Russell Noble is the editor for the Canadian Mining Journal, Canada’s first mining publication.
Canada and U.S. relations is a topic that’s usual pretty boring because rarely does anything of interest come from this long and humdrum relationship. In fact, not since the War of 1812 and the Americans’ failed invasion of our country has there been anything remotely close to either country being a real ‘threat’ to the other.
Sure there’s the proposed Keystone pipeline that is viewed by some Americans as a potential threat to their lands along its route, and then there’s our gasoline that some major retailers have boycotted because of its ‘mis-perceived’ high lead content, but overall, nothing done or produced on either side of the border is seriously worth worrying about.
Unlike too many other parts of the world where neighbours are blowing each other to bits, the relationship between Canada and the United States is friendly with an “open-for-business” attitude. Sure, both countries have their own peculiari¬ties when it comes to people, permits and properties but for the most part, mining is mining on both sides of the border.
Canada and the U.S. contain some of the more prolific mines found anywhere on earth and thanks to both countries practicing open-door policies, mining companies are pretty much free to come and go as they please.
Canadian companies’ miners go there and many American miners still look north with visions of the Klondike Gold Rush repeating itself.
And permission to do so is relatively straightforward because unlike some of the horror stories coming out of Mexico, South America and Africa lately, the written word means what it says; “A deal is a deal,” and that’s what helps make cross-border mining in the top two thirds of North America safer and increasingly attractive.
We’ve all read, and emotionally bled somewhat for the mining companies that have been forced to walk away from so-called ‘done deals’ involving millions and billions of dollars in investments with potentially billions of dollars in revenue being left hung out to dry because of the criminal and unscrupulous behaviour by foreign partners.
Luckily most dealings here in Canada and the United States are above board and carefully monitored by Federal, State and Provincial laws and thanks to these strict rules and regulations, mining in both countries isn’t a ‘threat.’
It is, however, still a ‘risk’ because as you know, that’s the very nature of all mining, regardless of where in the world the minerals are found.
Two of the stories in this issue feature Canadian-based mining companies that know what taking risks is all about and for those of you who know Nevada Copper and Mineral Mountain Resources Ltd., both based in Vancouver, you know that the ‘reward’ is what drives these two companies through the ‘risk’ stage of the projects they tackle.
Both Nevada Copper and Mineral Mountain Resources are aggressive com¬panies that have made money, lost money, and made more money and part of the reason they have is that they have looked beyond the comfort zones of mining in their own countries and have crossed the 49th parallel in search of new properties and healthy deposits.
Those two companies, and many others like them, treat mining in another country as a priviledge and it’s through their understanding of the local rules and regulations that have made them so successful.
Mining and prospecting beyond borders is not a ‘threat’ provided it’s done with respect to others and that’s why Canada and the United States are such great neighbours.