Coutu dream of mining in Lake Superior Park alive and well

Two local brothers are pursuing a business venture close to their late father's heart.

Patrick and Peter Coutu want to pay tribute to their dear departed dad by digging deep for the payday imagined by Wilfred Coutu more than sixty years ago.

"I've really got to hand it to my dad," said Patrick Coutu (pictured above, left). "Many trained geophysicists never discover a gold mine."

Thanks to a bit of luck and a lot of backwoods know-how, Wilfred discovered gold mineralization at Lake Superior Park just outside of Sault Ste. Marie while prospecting back in the mid-1950s.

Wilfred was a World War II veteran and like a lot of vets he returned home to find the employment situation had worsened.

The government of the day encouraged education for veterans as means of opening up new doors.

"My father decided to take mineralogy course," said Peter (shown above, right). "He studied religiously and it really sparked an interest which makes sense seeing as he's always loved the outdoors."

The initial spark of interest quickly turned into a full blown burning desire to start mining at Lake Superior Park.

But government regulations soon closed the doors that had just appeared to open.

Wilfred's golden dreams were dashed soon after staking mining claims for 262 acres of land for Coutu Gold Mines Inc. in 1955.

The powers that be banned mining in provincial parks across Ontario.

"My father was very disappointed about losing the claims," said Peter.

"He put his life's work into that mine and really thought he would make something of it," added Patrick. "Hopefully we will."

Wilfred spent the rest of his career working at the former Algoma Steel before passing away of cancer in February 1980.

The dreams of their father had always stayed in the minds of his sons and recent legislation has given Peter and Patrick a chance to turn those fantasies into reality.

The Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act was in established in 2006 and under prohibited uses item 16. (1) it states: mining is not prohibited in provincial parkland, with the lone exception being those who have existing land claims.

Wilfred had the claims, but before his sons could pursue their reacquisition, Coutu Gold Mines Inc. had to be re-established.

This past May that finally happened when Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti sponsored a private members bill proposing its revival.

"David's help allowed us to pursue our father's dream," said Patrick. "Without the passing of the bill we had no hopes of regaining our mining claims."

The brothers' both have the chops for gold digging - Peter is a geologist and Patrick has worked in mining across Canada - now they're just waiting for the go-ahead from the government.

Peter has been stuck in the arduous re-acquisition process of their father's mining claims since Orazietti helped re-incorporate Coutu Gold Mines Inc.

Wading through the red tape hasn't been easy as even finding the right person to speak with has proved difficult.

Originally, Peter figured the Mining Lands Commissioner's Office would be the direction to head in.

"We don't have jurisdiction over the type of ownership they have," said Dan Pasco, Mining Lands registrar.

Pasco said the mining lands office primarily deals with non-patented mining claims, so if the Coutus want to re-claim their father's land, they must head to court.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice, to be exact, is where the brothers must take their case and Peter said they are currently seeking legal counsel.

Whatever the roadblocks in their way, the Coutus vow to keep up the fight for their dad's dreamland.

Peter estimates a minimum of 100,000 tons of ore and 100,000 ounces of gold located at Lake Superior Park - valued around $160 million.

"That's a conservative estimate," he said. "I really think there's actually much more."

Peter said 100 jobs would result from their mining project that could be operational within six months of permission from the government.

The Coutus believe Myra Falls mine, recently set-up in Strathcona-Westminter, British Columbia Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, is an example of what's possible.

"We're still not sure if or when it will happen," said Peter. "We've got our fingers crossed."