An innovative collaboration is taking B.C.’s mining success stories to the international stage, Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, has announced.

Government, along with First Nations and several exploration companies from B.C.’s northwest region, has created the B.C. Regional Mining Alliance (BCRMA) to promote British Columbia’s mining opportunities internationally. The alliance will showcase how collaboration is leading to world-class mineral development in B.C.

“We have a strong, vibrant and competitive mining sector in this province, and now, for the first time, government, First Nations and industry have joined together to tell British Columbia’s story to international investors,” said Mungall. “Each of the partners in the B.C. Regional Mining Alliance have come together to share their successes, and provide potential investors with first-hand knowledge on every aspect of exploration and mining.”

The new BCRMA is a pilot project between the Province, the Tahltan Central Government (TCG), the Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG), the Association for Mineral Exploration, Dolly Varden Silver Corp., Skeena Resources Ltd. and GT Gold Corp. This collaboration represents projects in the northwest area of B.C., known as the “Golden Triangle”.

Members of the BCRMA attended the Canadian Mining Symposium in London, England, on April 24-25, 2018. At the symposium, BCRMA representatives met with potential investors, as well as high-level executives from mining firms based in the United Kingdom and Europe, about mining investment opportunities in British Columbia.

“The modern-day success of B.C.'s mining industry is based, in large part, on the relationships built between industry and local Indigenous peoples during mineral exploration and development,” said Edie Thome, president and CEO, Association for Mineral Exploration. “We look forward to sharing with the investor community both B.C.’s mineral development potential and our cornerstones for future success.”

A series of recent infrastructure investments in B.C.’s “Golden Triangle” region, which covers an area bigger than Vancouver Island, means this once-remote region is now more accessible. Upgraded transmission lines supply clean, affordable, reliable hydroelectric power to mining operations throughout the region. Other recent infrastructure improvements include highway upgrades, new ocean-port infrastructure at the ice-free port of Stewart and the commissioning of three hydroelectric facilities.

“The B.C. Regional Mining Alliance is an opportunity for First Nations and industry to showcase how collaboration is leading to world-class mineral development in our province,” said Mungall. “It also reiterates our governments’ commitment to working with First Nations and industry to build a new generation of relationships and partnerships.”

May is Mining Month in British Columbia. B.C. is rich in mining history, home to 16 operating mines and a thriving mineral exploration sector. The provincial government has developed cutting-edge geological databases and online systems, cataloguing a growing inventory of more than 15,000 mineral occurrences throughout the province.