The annual Cordilleran Geology and Exploration Roundup in Vancouver once again featured an international session, reflecting what is now seen as a permanent change in focus for the Canadian mining industry.
Contributing to this change is a decline in the volume of reserves and the number of exploration programs in the province.
Gerry Carlson, president of the British Columbia and Yukon Chamber of Mines, told delegates that base metal reserves at mines in the province have shrunk by 50% over the past 10 years, and he warned that, at current mining rates, remaining reserves will be exhausted in another 10 years.
While acknowledging that advanced projects such as Kemess, Mount Polley and Huckleberry may help reverse the trend, he stressed that an “elephant”-size discovery is required to compensate for the depleting Sullivan and Highland Valley deposits.
In addition to presentations on individual projects and a commercial exhibit by suppliers and exploration companies, drill core from several projects was on display.
Core sample highlights included spectacular intervals from Diamond Fields’ Voisey’s Bay discovery in Labrador and Cominco’s rich Red Dog Extension discovery in Alaska.
About 2,000 delegates converged at Hotel Vancouver to attend the 13th annual conference, which was a joint venture of the B.C. and Yukon Chamber of Mines, the province’s mines ministry, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
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