Mayor Boshcoff declares Saturday Mining Day, festivities planned
Mining enthusiasts, aspiring professionals, prospectors, the curious and kids of all ages are invited to Marina Park on Saturday afternoon for the 11th annual Thunder Bay Mining Day.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can try gold panning, play educational games, learn to use mining equipment, collect rocks and chat with expert geologists, all completely free of charge.
“We need more people to come into the sector and we need everybody to understand it,” said Mary-Louise Hill, co-chair of the Mining Day Organizing Committee. “It’s kind of a funny, complicated sector. We usually don’t attract much attention until a new mine opens and hundreds of people find employment there, but in the meantime, we’re working hard for years before that day ever happens.”
There won’t be any on-the-spot hiring at the event, but Hill encourages job seekers from a wide range of fields to attend and explore opportunities in the mining industry.
“All the skilled trades are used. All of them. We have business and finance, camps and camp management, communications, first aid responders, heavy equipment operators. There’s work for everybody in the mining sector. And it’s growing,” she said.
Representatives from nonprofit Mining Matters will travel from Toronto to educate elementary and high school students on the industry.
“We usually start by saying, what do we do with all the materials we mine? What we say is if it can’t be grown, it’s got to be mined. You’re standing in front of me with all kinds of devices, they’re all made out of mixed materials. So mining really helps us to have the good life here in Canada, and once people figure that out they realize how essential mining,” Hill said.
Mining Day founder Bob Chattaway says the organizing committee expects over 2,000 attendees.
“It’s so gratifying to see the response from the sponsors and the public,” Chattaway said. “The exhibitors are up over 60 now. Everything’s getting bigger.”
Mayor Ken Boshcoff helped raise a flag outside of City Hall on Wednesday to commemorate the day.
