With summer upon us, I reflect on my first five months as the chair of AME’s Board of Directors and am proud of the team’s accomplishments.The year started off with an exceptional Roundup conference that broke records, showcased the fabulous work done by B.C. explorers andhighlighted a commitment from Premier John Horgan to implement all of the recommendations from the Mining Jobs Task Force. This commitment was a huge success for our industry. We now look forward to seeing these actions take shape.
In February, AME participated in asuccessful Mining Day at the Legislature organized by the MiningAssociation of BC and in March attended the annual PDAC conference in Toronto. Both events provided an opportunity for AME to promoteexploration in B.C. and to discuss the current state of the industry with government officials, AME members and fellow associations.
In house, we launched two new programs: the AME Mentorship Program and AME MinEx Talks.
The new Mentorship Program this year is focused on earth sciencestudents and recent graduates from across the province. We are pleased to have 25 mentor/mentee pairings who got off to a great start when we hosted our inaugural event in early April. AME is honoured to be able to contribute to the development of future leaders within the mineral exploration and development industry.
AME MinEx Talks
AME also launched AME MinEx Talks in late April, which I had the pleasure of emceeing. It was an inspiring and informative day of talks covering a wide spectrum of industry hot topics including how to benefit from new technology, building a new generation ofprospectors, maintaining the passion for exploration through market cycles and working more closely with communities![The inaugural AME MinEx Talks event took place on April 25 & 26, with the theme tools for modern explorers, covering topics such as new technology, a new generation of prospectors, strategic investments for juniors and Cultural Awareness Training. | @RonnieJones]()so that everyone benefits. Along with AME MinEx Talks, AME also hosted three short courses: Mining 101, Cultural Awareness and Health and Safety in the Field. All were well attended and created conversations that went well beyond the classroom and continued into the pub.
Exploration season
With summer here, we turn our minds and efforts to the field. B.C. has done well to sustain exploration over the last few difficult years.We’ve made many new discoveries using both tried-and-true geological methods as well as implementing and testing new technologies. As a province, our exploration dollars spent increased last year to $330 million. With continued support from government, respectful engagement and thorough geological practices, we will persevere through another difficult field season and have successes to celebrate on the other side.
On a more personal note and on behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Edie Thome for her contributions to AME over the past two years. It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside Edie as she not only learned about mineral exploration but fully embraced our work and our community, pushing it forward as she built stronger relationships with our many stakeholders. We wish her all the best in her futureendeavours and look forward to welcoming her back at many AME events down the road.
