Mining

Silver has been an important mineral product for Canada’s economy ever since the Cobalt boom which followed the discovery of rich veins of the metal near here in 1903. Although the production of the Cobalt silver mines began to decline in the 1920s, new sources were developed, principally in the lead and zinc mines of British Columbia and Ontario, which have maintained Canada’s position in the world as a leading supplier of silver. The Cobalt boom was also important as a stimulus to future mining development in the Canadian Shield and as an influence on government mining policy.

L’argent est un produit minier important de l’economie canadienne depuis le boom de Cobalt, à la suite de la decouverte de riches filons près d’ici, en 1903. Dans les annees 1920, la production de Cobalt a diminue mais on decouvert de l’argent dans les mines de plomb et de zinc de la Colombie- Britannique et de l’Ontario. Le Canada est donc demeure aux premiers rangs des producteurs d’argent du monde. Le boom de Cobalt eu d’autres effets: il a stimule le developpement minier du bouclier canadien et a influence la politique minière du gouvernement.