Dynamic Earth expansion aims to change the way people view mining

Science North opens its $14.9M Dynamic Earth expansion for Canada Day, featuring full-size mining equipment & an immersive theatre 7 storeys underground.

Dynamic Earth in Sudbury is opening its $14.9 million expansion on Canada Day, closing the chapter on a project that took nine years to complete.

From a 30-foot rock wall that explains the meteor impact that shaped our city, to full-sized mining equipment that is on display, Dynamic Earth’s expansion offers a more accurate picture of what modern mining looks like.

“This incredible new drift that we’re standing in right now, where they can see battery-operated equipment, full-size mining equipment that normally they would have to go into a mine to see, is right at their fingertips,” said Ashley Larose, Science North’s CEO.

Mario Grossi, president and CEO of Technica Mining, said the expansion will help address misconceptions some people have about mining.

“People think the miners come out of the mine with just their eyeballs showing and their teeth,” Grossi said.

“You see all the technology now and we really need to change that narrative. We really need to own our past and accept it, but show the world that we’ve learned from it and how we can responsibly mine.”

Industry has been transformed

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre said it’s important to show how the mining industry has been transformed.

“How much safer it is and how much cleaner it is,” Lefebvre said.

“That showcases for young folks that these are there are great-paying careers ahead of them in our area and in northern Ontario.”

The Next Generation Mine Tour at Dynamic Earth aims to showcase the evolution of the mining industry and inspire the next generation of skilled labourers to fill the gaps in the mining sector by exposing youth to what some say looks like an operational mine.

Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said finding the next generation of workers is vital for the industry to thrive.

“When I meet with the mining sector, one of the issues they bring forward again and again is the shortage of skilled workforce here in the mining sector,” Lapointe said.

“So this is really important. It exposes people at a very young age to what the mining sector looks like.”

The $14.9 million project was a joint effort between levels of government, community partners and Science North.

Officials said the nine-year project comes at an important time as Sudbury is expected to operate 15 mines in the future.