{"id":102316,"date":"2025-10-25T05:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T12:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/?p=102316"},"modified":"2025-10-25T05:40:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T12:40:00","slug":"goehring-urges-bold-policy-change-to-get-it-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/?p=102316","title":{"rendered":"Goehring urges bold policy change to get it done"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Getting it done means speeding up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Michael Goehring, President and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia<\/a><\/strong>, told the B.C. Business Summit 2025 that mining is one of the few bright spots in the province\u2019s resource economy \u2014 but warned that success will depend on governments moving from words to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMining helped build Canada, and British Columbia remains a global mining hub,\u201d he said. \u201cForty percent of all TSX listings are in Vancouver \u2014 that\u2019s more than 1,000 junior mining companies generating $18 billion in economic activity.\u201d The province\u2019s 27 proposed mining projects, he added, could deliver $42 billion in investment, $27 billion in labour income, and up to $18 billion in taxes by 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInterest in our sector is the highest it\u2019s been in decades,\u201d Goehring said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of talk \u2014 now we need action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He contrasted mining\u2019s momentum with the struggles of other resource industries, noting that global demand for minerals and metals is surging as countries seek to secure supply chains for energy, technology, and defence. \u201cCopper, steelmaking coal, gold, and silver \u2014 these are the building blocks of modern life,\u201d he said. \u201cBritish Columbia is blessed with all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permitting, partnerships, and power lines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For mining to fulfill its potential, Goehring said Canada and British Columbia must tackle three major issues: permitting, Indigenous participation, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPermitting is the number one challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the key enabler. We\u2019re price takers \u2014 any increase in costs or uncertainty makes it easy for boards to pass on B.C. and invest elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for tighter intergovernmental cooperation between Ottawa and Victoria, highlighting the new agreement to speed up critical minerals approvals through \u201cefficiency tables\u201d designed to de-risk projects before formal review. But he emphasized that meaningful Indigenous capacity is essential for the system to work. \u201cNations need the governance, administrative, and technical capacity to show up and participate in the process,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s good for them, and it speeds permitting for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infrastructure investment is the third pillar. \u201cWe need major investments in electrical infrastructure, especially the North Coast Transmission Line<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cThat would open up a huge area of northwest B.C. for new critical minerals development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goehring also called for a cultural shift in government itself. \u201cThe public service needs to take calculated risks and stop treating everything as 110 percent high risk,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can make permitting and authorizations a competitive advantage \u2014 not a bottleneck \u2014 we\u2019ll be a mining superpower by 2035.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He summed up his message with a warning that if Canada doesn\u2019t act boldly it can expect to become an economic backwater. \u201cGetting it done means changing how we think \u2014 and how fast we move,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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