EDITORIAL PAGE Hall of Fame needs to look ahead

With three annual banquets organized and 28 members inducted to date, the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame has built a solid foundation for future growth. The question is, will it have the financial resources to realize that potential? Judging by how eagerly the industry has embraced this young institution, the Hall has filled a large void. There are other coveted awards made to people in mining, most given through professional associations or institutions of higher learning. But the Hall of Fame is the only avenue by which the industry as a whole can honor those who have made extraordinary contributions to its development.

This year’s inductees into the Hall of Fame are a good example of how broad the Hall’s board of directors interprets its mandate to be. For the first time a mining contractor, John C. MacIsaac, was included. And Viola MacMillan’s induction marks the first woman to be honored. The Pearce brothers, Norman and Richard, were journalists and publishers.

This is a lively group and, combined with 1990’s other inductees and those from previous years, they truly reflect the diversity of the industry. They show that there is a place in mining for the corporate builder, the administrator, the prospector who strikes out on his own, for the promoter, for the scientist whose research improves methods, for the scribe. And they show that it takes the contribution of all of them to have made mining the success it is today.

The Hall of Fame allows us to recognize these individuals’ achievements, but it also provides the opportunity for the industry to take a night off, give itself a pat on the back and reflect on how truly remarkable its accomplishments have been. It brings the whole industry closer together.

There is momentum behind the Hall of Fame now, but without financial backing, it may have trouble keeping that momentum going. “I, for one, won’t be happy until we have a permanent home, something we can all be proud of,” says Maurice Brown, chairman of the Hall’s board of directors. “Nor do we want any here today, gone tomorrow establishment. It’s forever.”

But the Hall has some problems to overcome before it can realize those ambitions. For one thing, it does not cast its net widely enough for financial support. It has shied away from direct support from mining companies for fear of perceived conflicts of interest when selecting inductees. It is currently supported by four organizations: The Mining Association of Canada, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and The Northern Miner. The annual banquet does well to break even.

It is time for the Hall’s board to seriously examine whether its sources of funds are adequate to do the job it has set for itself. If they are not adequate, it needs to consider alternatives including a more stringent and visible organizational structure to reassure individuals that donations are handled responsibly.

We are certain the backing of the industry, and the individuals who comprise it, is available. It’s up to the Hall’s trustees to make it easy for that support to be shown in a tangible way.