The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that Toronto's claim as the world's top mining hub is under threat as exploration companies leave Canada and listings dwindle on the nation's resource-heavy stock exchange. The Post's Jacob Lorinc writes that Canada's once-thriving mining industry is facing challenges to its decades-old model, in which explorers and developers woo investors with promises of mining breakthroughs and established producers feed on their success, swallowing them in lucrative takeovers. Industry consolidation has reduced head offices and eliminated listings, companies find it harder to attract investors, and government rules on foreign investment have become more restrictive. As executives, bankers and investors gather this week for the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto, the health of the industry is top of mind for attendees. New York's status as a global hub for gold equities expanded in recent years after a series of major deals transformed the industry and created two North American titans -- Newmont and Barrick -- that trade in the U.S. city. Toronto-based Barrick Gold, the world's No. 2 miner, has mused about redomiciling to the United States.