B.C. Mining Jobs Task Force

Engagement Summary

The Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources’ mandate letter included a commitment to establish a BC Mining Jobs Task Force (Task Force) to create and sustain good jobs in this important industry. In February 2018 the Task Force was established.

The Task Force’s mandate was to work with the mining industry, workers and mining communities to make jobs secure and mines viable as commodity prices fluctuate. The Task Force was asked to identify measures to make BC the most attractive jurisdiction for investment in Canada while ensuring a sustainable sector that provides training and employment opportunities for British Columbians along with fulfilling the government’s commitment to lasting reconciliation and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The 12-member task force included representatives from the mining industry, First Nations, municipal government, an environmental non-governmental organization, labour, post-secondary/training, and the financial sector.

To inform their work, Task Force members conducted targeted engagement with constituents, community members and stakeholders. Each member of the Task Force has an extensive network and access to existing communication tools within their respective constituent groups. The engagement strategy leveraged this asset to facilitate gathering the perspective of Task Force members’ broader communities to increase the likelihood the Task Force’s recommended actions would resonate with and align to the needs of the broad sweep of perspectives on the mining industry.

Engagement Timeframe

September 3, 2018 to October 19, 2018

Input Received

The Task Force stakeholder engagement process included targeted direct engagement and discussions with constituent stakeholders. This targeted approach included: one-on-one meetings (formal and informal) and presentations at existing events and gatherings of the constituent organizations. Engagement included over 15 meetings and presentations capturing over 40 organizations, who in turn represent a broad range of groups, communities and stakeholders with an interest in BC’s mining sector.

This approach was supported through an online survey tool, made available from September 3 to October 19, 2018. Task Force members shared a website link to the survey with their respective constituent groups. There were 45 partial and 19 completed responses to the survey.

Input leads to action:

The input received through the Task Force’s targeted engagement supported the development of recommended actions to be included in their final report.
In December 2018, the Task Force submitted its final report to government, including 25 actions for government to support a thriving, competitive and sustainable mining sector. In January 2019, Premier Horgan announced government had accepted all actions contained in the report and in response developed a plan to implement, develop and/or study Task Force actions through a staged approach.

Read the Mining Jobs Task Force – Final Report.