Province pounds the pavement at PDAC.

Everywhere he went, he was surrounded.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci was a popular guy at the 2005 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference and trade show March 6-9 in downtown Toronto.

The face of Ontario's booming mining sector was all smiles as he experienced an upbeat mood and optimistic crowd of over 10,000 attendees at the mining convergence.

Attendance at the conference has in years past dipped to half that number.

"Everyone was upbeat," he says. "Certainly, when I was in opposition, mining wasn't booming the way it is now. I had the opportunity during the PDAC to talk to a former minister of Northern Development and Mines who quite seriously, but I think in a half-joking way, said 'I would give anything to be in your shoes now.' Obviously the tone is upbeat, obviously the industry is booming and obviously that bodes well for prospectors and developers across Canada."

He says the conference is a good chance to strengthen links made throughout the year with a face-to-face meeting.

"For example, we met with the industry at a meeting and I met with the junior mining companies as a group," he says. "You meet with your stakeholders and you develop the alliances that allow for as great an opportunity to keep this boom alive as possible. At something like the PDAC it's great because you're face-to-face."

Statistics recently released by Natural Resources Canada show that mineral exploration and deposit expenditures in Ontario have risen from $219.4 million in 2003 to $296.8 million in 2004. These expenditures are projected to reach well over $310 million in 2005, a level not seen since the late 1980s. Moreover, the value of Ontario's mineral production has increased from $5.7 billion in 2003 to $7.2 billion in 2004.

A new working relationship

And where development occurs on First Nations land, First Nations leaders will be involved.

Several chiefs were on hand for the release of a new video outlining a new working relationship between the provincial government and bands from the far North.

They were also there to highlight a number of initiatives undertaken in cooperation with the ministry that are advancing understanding of the importance of mineral development in their communities. These include an Ojibway glossary of geological and mining-related terms produced by the community of Eabametoong, prospecting courses being delivered by Kasabonika First Nation to other First Nations and a soon-to-be released video detailing the geological mapping and mining sequence activities.

"In recent years, the ministry has worked hard to build formal communications links with First Nations throughout the Far North," a news release from the event reads. "The result has been an improved exchange of information about mineral industry activities and a better understanding of respective values and interests related to northern economic development."

www.mndm.gov.on.ca

By CRAIG GILBERT

Northern Ontario Business