Study: Northern B.C. mines could yield $661B over decades

Twenty-four mining projects in northern British Columbia could generate $69 billion in economic activity and deliver significant benefits for the province and Canada amid global instability and slowing domestic growth, the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC) said.

“Mining is one of the biggest employment and economic opportunities British Columbians will see in a lifetime. Nowhere is this more evident than in Northern BC, where mining holds the key to thousands of well-paying jobs, community stability, and long-term economic security,” Michael Goehring, president and CEO of the Mining Association of BC (MABC), said.

MABC released the Northern BC Mining Economic Impact Study, which examined 24 projects in advanced stages of development across the Northwest, North Central and Northeast regions. The study estimates that near-term construction activity would represent more than $40 billion in investment, generate over $21 billion in wages, and produce government revenues exceeding $11 billion. Over several decades, continued operation of the 24 mines could yield an estimated $661 billion in economic activity.

MABC said the study covers 16 proposed critical-mineral projects, five precious-metal projects, and three steelmaking-coal projects, drawing on interviews, technical reports, economic assessments and feasibility studies provided by project proponents. The analysis was prepared by Mansfield Consulting, whose principal, Ed Mansfield Ph.D., has more than 30 years of experience in economic and statistical consulting.

“To fully realize the nation building opportunity these projects offer, it is essential to accelerate permitting processes, enabling final investment decisions to be made and construction to begin,” Goehring said.

The study identifies several projects by name, including Artemis Gold’s Blackwater expansion (EP2), Centerra Gold’s Kemess Mine, Thesis Gold’s Lawyers-Ranch, and Telkwa Mining’s Tenas project. MABC said progress by the provincial government has helped move projects forward, and it urged officials to prioritize mining to increase regional employment.

Provincial and federal initiatives cited as supporting northern mining include the Province’s Northwest Strategy, legislation to expedite construction of the North Coast Transmission Line, the acquisition of Stewart Bulk Terminals by the Tahltan and Nisga’a Nations with Arrow Transportation Systems, and joint federal-provincial investments totaling $195 million in Northwest B.C. highway and infrastructure upgrades.

The full study can be accessed here.