Another view from the open-pit Jeffrey mine in Asbestos, Quebec. It's one of three remaining active asbestos operations in Canada, the other two of which are located nearby in Black Lake and Thetford Mines. During the 90s, Canada was one the world's largest exporters of asbestos, second only to Russia. Despite Canada tightly limiting its domestic use and numerous countries outright banning it entirely, asbestos continued to be exported from these mines, primarily to third world countries in Africa and Asia. There, looser regulations allowed for it to be mixed in with cement, used in insulation or turned into anti-fire walls.
These exports continue today, but on a much smaller scale. Since 2003, the Jeffrey mine has only been operating a few months out of the year, yielding less than half of what it was a decade ago. The guard we talked to at the front gate of the refinery told us that it was due to "a lack of demand" for the product, but that really only tells part of the story. Russia continues to increase its production levels, and China has more than doubled its output, essentially turning Canada into a bit player on the world stage. Yet another case of not being able to compete with countries where they can pay its employees less and extract what they want without having to worry about government-enforced environmental regulations.
Asbestos extraction and production is a costly venture. While many of the health risks commonly associated with its mining and handling have been greatly reduced, the high financial costs involved in its extraction and refinement have turned these mines into money-losing ventures. A price drop in the market value of the product has meant that the few mines that do remain active have had to rely heavily on subsidies from both provincial and federal levels of government in order to avoid closing down entirely.
At first glance, it might seem a bit odd that such an unprofitable and unpopular industry would continue to be supported by the Canadian government. Although the fact that the Jeffrey mine is about to re-open for two months in the midst of a provincial election probably shouldn't be ignored, jobs (the few that are left) and profits do not seem to be the primary reasons as to why the mines continue to receive financial bail-outs. The mines are neither profitable nor are they a significant provider of jobs. Instead, they remain in operation as part of a frontline being waged against a growing movement by other countries to restrict or ban the import of other Canadian minerals and metals that have been known to pose health risks such as mercury, arsenic and cadmium. Essentially, they're being used to help establish the concept of "safe use", as a method of illustrating that even hazardous commodities (like asbestos) can be used in such a way that health risks are minimized or reduced altogether. It's part of a PR war that's being waged by our government, not so much to help asbestos (which is essentially a write-off at this point), but to help safeguard the entire mining industry from the threat of future international bans.
