Vancouver - British Columbia’s small decline in this year’s ranking draws attention to the need to address inefficiencies in the regulatory process and the uncertain relationship between the government and First Nations as an obstacle to investment and growth. 

Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of BC said, “BC has improved its ranking significantly over the past number of years, but this year’s report suggests more work is required.  It will be important to build on the efforts already being made by government to support the mining industry and to tackle difficult policy issues collaboratively in order to improve BC’s overall score next year”.  

In part, success in BC can be linked to tax and policy improvements that have been made by the provincial government to support the industry.  Economic stability and strength in the mining sector translates into improved overall economic health for the BC economy. 

“There is no question about the potential for British Columbia to lead the global market in mineral exploration and development as the economy recovers. There is high development potential here, but in order to take advantage of that potential, we need to graduate more companies from the exploration stage into production” added Mr. Gratton.

Working with the federal and provincial governments, MABC will continue to advocate for an environmental review process and regulatory framework that is clear, efficient, and effective and that support the creation of new mines, and the profitability of existing mines.  It will also encourage the provincial government to establish a transparent, timely and effective consultation processes with First Nations on mining activity throughout BC.   

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For more information, contact:
Pierre Gratton, President  & CEO, Mining Association of BC     1-604-681-4321, ext. 120

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The Canadian mining industry stands to benefit from taking a long-term approach to developing talent. As a result of the current economic conditions and their potential impact on students enrolled in mining related university and college programs, the Mining Industry Human Resources (MiHR) Council is working with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and the Canadian Mining Innovation Council (CMIC) to assess and address the short to mid-term needs for the industry’s fledgling labour force.

MiHR recently conducted a survey of 33 academic institutions to gauge the number of students who are enrolled in mining related programs and who will be looking for internship/co-op or work placement opportunities over the coming year and a half.  The results of the survey shed light on the extent of the needs of current students and the report provides industry with the tools to make informed decisions about actions that can be taken to keep students engaged in mining.

Over the past decade many efforts have been made on the part of industry to develop a highly qualified and mobile mining workforce. The current economic downturn threatens to undermine the progress. Together as an industry, we can salvage the prospects of a stable career in mining for the next generation of mine workers.

Companies are encouraged to reach out to students seeking mentoring, internships/co-ops and work placements. MiHR is ready to assist you through our Virtual MineMentor program and the Student-on-the-Job Board. The Virtual MineMentor Program provides students from post-secondary mining programs with positive, virtual mentoring relationships with exceptional workers from the industry. The Student-on-the-Job Board provides students with a means to connect online with companies providing work placement opportunities. For further information on these initiatives please visit http://www.acareerinmining.ca/ or contact Pascale Larouche, Project Manager at plarouche@mihr.ca.

We also encourage you to explore federal and provincial assistance provided through a Service Canada centre near you or to contact Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) for further information about programs provided through the Youth Employment Strategy. MiHR is currently working on a Resource Guide to Government Programming, which highlights many of these programs. The guide will be available, through MiHR, in mid-March.

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Victoria - The Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC) expressed support for Budget 2009, acknowledging the provincial government’s ongoing commitment to fiscal prudence though noting more may be required to respond to current economic challenges.

Through tax, spending and regulatory measures, the B.C. government has made significant strides in improving the province’s competitiveness and fiscal health over the past several years," acknowledged Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of MABC. "Balancing difficult economic choices, Budget 2009 generally stays the course, but bolder measures may be required to respond to the current economic crisis."

Budget 2009 projects a deficit of $495 million for 2009/10 and $245 million for 2010/11, returning to balanced budgets thereafter. "Years of prudent fiscal management have helped to limit the size of the projected fiscal deficit," added Mr. Gratton. "And it has helped to limit the impact on program cuts and protect B.C.’s hard-earned tax competitiveness."

B.C. is relatively well-position compared to other Canadian jurisdictions to weather the current economic crisis, but the province’s export-oriented economy is vulnerable to the precipitous decline in global commodity prices, exacerbated by the liquidity crisis restricting access to credit. The immediate impact of the current crisis has been the closure or suspension of some B.C. mines, while others have announced lay-offs. In this context, the province could do more to build on the federal government’s budget by introducing measures that would ease the credit burden, provide temporary tax relief or facilitate access to reasonably priced capital.

B.C. mining sector currently contributes $8 billion to the B.C. economy. The long term prognosis is for a robust B.C. mining sector, supported by demand for minerals and metals from emerging economies such as China and India. The MABC fully supports the Throne Speech’s commitment to pursue a "one project/one process" for review and approval of new mining projects, critical to ensuring that the sector emerges from the current economic crisis in a position to contribute significantly to the province’s well-being.

The MABC acknowledges clarifications and expansions to sales tax exemptions for production machinery and equipment that will provide modest benefit to the mining industry. The industry also supports the protection of education spending, acknowledging in particular additional support to the Industry Training Authority that will provide an additional 2,000 apprenticeship training spaces to help address human resource challenges facing resource sectors.

MABC represents companies involved in the exploration and development, mining and smelting of minerals, metals, coal and industrial minerals in British Columbia. It is regarded as the pre-eminent voice of mining in the province.

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For more information, contact: Pierre Gratton
1-778-828-5064 or pgratton@mining.bc.ca

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