AME Roundup: British Columbia mining production reached record spend in 2021

British Columbia’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation, Bruce Ralston says B.C. mining production achieved a new record in 2021. Credit: AME.

The Association of Mineral Exploration’s (AME’s) annual Roundup event kicked off this week, providing the first opportunity for industry delegates to mingle in person at an industry event following the start of the pandemic two years ago.

Among the first day’s highlights were an address by British Columbia’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation, Bruce Ralston, and the release of the AME’s ‘Explore our Economy’ (EOE) report, which examined the real impact the mineral exploration industry had in 2020 on the local economies of the province.

Minister Ralston declared that despite the challenges the industry dealt with in 2021, the forecast value for total provincial mining production in the province reached an all-time high of C$12.6 billion. He added that total exploration expenditures of C$659.8 million were near record-setting.

AME president and CEO Kendra Johnston officially launched the report on January 31, quantifying trends and figures gleaned from a survey conducted by iTOTEM.