Impact of Mining in Timmins and Area

 The Timmins Mining Camp is celebrating a century of gold production this year but bullion is no longer the mainstay of the local economy. Base metals today are equally important, in fact there are more workers engaged in the mining and refining of copper, zinc, lead and nickel than in precious metals. Another traditionally strong business sector is forestry, although in the past couple of years it has suffered a number of setbacks. Still, it is expected long term to remain a big contributor to the city’s economy once its short term problems are solved.

Five major mining companies, Xstrata Plc, Goldcorp Inc., Rio Tinto Minerals-Luzenac Inc., Kinross Gold Corporation and Agrium Inc. have operations in and around Timmins.

While Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren is new to his office, having been acclaimed in December 2006, he is not new to the mining business. He was involved in the management of Gorf Contracting Ltd. for many years, a company that worked on most of the mining projects in Northeastern Ontario. Laughren also served 10 years as a councilor before taking a three-year break from politics in 2004-06. “Timmins has a product mining history and a debt of gratitude is owed to the men and women who came to a raw land and built an enduring community. “While we celebrate our past we also look forward to a future that every resident is contributing towards. “Mining continues to be part of the bedrock of the Timmins economy and with number of discoveries increasing annually; we have faith that Timmins will be around to see its 200th anniversary of mineral production.” The Victor M. Power Timmins Airport is proving to be invaluable for the city as most mineral exploration in one way or another involves that facility. The mayor said Timmins is planning celebrations to mark the discovery in 1909 of the big three of Canadian gold mines, the Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre. Timmins today is more than a mining and forestry-dependent community but a supply and service centre for 150,000 people living within a four-hour driving radius. As well, Timmins offers medical and educational services, shopping centred on malls and box stores and first-class hotel, restaurant and entertainment facilities.

Xstrata is the newcomer to the local mining scene as it acquired the Kidd Creek and Montcalm base metal mines and metallurgical site of Falconbridge Ltd. in November 2006. Swiss-based Xstrata has a number of divisions and the Kidd Creek Mine and met operations were put into Xstrata Copper and the Montcalm nickel mine is part of Xstrata Nickel, as are the Falconbridge Sudbury operations. Kidd Creek had 513 workers and the met site 832 as of Dec. 31, 2006. As well, there are usually several hundred contract workers at the two sites at any one time. The Montcalm Mine had eight Xstrata employees and 95-on site contract workers as of Dec. 31. In terms of total employment, the Porcupine Joint Venture (PJV) was next with 600 employees and 185 contractors at the end of 2006. The PJV is a partnership between Goldcorp (51 per cent) and Kinross (49 per cent) with the former as the operator. Three gold mines are operated by the PJV, the Dome, Hoyle Pond and Pamour. All ore is trucked to the 15,000 tonnes per day mill at the Dome Mine. Rio Tinto-Luzenac operate the talc Penhorwood Mine in Penhorwood Township 75 km west of Timmins but process the ore at their concentrator and micronizing mill in the former Hollinger Gold Mine buildings in the centre of the city. The operation had 62 employees at year’s end. While Agrium’s road and railway links are with the Town of Kapuskasing north of Timmins, the city derives many benefits from the phosphate operation in Cargill Township. Employment as of Dec. 31 was 160. Locally, there are several smaller mining operations, the newest owned by Liberty Mines Inc. It has a nickel operation in Eldorado Township about 25 km southeast of the centre of Timmins. Its Redstone Mine had 61 employees as of Dec. 31. St Andrews Goldfields Ltd. has three gold mines, the Stock, Clavos and Hislop, and a 1,000 tonnes per day mill at the Stock. It also has a closed operation east of Matheson, the Holloway-Holt Gold Mine and two development projects, the Aquarius and Taylor. While it had 300 employees at year’s end at all its operations, the company said May 30th that it was suspending operations at the Clavos and Stock Gold Complex to concentrate on the development of the Hollaway-Holt Gold Mine. The company said it was continuing the Taylor Advanced Exploration Project and the Hislop Project. A number of junior mining companies are in the exploration and advanced exploration stages and could become producers. These include Lake Shore Gold Corp which is going underground at its Timmins West Gold Project on the west side of the Mattagami River. West Timmins Mining Inc. is getting good results from its diamond drill program in Thorneloe Township near Lake Shore. Inspiration Mining Corporation is drilling in Langmuir Township south of the city’s centre. Its land includes the past-producing Langmuir No. 1 Mine and most of the past-producing Langmuir No.2 Mine. Pacific Northwest Capital Corp. is part of a joint venture with Xstrata Nickel on ground 200 metres to the south of Xstrata’s Montcalm Nickel Mine. A diamond drill program was planned for the summer. Three old gold areas inside Timmins are getting a second look by Vedron Gold Inc. It is redrilling the Davidson Tisdale, Fuller and Buffalo Ankerite properties.

With over 90 companies seeking base and precious metals from Timmins north to the James Bay Lowlands and east to the Quebec border, the treasure chest of Northeastern Ontario continues to be exploited to the betterment of Timmins.