Dozens of northern leaders attending mining conference on Canada’s West Coast
Dozens of leaders from across the North are in Vancouver, British Columbia this week for one of the country’s largest mineral development conferences.
The Association for Mineral Exploration’s 2019 Mineral Roundup began Monday.
Six out of the seven Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) cabinet ministers are attending the four-day conference, as well as several of their staff members.
Forty leaders from the territory’s Indigenous groups are also in attendance. N.W.T. MLA Cory Vanthuyne is also attending as the chair of the legislature’s Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment.
N.W.T. spending under scrutiny
The N.W.T. government has come under fire in recent years over the cost of sending dozens of delegates to the conference. In 2018, the territory spent nearly $280,000 to send dozens of cabinet ministers, MLA’s, staff and Indigenous leaders to the event. That number was up from $193,000 in 2017 and $137,000 in 2016.
This year the N.W.T. government is paying for 12 Indigenous leaders to attend the event, two from each region in the territory. The remaining 28 Indigenous leaders are covering their own costs.
The government has yet to release how much it is spending on the conference this year.
“Our unified front at Roundup sends the message to the mining industry that we have a territory that stands united in support of responsible development, ready to work together to secure those benefits for future generations,” Wally Schumann, the territory’s minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, said in a news release.
Other northern territories represented
While at the conference, the territorial government says officials plan to meet with industry leaders and junior exploration companies.
There is also a “Coffee with N.W.T. Leaders” panel taking place on Tuesday as well as an “N.W.T. Night” showcase.
Nunavut and Yukon also held their own showcase nights on Monday.
Last year, the mining conference attracted more than 6,570 participants from 39 countries, according to the association.
The mining conference began Jan. 28 and will end on Jan. 31.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Chamber of mines says mining industry in Northwest Territories ‘will die’ without investment, CBC News
Finland: Gold mining in northern Finland hurts reindeer, says Natural Resources Institute, Yle News
Norway: Iron mines in Arctic Norway could soon re-open, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russian miners dig deeper into vast Kola nickel reserve, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Iron mine in northern Sweden to restart production, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. government shutdown will doom Arctic projects in court, critics say, Alaska Public Media
