CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE: Republic Of Mining Chronicles Canadian Mining History -by Stan Sudol*

This column was posted today on the Canadian Mining Journal digital update.

The Web has forever changed the way we search for information. In today’s digitized world, most journalists, policy analysts, political leaders and the general public – especially students – turn to the Internet as their first source for facts.

Two major drawbacks to Internet searches seem to be the lack of content that is over a decade old because no one has bothered to post it or information that is deeply embedded in corporate websites. Blog postings, on the other hand, generally show up on Google searches much more readily.

In the final week of December, the annual Mining Person of the Year Award given by The Northern Miner is eagerly awaited by the industry. Since the first award was given in 1977, I was very surprised that I could not find much information about previous winners when I searched the Internet.

After contacting The Northern Miner about my concerns, publisher Doug Donnelly graciously allowed the RepublicOfMining.com to post all the previous Mining Person of the Year winners.

I have created a separate file in my blog’s index site located on the left hand side of the screen called “Northern Miner – Mining Person of the Year Award,” for easy access. Or just Google “Mining Person/Man of the Year” and the address will pop up at the top of the page.

Some of the past recipients include Stephen D. Roman of Denison Mines, the first winner in 1977, who had just finalized a multi-billion dollar deal to sell uranium oxide to Ontario Hydro. The following year, Dome Petroleum’s Jack Gallagher was given the award. His vision and exciting oil exploration play in the Beaufort Sea energized all Canadians at the time showing the world our business leaders were among the best.

Chet Idziszek and Murray Pezim were chosen in 1990 for their work on the Eskay Creek gold deposit while the Voisey’s Bay discoverers Albert Chislett and Christopher Verbiski were The Northern Miner’s number one mining men in 1995.

Margaret (Peggy) Witte was the first woman to receive the award in 1991 for her business success with Royal Oak Mines, and in 1997, the so called “miners in Gucci loafers,” Pierre Lasonde and Seymour Schulich, were chosen as the Mining Men of the Year for their “solid track record.”

However, my one concern is that each of these entries do not have photos. Could the recipients or their relatives (if they are sadly deceased) please send J-peg photos of the winners to my email address: stan.sudol@republicofmining.com. Either head shots or individuals standing in front of the mines or properties they helped build or manage would be greatly appreciated.

The mining industry has been and will continue to be an important part of the development of this country. The individuals chosen for these awards were a key part of Canada’s global expertise in this sector.

And a tremendous thanks must be given to Doug Donnelly and The Northern Miner for ensuring that their stories will not be forgotten and easily available for the current digital generation around the world.
 

* Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based executive speech writer and communications consultant who has been producing a pro-mining blog called RepublicOfMining.com (www.RepublicOfMining.com). The blog highlights industry politics, issues, history and commentary from key players. A major part of the blog’s mission statement is to ensure that the digital generation can easily find information about the exciting and captivating history of mining in Canada and around the world.