Ottawa pledges support for Canada’s mining sector

The federal government is determined to maintain a healthy mining industry within the context of sustainable development, Natural Resources Minister Anne McLellan told delegates at the recent Mineral Outlook Conference in Toronto.

But Ottawa will not take action until the co-operative, consultative process known as the Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI) tables its recommendations this fall, she added.

Following a luncheon speech at the same conference, Finance Minister Paul Martin told reporters that “there are a number of strategies to keep investment dollars in Canada, but it is a little too soon to talk about specific options.

“We want companies to build mines here,” conceded Martin, who quickly added: “But we don’t want them not building them off shore.”

Thomas Ogryzlo, president of the Kilborn group of companies, left no doubt as to which side of the fence he supports. “We should be giving more attention to possibilities here in Canada because by the time a mine is justified (8-9 years, on average), the capital costs of building a project in Chile will be similar to, or even higher than, building such a project in this country,” he said.

The challenges facing Canada, including excessive environmental regulations and the role of labor and technology, were discussed by numerous speakers at the conference, part of Toronto ’94, a forum which included the annual meeting of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum. The importance of educating the public about mining was a recurring theme. For example, through the WMI, the United Steel Workers of America is working to reverse opinions people have about mining, said International Secretary-Treasurer Leo Gerard.

“I hate to say it,” he admitted, “but because of our fights (with management) over training, technology, the environment and representation, these inaccurate perceptions have stuck.”

During the weeklong conference, which attracted a total attendance of about 4,900, numerous supply companies displayed the latest in mining technology. Two major companies, for example, demonstrated technological achievements that shatter the perception that mining is a technologically crude, dangerous industry. Inco (TSE) showed how a miner, “dressed to the nines” in Toronto, can now operate two load-haul-dump machines on two separate levels at a mine in Sudbury, Ont., 400 km distant. And Noranda (TSE) unveiled a new paging system that improves communications among underground miners. — The writer is editor of Canadian Mining Journal.