Fish,
Furs and…Rice?
While mining and forestry are
the major job-producers of the
Grass River region, a few northern
Manitobans continue to earn their
living from commercial fishing
and fur trapping. A few more realize
revenues from wild rice, a traditional
natural harvest of the region's
remote lakes and streams. Whitefish,
followed by walleye, are the major
catch of commercial fishing operations
on lakes such as Wekusko and Woosey;
the summer fishing season extends
from June 1 to October 1, with
a winter ice fishing season running
from November to March. (Recent
concerns about commercial overfishing
in Wekusko Lake may result in
a commercial fishing moratorium.)
Fur trappers operate trap lines
throughout the Grass River area;
northern Manitoban trappers received
revenues of approximately $400,000
in 2002. Wild rice producers,
many of whom are aboriginal, export
their natural, organic product
around the world; the pure waters
of the northern Manitoba's lakes
produce a large-grain, premium-quality
wild rice variety that is free
of fertilizers, pesticides and
herbicides.
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The
Mining Towns of Northern Manitoba
Gold, nickel, copper, zinc. As the fur trade
faded in the Grass River region, mining
took over. The waterway lies in the heart
of northern Manitoba's metal-producing region,
linking 3 modern-day mining communities
that form the foundation of the province's
$1 billion industry:
Flin Flon -
Just slightly north and east of the headwaters
of the Grass River, (800 kilometres north
of Winnipeg), on the border of Saskatchewan
and Manitoba, the copper and zinc mining
community of Flin Flon (population 7,000)
is Manitoba's 6th largest city. The town
is built entirely on greenstone bedrock,
and dominated by the headframes of Hudson
Bay Mining and Smelting. The company operates
copper and zinc mines in the Flin Flon and
Snow Lake areas. (Flin Flon is also known
for its "Secret Garden," a subterranean
fruit, flower and vegetable garden located
in an abandoned and refurbished mine drift,
350 metres below the surface. The garden
has attracted international attention as
one of Canada's first legal medicinal marijuana-growing
operations.)
Snow
Lake - A gold mine was established
in the Snow Lake area (just north of Wekusko
Lake on the Grass River) in the 1940's,
but production ceased in 1958. The community's
economy was sustained by the expansion of
Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting operations
to the area, and further boosted by the
opening of the New Britannia gold mine in
1995. The mine is now producing 100,000
ounces (2,835,000 grams) of gold per year,
and is expected to remain profitable until
2005-2006. Visit the Snow Lake Mining
Museum to see exhibits of heavy-duty
mining equipment, including jackleg drills,
battery-powered trammers, and rocker shovels.
Exhibits include mock-ups of mining drifts
and a mine rescue centre.
Thompson
- Just north of the Grass River on Highway
6, and just west of its confluence with
the Nelson River, Manitoba's largest mining
community supports a population of 15,000
people. Nickel and copper are mined from
2 shafts and 1 deep open-pit mine, with
more than 45,300,000 kilograms of nickel
being shipped each year to global markets.
The mines are operated by corporate giant
INCO Metals. Visitors can tour the company's
nickel mining and processing operation
to see how nickel ore is transformed to
pure electrolytic nickel. The 90 minute
guided tour includes visits to the "T1"
mining headframe, mill, smelter and refinery.
Measuring
the Manitoba Mining Industry
• Mining is the 2nd largest primary
resource industry in Manitoba, with nearly
$1 billion in annual production.
• Manitoba's mining industry employs
4,000 people directly and 13,000 in related
businesses and industries.
• Manitoba mines produce base metals
such as nickel, copper zinc and gold, specialty
minerals such as cesium, and industrial
minerals such as dolomite, spodumene, silver,
gypsum, salt, granite, limestone, peat,
lime, sand and gravel. Possibilities exist
for potential development of platinum-group
elements such as titanium, chromite, silica
and potash.
• The top-producing non-fuel minerals
in Manitoba are nickel (48%), zinc (13%)
and copper (11%). (2002 figures)
• Manitoba mining centres include Thompson,
Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Lac du Bonnet. Gold-mining
operations at Bissett are presently suspended. |
