Canadian advocacy organisation Resource Works Society has welcomed Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's proclamation of July 30 as Mining and Mineral Exploration Day in Vancouver.

The proclamation recognises Vancouver as a major mining and mineral exploration hub and the headquarters of nearly 1 000 publicly listed companies with a combined market capitalisation of about $500-billion.

It also acknowledges the city's concentration of mining professionals and its role in providing financial, legal, engineering, geoscience and other services to mines and exploration projects in British Columbia and around the world.

Mining Association of British Columbia president and CEO Michael Goehring says mining has helped to build British Columbia's prosperity and it will be even more important in securing the critical minerals, jobs and economic strength that the future demands. 

Association for Mineral Exploration president and CEO Todd Stone adds that every mine begins with a discovery and British Columbia has the geology, talent and ingenuity to remain one of the world's great centres of mineral exploration.

Resources Works Society president and CEO Stewart Muir believes Vancouver is one of the world's great mining cities, even though there is not a mine within its boundaries.

"The discoveries may be made and the resources produced elsewhere, but much of the capital, technology, expertise and entrepreneurship that makes those projects possible is concentrated here. Mayor Sim's proclamation recognises an essential part of Vancouver's economy and its identity as an internationally connected city.”

Mining and mineral exploration in rural and remote British Columbia support about $2-billion in economic activity and more than 5 500 well-paying jobs within the City of Vancouver, according to the proclamation.

Those jobs extend far beyond mining company headquarters. Vancouver is home to engineers, geoscientists, environmental specialists, Indigenous-relations professionals, financial institutions, equipment and technology providers, legal and accounting firms, and many other businesses serving the resource economy.

A separate economic analysis prepared for Resource Works Society estimates that British Columbia's operating mines and smelters supported 11 633 jobs throughout Metro Vancouver in 2024.

Approximately $2-billion was spent with Metro Vancouver suppliers, supporting an estimated 8 250 jobs at supplier and related businesses. For every ten direct jobs created at a mine site, about six additional direct, indirect and induced jobs are created in Metro Vancouver.

“Vancouver's connection to mining is visible in office towers, laboratories, professional firms and supply-chain businesses throughout the city,” says Resource Works Society MD Margareta Dovgal, 

“These are well-paid, highly-skilled jobs sustained by economic activity across the province. Recognising that connection helps close the artificial divide between urban prosperity and resource development," she adds.

Resources Works Society says mineral exploration is the research and development arm of the resource economy. It is where discoveries are made, future mines begin and the materials required for infrastructure, technology and a lower-emissions economy are first identified.

Sim's proclamation further recognises that mining and mineral companies operate under high environmental standards, contribute to economic reconciliation, promote health and safety, and use innovation and technology to improve environmental, social and governance performance.

“Exploration is where Canada's future supply chains begin. Vancouver's strength lies in connecting discoveries with global capital, technical knowledge and the capacity to turn opportunity into responsible development," Muir concludes.