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TORONTO, January 16, 2009 — The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame will induct four new members at its 21st annual induction ceremony, to be held this evening, Thursday, January 15, 2009, at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto. The new inductees will bring the total number of members in the Hall of Fame to 140 since the Hall was established in 1988.
The 2009 inductees are:
Donald H. (“Digger”) Gorman: Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1922, Professor Gorman taught mineralogy with unflagging enthusiasm at the University of Toronto for 41 years. He was an advocate for his science and the mineral industry in his teaching and presentations to amateur mineral clubs, schools and professional groups across Ontario and the northeastern United States. A consultant to industry and mentor to prospective mineralogists and geologists for 50 years, his passion for his subject motivated many of his students to seek careers in the mineral exploration industry.
Bernard M. Michel: Born in France in 1938, Michel is the former chair, chief executive officer and president of Cameco Corporation. Under his direction, Cameco developed into the world’s leading uranium producer, with several world-class mines brought into production under difficult technical and political circumstances. His accomplishments include the advancement of employment and business capacity among the aboriginal and Metis communities in northern Saskatchewan.
Roman Shklanka: Born in Saskatchewan in 1932, Roman Shklanka is a geologist and mining executive who has identified and explored several significant deposits around the world that have subsequently been developed into successful mines. His gold mining successes include the Porgera and Misima deposits in Papua New Guinea, Kidston in Australia, Omai in Guyana and Bulyanhulu in Tanzania. Production from the Onça Puma nickel deposit in Brazil, now under development by Vale Inco, is scheduled to begin early in 2009.
D. Grenville Thomas: Born in Wales in 1941, Thomas is a mining engineer, prospector, entrepreneur and the founder of Aber Resources, now known as Harry Winston Diamond Corporation. His work in the Northwest Territories over the last four decades resulted in the discoveries of the Diavik diamond deposits as well as the Thor Lake rare earth and Sunrise Lake zinc-lead-silver-gold deposits. The Diavik mine, Canada’s second diamond operation, began production in 2003. It is one of the richest diamond mines in the world, in terms of dollar value per tonne, producing over 10 million carats, worth an estimated $800 million – $900 million, per year.
The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame honors those who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime achievements to the benefit of the Canadian minerals industry. It is sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, the Mining Association of Canada, The Northern Miner newspaper and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. Associate sponsors include the mining associations of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
In December 2008, the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Gallery opened at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The new Gallery showcases the stories of the Hall of Fame’s inductees through a fully bilingual, interactive video wall that also explains how mining touches every aspect of our lives. “If it isn’t grown, it must be mined.”
The Hall’s inductees are also featured at two other locations, one in the University of Toronto’s Mining Building at 170 College Street, Toronto, and the other in the Mining Museum in the Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre in Elliot Lake in northern Ontario.
More information about the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and the four new inductees is available at its website, www.halloffame.mining.ca