An international geology company, specializing in identifying potential mineral finds, is setting up shop in Thunder Bay. Activation Laboratories has bought Confederation College's Moffat Hanger near the airport and with it should be creating 60 new jobs.

Activation Laboratories president Eric Hoffman hopes his new Thunder Bay lab will be able to fill the need of the region's growing mining industry. The company announced Friday they'll begin operations that, when completely up and running, will employ 60 people studying various mining samples from across the country.

''We're very pleased to be here and to help the mineral exploration in this part of the world,'' he said.

Act-Labs new Thunder Bay lab will study samples from deposits across the northwest, Manitoba and even as far away as the North West Territories. But for regional politicians, the new $1.2 million assay facility is just one part of an emerging trend in the economy.

Now that the space has been acquired, the need is for people but Hoffman says, filling the 60 positions won't be a problem thinking advertising locally will do the job.

To meet the ever-growing demand for skilled workers, Confederation College hopes to have a common core drilling program up and running shortly to fill a newly identified need.