Require more registrants, conference organizers say

Canadian organizers of an international conference on hoisting, to be held in Toronto next month, are disappointed by the number of advance bookings they have received from mining companies in Canada.

Bob Dengler, chairman of the International Conference on Hoisting of Men, Materials and Minerals says “initial response from the Canadian mining industry leads us to believe that there is either no interest in hoisting systems or the industry just does not understand or know the content of this conference. Its the lack of delegates from the mines that has me concerned.”

The conference will be held June 12-17 in The Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto.

“There are over 250 active mines in Canada using hoisting systems and many others planning to install hoists,” Dengler says. “Each one of these operations could gain by attending this conference. Remember, it has been 15 years since the last conference of this type (was held in Johannesburg, South Africa) — who knows when the next one may be held.”

This is the first time the conference will be held in Canada. It has been organized by the Maintenance/Engineering Division of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. The conference organizers have been planning the conference for the past four years.

The main features of the conference are the technical program, the trade exhibition and an excellent package of post-convention tours. The tours will take delegates to the most interesting hoisting facilities in the country — Bathurst, N.B.; Sudbury, Kirkland Lake and Hemlo in Ontario; Thompson, Man., and Saskatoon, Sask.

Technical Chairman Largo Albert of Inco Ltd. has received over 100 technical submissions from the major mining communities in the world. These have been reduced to 80 technical papers from 10 countries.

The papers have been printed and the 2-volume, 1,500-page, proceedings will be available at the conference.

“This is more than a conference,” Albert says, “It is a seminar, a course in continuing education on hoisting systems. It will be an excellent opportunity for management, engineering staff and maintenance personnel to learn of new developments and discuss some of their own experiences.”

The conference includes a trade exhibition featuring equipment, technology and services relating to hoisting applications. A total of 40 exhibitors from Canada, U.S., U.K. and Australia will be present.

Organizers had plannned to attract 600 delegates.

The conference organizers can be reached at Dynatec Mining Ltd., 10720 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ont. L4C 3C9. Telephone (416) 883-4022. FAX (416) 883-9656.