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Celebrating the past.
Innovating for the future.

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CIM National has given out more than 1,400 awards since 1961

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CIM has made more than 18,000 technical papers available to its members online

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CIM has donated more than $1 million in scholarships over the past 5 years

What does CIM mean to you?

1898

1898

Mining professionals from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia banded together to form the Canadian Mining Institute (CIM) in 1898. CIM was founded when electricity, the internal combustion engine and the automobile were starting to be used on a large scale; the Yukon gold rush had just started; and global demand for metals and minerals was increasing, all of which allowed Canada’s natural resource sector to thrive and diversify. CIM’s objective was “to promote … the economical pro ... Read more

1908

1908

The mining industry was booming from 1908-1912, with gold strikes in the Porcupine and Kirkland Lake regions of Ontario and oil discoveries in Alberta. The first CIM Branch – the Toronto Branch – was established in 1906, but by 1917 there were several Branches. A recession hit Canada in 1913, but when World War I was declared by Great Britain in 1914, several new mines were brought into production to service the war efforts. Of the thousands of young Canadians who left their families to fight ov ... Read more

1918

1918

Without the demand for the metals that were used widely during the war, production, prices and wages fell significantly throughout the 1920s as unemployment rates skyrocketed and a depression took hold of the western world. CIM lobbied for veterans to receive fair, if not preferential opportunities for jobs in the industry and allowed vets to publish their resumes in the Bulletin. The discovery of gold in various regions of British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario helped to get the mining ... Read more

1928

1928

After the production of metals and minerals steadily increased from 1921-1929, the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 and the value of Canadian production plunged nearly 40% in three years. By the mid-1930s conditions had almost improved to previous levels. Prosperity reigned throughout the rest of the decade as tensions built in Europe and fears of another war mounted.

1938

1938

In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Canada, and one of the highlights for CIM members was when they went underground at the International Nickel Company of Canada’s Frood mine in Sudbury. Four months later, World War II was declared. Most of the mining taking place in Canada in the 1940s was dedicated to supplying the military’s demand for base metals such as copper, nickel, lead and zinc. The popular “Members at the Front” column found in the Bulletin during the Great War was re ... Read more

1948

1948

In the mid- to late-1940s CIM began creating new technical divisions for members with specific interests, which was perfectly timed for the amount of mining professionals and academics who started to specialize in specific fields following the post-war incentives for post-secondary education. In 1954, CIM changed its By-Laws to allow women to become members after a handful of women applied, one of whom – Viola MacMillan, a prospector and mine developer, president of ViolaMac Mines Ltd., and futu ... Read more

1958

1958

Due to increasing urbanization and the beginning of the Space Age, among other factors, this was a decade of appreciable growth for mining, particularly iron and steel mining. The completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 made shipping from Labrador and northern Quebec to the rest of North America economical. New technologies helped to facilitate the growth of the mining sector, including the load-haul-dump, mobile drills and self-advancing roof supports. By the mid-1960s, computers based on ... Read more

1968

1968

From 1968-1978, the total value of the minerals Canada produced quadrupled to about $20 billion. Much of that gain was caused by enormous increases in the prices of energy and the increase of gold and silver prices. It was also a decade of greater societal awareness of some of the consequences of mining. The first environmentalist movements took place in Canada in the 1970s and the decade also marked the dawning of native land claims as First Nations people began to claim those areas that had be ... Read more

1978

1978

This decade started out with unprecedented precious metals prices, but the bubble burst in the early 1980s when Canada went through its worst recession since the 1930s. Interest rates were skyrocketing, unemployment escalated and metals prices around the world fell precipitously. Many mines suspended production or closed down entirely. Six CIM Branches were also forced to shut down due to economic pressure and local mine closures, and the number of people who attended the 1983 Annual General Mee ... Read more

1988

1988

After a slow recovery from the recession in the early 1980s, Canada was hit with another recession in 1990. Despite base metals prices falling to the lowest they had ever been (when adjusted for inflation) in 1993, by late 1994, prices had risen once again and more mines opened or reopened than had closed or been suspended. After thirty years of debating changing its name, CIM became the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum in 1990. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Division had be ... Read more

1998

1998

In 1998 CIM celebrated its centennial! CIM published a book chronicling the Institute’s past called Pride and Vision. The book was sent to libraries around the country to inform the public about the Canadian mineral resource sector and CIM over the previous century. CIM also hosted a special joint Annual General Meeting in 1998 with Tradex and the Council of Mining and Metallurgical Institutions in Montreal. As part of its anniversary celebrations it also established two new scholarships through ... Read more

2008

2008

The recession of 2008 originated in the U.S., but it affected the global economy. However, after the Canadian dollar depreciated significantly, Canadian exports became more attractive, helping oil and resource commodity prices to rebound quickly. The mining industry remained strong until about 2014 when the recession caught up to it and it suffered a difficult down cycle. By 2016, the tides were turning once again, and the mineral exploration industry in Canada and globally has been strengthenin ... Read more

2018

2018

Technological advances are facilitating smarter, safer, more efficient mining deeper than thought possible and in new frontiers such as the floor of the deep sea and on asteroids. It’s hard to imagine what will serve as the norm in the mining industry in the next decade. Regardless of the changes taking place in the sector, CIM will be there for its constituents. For 120 years, CIM has worked to build strong libraries of cutting edge techniques and tools, to offer expertise on social, environmen ... Read more

2028

2028

The industry experienced positive growth in operations and new innovations in safety and sustainability but things were quickly brought to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mining conferences in Canada and around the world were cancelled, including the CIM Convention, due to safety concerns and to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Since the pandemic forced the closure of non-essential businesses and mining operations came to a halt, a question loomed: “How can CIM stay relevant to ... Read more

Community Photos

Send us your own photos of your favourite CIM memories at 120@cim.org and browse through photos sent in by other members

Community Stories

Now you've learned about our story, tell us your story! Explain why you joined CIM or share one of your favourite mining memories with us for everyone to enjoy

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  • I’ve lived in Britannia Beach BC for 34 years now and have learned a great deal of mining history. I just found a letter opener from a CIMM BC meeting dated 1937. At this time the mine here was the Britannia Mining and Smelting Co. Later it became the Anaconda mine. Just finding more information on some of the artifacts that have come my way here. Cheers Ron Fulber
  • I drove into Canada from San Francisco in 1963 penniless, went to the mine office of the Sullivan mine in Kimberley the next day and was offered a job, I asked for an advance so I could sleep somewhere. Never looked back, I learnt a lot at the mine and joined the CIMM. Although I am now retired living in the US, I follow all the mining activities in Canada and the great work of the CIMM. Canada is a great mining country, may it long prosper. Pierre Mousset-Jones Professor of Mining Eng. Emeritus
  • Nouvellement arrivée chez Minéraux Noranda Division Mines Gaspé en 1986, je me suis sentie faire partie d'une communauté en participant aux activités organisées par les membres du CIM de Murdochville. Que de beaux souvenirs! Noémie Rouleau
  • Born in Malartic Quebec -father was a mining engineer , brother Rimas is a mining engineer . All 3 of us are CIM members - congratulations on 120 yrs of serving our mining community in Canada and the best is yet to come! Vic Vytautas Pakalnis
  • I joined CIM back over 25 years ago, it was my professor at McGill, he said I had to join and you know it was the best $10 I ever spent! I got involved and engaged and I’ve been a part of this great community ever since Janice Zinck, CIM President 2018-2019
  • CIM has kept me connected with my mining family. People is the most important part of Caterpillar’s business, so getting our customers solutions is our goal. CIM is that bridge to our relationships with our customers and our friends and family in the industry Aasin Mehmud, Eastern Canada Territory Sales Manager, Caterpillar
  • I actually came into CIM a little over ten years ago as the editor-in-chief of CIM Magazine. Much like I think most society, I knew very little about mining. I didn’t realize I didn’t know anything about mining! What fascinates me is that there’s a never-ending amount of things to learn about mining. Since joining CIM, I’ve found that it’s really a tight-knit community and if you meet another CIMer, no matter where you are, there’s this instant connection Angela Hamlyn, CIM Executive Director
  • I’m an immigrant to Canada, I’ve been here for 13 years, and when you come over you want to get to know the industry as quickly as possible to help you fit in and to help you transition so joining CIM was the right thing to do Andy Randell, Principal Geologist, SGDS Hive
  • Je suis un étudiant, et c’était vraiment quelque chose d’important pour moi d’avoir une chance de discuter avec les gros noms de l’industrie. L’ICM, en particulier la section de Montréal, a beaucoup aidé avec des activités de réseautages comme les soupers conférences Olivier Perras, étudiant, l’ École Polytechnique de Montéal

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CIM Presidents

  • Anne Marie Toutant 2022-2023

  • Pierre Julien 2021-2022

  • Samantha Espley 2020-2021

  • Roy Slack 2019-2020

  • Janice Zinck 2018-2019

  • Ken Thomas 2017-2018

  • Michael Winship 2016-2017

  • Garth Kirkham 2015-2016

  • Sean Waller 2014-2015

  • Robert Schafer 2013-2014

  • Terence Bowles 2012-2013

  • Chuck Edwards 2011-2012

  • Chris Twigge-Molecey 2010-2011

  • Michael J. Allan 2009-2010

  • James K. Gowans 2008-2009

  • James L. Popowich 2007-2008

  • François E. Pelletier 2006-2007

  • Russell E. Hallbauer 2005-2006

  • W. Warren Holmes 2004-2005

  • Howard R. Stockford 2003-2004

  • Soheil Asgarpour 2002-2003

  • Rex V. Gibbons 2001-2002

  • Patricia Joan Dillon 2000-2001

  • Gerald L. Bolton 1999-2000

  • Yves Harvey 1998-1999

  • Alexander Laird 1997-1998

  • Donald J. Worth 1996-1997

  • Giorgio Massobrio 1995-1996

  • William Almdal 1994-1995

  • David S. Robertson 1993-1994

  • A.D. Anton 1992-1993

  • William E. Stanley 1991-1992

  • Peter Tarassoff 1990-1991

  • J.J. Laffin 1989-1990

  • René Dufour 1988-1989

  • L. Milne 1987-1988

  • C.B. Ross 1986-1987

  • Steven W. Harapiak 1985-1986

  • Walter J. Riva 1984-1985

  • Peter V. Young 1983-1984

  • R.H. Gray 1982-1983

  • Noel Cleland 1981-1982

  • D.E. Schmitt 1980-1981

  • Edward H. Caldwell 1979-1980

  • W. M. Gilchrist 1974-1975

  • J.-P. Drolet 1978-1979

  • R.D. Lord 1977-1978

  • M.W. Bartley 1976-1977

  • P.D. O'Connell 1975-1976.

  • J.P. Nowlan 1973-1974

  • J.H. Schloen 1972-1973

  • T.H. Patching 1971-1972

  • H.M. Wright 1970-1971

  • J.M. Harrison 1969-1970

  • P.-E. Auger 1968-1969

  • E.D. Brown 1967-1968

  • G.W. Govier 1966-1967

  • F.A. Forward 1965-1966

  • R.D. Parker 1964-1965

  • W.J. Johnson 1963-1964

  • J.R. Bradfield 1962-1963

  • J.B. Mawdsley 1961-1962

  • W.H. Durrell 1960-1961

  • J.C. Sproule 1959-1960

  • D.G. Burchell 1958-1959

  • H.J. Fraser 1957-1958

  • J.F. Walker 1956-1957

  • A.L. Penhale 1955-1956

  • C.C. Huston 1954-1955

  • A.E. Flynn 1953-1954

  • D.F. Kidd 1952-1953

  • O.B. Hopkins 1951-1952

  • A.O. Dufresne 1950-1951

  • F.V. Seibert 1949-1950

  • R.W. Diamond 1948-1949

  • C. Camsell 1947-1948

  • R.J. Ennis 1946-1947

  • A.E. Cameron 1945-1946

  • A.A. MacKay 1944-1945

  • R.A. Bryce 1942-1944

  • W.G. McBride 1941-1942

  • G.C. Bateman 1940-1941

  • B.L. Thorne 1939-1940

  • E.A. Collins 1938-1939

  • M. Dwyer 1937-1938

  • G.E. Cole 1936-1937

  • J.G. Ross 1935-1936

  • S.G. Blaylock 1934-1935

  • B. Neilly 1933-1934

  • J.A. Allan 1932-1933

  • F.W. Gray 1931-1932

  • J.S. DeLury 1930-1931

  • N.R. Fisher 1929-1930

  • R.H. Stewart 1928-1929

  • J.L. Agnew 1927-1928

  • L. Stockett 1926-1927

  • T.J.Brown 1925-1926

  • R.C. Wallace 1924-1925

  • J.A. Dresser 1923-1924

  • W.R. Wilson 1922-1923

  • C.V. Corless 1921-1922

  • O.E.S. Whiteside 1920-1921

  • D.H. McDougall 1919-1920

  • D. Dowling 1918-1919

  • A.A. Cole 1916-1918

  • G.G.S. Lindsey 1914-1916

  • A.E. Barlow 1912-1914

  • F.D.Adams 1910-1912

  • W.G. Miller 1908-1910

  • F. Keffer 1907-1908

  • G.R. Smith 1905-1907

  • E. Coste 1903-1905

  • C. Fergie 1901-1903

  • S.S. Fowler 1900 -1901

  • J.E. Hardman 1898-1900