Obituary: C. Carbonneau

C. Carbonneau, founding president of the Quebec Crown corporation Soquem and a former professor of geology at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, has died. He was 77.

Born in November 1923 in Sainte-Foy, Que., Carbonneau earned a bachelor or arts degree from Laval University in 1943; a bachelor of science in 1948, also from Laval; a master of science from the University of British Columbia in 1949; and a PhD in Geology from McGill University in 1953. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Louvain University, Belgium, in 1954.

From 1951 to 1963, he was professor of geology at cole Polytechnique and the University of Montreal. He then joined St. Lawrence Columbium as executive vice-president.

It was in 1965 that he founded Societe quebcoise d’exploration miniere, or Soquem. The company developed an inexpensive airborne gamma-ray spectrometer survey system that was flown in light aircraft. The system resulted in the discovery of three niobium deposits.

From 1965 to 1977, when Carbonneau presided over the company, Soquem discovered five deposits at an average cost of $3 million each. The Doyon mine, currently among the largest Canadian gold producers, is considered Soquem’s greatest discovery under Carbonneau.

From 1981 to 1986, he was president and chief executive officer of Falconbridge Copper. During his tenure, three deposits were discovered: Ansil (base metals); Lac Shortt (gold); and Winston Lake (zinc). He also contributed to the development of the Niobec, Seleine and Louvem mines.

Carbonneau was on the board of governors of Laval and McGill universities, and was a member of the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation. As well, he was an officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.