The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.
“This is certainly a trying year for the mining sector and many feel attendance at
the convention will be lower than last year,” says industry observer and mining blogger
Stan Sudol. “Financing is hard to come by, but if you have a good project you will find
the money,” says Sudol, of republicofmining.com (Toronto Star – March 1,2015)
Metal prices are at rock bottom levels, but that won’t stop 25,000 miners from four days of networking at the annual prospectors’ convention
Thousands of miners and investors are flocking to Toronto this week for the world’s largest annual prospectors’ convention, amid a severe downturn in all things metallic.
The frigid temperatures that Toronto has struggled with lately are nothing compared to the deep freeze the mining industry has endured over the last couple of years, analysts say. Everything from gold and platinum to copper and zinc continue to take a beating on metals markets, and small-cap junior exploration companies are desperately seeking financing to stay in the bush.
Even giants such as Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp. and Goldcorp Inc. have suffered record losses, slashed budgets and taken massive write-downs on problematic projects — mainly because it’s not economic to build and operate mines with rock-bottom metal prices.