Living legacy for whom? Hands off Destor-Porcupine

It would have been impossible fifty years ago, and scandalous twenty years ago, but today, for some incomprehensible reason, the Ontario government is considering setting aside parts of the Destor-Porcupine fault zone for wilderness preservation. The designation means no more exploration or mining in these areas, which, given the region’s vast geological potential, is a travesty in our eyes and in those of the Porcupine Prospectors and Developers Association (PPDA).

The Destor Porcupine fault, which passes just south of Timmins, is an ancient geological structure that has produced more than 60 million ounces of gold over the past 90 years. In present-day dollars, that translates to more than $26 billion of wealth injected into the Ontario economy.

Two of six Ontario Living Legacy sites proposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources lay along the general trend of the fault zone. The exact location of these proposed sites can be viewed at the web site http://www.ontarioslivinglegacy.com/underway.htm

It’s important to keep in mind that while this gold did not pave Toronto’s streets, it did pay for the wonderful historic buildings that still grace the city and helped transform the province from a rural backwater into one of the world’s most vibrant and diversified economies.

The folks of northern Ontario understand and appreciate the contribution mining has made to their communities. Prospectors and miners are not the only ones who believe that many of the proposed Living Legacy sites threaten the future socio-economic well-being of their communities. The lives of many rural citizens will be affected, which is why the Ontario government should proceed carefully and cautiously when it sits down to select areas for parks and wilderness preserves. It should not sacrifice northern economies for fickle southern votes, nor follow in the footsteps of British Columbia, which decimated its resource economy in the name of environmental protection.

The PPDA is also disillusioned with the designation process, saying that it “blatantly disregarded significant information, such as mining land titles and the bedrock’s economic mining potential, and has openly contradicted and threatened the good intentions and efforts of both the current federal and provincial governments to assist northern communities.”

Worse, there are incidents of claim-holders not being contacted by the government during the so-called “consultations with stakeholders” that take place before lands are set aside for wilderness preservation.

As some see it, it’s a case of the government’s giving with one hand while taking with the other. Newly enhanced flow-through exploration tax incentives have been eagerly welcomed by the exploration community, which hasn’t had an easy time raising funds for work programs. Northern communities dependent on mining are pleased, too, and are hopeful that discoveries will be made as a result of those programs. On the other hand, they are seeing more and more ground excluded from development, which means fewer discoveries, and reduced odds for finding mines.

Prospectors helped build Ontario, and they are still contributing to its economy. Harry Oakes’ big gold strike in Kirkland Lake at the turn of the century and Don McKinnon’s more recent Hemlo discovery are but two of many prospecting milestones that shaped and enriched Ontario. Never have so few done so much for so many, and with so little gratitude. Ontario’s prospectors deserve to be heard.