By Cheryl Jahn

Mines Minister meets Minerals North

May 2, 2025 | 3:55 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – There are currently 27 proposed mine projects in BC: 18 focused on critical minerals, six focused on precious metals – silver and gold – and three involving streel-making coal. According to the Mineral Association of BC’s latest economic impact study of those mines.

“Just the construction and development of those 27 projects alone would lead to more than $42 billion and new investment in British Columbia,” explains Michael Goehring, President and CEO, MABC. “We’re talking some 730,000 person years of employment through the construction and development of those mines. That’s $26 billion in labour income. That’s $26 billion for British Columbia workers to build those projects. And at the end of the day, that’ll deliver some $12 billion in new tax revenue for government.”

But there is a problem, and it’s been a problem for the industry for decades. Permitting is not meeting the mark. It takes years, often decades, to get the federal and provincial permitting needed to get a mine up and running. But there has been a shift.

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“What we really need to see now is bold and urgent action. And it’s critical that we accelerate mine permitting, because there’s such a significant opportunity and we face such significant economic insecurity. You know, you feel it. I feel it. All British Columbians feel it right now.”

Michael Goehring has a message to the government: If the permits take too long, investors will move on, spending their millions in other jurisdictions. The Minister says he gets it.

“It is important because we need to provide certainty and stability in the system, and once you do that, you get a lot of investment from outside investors then know what’s going to happen,” says Jagrup Brar. “And that’s my goal and that’s what we are doing as a government. And we will have what you call the significant early next permitting time, which we have today.”

Minister Brar says the Province has reduced permitting time by 35 per cent already and will introduce fixed permitting timelines. Because he says the province recognises mining is one of the most important economic drivers in the province.

“We have critical minerals. Almost 50 per cent of the critical minerals listed on the Canadian Critical Mineral List we have, and that’s a goal of the people of British Columbia.”

Goerhing adds that, unlike most provinces, BC is far less reliant on the US markets.

“British Columbia has or produces 16 of the 50 minerals that the United States deems significant to its economy and national security. So we have a unique position here in British Columbia to be a responsible and dependable supplier of critical minerals to the United States.”

For example, just seven per cent of exports to the US were critical minerals, all produced in Kitimat and Trail.