Prospectors Association restructures, sets up office.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Brief Article

The provincial government has committed funds toward raising the profile of prospectors in Ontario.

The Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA) is restructuring itself into a professionally run organization to promote grassroots initiatives in the exploration sector and to better support the views of its membership.

Over the next three years, the province is earmarking $4 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. to help establish the non-profit group.

Following up on Northern Development and Mines Minister Tim Hudak's pledge from last spring, the ministry announced the first payment of $952,295 in December to assist in the association's start-up costs.

"We're kind of a poor man's version of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters right now," says OPA chair Garry Clark, whose membership ranges between 800 and 950 volunteers but injects more than $120 million annually into the provincial economy.

Prospectors' views in Ontario have to be better represented with a full-time and accessible point of contact, he adds. Many of the present members own their own businesses.

The office will be based in Sudbury and the association is leaning...