More than a century ago, a prospector discovered gold at Ontario’s Kirkland Lake and a son was born to British immigrants in Saskatchewan. The boy – Norman Bell Keevil – went on to become a renowned scientist, teacher, and prospector, discovering a small but high-grade copper mine in Ontario. Parlaying that into control of the Kirkland Lake gold mine fifty years later, he formed the fledgling mining company Teck Corporation.

In Never Rest on Your Ores Keevil’s son Norman, also a geoscientist, recounts how over the next fifty years, a growing team of like-minded engineers and entrepreneurs built Canada’s largest diversified mining company. In candid detail he tells the story of a company and its makers, of the discovery and creation of mines, of the mechanics of industry financing, and of the role that mergers and acquisitions play in a volatile environment. Along the way he meets fascinating captains of industry and politicians not only in Canada, but in the United States and around the world. Finding an ore body – rock that holds valuable metals and minerals – and promoting its development in order to finance and create a mine, most often in hard-to-access wilderness, is complicated work, comparable to locating and extracting a needle in a very messy haystack.

Underlying this history is a constant need to replenish the ore, and this need drives the people involved. Drawing new lessons from the turbulent period between 2005 and 2023, this new edition of Never Rest on Your Ores is both entertaining and instructive, a rare insider’s account of an industry that has been crucial to the building of this country.

Norman B. Keevil, a geoscientist with a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, is former board chair of Teck Resources, an officer of the Order of Canada, and a member of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

Norman B. Keevil's profile page

"An insider’s recall of the development of one of Canada's most successful diversified mining companies." William "Bill" James, mining industry icon

“A must read for anyone in the mining industry.” Bryan A. Coates, president, Osisko Group

"A truly fascinating read." Glen Clark, former Premier of British Columbia

“Never Rest on Your Ores contains many valuable lessons.” Gordon Davis, discoverer of Anvil mine in Yukon

“Never Rest on Your Ores is an inspiring story and a great general summary of fifty years of development of one of Canada’s core industries. It tells how the Keevil Family and their associates built Teck Mining into a leading international resource icon using the combination of great geological intellect, entrepreneurial drive, innovation and science. This should be a mandatory read for everyone with an interest in the Canadian mining industry and, in particular, the students. It paints a broad picture of the industry and how Teck, a Canadian champion, assisted so many industry participants in a wide range of projects in such a meaningful way.” Peter M. Brown, founder and former chairman of Canaccord Financial

"Clear, concise, and entertaining.” Pierre Lassonde, chief executive officer, Franco Nevada