Mining association launches multimedia marketing campaign

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This article was published 09/01/2024 (656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite the fact that mining has been a mainstay of the economy in Northern Manitoba for a long time, it could be said that outside of three longtime operators (and one brand new one) the industry has been in a bit of a rut for some time.

That’s about to change, or at least industry players hope that’s the case.

To tout that optimism and to raise awareness in the province of where the industry is at right now and what it is capable of, the Mining Association of Manitoba Inc. (MAMI) has launched a multimedia marketing campaign called Uncovering Prosperity, with the help of $1.3 million from the province.

“We hold 29 of 31 critical minerals in worldwide demand, we have a safe and reliable supply chain, and we have tremendous potential to positively impact the Manitoba economy, providing high-quality careers and sustainable funding to essential programs like health care, education and social services,” said Stacy Kennedy, president of MAMI and head of Manitoba operations for Vale in Thompson.

John Morris, co-director of MAMI said, the marketing campaign is informed by the fact that public awareness of what the industry is about is very low.

“We conducted a survey to benchmark what Manitobans currently know and understand about mining here in Manitoba and our initial findings show, in general, Manitobans of all ages and demographics know very little about the mining industry,” he said. “They are not aware of opportunities or the sustainable way the industry operates in the province.”

That’s as good a justification as any for a marketing campaign that will feature ads across social media and conventional media platforms and a website that’s up and running, uncoverprosperitymb.ca, especially, as Morris said, “The province is on the cusp of a critical minerals boom.”

That may be aspirational as much as a financial reality.

Because the fact is there are only four operating mines: Vale in Thompson, HudBay’s Lalor mine in Snow Lake, Tanco near Lac du Bonnet and the newly PADCOM potash mine near Russell.

That said, it’s still a $1 billion per year industry in the province, employing more than 2,500 people.

But the timing of the marketing push is partly because of the number of promising projects that are hopefully on the verge of financing and production, including Alamos Gold in Lynn Lake and Callinex Mines copper and zinc project near Flin Flon.

Lithium is one of the most sought after of those critical minerals because it’s an essential component in most battery designs, in particular for electric vehicles.

The Tanco mine is one of only two lithium producing mines in Canada and there are a number of promising lithium exploration sites in the province that are working their way through the regulatory process.

But Morris points out that it’s a capital-intense business that is at the mercy of the cyclical nature of the capital markets’ relative demand for that type of investment.

“The industry is like an accordion, it grows and contracts,” said Morris. “The cycle is such that new mines start up, they have an end of life and then they are done.”

But the industry needs people — average salaries are about $100,000 — it needs community support and it needs government support which it now has. In addition to funding the marketing campaign the province has pumped resources into its geological survey department and the permitting and regulatory affairs operation that had been decimated by a previous government.

Obviously there are still NIMBY issues and a need for a more sincere trust in the regulatory process all around.

But gone are the days of the mining industry’s lackadaisical wastewater lagoon management, shoddy remedial work after a mine has closed and perhaps most importantly, disregard for the Indigenous communities on whose traditional lands mines are often located.

As Morris points out, “We have to be ready for new opportunities to raise awareness with the public, to understand what it is we actually do and the sustainable way we engage and the Indigenous partnerships and opportunities and consultation with those communities that we do.”

Like all large capital projects there are important technical, infrastructure and community issues that will have to be addressed on each occasion and projects then judged on their merits.

Mining in Northern Manitoba has a long history. Although it’s experienced a lull for a couple of decades, Manitoba has a chance to play a role in satisfying the demand for the minerals needed to accomplish the de-carbonization that the world has embarked on.

It seems like an appropriate strategy to try to ensure that the province is ready for that.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca