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Ring of Fire discoverer named hall of famer

MacKenzie (Mac) Watson, one of the Ring of Fire discoverers, was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, Jan. 15 in Toronto.

MacKenzie (Mac) Watson, one of the Ring of Fire discoverers, was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, Jan. 15 in Toronto.

He was joined by three other inductees – Goldcorp chairman Ian Telfer, First Point Minerals executive chairman Peter Bradshaw and accomplished geologist/prospector Ronald Netolitzky – at the 27th annual ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

As president of Freewest Resources and Quest Uranium, Watson has been associated with the discoveries of the Holloway gold mine, the chromite deposits in the Ring of Fire, and the Strange Lake rare earths project in Quebec.

He has provided bursary and scholarship support to his alma mater, the University of New Brunswick, Lakehead University, and has mentored young geoscientists and served with industry associations.

Telfer has a well-earned reputation as a financially astute and visionary mining entrepreneur. He’s built a number of companies through timely acquisitions and value-driven mergers. As chairman of Goldcorp, he’s renowned for his ability to raise large sums of money for small companies and for identifying wealth-creating opportunities.

He’s received many awards for his success in financing mineral exploration and has an extensive history of philanthropy including a $25 million endowment in 2007 to the University of Ottawa, which led to the creation of the Telfer School of Business.

The new inductees join the 161 men and two women previously inducted into the hall of fame, which was established in 1988.