Gold mining in Canada refers to the extraction and harvesting of gold via mining, specifically in Canada.

Aboriginal people were the first to discover gold in Canada, however there is no concrete proof as there is no documentation that states when they did. The first people to use gold in Canada were also the Aboriginal peoples and they used gold along with copper, silver, and other minerals for tools, weapons, art, and eventually trading. ^[1]

The first major gold mine in Canada was opened in 1867 by Marcus Hubert Powell and it was named the Richardson Mine, located in Ontario. It was closed in 1869 after two years and only 100 ounces of gold could be extracted.

It is important to note that Canada was officially founded July 1st 1867, so instances of gold in "Canada" would actually be considered gold found in First nations territories or British colonies.

History

The first instance of gold being documented was in 1823, when gold was discovered in Rivière Chaudière in eastern Québec. The gold found in this time period was located in river streams and was collected via hand, nets, or panning. ^[2]

The first major discovery of gold was found in the sands of Fraser River, British Columbia, in 1858. This discovery of gold sparked a conflict between Aboriginal peoples and those who came from western United States, as well as mercenaries from foreign countries such as France or Germany and it was named the Fraser Canyon War. ^[1]

Only a few years after the discovery of gold in the Fraser River area, the Cariboo Gold Rush went underway from 1861-1867. This was one of the first documented gold rushes in Canada and because it was in an isolated area, it attracted mainly Canadian and British miners.

Locations

Gold mines and gold mining in Canada have been documented in Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, many of the mines and locations where gold was found being either inactive or exhausted of resources.

As of 2023, there are 127 active gold mines in Canada, the majority of them being located in Ontario and Québec. These two provinces produce and refine the majority of gold in Canada, and the most prolific gold mine in the country, the Canadian Malarctic Mine, is located in western Québec.

Production and trades

References

1. Canada Action. (2021, June 22). Gold in Canada: Everything you need to know. https://www.canadaaction.ca/gold-mining-canada-facts#:~:text=Gold%20was%20first%20discovered%20in,California%20during%20the%20same%20decade.
2. Canada, N. R. (2023, February 17). Gold facts. Natural Resources Canada. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/minerals-mining/minerals-metals-facts/gold-facts/20514
3. Couturier, G. (2011a, October 16). Gold. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gold
4. Daver, L., Jébrak, M., Beaudoin, G., & Trumbull, R. B. (2020). Three-stage formation of greenstone-hosted orogenic gold deposits in the val-d’or mining district, Abitibi, Canada: Evidence from pyrite and tourmaline. Ore Geology Reviews, 120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103449
5. Elboki, T. (2023, September 19). Current state of gold mining in Nova Scotia. Canadian Mining Journal. https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/featured-article/current-state-of-gold-mining-in-nova-scotia/
6. GlobalData. (2023, July 21). The five largest gold mines in operation in Canada. Mining Technology. https://www.mining-technology.com/marketdata/five-largest-gold-mines-canada/?cf-view&cf-closed
7. Johnston, M. (2023, April 23). 10 biggest Canadian mining companies. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/082015/5-biggest-canadian-mining-companies.asp
8. Rodríguez, S. P. (2020). Modeling and forecasting complex patterns of mineral production. gold mining in Canada. Cogent Engineering, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2020.1724849