Mining Report 2009: Vital Statistics |
- Alberta ranked fourth among the top 10 best jurisdictions in the world for mining policy in the Fraser Institute’s Survey of Mining Companies 2008/2009.
- In 2007, 70% of Canada’s coal reserves were found in Alberta.
- About 33.5 billion tonnes of established coal reserves are estimated to remain in Alberta.
- Coal and oilsands mining contributed $3.3 billion to Alberta’s economy in 2007.
- Oilsands mining activity in Alberta up to 2008 has disturbed about 530 square kilometres of land.
- More than 350,000 Canadians were employed in the mineral extraction industry in August 2009.
Sources: Alberta Employment and Immigration, Alberta Energy, Energy Resources Conservation Board, Fraser Institute, Mining Association of Canada
The past year has been a rough one for the mining sector as it has been for many industries in Alberta and nationwide; employment in Alberta’s natural resources sector dropped 8.9% from September 2008 to September 2009. International firm Proudfoot Consulting’s Global Productivity Report in March 2009 claimed that rather than drastically cutting costs to survive, mining companies should improve productivity.
Shutting down mines or cutting operations will only make returning to normal that much more difficult as the economy recovers. The report further indicated that managers in the sector waste about 10% of their time performing administrative tasks instead of more efficiently supervising and training workers.
