The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that with gold at $4,550, up more than 70 per cent from a year ago, the precious metal is leaving its mark on Canada's economy -- pumping up exports and boosting Canadians' stock market returns. The Globe's Jason Kirby writes that while gold's eye-popping price gain is boosting local communities around mines and filling government coffers, it has yet to translate into a broader economic boom for the country. Gold has become an increasingly influential part of Canada's export picture, accounting for close to 8 per cent of annual exports as of September. In fact, Canada now exports more gold than it does former top exports such as assembled passenger vehicles, forestry products, farm and fish products and industrial equipment. Looking past price movements, "gold is relatively limited in terms of how much of a payback there is to the economy," said Doug Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal. The value added from mining gold and silver amounted to less than three-10ths of 1 per cent of Canada's GDP in 2024, he said, and that has grown only slightly over the past decade. Still, production is on the rise and new mines are being developed, despite regulatory hurdles.