For the first time, Hope was represented at the Kamloops Exploration Group (KEG) 26th annual conference in Kamloops this year, April 8-11.
The KEG, as its known, is a registered society which promotes the interests of mining and prospecting throughout B.C., and the conference is a key event where members network, businesses market, and miners learn about each other’s projects, recent news, and new technology.
Our community has been encouraged to attend for a number of years by nearby mining interests such as the New Carolin Gold Corp. and John Chapman. AdvantageHOPE, in collaboration with New Carolin Gold Corp, Hope Machine Shop, Hope Com-Tech, and Valley Helicopters, represented Hope’s businesses, community, and opportunities to more than 700 registered delegates, public visitors, and politicians over two days.
Hope Machine Shop offered what was likely the largest draw prize at the entire conference. Julie Dormer of Kamloops won 25 per cent off any job, to a maximum of $2,500 from the full service machine shop. Owner Patrek Mayers was excited about the opportunity to showcase not only his own business’s abilities, but also the exposure of our community to a wider audience. He, together with the other show sponsors, is aware of the huge cash influx that mining brings to all parts of British Columbia, but especially to communities that serve as their supply base.
AdvantageHOPE’s established relationship with the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Natural Gas paid off in spades over the conference. An updated tenures map (March 2013) of the Hope - Harrison Lake area, requested by AdvantageHOPE and drawn by Regional Geologist Bruce Northcote, were mentioned at one of the main panel presentations and available exclusively at our booth (they are also available at http://hope.ca/advantagehope/mining).
Similarly, our established relationship with Bruce Downing, of New Carolin Gold Corp, ensured a steady stream of interested parties through our booth, asking about the current status, future plans, and vision of the property. Downing was happy to oblige, showing recent core samples, outlining their plans for further exploration, and showing magnatromic maps of high-potential spots where mining is likely to prove very profitable.
Though the KEG is the only mining related outreach activity that our community currently engages in, mining is key resource based industry that underpins all other economic activities throughout the province. Other sectors such as tourism, transportation, retail development, and manufacturing make up important pillars of our current and future local economy, mining activities provide the materials to build goods, the energy to process and transport those goods, and much of the primary income used to purchase other goods and services.
Responsible development of mineral resources from appropriate deposits is something we can all advocate for. We are fortunate as a community to have companies interested in exactly that poking, picking, prodding, and digging in an effort to find the building blocks of our cell phones, cars, pharmaceuticals, and supplements that we all enjoy.
Tyler Mattheis is executive director of AdvantageHOPE. He can be reached at 604-860-0930 or tyler@advantagehope.ca.