A record-breaking number of people are digging a massive mining expo in Timmins.
The 2024 Canadian Mining Expo kicked off on Wednesday, June 5. The event features hundreds of booths with businesses, representatives from active mines and attracts people from all over the world to Timmins to network, learn, and get hired.
Twenty minutes before the 31st annual show was officially slated to open, people were lined up from the McIntyre Community Building to across the lights, said Glenn Dredhart, president of Canadian Trade-Ex.
“There’s a lot of people here, and our numbers will be in by the end of the day, but I know from early counts that we broke last year’s records,” he said.
The grand opening of the event saw Mayor Michelle Boileau and Timmins MP and Minister of Mines George Pirie praising the work going into the event and into the industry around the city.
“We want the nickel from Northern Ontario for all the right reasons,” said Pirie. “Timmins is perfectly situated to take advantage of its talent, its historical association with mining, and what that means to really execute this strategy.”
Booths, machinery, and demonstrations are set up throughout Schumacher Lions Park's grounds, including the jackleg drilling competition.
In the dignitaries category, Coun. Lorne Feldman came in first with a depth of 11 inches.
Dredhart said it is great to see so many people get together and the sense of anticipation keeps the event growing.
“There’s a lot of things taking place in the industry,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, and the guys that come here are into mining, and when they come here, they see all this stuff, and they’re into it. It’s Disneyland to them. They enjoy it, and they look forward to it. This is where the world comes to explore, right here in Timmins.”
Chris Muller and Emilie Labelle from the IVEY group came all the way from Australia to take in the show, though they weren’t expecting the warm weather.
“We brought jackets. It’s a good thing we didn’t wear them,” said Muller.
The mining expo is a two-day event with over 400 exhibitors. The show is open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, and doors open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Passes are $25.
— TimminsToday
