The following is from a speech by John Larche, past president of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, delivered in Thunder Bay, Ont., in February:
Essential to the health of our industry is the political will and the understanding of our bureaucrats and legislators of the major contribution that mining makes to the province (of Ontario) as a whole, as well as to many northern communities (across the country).
I was disturbed when I read an article published in the Toronto Star of Jan. 15, 1990, reporting statements made by (Ontario) Premier David Peterson at the conference on business, labor and academic leaders on the future competitiveness of the Canadian economy. I would like to quote the following: “The future of Canada depends on exploiting the knowledge between our ears rather than the resources beneath our feet.”
This comment from our government leader makes it clear to me that our industry needs to proclaim its essential nature loud and long. We have to inform the general public (and also our premier, so it seems) that the exploration and mining industry is a vital industry, that it creates wealth for this province’s economy, that it provides jobs for this province’s residents, and that its future in Ontario is secure if we attend to the challenges that it faces.
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