Short Review: Cobalt by Charlie Angus

Charlie Angus is the former NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay and now an activist writer of The Resistance on Substack.  His 2022 book Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower, is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian history. In 260 fascinating pages, he focuses on the town of Cobalt, Ontario, chronicling its mining history from the start of the silver boom in 1903 to the present rush for strategic metals. By delving into the local, Angus reveals much about how extraction, railway-building, and greed propelled Canada’s 20th-century growth.

Although Cobalt’s silver rush ended in 1921, the town is newly relevant today because of the metal for which it is named. Cobalt has been mined since antiquity but is hard to locate, often extracted as a by-product. Medieval German miners called it ‘the demon metal.’ Tech companies now seek it out for use in rechargeable batteries, smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles. Angus says it is key to a green energy future.

Sustainable management was far from the thoughts of the mining companies that descended on the town in 1903 and created its boom. Angus writes clearly and passionately about the toll the mines took on the settlers, the Indigenous people, and the environment. The book also has intriguing chapters on how women fared in this gritty milieu and the class conflict as newly-formed unions fought for workers’ rights. There are also colourful accounts of Cobalt’s entertainment scene, provided by sports and vaudeville. The town once had eight theatres.

Angus writes with great empathy for the people who struggled to make a living in a harsh environment, against mine owners who did not want to give an inch. He sees Cobalt as the source of Canadian mining expertise that has spread internationally, but now comes full circle because of strategic minerals. He asks if we can learn from the past and create prosperity that benefits all, not just the corporations. The stories in this book will stay with me.