Ontario’s hot mineral exploration sector will be the main topic of discussion Dec. 11 and 12 at the Ontario Exploration and Geoscience Symposium.
“When you look back on the year, you see all these companies that have spent large amounts of money to drill lots of holes and complete lots of surface exploration,” said OPA executive director Garry Clark.
“They have found a lot of new mineralization and potential new deposits. It proves that the more money you put into the ground, the more you’ll find in Ontario.”
Exploration has been so popular this year that there’s a shortage of prospectors, geologists and diamond drillers, he said.
“There aren’t enough people, be they prospectors or other professionals like geologists or drillers, to meet the demand for the amount of work that needs to be done. Right now, we’re scrambling,” said Clark.
“People are bringing diamond drills in from all different parts of Canada and the U.S. I even heard about people being brought in from outside North America to complete the work.”
The symposium costs $235 for those who book before Nov. 12 and $260 after that date. The registration fee is $75 for students and $130 for those who only want to attend the event for one day.
There will be a trade show with 30 booths and the same number of presentations from mining companies and suppliers.
“We try to get explorers from across the province to present their data,” said Clark. “That actually allows the prospectors and other attendees to see where they were successful and what kind of rocks they were working with so they can look for similar rocks.”
There will also be a few workshops, including a session with the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO), at which participants will be able to view mineral deposits in 3D format.
On Dec. 12, the Ontario Prospectors Association Award will be handed out at a gala dinner to an outstanding prospector or group of prospectors. Last year, the award was given to Mike Sutton and Stewart Carmichael of Kirkland Lake Gold. Tickets to the awards gala are $40.
The symposium used to be held in Toronto, but was moved to Sudbury last year to reduce costs and make it more accessible for members who live in the north.
