Fonds - Mid-Canada Development Corridor Conference fonds

Records relate to the planning of the Mid-Canada Development Corridor Conference taking place at Lakehead University in August 1969.

This conference brought together 150 invited delegates to examine questions of industrial and economic development through the mid-North of Canada.

“Purposes of the Mid-Canada Development Corridor Conference: To examine into the practicability of a continuing long range economic development and land use plan for the urbanization, industrialization, populating and general development of Mid-Canada; and to this end to use the concept of a Mid-Canada Development Corridor as a focal point.
And if such a long-range economic development and land use plan is found to be both feasible and practicable, then to formulate recommendations and suggested courses of action to be delivered to the Federal and Provincial Governments, to financial, commercial and industrial sectors of the National Community and to Canadian Universities.”

The Mid-Canada Development Corridor concept was first brought forward by Richard Rohmer, and research was carried out by ACRES Research and Planning Ltd. This work highlighted the potential for industrial and economic development in the "mid-North" of Canada, the swath north of the most highly populated areas, where resource extraction and settlement were happening on an ad hoc basis. The argument was made that it would be beneficial to Canada to plan transportation corridors, city-building, communications, and more so that settlement and industrial development would happen in a more rational manner. Despite the high level of interest at the time of the Conference and multiple tours and visits held afterwards, the concept was not embraced by government, and was not much discussed after the early 1970s.

These records include correspondence and meeting notes related to the planning of the Conference.