For the Townsman
Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, will be the keynote speaker at a Kootenay Chambers of Commerce luncheon event Tuesday, March 1 in Cranbrook.
Gratton will address a diverse audience comprising of elected officials, Chamber leadership and Chamber members from the East and West Kootenays said Cranbrook Chamber executive director David D. Hull.
"The Kootenay Chambers of Commerce are very cognisant that mining is an important and integral part of the regional economy and have come together to organize this event," said Hull. "To have a speaker of Mr. Gratton's caliber come to the Kootenays is fantastic."
The theme of Mr. Gratton's address will be; "Canadian Mining: Down, but never out".
As the old adage goes "what goes up must come down", and it certainly has in the mining industry.
The Canadian mining industry is in the midst of a significant downturn after what was a spectacular super cycle that characterized the better part of the last decade. However the mining industry will not stay down too long – it always bounces back.
Mr. Gratton will also speak to the mining industry's important contributions to Canada's interconnected economy, and will explain why policy makers need to remain focused on mining during this down period, or risk playing a costly game of catch-up when resources boom again.