Editor’s Note Teck’s Future

When we sat down to plan for an issue of The Northern Miner Magazine that would feature Teck Corp., we did so because we felt Teck was an example of the best in Canadian mining. Teck has been an innovator, a discoverer, a producer and, through its recently acquired control position in Cominco, is truly a major force in the international mining world. Teck has had its troubles, to be sure. But the way it has handled those troubles is a measure of the company’s ability to prosper in today’s toughly competitive world when many established mining companies seem to be falling by the wayside. Teck has handled its troubles in such a way that has minimized damage. In fact it has a knack for turning adversity into opportunity. For example, when its copper mill in British Columbia’s Highland Valley was left out of a reorganization of the two other major mining concerns in the area, Teck President Norman Keevil Jr complained bitterly — then he went out and bought control of the parent of one of the reorganized companies. It just happened that the company of which Teck gained control was Cominco, the world’s largest zinc producer and itself a major international mining concern.

What we didn’t realize when making our plans was just how diversified Teck is. We called on two writers from Vancouver who were familiar with Teck — Paul LaFontaine and Jean Sorensen — to work with The Northern Miner’s western editor David Duval. Even combined with our own staff and the best of co-operation from the company itself — from top management on down — it still seems we’ve only scratched the surface of what makes Teck tick.

But that may be because the essence of Teck Corp. lies in its potential for the future. What we’ve tried to provide is a snapshot of Teck today and some insight into the spirit that has fuelled the company’s growth from a penny mining stock to a major player in the mining world. The orebodies Teck has now, its established financial stability, its entrepreneurial corporate culture and the rapport it has with the junior mining sector — those building blocks that Teck has taken years to develop are the stuff of the future, something we’ll only be able to write about years from now.

Teck today is a successful mining company, but its potential for the future is truly staggering. We can only guess what the future holds, but this issue is designed to show the foundation on which that future will be built.