After a decade of inactivity at the Afton open pit mine near Kamloops, B.C., a new company has invested about $200 million to get at the ore deep underground.
"We've identified a deeper ore body now and defined it that the economics are there to mine it profitably," said Ron Allum of New Gold Mining.
The B.C. mining industry has continued to flourish amid the struggling Canadian economy, making $2.3 billion in revenue in 2009. According to a new report it was the second best year in the province's history.
"In fact, in the way of employment we have had the best year. Even though the industry has had a little less revenues and a little less profit than last year we've seen a growth of employment by more than 100 people to almost 7,700 people," said Len Boggio of Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
New Gold Mining has spent close to $16 million this quarter to drill tunnels another 742 metres into the earth.
"New Afton's got excellent copper grades," said New Gold engineer Kurt Keskimaki. "It's an interesting project bringing a new mine into production."
Mining exploration was almost double last year compared to the year previous in B.C. and several new mines are expected to start up.
"The products we produce are those elements which are needed for every economy as it grows. So I would expect that we'd see strength in our mining community for years to come," Boggio said.
The Afton mine is expected to employ 250 by the time it's producing ore. It's part of a trend in an industry that's weathering the ups and downs in the world economy and outperforming expectations.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
