In the knowledge world, facts are the new coins.
Those in the mining sector and the allied service and supply fields will get the facts when they attend a trade show in Timmins on May 19-20.
The show’s theme is A New Decade in Mining.
Glenn Dredhart, president of Canadian Trade-Ex, the show organizer, says the mineral industry has come through some hard times but with gold over $1,000 an ounce and the demand for base metals once again strong, the future looks bright.
“Mining is constantly changing as it adapts to market forces, new technology, new theories and innovations in every step of the process from discovery to the final product.
“That is why Canadian Trade-Ex with over 20 years of experience in putting together trade shows have stepped outside the traditional exhibition box to satisfy the variety of needs that exist in today’s market place.
“The Big Event, as it is labeled, is much more than a trade show in that it has several different components: an investment forum, a career and educational fair, a prospector’s course and live equipment demonstrations.
Mining has gone high tech – whether it is the prospector using the latest in electronic gear, the underground miner needing knowledge of computers to operate complex mobile equipment or the developer using video presentations to raise funds on Bay Street.
“We have been told after past shows that participants gained a wealth of knowledge and new business contacts because to be successful people in the mining field must be aware of what is happening around them,” said Dredhart.
One way to achieve this is to provide top speakers from the mineral sector at the Big Event. There will be five guest experts from producing mines in North Central Canada.
They will be part of a program at a special dinner on May 19 that will provide insight into their mineral operations as well as a look into the coming decade.
Only 300 tickets were made available, with only 110 left available at print time and it is expected mining company executives, human resources personnel, equipment manufacturers and supply and service contractors will snap them up.
The dinner is sponsored by the Porcupine Miners Memorial Committee, which built the statues on the ground of the McIntyre Park adjoining the McIntyre Arena and Fairgrounds where the show is being held.
“We urge everyone, whether participants or spectators, to view the statues with the names of over 600 miners killed while working in the local mines.”
Timmins has been the principal gold mining district in Canada since the discovery in 1909 of the big three of Canadian producers, the Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre Mines.
Today, as the city celebrates over a four-year period the historical events surrounding the gold discoveries and the birth of the communities around them, gold is enjoying a new love affair with investors.
“With over 80 companies looking for precious and base metals in the area and three new gold mines in production and a couple more mere months from a gold bar pouring, Timmins’ title as the gold capital of Canada is assured for many more decades to come,” said Dredhart.
