‘Ineptitude’ closes Pas office

I recently attended the Mid-Canada Mining Corridor Conference in Flin Flon, Man., where I partook in excellent underground and surface tours. Looking around the Sportsplex, where the conference was held, I couldn’t help but notice that something was missing — prospectors. You know, those people who actually go out and get dirty looking for mines (if you think Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting discovered Flin Flon, stop reading here).

Apart from a handful of individuals, there wasn’t a prospector to be seen, whereas in previous times there would have been dozens. But then, who really cares about individuals working on their own with, in many cases, little if any formal training, unorthodox ideas and a shoestring budget?

Statistics or a glance at a map will tell you that individuals (usually propsectors) have been responsible for the creation of more mineral wealth than any other group worldwide, including well-funded exploration teams from mining companies. Examples in Manitoba include Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Lynn Lake, Thompson, Sherridon and Bisset.

Not relevant in today’s high-tech world? More recent examples would be the Lac de Gras diamond property in the Northwest Territories, Voisey’s Bay nickel in Newfoundland, Hemlo Gold in Ontario, and the Lac des Iles platinum-palladium operation, also in Ontario. Thousands of jobs were created, and billions of dollars in new wealth were generated, with a large part going into government coffers to help pay for healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Why are there so few prospectors left in Manitoba when there are still hundreds of people in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and even Nova Scotia who call themselves prospectors?

One of the main reasons is shortsighted government policy. A case in point is the recent announcement of the closing of the mining recording office in The Pas, Man. This office has served the prospecting and mining community faithfully for more than 80 years. Are the bureaucrats and politicians that much smarter now or are they just pandering to a few know-nothings with their own self-serving agenda?

Remember the towns of Sherridon, Lynn Lake, Snow Lake and Leaf Rapids? They all, at one time, were a major part of the feed for the Flin Flon smelter. Do you think killing the office in The Pas will help these towns? There is hardly a prospector or exploration company to be found in any of these areas. It’s not that the geology isn’t right (the mines were there to prove it); rather, it’s, in large part, due to government ineptitude.

At a recent meeting, in Flin Flon, of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Prospectors & Developers Association, prospectors overwhelmingly endorsed continued service from The Pas. They realize the critical importance of a trained and helpful staff and that a body of knowledge has disappeared as a result of the destruction of the office. (I should point out that, for years, there have been two geologists on the government payroll at The Pas, as well as a clerical position.)

So to those sorry souls who worked hard at killing the Pas mining recording office, I say: next time you have a bright idea, keep it to yourself, or ask somebody who actually knows something.

Peter Dunlop

Prospector

The Pas, Man.