Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the standing committee.
Thank you for this opportunity to participate in your deliberations. We want to give you a sense of northwestern Ontario and what the mining industry currently means to us and will mean to us in the future. We want to highlight some of the key issues in which governments at the provincial and federal level have a role to play in facilitation of this potential growth.
While northwestern Ontario has a long history of mining, it really has been the forestry industry that has dominated the region's economy for over a century—until, that is, the crash of a few years ago, which saw this region lose 10,000 well-paying jobs in a dozen or so small and large communities across the northwest. We now have only three functioning pulp and paper mills instead of nine in seven different towns. Our sawmills are down to six from a high of 13 or so. Any recovery in this industry has happened...and with the uncertainty around the softwood lumber agreement, we are quite nervous these days.
I also want to add that a recent study initiated by the Northern Policy Institute for the North Superior Workforce Planning Board has predicted that over the next 25 years we will lose a population of 50,000 people. That includes 25,000 people to fill jobs just to keep the economy going the way it is. We have a real challenge in front of us.
I want to turn now to John Mason. He will give you Northwestern Ontario Mining 101 to set the stage as to why this industry needs your support and the support of the Government of Canada.
John.