Saskatchewan mining future is bright.As I prepare to wind down my career in elected public office, I find I do not have to dig deep to find rewarding moments. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Saskatchewan Rocks! Exploration expenditures are up tenfold tenfold Adjective 1. having ten times as many or as much 2. composed of ten parts Adverb by ten times as many or as much Adj. 1. in the last five years and we lead Canada in green-fields mineral exploration! Mining companies, workers and government have all worked hard to bring this about. Exploration spending has risen from $23 million in 2001 to $244 million in 2006 and estimates for 2007 exploration are in the range of $277 million to $300 million, setting yet another record. Saskatchewan's share of Canadian exploration has risen from five per cent to fourteen per cent of Canadian exploration in the last five years. Tax and royalty changes combined with strong prices and demand have driven that growth in mineral exploration. Tax and royalty changes are being recognized as good for Saskatchewan. Our mineral policy and potential is ranked seventh out of more than 60 of the world's leading mining jurisdictions by British Columbia's Fraser Institute The Fraser Institute is a moderate libertarian think tank based in Canada. Though it contains some socially conservative and neo-conservative elements, it is mostly libertarian. . The Institute ranks Saskatchewan among the top three provinces in Canada to do business. Mining employs 20,000 people, pays high wages, and is the third largest industry in Saskatchewan after oil and natural gas and agriculture. It now represents six per cent of Saskatchewan's Gross Domestic Product. Mining contributes over $200 million in Crown revenues each year. Saskatchewan is a world leader in mining and exploration for three additional reasons. We have rich mineral wealth. Uranium deposits that are a hundred of times richer than our closest competitors, excellent and abundant potash potash: see potassium carbonate. potash Name used for various inorganic compounds of potassium, chiefly the carbonate (K2CO3), a white crystalline material formerly obtained from wood ashes. resources and many other minerals provide excellent development opportunities. 1) Our government is accessible and driven to ensure a co-operative working relationship with the mining industry. 2) Saskatchewan mining is growing and to meet future demand, we are posting Saskatchewan geoscience ge·o·sci·ence n. Any one of the sciences, such as geology or geochemistry, that deals with the earth. ge maps and publications on the Internet through the award-winning Geological Atlas of Saskatchewan. 3) Saskatchewan's workforce is educated, innovative and well-trained with the highest retention rates in Canada. Saskatchewan's mining industry works in the north because of policies allowing aboriginal employees to both work and pursue traditional lifestyles. Our mining industry further helps communities and people through contributing to charities and providing scholarships to help people further their education. Saskatchewan's mining industry has an excellent record in environmental performance. Saskatchewan mines must provide financial guarantees to cover costs of reclaiming and decommissioning Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from operational status. Some specific instances include:
n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. and maintenance of reclaimed mine sites. Our uranium mines Uranium mining is presently carried out in more than 25 countries around the world. An estimated 100 or more uranium mines in different stages of development are reported. Major uranium mines are located in Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan that contribute more than half of world's uranium have won the national John T. Ryan Award a number of times as the safest hard rock mines in Canada. The story of how Saskatchewan's mining industry is prospering is getting heard, both in and outside of Saskatchewan. Our success stories in Saskatchewan rank highly against anywhere else in the world. For instance, the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, today generally referred to as PotashCorp, is a Canadian corporation based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that is the world's largest producer of potash. The company was created by the government of Saskatchewan in 1975. market capitalization Market Capitalization A measure of a public company's size. Market capitalization is the total dollar value of all outstanding shares. It's calculated by multiplying the number of shares times the current market price. This term is often referred to as market cap. is roughly $18 billion, much more than any of the Big Three North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. automakers. The potash industry is the largest mining industry in Saskatchewan with annual provincial sales of $2.2 billion. Canada leads the world in only two areas of mineral production, uranium and potash. They are both mined in Saskatchewan. I am very proud of Saskatchewan's mining industry, and I am confident that it will have a great future in the Province of Saskatchewan. As the Saskatchewan Mining Association says, mining is good for Saskatchewan! ERIC CLINE For the archaeologist, author, historian, and professor of the same name, see . Eric H. Cline (born August 12, 1955 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian politician. , MINISTER OF INDUSTRY & RESOURCES |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion