Letter to the Editor Exploration ban in parks results in millions

There are three new parks designated in the Dryden, Ont., Ministry of Natural Resources District. This resulted in a total of 14% of the high mineral potential land being lost to exploration. This not only means that my ability to earn an income locally has been cut by 14%, but that the land to generate jobs locally in mining exploration has been cut by 14%.

On behalf of a group of investors, I had applied for an Exploratory Licence of Occupation covering a portion of the Butler Lake Nature Reserve. The Butler Lake Nature Reserve is an 8,400-acre block of land on the south shore of Wabigoon Lake which has been given park status because it contains clay. Identical clay covers an area about 40-50 miles by 5-10 miles.

I am personally aware of a company willing to spend up to $250,000 on preliminary exploration within this area. Of this amount, about $100,000 would have been spent on local labor and services. This would include linecutting, geophysics, geological mapping and equipment rentals.

The remaining $150,000 would have been on drilling and associated costs. Although this would not all be spent locally, it would have been spent in Ontario.

Though not personally involved with the second company, I am sure their program would have involved similar expenditures.

Thus, due to the ill-informed decision to ban exploration, this park alone cost the economy up to $500,000 in the short term. This is not the way to encourage growth in Northwestern Ontario.

One of the major problems would appear to be the lack of knowledge concerning what mining exploration is and the importance of exploration and mining to the economy. This lack of knowledge seems to be a problem with government officials as well as the general public.

It is easy to visualize how the general public can be misled by the media — the only time something is mentioned on the news is when the news is bad. The very nature of exploration is low profile and tends to be secretive.

The government, however, should be better informed because they have the employees who do know the facts. In 1987, about $100 million was spent on mining exploration in Ontario. This work resulted in considerable economic activity, particularly in the northern parts of the province.

It must be noted that mining exploration does not mean mining and it does not mean smelting. This is a fact which seems to escape most politicians and lobby groups.

Mining exploration is the business of finding mines. This generally starts with a field party walking through the bush examining and sampling rock exposures. If something of interest is found claims are staked and systematic work starts. This involves cutting lines through the bush at regular (usually 100 m) intervals. Moose and deer in particular seem to prefer walking along these lines — probably due to the ease of travel and the new growth which serves as feed.

The next stage usually consists of stripping and/or trenching to expose areas of interest. Areas disturbed are usually small due to cost and effectiveness. Again, the new growth provides feed for animals.

The final stage in most exploration programmes is diamond drilling. The drill set-up occupies an area of 10-15 m square. Drill roads generally go around large trees taking the “path of least resistance.”

Upon completion of this third stage a decision must be made: do more work or look elsewhere. If the decision is to look elsewhere the bush starts growing back. In two or three years the bush has grown in sufficiently to effectively obliterate the signs of the exploration. Yet the economy is richer by $200,000-$300,000 and more knowledge is available for future exploration.

If the decision is to do more work, then the bulk of the work will be more drilling as described above.

If a commercial deposit is discovered (this rarely happens, there are only about seven mines between Thunder Bay, Hudson Bay, the Manitoba border and the U.S. border) then mining is the next stage. A reasonable sized mine to be expected in the area occupied by the Butler Lake Nature Reserve would employ 100 to 150 people directly plus the spin-off jobs in supply and services. The mine, plant and tailings areas would occupy somewhere in the order of 100-150 acres.

A smelter is the location where metals are recovered from ore concentrates produced at mines. A smelter, due to its nature is a potential source of pollution. Most deposits in the Dryden area would not require the use of a smelter. It is extremely unlikely that any smelter facilities would ever be built anywhere in the entire Dryden area.

By not allowing exploration in the Butler Lake Nature Reserve the government has effectively wiped out exploration jobs and perhaps even eliminated a mine which would occupy only 2% of the park area and provide well paid, long- term jobs.

The main point I wish to emphasize is the urgent need for a policy of multiple land use for the Province of Ontario. Single land use eliminates wealth and jobs and is detrimental to the economic well- being of Ontario. The squandering of resources by single land use must be replaced by a cooperative effort among user groups to maximize the benefits of all of the land for everyone. J. W. Redden, B.Sc. Consulting Geologist Wabigoon, Ont.

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