Dimension stone industry workshop

Training in dimension stone prospecting techniques will be provided next week to a dozen professional prospectors in Central Newfoundland. The Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development, in partnership with the Exploits Valley Economic Development Corporation, is sponsoring the workshop.

"This co-operative initiative shows how government is partnering with regional economic development boards to assist in the development of relatively new industries like the dimension stone industry that have significant potential to grow and create new employment opportunities, especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador," said Kelvin Parsons, Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.

This workshop springs from a Dimension Stone Symposium the Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development and the Exploits Valley Development Corporation held jointly in March 2002 at Grand Falls-Windsor. Prospectors at the symposium expressed a need for more field-oriented training to aid in the identification and assessment of potential dimension stone quarry sites.

The workshop will run from October 8-11, beginning in Grand Falls-Windsor. As part of the training, prospectors will visit various dimension stone quarry sites in the central and western regions of the island portion of the province.

Dimension stone is natural rock that has been quarried and finished to exact dimensions. Examples are floor tiles, kitchen counter tops, curb stones, facings for public buildings and burial headstones. Newfoundland and Labrador is rich in dimension stone resources including slate, granite and marble. Markets for high-end dimension stone products are growing internationally and new sources of dimension stone are increasingly being sought around the world each year.

Canadian exports of dimension stone in 2001 totaled approximately $260 million, while Newfoundland and Labrador exports were $10.5 million up from $8.7 million in 2000. Approximately 250 people are currently employed in the dimension stone industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, concentrated along the north coast of Labrador near Nain, in central Newfoundland, and more recently in the Argentia area with the establishment of a new dimension stone processing facility by Epoch Rock Incorporated.

"The dimension stone industry was targeted for growth and new investment in the Renewal Strategy for Jobs and Growth for rural Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Parsons. "This specific initiative will help equip us with the necessary tools to take full advantage of these opportunities."

Media contacts:

Clifford Grinling,
Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development,
(709) 729-4570

Mike Regular, Mining and Dimension Stone Officer,
Exploits Valley Economic Development Corporation,
(709) 489-8700

2002 10 01                                       11:05 a.m.