Thetford Mines district, Quebec

The Thetford Mines district of Quebec was, in the words of the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook, the district "where almost the entire production of Canada is mined," and in 1939 its mines and mills were "working virtually at capacity."¹ In 1954 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, wrote that at the Bell, King and Johnson's mines "no timber support can be used underground" because of the splinters wood leaves in the fiber.³ In April 1949 the journal reported production "virtually halted by an illegal strike of approximately 5,000 workers."⁴ In 1975 five companies were struck, and that June 27, Asbestos reported, "the Quebec government passed an order putting the five-fiber standard in effect as of January 1, 1978."⁵ On October 20, 1975, "about 3,500 asbestos miners" went back to work after "the seven-month-long strike," with basic hourly rates "raised immediately from $3.73 to $5.21."²

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1939

• Worked: “The mines and mills of the well-known Thetford Mines district of Quebec ... were working virtually at capacity throughout the year”, p. 8¹

1946

• Dust and health: “An industrial clinic was erected at Thetford Mines ... X-Ray and medical equipment” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40⁶

1949

• Description: “A private rail line belonging to one of the companies was dynamited earlier in the strike”, p. 47⁴
• Idle: “Production ... still virtually halted by an illegal strike of approximately 5,000 workers”, p. 47⁴

1954

• Description: “No timber support can be used underground because of the undesirable splinters which wood leaves in the final asbestos product”, p. 22³

1975

• Idle: “the strike of asbestos workers at Thetford Mines, Quebec, is now in its fifth month; The five stricken companies are Asbestos Corporation, Bell Asbestos Mines, Carey-Canadian Mines, Lake Asbestos of Quebec and National Asbestos Mines”, p. 40⁵
• Dust and health: “on June 27, the Quebec government passed an order putting the five-fiber standard in effect as of January 1, 1978”, p. 40⁵
• Workforce: “On October 20, 1975, about 3,500 asbestos miners at Thetford Mines, Quebec, went back to work following a settlement of the seven-month-long strike”, p. 38²
• Worked: “went back to work following a settlement of the seven-month-long strike; basic hourly rates for the miners will be raised immediately from $3.73 to $5.21”, p. 38²

See also

• Thetford Mines in the Lexicon
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1940 (January 1, 1941), p. 8.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, November 1975 (November 1, 1975), p. 38.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, February 1954 (February 1, 1954), p. 22.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1949, April 1949 (April 1, 1949), p. 47.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, August 1975 (August 1, 1975), p. 40.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1947, March 1947 (March 1, 1947), p. 40.