New mineral survey of northern Vancouver Island likely ‘enticing’ to industry

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A new mineral survey set to be released Tuesday in Vancouver could lead to new mining opportunities — and new mining jobs — on northern Vancouver Island.

Geoscience BC is keeping the results of its airborne survey close to its vest for now, but Mineral Projects Manager Brady Clift says the mining industry is likely going to be very interested in what it shows.

“I would expect that right away we’ll see people that will start staking mineral claims in the area,” he says, adding work could begin in the area as soon as the summer. “When geologists and geophysicists look at the data they’ll find lots of anomalies that they’ll find fairly enticing.”

The latest exploration is an update of work done by the group in 2012-2013, spurred by their advisory committee.

“They look at the province, and look at areas that need new work and they looked at Northern Vancouver Island–which has a history of mining–and they decided that it was time to update the work that had been done there.”

According to Geosciences BC, after they published the data from their 2012-2013 survey, over 16,000 hectares of new mineral exploration claims were staked on Northern Vancouver Island, sparking economic activity in the region.

The survey was preceded by consultations with municipalities and First Nations and open houses in Port Hardy and Campbell River, and Clift says their presence was welcome.

“The response that we got from the communities and the other groups on the Island was always very positive.”

The survey itself covered an area of some 6,000 square kilometers on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, where mining jobs are traditionally far fewer than those in the forestry sector.