Who are the Top 40? CMJ’s 2014 edition

No.1            Agrium Inc ($16,198.8 million)

Agrium Inc. was founded as Cominco Fertilizers, Limited (short for Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company Limited) in 1931 and changed its name to Agrium, Incorporated in 1995. The company is headquartered in Calgary and is a retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North and South America as well as Australia. The company provides nitrogen-based fertilizers, sulphur, and phosphate-based fertilizers from potash mines in Saskatchewan and in Kapuskasing, Ontario, and in Conda, Idaho. Agrium heads this year’s list of Canada’s Top Performers with gross revenues of $16.2 billion.

No.2    Barrick Gold ($12,886.3 million)

Barrick Gold Corporation is based in Toronto and is the largest gold mining company in the world. The company evolved from a privately held North American oil and gas company. Its first acquisition was the Renabie mine near Wawa, Ontario which produced around 16,000 troy ounces (0.50 t) of gold in 1984. Today, Barrick Gold Corporation is an internationally recognized powerhouse in the world of mining and ranks second in this year’s Top 40 ranking with gross revenues of $12.9 billion.

No.3    Suncor Energy ($12,294.0 million)

Suncor Energy is a Canadian integrated energy company based in Calgary that specializes in the production of synthetic crude from oil sands. It was founded in 1919 in Montreal as Sun Company of Canada, a subsidiary of Sun Oil (now Sunoco). Suncor is the world’s largest producer of bitumen and owns and operates refineries in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

No.5    Syncrude Canada ($11,445.8 million)

Syncrude Canada Ltd. is one of the world’s larger producers of synthetic crude oil from oil sands and the largest single source producer in Canada. It is located just outside Fort McMurray. Syncrude was formed as a research consortium in 1964 and construction at the Syncrude site started in 1973 and officially opened in 1978. Expansions and upgrades have been ongoing ever since.

No.5    Teck Resources ($9,382.0 million)

Teck Resources Limited is a Canadian metals and mining company that’s widely known as one of Canada’s largest diversified resources companies. The company began as Teck-Hughes Gold Mines Limited in 1913 to develop a gold discovery at Kirkland Lake, Ontario. In addition to its many historic mining achievements, the company is now also known for its many “best in class” environmental and social performance achievements.

No. 6   PotashCorp ($7,524.2 million)

The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc., also referred to as PotashCorp, is a Canadian corporation based in Saskatoon. The company was created by the government of Saskatchewan in 1975. In 1989 it became a publicly traded company as the government sold off some of its shares, selling the remaining shares in 1990. The Saskatchewan potash industry began in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1990s PotashCorp expanded by buying up a number of American potash companies. Today it owns assets around the world.

No.7    Canadian Oil Sands ($4,208.0 million)

Canadian Oil Sands Limited of Calgary is a Canadian company that generates income from its oil sands’ investment in the Syncrude Joint Venture. PanCanadian Petroleum formed Canadian Oil Sands Trust in 1995 with a 10% interest in Syncrude. The company also holds some arctic natural gas interests.

No.8    Kinross Gold ($3,892.9 million)

Kinross Gold Corporation ranks among the world’s largest gold companies with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Russia, Ghana and Mauritania. The company was founded after a merger in 1993 of three companies, initially owning a mine in British Columbia. In addition expanding on the worldwide mining market, Kinross Gold has also been recognized in Canada as being among the country’s 50 most socially responsible corporations.

No.9    Goldcorp ($3,797.6 million)

Goldcorp is a gold producer headquartered in Vancouver. The company is engaged in gold mining and related activities including exploration, extraction, processing and reclamation. In addition to mining activities in Canada and around the world, the organization has also received international recognition for being a Socially Responsible Company by foreign governments.

No.10  First Quantum ($3,659.5 million)

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is a Vancouver-based mining and metals company whose principal activities include mineral exploration, development and mining. Known for its mining activity around the world, the company recently received the best mining industry award at the Zambia International Trade Fair.

No.11  Cameco ($2,438.7 million)

Cameco Corporation is one of the world’s larger publicly traded uranium companies. Based in Saskatoon, the company was the world’s third largest uranium producer in 2012, accounting for 14% of world production. “Cameco” (Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation) was formed in 1988 and now operates several uranium mines in North America.

No.12  Walter Energy ($1,916.1 million)

Walter Energy, Inc., of Vancouver is one of the world’s leading, publicly traded “pure play” metallurgical coal producers for the global steel industry. The company also produces steam coal and industrial coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke, and coal bed methane gas. Walter Energy’s Canadian and European operations consist of mines in British Columbia, and a project in Wales in the UK.

No.13  Yamana Gold ($1,898.0 million)

Yamana Gold Inc. is a Canadian-based gold producer that began operations in 2003 with gold production, gold development stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions around the world. Yamana has added several mining properties since its inception with the purchase of other gold companies in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and the company’s portfolio now includes seven operating gold mines and various other advanced and near-development stage projects and exploration properties.

No.14  Agnico Eagle ($1,687.6 million)

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is a Canadian-based gold producer with operations in Canada, Finland, and Mexico and exploration and development activities extending to the United States. “Agnico” is derived from the periodic table of elements using the symbols for silver (Ag), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). In 1963, visionary Paul Penna became the president of Agnico Mines, and he eventually oversaw the merger of Agnico Mines with Eagle Mines Ltd, a successful gold exploration company, enabling the development of Eagle’s Joutel mining complex. The newly formed company became Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

No.15  IamGold ($1,181.5 million)

IamGold Corporation is a Toronto-based international gold producer. The company is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties throughout the world.

No.16  Eldorado Gold ($1,157.7 million)

Eldorado Gold Corporation is a Canadian-based, intermediate gold mining company with projects around the world. Eldorado owns and operates a number of mines and is currently developing a number of other projects. The company has more than 20 years of international experience in safely building and operating mines. With headquarters in Vancouver, Eldorado’s offices and operations employ thousands of people worldwide. The Company operates as a decentralized business unit with the majority of employees and management being nationals of the country where offices are located

No.17  KGHM International ($1,094.7 million)

KGHM International is one of the larger producers of copper and silver in the world. The mining & metallurgy company is a subsidiary of KGHM Polska Mied of Poland.

No.18  Centerra Gold ($972.7 million)

Centerra Gold Inc. is a gold mining company based in Toronto. The company was formed and went public in 2004. Centerra owns and operates gold producing mines and it also has interests in gold exploration properties.

No.19  Pan American Silver ($849.2 million)

Pan American Silver Corporation is a Canadian-based mining company with mining interests here and around the world. Pan American Silver is the continuing corporation of Pan American Energy Corporation, which was incorporated under the Company Act (British Columbia) on March 7, 1979. The Company underwent two name changes: in September 1984 to Pan American Minerals Corp., and finally in April 1995 the Company was renamed Pan American Silver Corp.

No.20  New Gold ($803.1 million)

New Gold Inc. is a multinational mining company with gold, silver and copper- containing assets. It engages in exploration, development and polymetallic production activity around the world. The name New Gold Inc. goes back to 1980.

No.21  Lundin Mining ($749.6 million)

Lundin Mining, headquartered in Toronto, is a multinational minerals company with operations in Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Russia. Lundin Mining was founded in 1994.

No.22  Silver Wheaton ($727.7 million)

Silver Wheaton Corp. is a pure play mining company and one of the larger in the business of silver streaming. The company was established in 2004.

No.23  Osisko ($675.6 million)

Osisko is a Canadian precious-metals mining company headquartered in Montreal. It operates in Canada with a focus on gold mines. The company is named after Quebec’s Osisko Lake because of its historical significance. The lake, located within Quebec’s portion of the Abitibi gold belt in the region of Rouyn-Noranda is where in 1920 Noranda founder Edmond Horne made his first major mineral discovery, a deposit that became known as the Horne Mine.

No.24  B2Gold ($560.6 million)

B2Gold Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold producer with operating mines and a strong portfolio of development and exploration assets. The company’s corporate objective is to optimize production at existing mines and build further shareholder value through the exploration and development of existing projects and additional accretive acquisitions.

No.25  Hudbay Minerals ($516.8 million)

Hudbay Minerals Inc. is a Canadian mining corporation. Founded as Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co., Limited (HBMS), it has been exploring and mining in Manitoba for more than 80 years. Much of its history has centred around Flin Flon. The first claim was registered in 1915. It took more than a dozen years to bring the mine into production.

No.26  Golden Star ($496.3 million)

Golden Star Resources Ltd is a mid-tier Canadian gold mining company based in Toronto. The company was founded in 1983.

No.27  Endeavour Mining ($456.6 million)

Endeavour Mining Corporation is a gold producer based in Vancouver with mines located around the world. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange as well as the Australian Securities Exchange.

No.28  Sherritt ($448.5 million)

Sherritt International is a Canadian resource company based in Toronto. The company’s business interests include mining, thermal coal production, oil and gas exploration and production. Most of the company’s profit comes from mining operations. Sherritt licenses its proprietary technologies and provides metallurgical services to mining and refining operations worldwide.

No.29  Thompson Creek Metals ($447.4 million)

Thompson Creek Metals Company is one of the world’s larger pure play base-metal mining companies. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in Toronto.

No.30  Franco-Nevada ($412.9 million)

Franco-Nevada Corporation is a Toronto-based company involved with gold mining and other commodities and natural resources.

No.31  Uranium One ($398.0 million)

Uranium One is a Canadian-based uranium mining company with operations in Canada and around the world. The company was founded in 1997.

No.32  Dundee Precious ($366.4 million)

Dundee Precious Metals is a Canadian-based, international mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and mining and processing of precious metal properties. The company’s business objectives are to identify, acquire, finance, develop and operate low-cost, long-life mining properties.

No.33  Dominion Diamond ($355.8 million)

Dominion Diamond Corporation is a Toronto-based diamond mining company.

No.34  AuRico Gold ($351.6 million)

AuRico Gold is a Halifax-based gold mining and exploration company. It was founded in 1986.

No.35  Capstone ($342.1 million)

Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based base metal mining company, focused on copper. The company’s strategy is to continue to grow with mineral resource and reserve expansions and exploration, and through acquisitions in politically stable, mining-friendly regions.

No.36  Aura Minerals ($340.8 million)

Aura Minerals Inc. is a Canadian mid-tier gold and copper production company focused on the development and operation of gold and base metal projects in the Americas. The company’s producing assets include the copper, gold and silver.

No.37  China Gold ($311.7 million)

China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. is a mining and exploration company based in Vancouver. The Company operates two producing mines and its corporate objective is to expand its resource base and grow production both at its current mining operations and through an acquisition and development strategy targeting international projects

No.38  Crocodile Gold ($309.8 million)

Crocodile Gold is a Canadian mining company operating in the Northern Territories and other parts of the world.

No.39  Teranga ($306.8 million)

Teranga Gold Corp. is a Canadian-based gold company.

No.40  Rio Alto ($293.7 million)

Rio Alto Mining is a Vancouver-based international gold producer. The company is engaged in the exploration, development and production of mineral resource properties.