EDITORIAL PAGE (September 09, 1991)

They’re not building mining towns anymore, and that may be just as well. But new mines can still contribute dramatically to the economic well-being of outlying areas and generally bolster regional development.

An example is the Selbaie mine in northwestern Quebec, one of the province’s largest mining operations. About 1,200 people showed up recently at a picnic for staff and their families as part of the mine’s 10th anniversary celebrations this summer.

During the 10 years Selbaie has been in operation it has mined about 14 million tons of ore. In its first years, when it operated solely as an underground operation, it employed about 350. Now, with underground and open pit operations, its payroll has climbed to about 550.

Most of the employees drive in from Joutel, but others come from communities all over northwestern Quebec, towns like La Sarre, Amos and Val d’Or. Not only does Selbaie’s payroll contribute to those areas, the mine also purchases a great deal of goods and services locally as a matter of company policy. Altogether, the mine and others like it provide a solid foundation on which people in these communities can build their lives.

But developments like this sometimes need help. Selbaie might never have been brought into production without the help of the Quebec and federal governments to build access roads. And the 80-km hydro line the company built five years ago now belongs to Quebec Hydro and forms part of the provincial electrical grid.

These are examples of how public money can be properly used to prime the pump for regional development. It makes no sense to hand out money in welfare or unemployment when it can be used in more productive ways. Using public funds for a road to facilitate construction of a mine is an investment that will repay the government many times over.

Everyone has an interest in the environment, from producer to consumer. How easy it is to blame a mining or forestry or manufacturing concern for polluting the atmosphere, when in fact end-users have so many practical applications for the fabricated goods.

So it is that Missouri-based lead producer Doe Run brings to our attention a statistic recorded earlier this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The government’s environmental watchdog reported that lead air emissions fell by 96% between 1970 and 1989.

While much of this decrease resulted from the phasing out of leaded gasoline, the report points out that emissions from smelters and battery plants have been significantly reduced. In 1989, for instance, lead emissions from industrial sources south of the border declined by more than half from levels reported in the late 1970s.

In addition to air quality, the amount of lead ending up in landfills and elsewhere has been significantly reduced. Lead metal is the most recycled metal in the U.S. More than half of all lead being produced is recycled. Recycled lead, Doe Run says, is the fastest growing sector of production within the lead industry itself and actually outnumbers the tonnage being produced by mining.