some 365 metres below the earth’s surface.
Responding to the industry’s domestic environmental requirements has
helped to foster environmental expertise inCanada and to export this
expertise. For example, Canadian-based consulting, engineering and
environmental technologies and service companies are enjoying rapid
international growth in South America and elsewhere.
Television probably wouldn’t turn you on without the 35 minerals and metals
required to make it work. Without barite, there would be no tube. Lead is
required to manufacture the glass for the screen while rare earths give the
colours their richness. Mining strikes a vital note in the music industry as
well. Vibrating magnets lend quality to the sound produced by your
speakers. Aluminum is found in compact discs while brass, a copper-zinc
alloy, is used in a wide variety of instruments such as trumpets and
trombones.
If the future of mining is looking up, it is in part because of its ability to look
down. The mining industry today employs specially equipped planes,
helicopters and satellites that can pinpoint potential mining sites to within a
few metres. Prospectors use hand-held locational devices that identify exact
positions using satellites. In all, mining companies spend more than $1 billion
a year on exploration, research and development. Sophisticated technologies
are already being used by 85% of those employed in mining, and the use of
computers is standard practice.
The average work experience of mine workers in Canada is 21 years,
significantly higher than the total population average of 14.5 years (for
workers aged 15-69) and second only to workers in the religious
profession.
Historical
The federal Department of Mines (now known as Natural Resources
Canada) was created in 1907.
Construction of a gas pipeline from Alberta to Quebec began in 1956.
In 1945, Dominion Magnesium Ltd. was the first company in Canada to
produce calcium commercially.
In 1931, selenium was produced for the first time in Canada by Ontario
Refining Co. Ltd.
In 1930, Canada became the world’s second largest gold producer. Canadian