Keeping pace with reality

There is no doubt that the current downturn in prices has come upon us more suddenly than those of years past. Also, when coupled with the world credit crunch and all the talk of global recession, government bailouts of banks and formerly stable household name companies, the situation seems to be more serious this time. Hopefully, with all the stimuli being applied by countries around the globe, the mining industry will start to recover before too long. One thing we do know for sure is that recovery will come as companies and individuals adjust to the current market realities.

We need to remember that demand for mineral commodities will return and inevitably better pricing will follow. It is hard to believe that 2009 is going to be a great year but there is some hope for price recovery in 2010.

At the Ontario Mining Association, measures are being taken to help the industry see its way through the current rough patch and to help lay the groundwork for the foundations of further growth and development. The Mineral Industry Human Resource Council (MiHR) tells us that nationally the mining industry dustry could need 92,000 new skilled workers in the next decade. Other scenarios examined by MiHR for no growth and for industry contraction still indicate a need for 60,000 and 45,000 new mining employees over the next decade in Canada.

One may quibble about the number, but the industry still needs to prepare for the next generation of workers. Let’s not forget that one of the issues driving the need for new recruits in our industry is the retiring of the baby boom generation over the next 15 years. We are going to need serious numbers of new people no matter what level commodity prices are at!

The OMA is to be applauded for its “Demographics, Global Markets and Future Workforce” conference held in 2008. The industry was able to get a better grasp on the employment situation in Ontario and around the world as a result of the excellent presentation put on by demographic guru and “Boom, Bust & Echo” author David Foot. Also, a session called “How to Make the Mining Workplace More Feminine Friendly” helped to identify attraction and retention strategies for an under-represented component of the mining workforce.

But it doesn’t stop there; the OMA Education and Outreach Committee is working with Skills Canada Ontario to promote awareness of career paths in trades and technologies for young people. Numerous and varied mining jobs are now featured in the Skills Canada Ontario “Skills Work!” book and mining has become a major contributor to the technological skills competition event. In 2008 in Waterloo, this educational event attracted 2,500 competitors in 60 events and 25,000 students, teachers and parents. Hopefully, some of the youth of our province will find their way to the mining industry as a result of the OMA’s efforts to promote industry awareness.

One of the most innovative initiatives I have seen in my career in mining is the OMA’s “So You Think You Know Mining” high school video contest. This contest is an important initiative designed to improve the understanding of and appreciation for the value of mining to society amongst the more arts oriented high school students. Some Ontario teens are going to win serious cash prizes in the spring of this year! Please visit the OMA website ( www.oma.on.ca)for contest details where changes have been made to accommodate this initiative.

Looking ahead, both the OMA Safety and Training Advisory Committee and the OMA Workers’ Compensation and Occupation Health Committees are working to make our industry workplaces the safest in the province. The industry continues to make great progress in safety performance, and we will all have to be more diligent on the safety front during these times of high economic anxiety. Let’s keep everyone’s attention focused on the task at hand each and every day.

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Mines In Ontario

Owner

GOLD MINES(yellow circles)

1 St. AndrewGoldfieldsLtd.

2 Teck, Barrick

3 Goldcorp Inc.

4 Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd.

5 Goldcorp Inc.

6 Richmont Mines Inc.

7 Kirkland Lake Gold Corporation

8 Goldcorp Inc.

9 Goldcorp Inc.

10 Goldcorp Inc.

11 Teck, Barrick

BASE METAL MINES(yellow circles)

12 Xstrata Plc

13 FNX Mining Company Ltd.

14 First Nickel Inc.

15 Xstrata Plc

16 ReLiberty Mines Inc.

17 CVRD Inco Limited

18 Xstrata Plc

PLATINUM GROUP METAL MINES(yellow circles)

19 North American Palladium Ltd.

MAJOR INDUSTRIAL MINERAL OPERATIONS(green hexagons)

20 Agricultural Mineral Prospectors Inc.

21 Unimin Canada Ltd.

22 Unimin Canada Ltd.

23 Regis Resources Inc -Vermiculite Canada

24 Sifto Canada Inc.

25 Sifto Canada Inc.

26 CGC Inc.

27 Canada Talc Division of Dynatec Minerals Division

28 Operations phosphate Agrium Inc.

29 Extender Minerals of Canada Ltd.

30 The Canadian Salt Company Ltd.

31 Rio Tinto Minerals Group

32 OMYA (Canada) Inc.

33 The Canadian Salt Company Ltd.

DIAMONDS(blue square)

34 De Beers Canada Mines in Ontario

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