What happened to The Thetford Mines?

Thetford Mines, Quebec, was founded in 1905 and has now a population of 16,174 people. Thetford Mines is 107 kilometres south of Quebec City, on the Bécancour River in the Appalachian Mountains. It was given the name Thetford after a town in Norfolk, England. It was one of the world’s greatest asbestos mining and production centres during the twentieth century.

Local citizen Joseph Fecteau is credited with discovering the asbestos deposit at Thetford Mines in 1876. Fecteau had stopped mowing hay to pick blueberries when he noticed a peculiar, greenish rock. With his fingernail, he scraped some threads from the rock and exhibited the substance to a passing fur trader called Roger Ward. Ward had samples of the fibres examined, and the mineral asbestos was confirmed.

Ward purchased property and mining rights in the hamlet in 1877. Later that year, mining companies commenced output. The introduction of the railway in 1879 enabled the mineral to be transported in larger quantities and more swiftly to Lévis, Quebec. In 1892, the village of Kingsville (named for William King, a prominent mine owner) was incorporated. It expanded quickly as the mines drew people from all over. In 1905, Kingsville became a city and was renamed Thetford Mines.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a fibrous silicate material that occurs naturally. There are six different varieties, all of which are made up of long, thin fibrous crystals with many microscopic “fibrils” that can be released into the environment by abrasion and other processes.

Although archaeologists have discovered evidence of asbestos being used to strengthen ceramic pots as far back as the Stone Age, large-scale mining did not begin until the late 1800s, when manufacturers and builders began to use asbestos for its desired physical properties. Asbestos was widely used as a building material for much of the twentieth century because it is a good electrical insulator and fire-resistant substance.

Why are the mine closed?

Asbestos inhalation can cause a variety of hazardous lung illnesses, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer, making it a well-known health and safety issue. 

In the 1970s, its negative impacts on human health were more generally recognized. Asbestos is thought to be present in many modern structures built before the 1980s.

According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, asbestos exposure in the workplace is responsible for more than 80% of mesothelioma occurrences. In 2010, the announcement came as relatives of individuals who died as a result of asbestos exposure spoke to the press on Parliament Hill, pleading for the industry to be brought to a complete halt. At the time, almost all asbestos mines were shuttered.

The Black Lake business, Canada’s last asbestos mine, closed its doors in December 2011 due to dwindling demand. As a result, about 300 people lost their employment.

Demand was dropping, mineral seams were dwindling, and two landslides had finally taken their toll. The majority of workers retired early. Few people in the neighbourhood were able to find other work. The rest of the group is on the go, looking for contract work wherever they can.

The Thetford Black Lake today

Located across the street from the O’Brien general store on rue du Lac-Noir in the Black Lake neighbourhood, this observation platform is open to the public during the summer. It provides a spectacular view of the British Canadian mine’s infrastructure as well as an ancient mining hole that has been turned into a turquoise-coloured lake.

The area around Thetford Mines was previously one of the world’s most productive asbestos mining locations. You can still safely peer down into one of the mines, even though they are now closed. 

The pits, which are surrounded by mounds of their own mined rock and gravel, overshadow the nearby communities. Alongside the British Canadian Mine, an observation deck has been built for visitors.

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