This year for Mining Month, I ask all British Columbians to take a brief look around them right now.

Go ahead, look up from this page and just take in what’s all around you. Chances are you will see the role mining plays in your life. From our buildings, to our bikes, our phones, roads and the fork and knife we use to eat our meals, mining helps provide the products we use in our everyday lives. 

Since becoming the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in 2017, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout our province, and in every corner I’ve seen the positive role mining plays, not just in the things we use every day, but by providing good family-supporting jobs. The industry provides more than 30,000 direct or indirect jobs that help build our communities.

The minerals we mine in B.C. play a critical role in building a cleaner economy. Steel, and the metallurgical coal used to produce it, is needed to build solar panels, hydroelectric dams and wind farms. B.C. copper is used in the electric cars that help us lower our carbon emissions. Without a doubt, our province is delivering the resources the world needs for cleaner energy generation and use.

For these reasons, I launched the Mining Jobs Task Force, to ensure this foundational industry continues to create and sustain jobs well into the future. We received the report and have already taken action on many of the recommendations, including hiring more people who effectively provide boots on the ground to ensure timely permitting and enhanced protection of air, land and water.

Given the role that mining plays, it’s appropriate to celebrate this vital industry. As Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, it’s my pleasure to proclaim May 2019 as Mining Month in British Columbia.

I’m proud of B.C.’s miners and all who work in this sector to make it a B.C. success story. British Columbians count on you for good jobs, government revenue and most importantly, for the everyday items that allow us all to enjoy life.