Timmins MPP talks the future of mining in the north

The future of mining in the north Ontario's Minister of Mines and MPP for Timmins, George Pirie, gave his first address for his new role at the chamber of commerce on Friday.

George Pirie, the Ontario's Minister of Mines and MPP for Timmins, gave his first state of mining address for his new role at a Timmins Chamber of Commerce event Friday.

Pirie, the former mayor of Timmins, is not new to talking about mining; but says he will now have a hand in helping the region and the province lead the charge in building Canada's green economy through critical minerals.

This was a key topic he covered during the address; Canada and Ontario are doubling down on critical minerals to grow the country’s green energy economy, amid energy pressures due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"You can't be green without mining. If we're going to transform our economy, we have to mine. The minerals have to come out of the ground and Canadian miners are the best the world of getting this done sustainably, ethically," Pirie said.

Pirie also boasted an estimated three billion dollars worth of economic mining activity in the north–and highlighting expansions in Sudbury, Kirkland Lake and Wawa as examples of how the local industry is growing.

But Pirie said the region needs to be more aggressive in bringing new critical mineral projects to fruition.

"I think mining is going to be huge for Timmins and there's a ton of expansion there, so I'm really excited to have somebody that's going to lead the charge and really, I think, make a difference," said one of the event’s attendees.

Many people in attendance said the urgency is nice to hear and projects need to develop in a reasonable amount of time.

On the topic of new mining projects, amid news of IAMGOLD's Cote Mine delaying its opening to 2024–Pirie thinks it's too big to fail and believes the company can follow through.

"The project is–it'll happen, it's 20 million ounces in the ground. At any rate, I think they've moved in the right direction, from an operational point of view, I won't talk about that. But the asset itself is huge," Pirie added.

Pirie has said since his term as mayor that he believes Timmins and area can be home to the future of critical mineral development. He said he thinks that the region has what the world needs, as long as stakeholders bridge the gaps between northern and southern Ontario and take those resources to the world stage.