Still in demand: Need for steel-making coal continues to rise

Canada's most abundant mineral resource delivers tremendous economic and social benefits that cannot be denied and recent trends show that Canada's steel-making coal is particularly in high demand. Recent statistics from (NRCan) show that 67 million tons of coal were produced in Canada in 2012 and of that total, 46 per cent was metallurgical or steelmaking coal. Coal is extremely important to Canada's economic health and well-being. In 2012, the Coal Association of Canada (CAC) asked Pricewaterhouse Coopers to undertake an economic analysis of the coal mining industry Canada. They found that the industry makes an economic contribution of $5.2 billion to Canada's GDP, including $3.2 billion in direct impacts and $2.0 billion of indirect impacts. In 2015, Alberta's newest coal mine, Vista, located in Hinton and operated by Coalspur, will become operational and will export thermal coal through the Ridley Terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.