As the demand for leadership in the mining sector grows with the increasing significance of metals, Canada has lost one of its influential figures in precious and critical metals.
Dale Corman, who led various companies and developed multiple mines both in Canada and internationally, died on April 29 at the age of 88. A veteran in mining, he was trained as a geologist and engineer and played a key role in several metal discoveries in Canada during the 1970s, which ultimately led to the San Nicolas and Peñasquito finds in Mexico. Peñasquito has become Mexico’s largest gold mine, currently operated by Newmont.
Corman was born in St. Catharines, Ontario into a farming family that had paved the way for him to manage an orchard within the Niagara fruit belt. However, he chose to pursue his interest in geology instead, earning a BSc (Geology) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in 1961.
He spent one summer working with the Geological Survey of Canada located in British Columbia before taking a year to study law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
“I learned enough law just to be dangerous. It certainly helped me through my career,” he remarked during his Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (CMHF) induction ceremony held in 2022.
Sturgeon Lake
Avoiding outdoor work, he transitioned to being a mining analyst within the investment sector during the 1970s and joined Harbinson Mining and Oil Group where he managed a group of fifteen junior companies. During this time, he contributed to bringing into production the Sturgeon Lake base metal mine located in Ontario, along with the Lake George antimony mine found in New Brunswick and the Cullaton Lake gold mine situated in Nunavut.
In the late 1980s, Corman shifted his focus toward copper and precious metals projects across Canada and Mexico. His company Thermal Exploration entered into a joint venture with Western Copper on the Carmacks deposit located in Yukon. Following a favorable feasibility study completed back in 1994, Thermal merged with Western Copper to create Western Copper Holdings which Corman directed as chairman and CEO.
In 1997, recognizing potential for a significant polymetallic mine at Peñasquito site situated in Mexico, Corman spearheaded Western Copper’s acquisition of this project. He also partnered with Teck to explore nearby San Nicolas deposit. Ultimately, Corman’s Western Copper evolved into Western Silver before being acquired by Glamis Gold which purchased those Mexican projects for $1.3 billion back in 2006.
Corman oversaw Western Copper & Gold’s spinout initiated back in 2011 while advancing its Casino copper-gold porphyry project situated within Yukon-considered one of world’s largest copper-gold projects controlled by junior miners.
Scholarship
A few years after retiring from Western Copper nearly five years ago now , the company donated $150,000 toward establishing a scholarship fund named after Corman aimed at assisting Yukon students pursuing degrees focused on engineering or science fields. He matched this donation personally contributing another $150,000 himself.
The determined Corman didn’t retire until his mid-80s; during his CMHF acceptance speech he shared “I thoroughly enjoyed my 50 years in the mining business – it’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun.”
The organization Northisle Copper and Gold founded by Corman back in 2011 stated through their news release that Dale is survived by his wife Caroline along with their children and other relatives.
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