Natural resource Canada quick facts and figures.

• Position: SPECIAL REPORT: MINING

* High commodity prices are driving investment spending in the metal ore mining sector upwards by nearly eight per cent. Spending in the gold and silver ore mining sector will increase nearly 60 per cent to $728.7 million.

* The nickel-copper ore mining sector also intends to increase investment in 2007 from $595 million to $727 million as producers respond to rising demand.

* After reducing investment by 39 per cent last year, the coal industry plans to increase investment spending by 23 per cent to $452.1 million. This increased level of investment is in response to the significant rise in the price of coal and a decrease in investment spending by $6 million during 2007.

* Change in capital investment spending in the nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying sector, after having the largest increase in the mining sector last year, will be relatively flat in 2007, down 2 per cent to $1.8 billion. Most of the decrease can be attributed to the near completion of mine complex development and expansion projects in the potash, mineral aggregates, diamond industries and precious metals sectors.

* Spending in Ontario will increase by 25 per cent to $1.6 billion. Investment in machinery and equipment are expected to increase by almost 33 per cent to $6.9 billion.

* Spending in the copper-zinc ore mining sector is expected to decrease by 36.5 per cent to $253.9 million...