CMHF adds six members

At first glance, the six men inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame during a recent ceremony at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel seem to have little in common.

Their accomplishments are diverse, including the discovery and development of lead-zinc deposits in New Brunswick, the iron-ore fields of Labrador and Quebec, and numerous gold mines in Quebec’s Abitibi district. Their professions are equally diverse: the list includes a geoscientist whose research contributed to numerous discoveries in Ontario, a mine developer who became one of the nation’s greatest philanthropists, and an entrepreneurial engineer who helped put Canada on the map as a centre of engineering excellence. Yet all secured their place in mining history by demonstrating the highest of professional standards, not to mention a work ethic that would put a dozen Clydesdales to shame.

Robert Ginn, master of ceremonies, described inductee John Paris Bickell (1884-1951), as “no stranger to work since the age of fourteen.” The teen-age clerk set his sights on higher achievements and joined the trek to the Yukon goldfields, where the mining bug scored a direct hit.

Upon his return to Toronto, Bickell opened a brokerage firm at the age of 23 and became a millionaire at 30. In 1919, he left the investment business to become president, and subsequently chairman, of McIntyre-Porcupine Mines.

Ginn told the more than 500 guests attending the event that McIntyre had a rough beginning. “It was a paltry producer compared with the Hollinger and Dome mines, but it became a great company because of the inspirational skills of Bickell.”

Great may be an understatement. The Timmins mine went on to produce 11 million oz. gold from 1912 through to 1978. The company was debt-free by 1916 and paid dividends every year but one since 1917.

Bickell’s achievements went beyond business. During the Second World War, he was appointed to Lord Beaverbrook’s Ministry of Aircraft Production, where he served the British airplane supply board during the blitz. Upon his return to Canada, he assumed responsibility for the federal agency that manufactured Lancaster bombers for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Bickell was an avid hockey fan who helped make Maple Leaf Gardens a reality. He was also one of Canada’s greatest philanthropists. The J.P. Bickell Foundation, established with initial funding of $13 million, has distributed $85 million since his death in 1951. Most has gone to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children; however, more than $4.5 million has been awarded in scholarships to young people in mining-related disciplines.

Hal Jackman, a former governor-general of Ontario, accepted Bickell’s award, which was presented by Graham Farquharson in his role as chairman of the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation.

Robert John Isaacs (1905-1997) was honoured for his role in the discovery and development of the massive lead-zinc deposits in New Brunswick, which became the cornerstone of Brunswick Mining & Smelting. He worked tirelessly to develop a mine, mill and smelter complex in the Bathurst area. Noranda Mines subsequently acquired the project and used its financial and operating strengths to make the integrated mining and metallurgical business a success.

The talented mining engineer also had a hand in financing and developing many smaller producers, particularly in Newfoundland.

John Carrington, vice-chairman of Barrick Gold, presented the award honouring Robert Isaacs, telling the audience that the words “integrity and work ethic” best describe the man’s character. “He had a reputation for hard work and for keeping costs low. This was a man who had [taken] classes in the school of hard knocks.”

Isaacs’ daughter Judy accepted the award. “I know what my father would say if he were here tonight: ‘I’ll be dammed.’ He would be shocked this was happening to him.”

Isaacs was known in the industry as a man who delivered on his promises, she added. “The ore was always there, the mill came in on time. He never used the word ‘can’t.'”

Roland K. Kilborn (1902-1959) was no stranger to hard work either. His vision, technical skills and entrepreneurial spirit led to the founding of one of the nation’s foremost engineering consulting companies, now part of the SNC-Lavalin organization.

Roger Nichol of SNC-Lavalin presented the award to Kilborn’s daughter, Edythe Dew, who told the audience her father had three main ambitions: grow a beard; join the navy; and start a consulting firm. The first was vetoed by his wife, and the closest he came to joining the navy was building a boat that only went backward (a problem that was eventually resolved).

“My father started his company in a rec room in the basement where he had three drafting tables. There were times when he convinced me and two others to sit at those drafting tables to convince clients the business was a going concern,” she said. “But Ken’s third ambition was truly realized.”

Since its inception in 1947, Kilborn Engineering has designed and built some of North America’s largest mines, enabling the company to become an industry leader in gold milling, potash refining and uranium processing.

Among the firm’s other achievements are Canada’s largest open-pit coal mine and wash plant in British Columbia, and most of the country’s asbestos mines and plants. The firm also constructed more than 60% of Canada’s potash refinery capability and numerous base metal mines.

Kilborn Engineering also designed and built numerous gold mines and plants in North America. Some were metallurgically complex and required the understanding of complex technologies to extract their products, a task in which Kilborn Engineering excelled.

James Paul Norrie (1891-1945), known by his contemporaries as “the man who made the Malartics,” combined ambition, energy, an extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and gut instinct to find and open mines in the Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec. In doing so, he made an enormous contribution to the development of that province’s mining industry and earned his place in Canadian history.

Norrie’s energies were prodigious, according to Ginn. “He was a big strong man who, at the time of his death at only 54 years of age, was involved in 12 separate projects.”

During the years 1927-1945, Norrie transformed the Malartics from a wilderness to a thriving, prosperous community by discovering, or being involved in the development of, the East Malartic, Malartic Goldfields, Aubelle, Croinor, Louvicourt, Norbenite and Sladen mines. His biggest triumph was Malartic Goldfields, which led all other mines in the area at that time.

Daniel St. Pierre, president of the Northwest Quebec Prospectors Association, presented the award to Norrie’s son, George.

“Many Abitibi people remember my father for his contributions [to the region], but the people who knew him spoke of him as a hard worker. He was in the bush for long periods, away from the family, but when you have gold fever, that’s what you do. It’s a great life, difficult, but a great life and part of our history.”

Joseph Arlington Retty (1904-1961) was honoured for his substantial role in the discovery of iron-ore deposits in the Quebec-Labrador boundary region, a land so harsh it has been called “Cain’s Legacy.”

Retty’s pioneering efforts led to the foundation of the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOCC), the development of its iron mining operations at Knob Lake and Carol Lake, and shipments of an estimated 700 million tonnes of direct-shipping iron ores, concentrates and pellets. Retty was also recognized as the first to appreciate the economic potential of the ilmenite deposits of Quebec’s Havre St. Pierre region, where titanium mining continues today.

Keith Eldridge, vice-president of IOCC, presented the award to Stephanie Retty, who, in turn, graciously acknowledged the role others played in the project.

Life on the family farm provided James Edgar Thomson (1906-1982) with a fierce work ethic that served him well throughout his illustrious, 44-year career with the Ontario Department of Mines (ODM), which later became the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS).

Thomson revived, enlarged and modernized ODM, and, under his guidance, it became recognized for its technical excellence both in Canada and abroad. But he was a talented geologist in his own right, having discovered surface exposures of the copper-zinc orebodies that later became the Geco and Willroy mines. He recommended the Hemlo area for prospecting but did not live to see the discovery and development of three gold mines in the region.

Thomson ensured that Ontario’s vibrant exploration sector was well-served with multi-disciplinary field programs, commodity inventories and research studies. In doing so, he set a high standard for industry-government partnership, one that survives to this day.

The award was presented by Tim Hudak, minister of northern development and mines, who acknowledged many of Thomson’s “star pupils” in the audience, as well as the many contributions Thomson made during his lengthy career. “Literally and figuratively, Dr. Thomson left his mark on Ontario,” Hudak said.

Dr. James Thomson, a physician, accepted the award. He described his father as “a reserved and unassuming man who would not seek honours. He spent long summers in the bush. My mother would say he set world records for being treed by bears and moose.” He closed his remarks by thanking the industry and the people who gave his father “the ultimate joy in his work.”