The City of Dryden has finally put itself on the virtual map.

Taking mineral core samples, harnessing the sun's energy, adding value to forestry and getting more tourists to stay and play are the aims of the new economic development website ( www.exploredryden.ca) launched in late November.

Hard off the news of Domtar's closure of its last paper machine and the loss of 195 jobs at its sprawling Dryden complex, the northwestern Ontario community of 8,200 isn't taking it lying down.

Economic development Manager Vicki Kurz has been beating the drum for business diversification for two years ever since forestry mills and jobs started disappearing across northwestern Ontario.

The Dryden Development Corporation has taken to the web to market itself as the place to be for opportunities in solar energy, mining and mineral exploration, manufacturing and tourism.

"We have projects going on every one of those categories," said Kurz.

The move to develop a website came the advice of consultant selected through the Ontario government's Go North program, designed to get one-industry towns investment ready for new business.

Dryden's biggest shortcoming was the lack of a quality web presence to promote itself as being open for business. Until last January, Dryden didn't even have a formal economic development department.

The city is promoting itself as a mining and service hub for places like Red Lake and Sioux Lookout where many local companies operate.

"We made (the web site) simple, easy to navigate with an appropriate amount of maps and community profile information, which is critical."

There's a 72-page on-line catalogue for the mineral exploration industry. The guide provides one-stop shopping on places to eat, sleep and meet; and where to find drillers, welders, machinists, pilots, road builders, lawyers, realtors, grocers, plumbers, and suppliers of every type of equipment and service needed in the bush.

Dozens of junior miners have been sniffing around old mine shafts and exploration trenches from the turn of the last century looking for gold, base metals and uranium.

Last year, the city and some private landowners even cut their own deal with a Vancouver player, Laurentian Goldfields, which is sampling on a package of properties outside of the community. The city has opened talks with another junior, Treasury Metals, to assist on a possible processing mill at its advanced Goliath gold project east of town.

Soon to be posted online is a list of available commercial and industrial properties, and the city hopes to have good news on the value-added front with forestry biomass projects and secondary wood manufacturing.

Because Dryden is one of the sunniest places in Canada, the city is weighing its options on building two 10 megawatt solar farms. Three renewable energy companies, including one from Germany, are bidding for the chance to build on city-owned property in the north end. Kurz said the city hasn't decided whether to sell off the property or operate its own solar farm.

Next year, the Dryden Development Corporation and the Dryden Marketing Association will launch a new tourism website focussed on local and regional visitors.

www.exploredryden.ca