High-tech theatre coming to a town near you

The federal government will contribute $200,000 for the building of a portable theatre to educate the public about mining in Canada.

Billed as the Great Canadian Mine Show, the theatre will be housed in an expanding tractor trailer. The show itself will use computer animation, simulations and virtual reality technology to give visitors an idea of what it is like to be a part of Canadian mining operation. Visitors will be able to pilot a helicopter into a remote drillsite, stand on a slag heap in Sudbury as it transforms into a forest, and get an “ore’s-eye view” of rocks sent through a processing plant.

The show is designed to give visitors a better idea of the industry’s importance and its goal of providing responsible and safe operations.

Portions of the show will be on display at the upcoming convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum in Toronto in March. The full exhibit will make its debut at Science North in Sudbury this summer before embarking on a year-long cross-country tour.

Sponsors of the project include Placer Dome, Inco, the British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines, United Steelworkers of America, CN Rail and CIBC Wood Gundy. Funding from the government was provided through the Canada Millennium Partnership Program.