As British Columbians prepare to go to the polls on Saturday, October 24, AME is providing the following questions for our members to pose to their local candidates in an effort to help you gauge how supportive your candidates are of mineral exploration.

Please note that your local Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade may be hosting an all-candidate debate or roundtable. These local organizations can be found here.

We encourage all eligible members to vote and be heard.

Key Questions:

  • What measures would you and your party take to support mineral exploration?
  • What can be done to improve the current regulatory process in BC?
  • How will you support local businesses including those that support the mineral exploration industry?

What measures would you and your party take to support mineral exploration?

Why this is important:

To help keep explorers working at home in BC, enhanced tax credits and continued funding of geoscience are required to demonstrate that BC is globally competitive and open for responsible exploration.

In fact, the multi-partisan Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has endorsed these recommendations in its budget consultation report.

AME’s full recommendations are available online.

As governments and candidates place emphasis on a green recovery, copper – BC’s most important mineral – plays an important role in this.  A low-carbon future with electric vehicles and green power make copper an increasingly more critical metal. Copper and gold have been the most important metals for BC throughout the past century and through to the present day. BC also hosts deposits of other metals – nickel, cobalt and tellurium to name just a few – that are also key to a green economy.

With expected price stability over the longer term for metals expected, now is absolutely our time to support BC’s economic recovery, grow into an even more robust sector, welcome the opportunities that come with it and deliver to meet global demand.

What can be done to improve the current regulatory process in BC?

Why this is important:

The robust permitting process that engages local Indigenous communities and protects the health and safety of workers and the environment must be maintained and further streamlined. A properly resourced permitting process will respect Indigenous rights and protect the natural environment while allowing projects to proceed in a timely manner.

The mineral exploration industry’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that government ministries and agencies are able to play a collaborative role in oversight of the mineral exploration industry. This spirit needs to be consistently applied throughout the regulatory process.

How will you support local businesses including those that support the mineral exploration industry?

Why this is important:

Mineral exploration supports jobs in 215 communities in all regions of BC. In addition to the geologists, engineers, drillers and others employed in mineral exploration specifically, the industry support small and medium-sized businesses ranging from law offices to laboratories, and aviation services to hotels and motels. In fact, 97% of the approximately $300 million in annual mineral exploration expenditures in the province stay in BC – providing a boost to local economies throughout the province.

View our infographic here.

How to vote in the 42nd Provincial General Election

Voters have the following options:

Vote by mail

  • Requests for a package may be made up to Saturday, October 17; note that ballots must be received by Elections BC by the close of voting on Saturday, October 24.

Vote in person

  • Advance voting – held from Thursday, October 15 through Wednesday, October 21
  • Election Day – Saturday, October 24 from 8 am to 8 pm Pacific

AME is keeping track of the parties’ platforms regarding mineral exploration, mining and natural resource development as they are released. BIV has also published a summary of parties’ plans for business sectors.