With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1222419
ment between Pretium and the TSKLH—a tiny nation of only 30 people—ended in the fall of 2018.) According to Pretium's Romero, build- ing strong relations with Brucejack's Indigenous neighbours was a priority from day one—and not just as a matter of reconciliation."We were able to engage First Nations early on, whereby they were bringing in community members to be part of the camps," she notes. "We needed people who were cooks, or who were cracking core for the geologists and the exploration guys. There was a capacity there—jobs we needed to fill." Thirty-one percent of Brucejack's 1,100 employees and contractors are now First Nations. For miners in the Golden Triangle, fill- ing jobs remains their biggest challenge— and partnering with area First Nations, in formal and informal ways, is part of the solution. (B.C.'s enabling legislation to implement the United Nations Declara- tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples makes that even more of an imperative going forward.) But equally important is addressing how careers in mining are being positioned for the future, according to Joel McKay, CEO of Northern Develop- ment Initiative Trust. "In British Columbia, we need to get honest with people entering the work- force that it shouldn't all be about pursuing careers in high tech, or the dream of work- ing in software or Hollywood North," says McKay from his office in Prince George. "For a long time, there's been a culture of trying to steer our young folks away from the resource industries, which is detri- mental to the long-term sustainability of those industries, and the communities in the north." McKay argues for an increased effort to target, train and mentor people for careers in forestry and mining—and to make north- ern communities more attractive as places not just to work but to live. "What no one wants to see is the continuance of the trend of f ly-in, f ly-out workers," says McKay, whose nonprofit organization helps fund various community-led projects, including money for a dedicated economic develop- ment officer in Stewart. "In an ideal world, we have northerners who are ready, will- ing and able to take those jobs in the north, because they're the ones who are most likely to buy houses and stay in our com- munities—and make sure we have thriving communities." That sort of made-in-the-north solu- tion is top of mind for Kendra Johnston as well. The Ontario-born geologist—who has worked in B.C., Yukon, Nevada and the Prairies—was appointed president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Explo- ration last June, after more than a decade with Vancouver's Independence Gold and its predecessor, Silver Quest. In the short term, she's looking to the ailing forestry sector, and the potential there with surplus workers: "They have so many skilled peo- ple, doing some of the jobs that we need in some of our mine sites." But longer-term, Johnston thinks the answer to labour stability lies in greater APRIL 2020 BCBUSINESS 49 IS A BOUTIQUE INVESTMENT FIRM RIGHT FOR YOU? Learn how the needs and interests of our clients remain paramount. ballantynecap.com BCBUSINESS.CA Heavy Metal WHILE COAL REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PART OF B.C.'S MINING INDUSTRY, MOST OF THE ACTIVITY IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN ON METALS 2019 EXPLORATION SPENDING SOURCE: B.C. MINISTRY OF MINES, ENERGY AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES "What no one wants to see is the continuance of the trend of fly-in, fly- out workers. In an ideal world, we have north- erners who are ready to take those jobs" – Joel McKay, CEO, Northern Development Initiative Trust $40.8 million COAL INDUSTRY WIDE $327.7 million METAL (AND OTHERS) $286.9 million