Minerals North 2014

Minerals North is a different kind of mining conference.

Brian Frenkel is the chairp of Minerals North 2014, the annual northern British Columbia mining conference that's being held this year in Vanderhoof from May 21-23. Frenkel said Minerals North is different from the annual AME BC Roundup in Vancouver and the Premier's BC Natural Resource Forum in Prince George because it's focused solely on mining and exploration activity in northern British Columbia. Frenkel expects 500 delegates and trade show people will attend this year's event. — Photo courtesy Brian Frenkel

A unique annual mining conference that has flourished in northern British Columbia for over 20 years will open in the province’s geographical centre May 21.

Minerals North 2014, a three-day event, is being hosted by Vanderhoof (population 4,500) and is expected to attract 500 delegates and trade show people, said Minerals North 2014 chair Brian Frenkel.

Those attending will include mining and exploration company representatives, mine and exploration suppliers, provincial Ministry of Environment officials, First Nations representatives and residents, local and provincial politicians, educators, municipal economic development officers, and people interested in mining from across northern B.C.

Originally begun in Terrace in 1989 and formally named in Stewart in 1991, Minerals North was established to provide residents and mining and exploration companies with a venue to debate land-use issues and to promote the economic benefits of mining and exploration in northern B.C.

Although it has evolved over the years, Frenkel believes one thing about the conference has not changed.

“It’s just focused solely on mining in the north,” he said. “For me, and I think for most of the (Minerals North 2014) committee, it’s a chance for people in the north to understand what’s going on in the mining industry.”

A northern point of view

Minerals North also differs from other mining conferences because it’s often held in smaller communities. Northern and central B.C. communities bid each year to the Minerals North Association for the right to host the conference. As a result, it’s frequently hosted in friendlier, more relaxed venues.

And although hosting such a conference can include challenges such as providing adequate accommodation, transportation and services, smaller host communities usually overcome such issues through ingenuity, cooperation with other municipalities, and their own brand of hospitality.

That is the case with Vanderhoof, which is hosting Minerals North for the first time.

For example, organizers have helped set up a temporary campground near the Vanderhoof airport to accommodate people who plan to bring their recreational vehicles to the conference.

The conference’s organizing committee has also arranged for buses to pick up delegates and trade show people from hotels in Fort St. James and Prince George so they can attend the conference.

Vanderhoof residents have also opened up their homes to accommodate visitors. Frenkel has people from Geoscience BC staying with him, and they will be making a conference presentation.

Frenkel also said he believes Minerals North conferences are becoming more important to northern B.C. communities as mining and exploration activity continues to grow. For example, mining and exploration activity around Vanderhoof has increased in recent years, including a plan by New Gold Inc. to eventually build a $1.8-billion gold mine at its Blackwater Project, 112 kilometres southwest of the town.

“Personally I’ve been to four of these,” Frenkel said about the conferences. “I’ve seen the change. I think more and more people want to get involved in exploration and mining.

“These developments are big developments… When are you ever going to have a $two billion investment in your backyard?”

What to expect

All three days of the conference will be jam-packed with presentations, displays, and information, including keynote speeches May 22 by Jim Bottomley concerning charting paths for the future and by Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie concerning how communities can perhaps adopt some of the measures his community has taken which have made it such an economic success. Some other highlights include:

• On May 21, speakers Annita McPhee, president of the Tahltan Tribal Council, John Rustad, BC Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconcilliation, and a representative from New Gold Inc., will talk about the importance of communications in successful resource development.
• On May 22, BC Ministry of Energy & Mines regional geologists Jeff Kyba and Paul Jago, Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia president and CEO Gavin Dirom, and Mining Association of British Columbia president and CEO Karina Brino will discuss the importance of mining in northern B.C.—What’s new and what’s news.
• Later on May 22, someone from Canadian business law firm Stikeman Elliott will make a presentation entitled Digging deeper: A review of hot-button business and legal issues for mining companies.
• Even later on May 22, First Point Minerals and Taseko Mines Limited will make presentations on two advanced-stage mining projects they’re working on in northern B.C.

Frenkel also said this year’s conference has a much stronger educational component than conferences in the past. Local grade 1-2 students, Grade 6-7 students, and Grade 10-12 students will all be involved to some degree in mining-related activities during the conference.