Mineral Resources Division

Business Development

Industrial Minerals

Introduction

Manitoba has a rich heritage of mining. World-class mines, a strong and diversified industrial mineral sector and rich mineral deposits and occurrences provide a strong foundation for growth in this sector. Combined with affordable land and labour, a high quality transportation network and low cost reliable energy, Manitoba has a strong competitive advantage over most other locations. If you are an active property holder, you are welcome to submit your mineral description for inclusion in this list.

Background

• Mining is Manitoba’s 2nd largest primary resource industry.
   
• The value of mineral production in the Province averages over $1 billion annually.
   
• Mining accounts for about 4% of the provincial gross domestic product and 15% of Manitoba’s annual exports. The sector employs about 3,700 individuals directly and has a $270 million annual payroll.
   
• The industrial mineral sector produces about $81.5 million per year and accounts for about 9% of the province’s annual mineral production.
   
• Aggregate, (sand, gravel and crushed stone) is the largest mining sector in Manitoba, based on volume produced and land acreage employed. Aggregate is considered a non renewable resource that has no suitable cost effective substitutes.
   
• Aggregate is primarily used by the construction industry for roads, concrete and asphalt. Within Manitoba's capital region, (Winnipeg and surrounding areas), 44 producers quarried over 5 million tonnes of aggregate at 67 sites in 2000.
   
• The industrial minerals industry is diverse, with widely varying characteristics. As opposed to the base and precious metal sector, which is by and large "resource driven", industrial minerals are generally "market driven".
   
• The value of industrial minerals often depend on a number of variables that include the grade and quality of the resource, the demand, the proximity to markets, how easy the resource can be harvested, and the number of substitute products available.

Goals & Objectives

Our goal is to raise the profile of our producing plants & quarries and expand the business development opportunities for the resources. Manitoba’s business advantages offer a strong foundation for long-term sustainable growth.

Manitoba’s Business Advantages

Contacts

Industrial Minerals Geologist
Manitoba Geological Survey
Manitoba Industry, Economic Development and Mines
360 - 1395 Ellice Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3G 3P2
Phone: (204) 945-6534
Fax: (204) 945-1406
Email: jbamburak@gov.mb.ca

Note: The Province of Manitoba does not sanction or validate information contained in this listing of industrial mineral deposits and occurrences 2006.