First hint of B.C. mining revival

Gary Park, Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

Exploration for new mines in British Columbia could reach C$80 million in 2003, doubling last year’s total and pointing to a turnaround after a decade in the doldrums, said the province’s Energy and Mines Minister Richard Neufeld.

But renewed hope for the sector is tempered by the long road ahead before British Columbia achieves the C$250 million in annual spending the B.C. Mining Association regards as healthy and likely to yield new discoveries.

However, association chief executive officer Gary Livingstone told an industry conference April 22 that “we are on the upside of the curve and we hope to see ore growth."

Since being elected two years ago, the Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell has clarified land use rules imposed by the previous government which required companies to spend heavily on environmental studies to determine whether a mine could be built.

The Campbell government has simply divided British Columbia into two zones — one where mining is permitted, one where it is not. — while simplifying the claim-staking process and offering tax incentives to attract investors.

The B.C. Mining Association estimates the industry accounted for 60 percent of the volume of freight passing through the Port of Vancouver last year and generated about C$3.7 billion in revenue.