Christina Millington
Omineca Express
It all began back in 1989, the first northern BC minerals conference was held in Terrace that had communities bridging communication gaps.
Minerals North has been a strong advocate for smaller communities with its ability to engage people on a greater scale by bringing them together to discuss ways to draw “outsiders” into a community.
Minerals North typically travels from town-to-town and Vanderhoof applied to host the mobile conference two years previous, which has been approved for 2014.
Mayor Gerry Thiessen couldn’t be more thrilled to have the chance to host the conference, as it will be an opportunity to bring people into the community in hopes to benefit from the developments that have been growing over the years – such as New Gold.
“This will be an invaluable option for the community,” said Thiessen. “It will allow ourselves as a community to stretch.
Minerals North not only provides a gateway to communicate with other communities, but also offers communities the ability to recognize what they can do to attract people that wouldn’t otherwise find the need to visit.
Thiessen feels that initiatives that Minerals North provides for the younger generations will help the growth within a community with locals having the ability to work closer to home.
“It will encourage young adults to work locally and become more involved in the mining industry,” said Thiessen.
Minerals North has been instrumental with networking communities to become more aware of mining and exploration projects that benefit communities substantially.
“It allows a town to take ownership,” Thiessen said. “The area is showing a lot of mineral deposits. This will lead to future development in the area and showcase our town to the mining sector as exploration evolves.”