Sir William Logan founded the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) in 1842 and served as its first director for 27 years. The first Canadian scientific organization, the GSC has since made a major contribution to the country’s economic growth.
A.O. Dufresne, born April 10, 1890, devoted his 45-year professional career to Quebec’s department of mines. He molded it into an efficient support system for mineral exploration and mine development that has assisted in exploiting the province’s mineral riches in an orderly fashion.
In his day, Robert J. Jowsey was known as the dean of mine makers. He was indeed a charter member of Canadian mining, a true, “dog-team and canoe” prospector, whose career flourished through the frenetic heyday of the Cobalt silver rush, the goldfields of Kirkland Lake, and the base metal plays in Manitoba.
Were it not for the development of geophysical techniques applied to mine-finding, Canadian mining would never have attained the stature it has enjoyed. Because of this, the industry owes an enormous debt to C. Stanley Davidson.
Côme Carbonneau had an unusual career for a mining man. It straddled not only the academic and private-sector fields, but also reached into the public sector where he became the builder and developer of the novel, state-owned enterprise known as SOQUEM.
Mining engineer and geologist Georges H. Dumont has truly earned his place among the great contemporary discoverers. A pioneer of the Quebec mining industry, Dumont was actively involved in the engineering, development and production of the eleven mineral deposits he helped discover.
Alfred Powis is a company builder with exceptional leadership skills and a keen eye for opportunity. During his tenure as chief executive officer at Noranda, he was instrumental in creating one of the largest natural resource conglomerates in Canada, with few rivals internationally.
Joseph Retty played a major role in the discovery of iron ore deposits in the Quebec-Labrador boundary region, remote wilderness which was later developed into one of the world’s greatest iron-producing fields.
W. Austin McVeigh was one of ten children born to farmers working the land on Grand Calumet Island, Quebec, near Ottawa. It was here he developed his love of the outdoors and dreamed of the riches being discovered in places such as Cripple Creek, Colorado, and Cobalt, Ontario.
Bruce Grierson made lasting contributions to the mining industry in Canada and abroad during his 40-year career with Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium (RIT) and its subsidiary, QIT-Fer et Titane (QIT).
