Downstream Mineral Processing Sector Trends

The "Downstream Mineral Processing Sector" as documented on this web site represents an attempt to list the companies and their basic statistics in order to show the magnitude and scope of activities of the mineral processing sector within the overall provincial mineral economy.

The concept of including primary mining and quarrying operations, secondary refinery & smelter operations plus exploration projects to describe a province’s mining and exploration sector is well established. However, to obtain a comprehensive view of the British Columbia's total mineral economy, this additional section of the web site focuses on the downstream mineral processing sector, i.e., further processing and manufacturing operations for which total volumes of feedstock are mainly dependent on minerals.

Some mining operations include downstream processing at their mine sites (e.g. coal wash plants) and do not separate either sales values or employee counts from these combined operations. Sales and employee numbers are therefore accounted for in their respective mining sectors, in order to avoid double accounting in these cases.

As indicated by the statistics, this tertiary sector (after mining, refining and smelters) generates substantial corporate and provincial revenues, which add significantly to the provincial GDP. This sector not only provides direct employment for thousands of British Columbians but also requires a highly skilled labour force. A substantial need for engineers, scientists and business managers is generated, as well as a need for accounting, financial and other professionals.

Much of this value-added sector would not exist without supplies from mining and quarrying operations and ongoing exploration and development projects, supported by the province’s low cost power, educated labour force and transportation infrastructure. With a small population of four million people, relative to the large, highly mineral-endowed, one million square kilometres land mass, British Columbia is considered to be in the very early development stage of its mineral economy and hold exceptional upside potential.