During this holiday season many of the gifts that you give and receive help provide good-paying jobs for thousands of British Columbians in B.C.’s mining sector.

More than 30,000 British Columbians are employed in mining, mineral exploration and related sectors with average annual salary and benefits of more than $100,000. Many of the resources mined right here in B.C. are core components in your holiday gifts.

Are you stuffing some lift passes in someone’s stocking? Approximately 4,000 cubic metres of concrete was used in building Whistler’s Peak 2 Peak gondola. Each year, millions of tonnes of construction aggregates, like sand, gravel and stone, are produced in B.C. for use in roads and construction, including projects like the Peak 2 Peak gondola.

Making a list and checking it twice on your smartphone or tablet? Nearly 3 million adults in B.C. own smartphones. These devices require metals like copper and gold, as well as an industrial mineral called silica for the screens. In 2013, B.C. produced $2 billion worth of copper and nearly $300 million worth of gold.

Got a musician on your gift list? Most metal guitar strings are typically wound using bronze, an alloy of copper. The circuitry in amplifiers, keyboards and mixers all require gold and copper to help make beautiful music.

Mining takes up a very small portion of B.C.’s land base - less than 1% - but it makes a tremendous impact on our economy.

Quote:

Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett - 

“One way or another, every British Columbian has a connection to the mining industry in this province. From the cars we drive to our smartphones and tablets, so many things we use every day rely on the minerals and metals produced in our province.”

Media Contacts:

Jake Jacobs
Media Relations
Ministry of Energy and Mines
250 952-0628