Silver Mining in Canada

Silver has been an important mineral product for Canada's economy ever since the Cobalt boom which followed the discovery of rich veins of the metal near here in 1903. Although the production of the Cobalt silver mines began to decline in the 1920s, new sources were developed, principally in the lead and zinc mines of British Columbia and Ontario, which have maintained Canada's position in the world as a leading supplier of silver. The Cobalt boom was also important as a stimulus to future mining development in the Canadian Shield, and as an influence on government mining policy.