Page 101 port and a municipal economic development corporation. Both cooperate and ensure a fne col - laboration in the mandates given to them. Our relations with the native commu nities are excellent, which is fundamental to achieving success.” When an economic sector such as mining is sound, it is important to recognize there are direct and indi - rect spinof fs in the community and area. For Abitibi-Temiscam ingue, the mineral industry is without a doubt a signifcant factor in the re - gion’ s healthy economic environ - ment. Another city in the region is Rouyn-Noranda and its mayor , Mario Provencher , is pleased with this present prosperity . “Mines give a lot to the communi - ty . This is evident, namely for the cultural events. W e see a dif fer - ence, with the executives of these companies who are making their home here in increasing numbers. W e see that it is working in the direction of social accep tability . There is a nice collaboration be - tween the mining industry and our citizens,” he commented. Although this prosperity is wel - come, the mayor acknowledges that there is a downside to this situation. “Just as in the political world, the mining industry has its strong and weak sides. In Rouyn-Noranda, 80% of the properties sit on min - ing cla ims and this could result in cohabitation problems. (Often surface right and mining rights are owned by dif ferent par - ties) W e are at a stage where we must develop our housing supply , namely to welcome mine workers. But with these mining claims , it could take a long time be - fore we can build. This is why a joint commit - tee was cre - ated in order to work out these issues t horoughl y . No one needs c onfront a - tion.” If the issue of housing be - comes an irri - tant, mining’ s growth could af fect the ser - vices of fered to the popula - tion. W e must manage growth carefully . W e must plan the upgrade of in - frastructure, while keeping in mind the “needs of the mines. It is a cy - cle. Nonethel ess, it is the time to take advantage of the situation to invest. W e must also support our MP and those who wish to improve their services. The daycare centres, for example, have needs that are at the forefront.” Cont’d from pg. 100 Communities as a hole beneft from spin-of fs from mining Y our passport to export FEA TURE Page 100 Its long association with the min - ing industry has earned V al-d’Or the title of The Mining Capital of Quebec. The mayor of V al-d’Or , Fernand T rahan, is quite proud to see his city and its businesses capture an advantageous position in the min - ing industry . “Our compan ies are present in 34 countries around the world. W ith Geologie Quebec here, we have the most important offce of its kind in the country . The mineral expertise is here and it comes as no surprise that V al- d’Or has been praised as the min - ing capital of the province by the Government of Quebec. W e are the mining centre of East - ern Canada. W e can’ t be good at everything, but we enjoy being ex - cellent in the felds where we can be,” said T rahan. According to him, the future is promising in his city and steps have been taken to contin ue the momentum built up over the years. Construction hasn’ t stopped. In the past year , 500 housing units have been built; houses as well as apartments. In addition, we have an industrial park that is very at - tractive and dynamic.” Another example of success for V al-d’Or is its airport which boasts the Northern Mining T ransit Cen - tre. The airport is the gateway to the northern territories where nu - merous minin g developme nts are occurring. The airport’ s second phase of de - velopment, at a cost of $7 million, is progressing toward completion. W ith offces for the mining compa - nies, meeting rooms and runways that can take Boeing 737 airplanes, the airport is really a genuine hotel complex that serves as the entrance to Quebec’ s North. “It is an ama zing success; the de - mand is quite heavy for the use of these installations. Despite the problems that occur with food delivery , we are dealing with 10 fights a week leaving for the North,” the mayor was happy to add. T rahan says that “we owe a great deal of this success to the commer - cial or ganizations on site. W e have a corporation for the air - Cont’d on pg. 101 T wo Quebec northern cities enjoy prosperity from mining FEA TURE