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(Kitco News) – Josie Osborn, British Columbia’s minister of energy, mines and low carbon innovation, said B.C. is poised to take advantage of the emphasis Canada is placing on critical minerals, solidified by the federal government’s recent passage of the $1.5 billion Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund.
In late-November Osborn was interviewed at Resourcing Tomorrow held in London, UK.
Osborn said the province has a long history of mining, and reported a record-high $740 million was spent on exploration last year. She said her New Democratic Party-led government is focused on enhancing the mining “ecosystem”, which includes exploration companies and secondary businesses. Indigenous reconciliation is a priority.
Osborn said the NDP is focused on two aspects of improving the permitting process, which has come under criticism for being too slow. The first is direct investment into the process, and the second is changing business practices such as modernizing the software. She noted the province in 2023 issued a permit to Artemis Gold’s Blackwater gold-silver mine, a process that took just 10 months from start to finish.
British Columbia plans to release its critical minerals strategy in the first quarter of 2024, said Osborn. The government will also issue a call for more clean power that mines can draw from to reduce their emissions.
The interview was sponsored by Aris Mining (TSX:ARIS).
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