Coal timeline

Date Event
1685
  • The French begin mining coal on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia at the Sydney coalfield. By 1720, Canada’s first commercial coal mine begins production at Cow Bay, Nova Scotia to supply the fortress at Louisbourg as well as New England. The first coal is exported to Boston in 1724. Approximately 100 mines open in the Sydney area over the next 200 years, with peak production occurring during the 1940s. A post-war decline in the demand for coal forces the closing of half the mines by 1960; however, the formation of the Cape Breton Development Corporation in 1966 helped revive the industry to a certain extent. Cumulative coal production from the Sydney area is greater than the rest of Nova Scotia combined.
1724
  • Acadians begin mining coal at Joggins in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. In 1836, Abraham Gesner first reports coal at Springhill, Cumberland County. By 1872, coal mining increases significantly in the area due to the opening of the Intercolonial Railway. More than 90 mines are opened, with operations continuing until the late 1950s.
1792
  • Coal is discovered in Alberta in 1792.
1793
  • Coal is discovered in the Peace River area of British Columbia, but until 1980, production is confined to a number of small mines due to a lack of infrastructure.
1798
  • Coal is first reported on the East River in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. The area is home to a large number of mines, with the last closing in 1978.
1807
  • Gas derived from coal used as fuel for streetlights in London, England. Montreal begins using coal gas in 1836 and Toronto in 1841.
1842
  • The Geological Survey of Canada is created with exploration for coal as one of its mandates.
1845
  • Father Jean de Smet, a missionary, is the first to record the occurrence of coal in the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta. George Dawson, a geologist working for the Government of Canada notes large quantities of coal in the area in 1878.
1846-1853
  • Abraham Gesner of Halifax develops a fractional distillation process to produce kerosene from coal for use as lamp oil.
1849
  • The first of three deposits on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Suquash Deposit, begins production, which lasts until 1851. Two others follow: the Nanaimo deposit, which is mined from 1853 to 1953, and the Comox deposit which produces from 1888 to 1953.
1860s
  • Coal mining begins near the future site of Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1882 Alexander Galt begins mining coal in Lethbridge to supply the Canadian Pacific Railway. During World War I, up to 10 mines operated in the Lethbridge area, with the last mine closing in 1957.
1865
  • Coal mining begins on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia with several mines in the Port Hood and Inverness areas. The St. Rose mine opens in 1947 and operates until 1992.
1883
  • Coal mining begins in Edmonton, Alberta. By the turn of the century several mines extracted coal from thick seams exposed in the South Saskatchewan River valley. With the rise in popularity of oil and natural gas in the 1920s, the demand for coal decreased and most of the mines ceased operations. The Dawson Mine operated from 1907 to 1944.
  • Surface mines around the city of Edmonton continue to produce thermal coal which accounts for approximately 50 per cent of Alberta's electrical power.
1887
  • The No. 1 Mine begins production in Canmore, Alberta. Coal mines are also opened at nearby Anthracite and Georgetown, but are abandoned in 1904 and 1915 respectively. Mining at Canmore continues until 1979.
1898
  • Production begins at the East Kootenay area, comprising Flathead, Crowsnest and Elk Valley coalfields, and continues to the present day.
  • The Hillcrest Mine in the Crowsnest Pass area begins production and operates until 1939. Mines are also opened in the Crowsnest Pass at Bellevue (1904 to 1957), Blairmore (1907 to 1958), and Coleman (1903 to 1952). Mines at Burmis, Frank and Lille operated briefly and were closed prior to 1920.
1903
  • The Bankhead Mines, in present day Banff National Park, commence operations, providing coal for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The mines are closed in 1923 due to unstable markets.
  • Coal mining in Colchester County, Nova Scotia begins at the Debert-Kemptown coalfield of Colchester County, Nova Scotia and continues until 1932.
1906
  • Mining begins in the interior of British Columbia, with a number of properties producing coal into the 1960s.
1911
  • Mining begins at Nordegg, Alberta and continues until 1955. In 1923, Nordegg produces the largest amount of coal of all the mines in Alberta.
1912
  • The Coal Branch rail line in west-central Alberta is opened to serve the coal produced from Mercoal, Coalspur, Edson, and Hinton. The coal industry in the area suffers a decline after 1945 when oil becomes the preferred fuel, but is rejuvenated somewhat after 1968 when an open pit metallurgical coal mine is opened southwest of Edson and contracts are secured for low-sulphur thermal coal.
1950s
  • The coal industry in Canada goes into major decline with massive closings in Nova Scotia, Alberta and British Columbia.
The Present
  • Currently, seven major mines operate in Alberta, primarily in the central plains region. They produce between 30 and 35 million tonnes of coal annually, used mainly to generate electricity. Seven mines operate in British Columbia, five of which are in the southeastern part of the province, producing approximately 27 million tonnes per year.