier this week, McPhee declined to comment on the possibility of Vale declaring force majeure at Sudbury.

"We recognize the strike is going to be a concern to our customers and we are talking to those customers," he told Bloomberg.com.

Article ID# 1683550