Ministerial Statement – Province Recognizes Contributions of Al Chislett

  • Natural Resources

April 16, 2018

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Siobhan Coady, Minister of Natural Resources:


Mr. Speaker, today we recognize a life well lived. Al Chislett was a self-reliant man and a visionary whose entrepreneurial spirit improved and enhanced the mining industry in our province.

In 1993, Al Chislett and his partner, Chris Verbiski, were looking for diamonds in Labrador. In mid-September of that year, just as the weather was starting to turn, they made a most incredible discovery.

As they headed back to camp, they spotted something from the air – a thick stripe of rust-colored rock on a hill above Voisey’s Bay. That strip of rock led to the discovery of the world-class Voisey’s Bay mine.

Since construction began at Voisey’s Bay, the project has generated some 35,000 person years of employment. Mining operations began in 2005 and approximately $15 billion of nickel, copper and cobalt has been recovered.

Born in Islington, Trinity Bay, Al earned a diploma in business administration from Ryerson University and worked in accounting and construction before changing course and pursuing a career in prospecting. Mr. Chislett became the first person in the history of the province to receive a prospector’s grant from government, a program that continues today. His company, Eagleridge International Limited, continues to prospect and develop projects in the province.

I ask all Honourable members to join me in recognizing Al Chislett – a true pioneer of the mining industry; a great entrepreneur and humble man. Thank you.

2018 04 16 2:05 pm