‘Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold to be refined.
2Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3Miners put an end to darkness,
and search out to the farthest bound
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4They open shafts in a valley away from human habitation;
they are forgotten by travellers,
they sway suspended, remote from people.
5As for the earth, out of it comes bread; but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6Its stones are the place of sapphires, and its dust contains gold. Job 28:1-6
What do you think of when you hear or see "Group of Seven artists?" I imagine it is images of pristine northern landscape, not industrial paintings such as the one above by Franklin Carmichael. He created this in 1930, in the town of Cobalt. This is the head of a mine from that era, the reason the town was established in the first place.
For eleven years our family lived in Northern Ontario and I became aware that Southern Ontarians knew next to nothing about the north and didn't really care. I had been part of the oblivious throng, unaware that the economy of the north generated a higher GDP than some of the Atlantic provinces and that while only 8% of Ontarians live in the north, it makes up more than 80% of the province's land mass. Mining is a huge generator of wealth and the pulp and paper industry is another big contributor. It's easy to forget that even in our high-tech age the metals used in just about everything must be extracted from the ground somewhere and we have some of the richest ore deposits on the planet here in Ontario.
Did you know that Sudbury nickel miners have been on strike for seven months? Did you know that one of the most efficient, productive, and environmentally friendly smelters in the world will soon be shut down in Timmins? Foreign companies own the mines and the smelter and they have drawn a tough line on costs, in part because of the availability of cheap labour in other countries.
I might be pushing it a little to say that mining is a spiritual issue, but it's important to remember those who work below surface level to provide the essentials of day-to-day living.
Thanks for the lesson, David. I've been through Northern Ontario so many times, and it's such an interesting experience - being around that strange combination of loveliness and loneliness.
ReplyDeleteIt's so odd to think of how contentious Northern Ontario used to be as political property. In the 1870s, our first premier, Oliver Mowat, went toe-to-toe for several years with Sir John A. Macdonald over a piece of legislation called the Rivers and Streams Act. At stake was control over our streams and rivers and how they were used as media for floatation/transport of various goods and resources from place to place; the prevailing idea being that Northern Ontario would eventually be a boon to the province in both economic terms, and in terms of population growth.
In the years right after Confederation, there was (believe it or not) a federal veto over any provincial legislation concerning the partitioning of land or procurement/development of natural resources. The reason Ontario's borders look the way they do today, and the fact that we do have provincial control over our northern industries is a direct result of Mowat fighting for Ontario's rights and winning.
Who would have thought that such a hot property back then would be such a non-issue to so many Ontarians in the present day?
Thanks for bringing them back into the limelight for a moment.
Thanks Ian. You point out that natural resources have always been important to our prosperity, that they have been strategic, politically, and that we can't assume that we have simply moved on from these traditional industries. I'm struck by how little current governments seem to understand the issues, although with the majority of constituents in the south, perhaps they know and don't care.
ReplyDeleteAgreed David, as someone from the north, it is true that the decision makers are in the south and are not aware nor care of the north. It's a constant battle.
ReplyDeleteOur community was heavily dependent on the uranium mines of Elliot Lake. You now can get cheap property in Elliot Lake and it has become a retirement community-hot properties-maybe, but a non-issue to many. Sad.
My thoughts of the Group of Seven paintings are landscapes. I think of the pine trees and smells that I experienced at a United Church Camp on the northern shores of Lake Huron, as a child.
Some of the comments about north and south Ontario bring to mind what many people feel here in the prairies. Because most of the population is in southern Ontario, a lot of the concerns of those on the prairies are also ignored.
ReplyDeleteI have even heard lots of this within the United Church. The decision makers are in Toronto as well as most of the members and ministers. It is interesting to hear these concerns as someone who moved here from southern Ontario.
Those concerns, Deb, are felt in many rural areas of the church, including congregations not that far from the Navel of the Universe.
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