Canadian Minerals Yearbook: Review and Outlook, 1989

Jeffrey Moon is Documents Reference/Data Centre Librarian at Queen’s
University.

This book sets out to provide a comprehensive review of developments in
the minerals and metals sector. For the most part, it succeeds.

The Canadian Minerals Yearbook has been published for over 50 years by
a variety of government agencies and under several titles. The 1989
edition—building on the trend, in recent years, to include “expert
articles”—includes the following: general review; international
scene; regional outlook; labor and employment; Canadian reserves, mine
investment, new projects, and promising deposits; Canadian mineral
exploration, and mineral-by-mineral reviews. However, only 38 of the 62
minerals listed in the “Contents” section are included as chapters;
the rest are flagged by the footnote “The review for this commodity
was not produced for 1989.” This omission needs better explanation,
given that Canada is among the five leading countries in producing such
“missing” minerals as cadmium and titanium.

All chapters deal with Canadian and international developments; in
addition, some chapters deal with mineral-specific concerns. For
example, the chapter on lead includes the headings “Recycling,” and
“Health, Safety, and the Environment.”

Statistical tables and a section on nonferrous and precious-metal
production are included at the end of the book. The tables are
particularly useful, highlighting a variety of mineral-industry
perspectives. In certain international tables, Canadian data is in bold
print so that one can see Canada’s position within the larger scheme.
The section on nonferrous and precious-metal production includes
company-specific statistics not readily found elsewhere.

Data provided in the tables would lend itself to production in
electronic form, with emphasis on the continual data series. As it is,
readers seeking more than five or six years of data must consult
back-issues.

While not matching the depth and breadth of its three-volume U.S.
counterpart, the Canadian Minerals Yearbook is suitable for both general
inquiries and more-detailed investigations with a Canadian focus.