EDITOR’S NOTE High Stakes

It may not be the safest investment, but more money is going into the ground this year in Canada than ever before as investors look for a return in the form of new-found mineral wealth.

The odds, as any mining man will quickly point out, are at least 1000-to-one against success. But in Canada, those successes have come at a surprisingly frequent rate over the years producing billions of dollars of wealth for the country. Sure it’s a gamble, and the stakes are high, but that’s what makes the game all the more worthwhile.

This year, flow-through financing will help channel more money from individual Canadians — complementing the fortunes invested by major companies — into the search. Flow-through has been a big help to the mineral exploration sector over the past six years, but it’s really a very small boon when measured against what the industry has contributed toward building this nation.

You won’t hear anyone apologize for making use of flow-through money at the fifty-fifth Prospectors and Developers Association convention this month in Toronto. They’ve given far more to Canada than they’ll ever take. And besides, they’ve got more important things to do. It’s March, spring breakup isn’t far off, and there are preparations to be made if one hopes to find that next Hemlo.

This month’s issue of The Northern Miner Magazine shows clearly just how busy 1987 is going to be. January and February have been frantic for many companies, large and small, and the plans for the rest of the year outlined by the companies we surveyed for this issue are more ambitious than any we’ve seen in years.

Kerry Knoll, my predecessor as editor, is largely responsible for putting this issue together. Kerry’s gone on his own to work as a consultant — in the mining business, of course — and will no doubt be seen at “the P and D” by many of you. I hope to see you there, too.