Current issues Canada is facing in the mining industry
- Acid Precipitation: 6 of the mines in Canada are on the top ten list for the biggest polluters in North America and overall Canada produces more pollutants that lead to acid precipitation than the United States of America (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- Abandoned Mines: After the ore has run out in a mine, the mine is sometimes abandoned, left to leak mineral wastes into neighbouring lakes and rivers. Governments force mining companies plan out what will happen after they no longer want to use the mine (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- Exported Jobs: The amount of minerals exported before manufacturing and processing is about 50%, meaning that half of the manufacturing and processing jobs are no longer needed in Canada (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- World Events: If other countries are in economic distress, there will be a lower demand for Canadian minerals since there will not be enough funds to buy them (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- Depleted Reserves: There are not as many high-quality mineral deposits left. This means that we must resort to lower-quality reserves and those far from transportation and society. We must develop advanced technology to enrich the lower quality minerals to preserve the economy (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- Foreign Competition: Many developing countries are finding new mineral reserves in their country, creating more competition for Canada. Due to the fact that their prices are lower (because with their lower labour rates they have lower production rates), Canada must make their products cheaper to compete (Clark, et.al., 2006).
- One-Industry Towns: Once the mineral deposits are depleted, mining towns that depend on this industry to survive can no longer support itself. Schefferville, Quebec is an example of this, since it closed down after its iron ore ceased to exist (Clark, et.al., 2006).