Kamloops, Okanagan cities benefit from provincial mining activity

Kamloops leads all British Columbia municipalities when it comes to supplying the province’s mines, according to data collected on behalf of the B.C. Mining Association.

Kamloops has approximately 390 suppliers who sold $219 million worth of mining related equipment and services in 2017. Results of procurement data collected by iTotem between May and August was released at last month’s Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention in Whistler.

The data covers 2017 cumulative procurement spending as self-reported by the province’s participating mining operations, according to a B.C. Mining Association media release.

The major municipalities of the Okanagan also reaped economic benefits from the mining industry, with Vernon the home of 25 suppliers providing $19,750,000 worth of goods and services, Kelowna with 70 companies supplying $6,450,000, and Penticton the base to 25 companies supplying $5,450,000 worth of materials, goods and services to the province’s mining industry.

A total of 3,000 B.C. suppliers provide $1.35 billion worth of materials, goods and services to six metal mines and seven coal operations in the province last year.

B.C. is Canada’s largest producer of copper, the second largest producer of silver and the only producer of molybdenum. Each commodity is critical to the development of solar panels, wind turbines and clean energy vehicles.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.