Annual powerhouse mining event stays strong: PDAC's 2009 numbers mirror 2008.

While the world waits on mineral markets to improve, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange, to be held in Toronto from March 1 - 4, is helping industry find solutions.

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"This offers an opportunity, more so than at other times, to see what's going on in Canada and around the world," says Joe Hinzer, chair of the PDAC's convention planning committee.

"There have been some challenges in our industry no question, but everything has gelled a bit, and people are trying to find their way forward from here. We've tried to develop a lineup that reflects that, and we think we've succeeded."

Hinzer is so confident in the draw of the event's networking opportunities that he expects this year's total to closely match those seen in 2008, where roughly 20,000 attendees walked through the doors.

This year's theme represents a focus not only on a "return to normalcy," but also on the world's continued need for Canada's world-leading expertise in mining innovation.

This refers not only to technical ingenuity, but also to leadership on corporate and social responsibility as well as health and safety.

As such, the event's keynote speakers have been chosen in an effort to reflect these realities, says Hinzer, who also serves as the president of the Toronto-based Watts Griffis and McOuatLtd.

Renowned investment advisor and author Marc Faber is expected to shine a light on the world's financial and foreign exchange markets. Meanwhile, Calvin Helin, a lawyer and president of the Native Investment and Trade Association, will speak on helping dependent populations to find self-reliance.

As is customary, this year's event features technical sessions which cover a broad range of subjects including Aboriginal participation in the mining industry, diamonds, as well as specific regions such as West Africa, Latin America, and Flin Flon, Manitoba.

The core shacks will feature a strong Northern Ontario presence, with exhibits from Brett Resources, Lake Shore Gold Corp., MetalCORP Limited, Vale Inco, and Premier Gold Mines Limited, to name a few.

The event will also include an awards show,-where one set of accolades has been set aside for Goldcorp Inc. in the form of the Viola R. MacMillan Award.

This award, which honours leadership in management and financing for exploration and development of mineral resources, recognizes Goldcorp's expectation to increase gold production by 50 per cent over the next five years.

This kind of recognition and internal discussion amongst the industry is crucial, especially at this juncture, says Hinzer. Although industry budgets are tightening, networking events such as the PDAC convention are key to being able to meet and to move forward.

Dick DeStefano, executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association, agrees.

With economic hardships, members of the mining community are looking to come together, and it's a phenomenon DeStefano is seeing with SAMSSA itself. Despite, or perhaps because of the downturn, the association's enrolment numbers are growing faster than usual, with four new members in the last three days alone.

"In times like this, people are always looking for a place to meet, a place to go," he says.

However, economic times are such that the usually robust Sudbury contingent at the PDAC convention is going to be much smaller than usual. Although attendance of local firms is traditionally quite high, only 50 percent of the SAMSSA membership will be heading to this year's iteration.

www.pdac.ca

www.samssa.org

By NICK STEWART

Northern Ontario Business