As UBCM representatives from the Lower Mainland Local Government Association prepare to meet in Harrison Hot Springs next week, it is a good time to remind ourselves that our rural, resource-based towns and communities have little in the way of economic diversity and rely largely on fishing, mining, forestry, coal and gas.
It is time for us to stop thinking about just ourselves in the province’s urban centers and to start thinking about what the lives of rural B.C. families would be like if we did not support these resource industries.
Local mayors and councillors at the Harrison meeting may be considering resolutions on mining and exploration; a re-emerging industry that will have a positive effect on all of our communities.
Mining now contributes over $9 billion to BC’s economy, and exploring for mineral deposits is a major source of safe, sustained economic activity for rural communities and the families who live in them.
The mining industry in British Columbia is responsible for 45,700 permanent jobs and it generated more than $930 million in government tax revenue last year, including $74 million generated directly for local municipalities. And over the next 10 years, it is estimated that new growth in mining and exploration will require 20,000 new workers.
Mining provides some of the highest paying jobs in BC, and our province is geologically wealthy. I therefore urge the mayors and councillors attending the Harrison meeting to support mining and exploration in British Columbia.
The jobs this industry creates in BC will keep our children and grandchildren close to home supporting local small businesses and strengthening our communities for generations to come.
Jesse McClinton
Victoria
