THE EDITORIAL PAGE Where opportunities begin

The Vancouver Stock Exchange is right on the money when it claims to have played a role in some of Canada’s most important mineral discoveries. The Hemlo gold deposits of Ontario, the rich Eskay Creek gold mine in northern British Columbia, the diamond deposits in the Northwest Territories and the Voisey’s Bay deposits in Labrador owe much to the risk capital raised by the junior companies responsible for these important finds.

And that is why we support the objectives of the VSE’s new president, Michael Johnson, to improve the way the exchange does business with all its customers. After all, from a mining perspective, the VSE can rightfully claim to be “where business starts, and where ideas and opportunities begin.”

Johnson’s goal is to bring “new leadership and new vision” to the exchange. While this initiative has only just started, the VSE has decided to focus on what it does best — raising capital for venture companies. To fulfil that mandate, Johnson and his staff intend to concentrate on quality of service, technological innovation, business development and “reputation issues.”

It is the last that will be the most challenging. After all, as cynics point out, “we’ve heard all this before.”

Johnson wisely has refrained from trying to convince skeptics. Instead, he has issued a challenge: “Just watch us, and judge us by what we do.” And he acknowledges that only by enforcing, “with diligence and determination,” the rules that are already in place can the exchange hope to enhance its reputation. We wish him well.