EDITORIAL & OPINION — Sudbury a city of contradictions — Brains, not brawn

Back in 1912, the gloomiest community in Ontario, if not Canada, was said to be Copper Cliff. One young man who toiled in the sulphur-seared town that year, later described his experience as “a sort of imprisonment.” But by the 1920s, prosperity had brought about amenities that cheered the workers, while the removal of the roast yards cleared the grimy atmosphere of the Sudbury Basin. Today, thanks to advances in technology and the dedication of scientists and workers, the nickel town has cleaned up, greened up and been transformed into a vibrant, pleasant northern community. (The same cannot be said about its Russian counterpart, the Noril’sk nickel complex, which remains a decrepit industrial hulk surrounded by an environmental wasteland.)

While most Canadians are aware of the dramatic environmental improvements in the Sudbury camp, few have any inkling of the technological advancements made there. Most still view the nickel belt as home to a sunset industry based on brawn, not brains, whereas Sudbury is actually a high-tech centre of mining excellence. During a recent visit, even we were amazed at the range of research and development programs, the number of innovative companies selling locally made products and technology all over the world, and the depth of intellectual talent working to bring an important industry into the next century.

Both Inco and Falconbridge, for example, have research and development programs under way that will help them survive in the increasingly competitive nickel industry. On one hand, they are developing hydrometallurgical processing techniques to process laterite deposits, which make up more than 75% of the world’s nickel resources. (Both companies have projects of this type in New Caledonia.) On the other hand, they are working hard to remain world leaders in mining and processing ore from sulphide deposits, such as those in the Sudbury and Thompson camps and in northern Quebec and Labrador.

Industry experts predict that, over the long term, more and more nickel production will come from laterite projects featuring hydrometallurgical processes, which are far less energy-intensive than conventional pyrometallurgical processing. To remain competitive, companies mining underground sulphide deposits will have to be more productive and more innovative than they have been in the past.

In the Sudbury camp, Inco is already developing the world’s first remotely controlled mines, designed to enhance productivity and safety while cutting costs. The company’s “telemining” research project includes underground communications, positioning, process engineering, monitoring and control systems, all of which is geared toward operating remotely controlled mining equipment and systems. Some of the company’s loaders, drills and trackless tramming units are already being operated remotely, even from surface. Now the research team is working to make entire mining cycles conducive to remote operation. This would allow the company to mine deeper deposits and keep the Sudbury camp operating for decades to come.

Anyone who believes mining is a sunset, low-tech industry would be amazed by today’s robotic drifting systems and intelligent drilling systems, to name just two technological advancements taking place in the Sudbury camp.

In the old days, a strong physique was the ticket to finding employment in the mining industry. Today, intelligence and the willingness to learn matter more, even for underground miners and mill workers. If, as we predict, the Sudbury camp lasts well into the next century as a world leader in mining excellence, it will be because of the collective brainpower of the people who live there.