EDITORIAL PAGE — Vive l’exploration!

In 1979, Lac Mineral CEO Peter Allen was asked what he considered the most prospective ground in Canada. Allen’s reply, quoted in Timothy Green’s latest book The World of Gold, was as follows: “If I had to throw a dart at the map of Canada and mine gold where it landed, the ideal would be northwest Quebec; it is accessible, has the best — conservative — government and the best unions.”

Allen went on to mint gold out of three mines — the two Bousquets and Doyon — along the Cadillac Break. Since then, Lac has stepped out into the larger world. But the Abitibi region of Quebec, from Chibougamau in the east to the Ontario-Quebec border in the west, is still remarkably active. In fact, the sheer quantity of exploration plays and the rising tonnages in formerly moribund operations bodes well for the future.

Here is a list, which is by no means all-inclusive:

n MSV Resources bought the Copper Rand and Portage mines near Chibougamau this February. By the third quarter, it had boosted gold output by 33% and copper by 30.5%. On the exploration front, the Cedar Bay property, on Copper Rand’s western boundary, yielded a mouth-watering intersection — 0.24 oz. gold per ton and 3.7% copper over 39 ft.

n Goldex, an Agnico Eagle subsidiary soon to be merged with its parent, boasts the “single-largest gold reserve” in the area. Averaging about 0.073 oz., it is low grade (for a potential underground producer). But with more than 25 million tons, it is an impressive “geological resource.” Coincidentally, the LaRonde mine also was a low-grade deposit discovered by another Agnico subsidiary, Dumagami Mines. Discovery of a high-grade zone turned it into a winner.

* Cambior, with its small producers such as Chimo and Beliveau, recently added the Sleeping Giant mine to the list. With the help of Aurizon Mines, it has resurrected this past producer and has undertaken exploration in and around the mine.

As well, Cambior’s Quebec commitment was underlined by a recent creation — its 40%-owned exploration offspring, Cambiex. Cambiex has about $5 million in the kitty — a healthy sum for a supposed junior — and is drilling several plays.

* Richmont Mines is mining the Francoeur deposit. And it now owns the old Camflo mill, near Malartic.

* Western Quebec Mines, meanwhile, keeps plugging away at its Joubi mine and hopes eventually to strike the motherlode.

* KWG plans a production startup this month at its Granada project. * Metall Mining has completed a feasibility on its Troilus-Frotet project, a low-grade but potentially big-tonnage deposit north of Chibougamau. *Noranda’s exploration efforts in the Mattagami area continue to bear fruit. * And, of course, there is Louvicourt, the large base-metal mine soon to come on stream.

Finally, a significant event of late is the alliance between former Kerr Addison chief Andre Fortier and promoter Murray Pezim. Pezim has been persuaded to fund Fortier’s dream of finding a minable gold deposit in the Abitibi region (see report in this issue).

Why northwestern Quebec? “Geologicially, it’s a proven area,” Fortier told The Northern Miner. “It has the infrastructure and there is a willingness on the part of government and a general attitude of giving us (the exploration industry) a hand.”