Vancouver proclamation recognizes mining and mineral exploration as pillars of the city's economy
Mining and Mineral Exploration Day highlights Vancouver's role as a global centre of resource-sector finance, expertise and innovation
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resource Works Society welcomes Mayor Ken Sim's proclamation of July 30, 2026, as Mining and Mineral Exploration Day in the City of Vancouver.
The proclamation recognizes Vancouver as a major mining and mineral exploration hub and the headquarters of nearly 1,000 publicly listed companies with a combined market capitalization of approximately $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.
Michael Goehring, President and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia; Todd Stone, President and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration; and Stewart Muir, President and CEO of Resource Works Society, met today outside the historic B.C. and Yukon Chamber of Mines Building at 840 West Hastings Street to mark Mining and Mineral Exploration Day in Vancouver.
“Mining helped build British Columbia’s prosperity, and it will be even more important in securing the critical minerals, jobs and economic strength our future demands,” said Goehring.
“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,” said Stone.
The setting was a fitting reminder of the industry’s deep roots in the city and its growing importance to British Columbia’s future.
“Vancouver is one of the world's great mining cities, even though there is not a mine within its boundaries,” said Stewart Muir. “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 recognizes 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 approximately $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 estimates that B.C.'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 10 direct jobs created at a mine site, approximately 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,” said Margareta Dovgal, Managing Director of Resource Works Society. “These are well-paid, highly skilled jobs sustained by economic activity across the province. Recognizing that connection helps close the artificial divide between urban prosperity and resource development.”
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.
The proclamation further recognizes 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,” Muir said. “Vancouver's strength lies in connecting discoveries with global capital, technical knowledge and the capacity to turn opportunity into responsible development.”
Resource Works congratulates Mayor Sim and Vancouver City Council for recognizing the foundational role mining and mineral exploration play in Vancouver and their contribution to the local, provincial and national economy.
About Resource Works Society
Resource Works Society is a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that produces fact-based research and public-interest communications about responsible natural resource development. Its work examines the connections between resources, prosperity, reconciliation, environmental performance and the quality of life enjoyed by Canadians.
Media contact:
Margareta Dovgal
Resource Works Society
margareta@resourceworks.com
604-518-4469
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