Professor Vic Pakalnis

I had a wonderful trip to Vilnius this past summer and I came away with a view of Lithuania that was full of admiration and hope. It filled me with pride that my parents were born there and that my DNA is tied to that corner of the world.

I have made a few observations while I was there that I feel need to be addressed and discussed. While I may not be an expert on everything, I do know mining, nuclear power, and the public administration , so this is what I will share with you. Lithuania does not seem to have any natural resources; this is amazing to me, for all around Lithuania are countries with oil, minerals and industrial materials. Despite all of this, there is nothing major within Lithuanian borders. Either Lithuania is truly a barren place or you need some expertise in geological and mineral exploration.

We can help with this! In Canada the largest mining show in the world happens in Toronto, Ontario. For instance, next week ( or next year ) at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the Lithuanian government could provide an incentive to mining developers, such as a tax-free period , and let them find the mineral wealth that likely exists in the land. The TMX (who operates our stock exchange) also finances over 70% of all mining deals in the world. Canada can do good work with Lithuania, and I for one would love to see both our countries prosper.

The second item on my list is one that I am sure many Lithuanians would agree upon: Lithuania needs a reliable source of energy to call their own. Being dependent on fossil fuel plants, and dependant on Russia for fuel and power is not only dirty from an environmental perspective but is also very expensive. My solution is that Lithuania needs a CANDU reactor. In short, CANDU is the Canadian nuclear reactor that are the safest and most flexible reactor I have ever seen, but do not use enriched uranium which is a major component for nuclear weapons. Canada would be a good trading partner for this, as we need to sell CANDU technology to join the market in Europe.

A third observation I made is that Lithuania needs to overhaul its public service. On my visit I met with a number of Lithuanian public servants and with students and faculty at Mykolas Romeris University. I was told that the "old guard" within the public service are so used to the soviet system of centralized planning and the adage ``They pretend to pay me and I pretend to work,`` that not enough gets done. Inefficiency and petty corruption are a real problem that faces many countries that broke free of the soviet union, so there is nothing to be ashamed of; it simply must be fixed. I was very impressed with the students I met and the younger generation, who are bright and still optimistic. These bright minds could easily be trained to drive a professional and non-partisan public service. With adequate pay and a truly accountable system that ensures rewards of pay for performance, as well as corrections for non-performance, the system could be one Lithuanians would be proud of.

Cheers
Vic

Vic Pakalnis , P.Eng. , MBA , M.Eng.
Professor
Kinross Professorship in Mining & Sustainability
The Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining
Goodwin Hall - 25 Union st , Room 325B
Queen's University
Kingston , Ontario Canada K7L 3N6
Tel 613-533-3327
Fax 613-533-6597
pakalnis@queensu.ca