As the president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), I would like to comment on Don McKinnon’s remarks (letter to the editor, T.N.M., Feb. 24/92) on my support for Ontario’s mines minister Shelley Martel. There is no question that the mining industry is not in unanimous agreement with my position.
Martel’s decisions have not always been welcomed, but she has actually made some decisions. Unfortunately, this habit was not shared by many of her predecessors, or many of her colleagues.
McKinnon’s remarks give us pause since he is generally correct. The PDAC supports most of the farsighted “McKinnon initiatives’ designed to benefit northern Ontario. The list includes preservation of transportation infrastructure, clean energy from our limitless peat supply, special status for northern Ontario, the arbitrary abuse of power by certain ministers, fair treatment for all northern Ontario residents in access to mining lands and high quality furniture from local lumber.
In reference to the Martel controversy, there are some facts we should keep in perspective. Ontario, like the rest of Canada, is in a depression. We are desperately seeking relief through political action. The action is not forthcoming so we are treated like the Roman mobs, with bread and circuses. A chance remark at a cocktail party is manipulated into an inquiry costing hundreds of thousands of the dollars we haven’t got. For this delightful windfall, a bevy of happy lawyers is giving thanks to Mike Harris, Lyn McLeod and Robert Rae (also a lawyer. the purpose of the exercise, except to fill time between TV advertisements, is not absolutely clear.
We share with McKinnon and his dismay about current trends in Ontario. We don’t think that political bickering will help us any.
Fenton Scott, President, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Toronto
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