Poised for growth: Thunder Bay gears up to be mining hub.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NEWS

Mining is big in Thunder Bay and it only stands to get bigger.

Once heavily reliant on the forestry industry, the northwestern Ontario city has been making an economic transition into health sciences and knowledge-based industries.

But always lurking in the inner city industrial parks on streets named Alloy, Tungsten and Cobalt has been the mining sector.

Rebounding commodity prices coming out of the recession have put northwestern Ontario in the spotlight for the last few years.

Mining conferences are filling hotel rooms and a record amount of exploration activity in the region and the Far North has created some junior mining superstars in Ewan Downie, Don Hoy and Mac Watson.

"It's captured the imagination of a lot of people throughout the province," said Steve Demmings, CEO of Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), "particularly people in the North, that this is now coming upon us very quickly."

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The CEDC has jumped on the bandwagon in branding the city as a mining supply and services hub by launching an online goods and services directory last spring.

Now they're out to snag a mining development officer who can help Thunder Bay take that next step to promote the city as a high-profile service centre.

Next spring, they hope to have someone heading up a dedicated mining services division with a budget and a mission to grow what they have and seize new opportunities.

"With this initiative, we want to go in full-steam," said Demmings.

The marching orders for the corporate headhunters are to find a seasoned professional coming directly from the ranks of industry.

Garry Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospectors Association based in Thunder Bay said installing a mining point person is something that's long overdue.

"The town does not appreciate how much mining and exploration supports it. The economic impact of mining and exploration can't be underestimated. But in the last six years that's turned around."

Clark estimates there are at least 18 junior mining companies in the city employing anywhere between two and 30 people, including Australia's Magma Metals, located next door to his Alloy Drive office.

"They have to mobilize the companies that are already here that don't understand the advantages and potential of mining," said Clark. "And they have to try to attract companies to come to Thunder Bay that will show other companies the advantages of being here."

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