Global miners flock to Toronto

TORONTO, Mar 04 (Reuters): Consolidation among smaller gold miners is expected to be top of mind as much of the industry meets in Toronto this week, with dealmakers cautiously optimistic a fresh wave of buyouts is imminent once major pending transactions are settled.

Barrick Gold Corp's $18 billion hostile bid for rival Newmont Mining Corp last week came shortly after the former's acquisition of Randgold Resources and the latter's friendly offer for Goldcorp Inc.

These deals, their expected outcomes and the impact on the broader gold mining industry are expected to dominate the conversation at the annual conference of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, when tens of thousands of participants from around the world - from executives to investors to regulators - descend on Toronto.