Mining still driving Sudbury, but road to growth expanding.

Mining continues to fuel Greater Sudbury's economy, as attendees of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce January After Business networking event heard.

The Jan. 12, hosted by Science North, was co-sponsored by the City of Greater Sudbury and Laurentian Publishing Group, Northern Ontario Business' parent company.

Speaking there, Greater Sudbury Mayor David Courtemanche hailed the resources sector for putting the city on the international radar.

Good times are being had in the mining industry with the opening of Falconbridge's $500 million Nickel Rim South mine located approximately two kilometers from the city's airport and Inco Ltd.'s $120 million oxygen facility in Copper Cliff.

Along with the capital investments, Laurentian University's mining research programs are fast becoming an internationally recognized institution. Also gaining international attention is Cambrian College's Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) where expertise and inventions are being applied not only in mines, but in space.

"Mining is the bedrock of our very foundations and growth," Courtemanche says.

Groups such as the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA), and Deep Mining Consortium and are already proving to be a catalyst for growth, he says.

The Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal is fast becoming a globally recognized marketing tool with issues being transported to 16 countries.

"Sudbury Mining Solutions is certainly putting Sudbury on the map," Patricia Mills, publisher of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal and Northern Ontario Business says.

The technological expertise found in the backyards of mining supply and service companies have garnered international interest giving the city a voice, she says.

Every person related to the mining community has played an integral part in making Greater Sudbury the hub of mining excellence, but one person stands out amongst the crowd.

Dr. David Robinson, professor of economics with Laurentian University, was given an award of recognition for raising the economic profile of the city.

Robinson, a regular columnist with Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal and Northern Ontario Business, and a respected and persuasive figure in the community accepted the award with few words.

Some people who have unconventional ideas usually get passed off as a bit of a nut, he says.

But the city and vested mining industry bodies have thought out-of-the-box and continue to accomplish a mining excellence in Greater Sudbury. "Some people say we have not recognize it earlier enough, but the truth is we are recognizing it now and there are people doing wonderful things," he said. "This award is about listening to me instead of rendering me as just another nut."

By KELLY LOUISEIZE

Northern Ontario Business