Growth of exports, and continued domestic demand, have made coal both an important economic force and source of employment for Canadians. Across Canada, the coal industry employs over 8,000 people directly, including geologists, engineers, environmental specialists, land reclamation experts and skilled professionals who operate modern machinery ranging from heavy equipment to computers.
Jobs created by coal are only a small part of the industry s contribution to the Canadian economy.
Governments, communities and other major industries benefit from the prosperity of the coal industry. Massive investments have been made to build Canada s international coal trade and provide long-term employment. Energy for the Future Canada has enormous coal deposits - over eight billion tonnes of proven coal reserves. More energy is stored in those reserves than in all of the country s oil, natural gas, and oil sands combined. With such massive amounts of coal, Canada has a secure source of fuel to meet its energy needs.