Why Canada needs to develop its zinc deposits – by Joseph Quesnel (Troy Media – September 30, 2020)

https://troymedia.com/

Joseph Quesnel is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Zinc is an important ingredient in disinfectants such as soap, so it plays an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. As we know, the twin pillars of COVID-19 prevention are social distancing and washing your hands properly.

So mining this bluish-white metal is important to Canada’s strategy for addressing the pandemic at home.

Beyond soap, zinc is used to galvanize steel to protect it from corrosion. And zinc is an essential element for our health, as over 200 enzymes in the human body require zinc to function.

Canada is an important zinc producer and at one point was the world’s largest zinc provider. Zinc mines operate in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. You could almost ask where zinc is not produced in Canada.

However, China is now easily the world’s largest producer of zinc, with almost 34 per cent of total global production. In 2019, China produced about 4.3 million tonnes of zinc.

For the rest of this column: https://troymedia.com/business/canadian-zinc-production-and-why-we-must-develop-the-industry/#.X3Xls2hKg2w