Jagrup Brar, British Columbia’s Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals and MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood, sees mining as central to the province’s economic future. Having held several cabinet and parliamentary roles focused on economic development, he brings a policy lens shaped by growth and trade.
For Brar, the case for mining begins with scale.
“Mining is the backbone of British Columbia’s economy,” he says, pointing to its reach across communities and industries. The sector supports about 40,000 jobs and contributes billions to provincial GDP.
Brar frames mining not as a legacy industry, but as a modern economic engine. Demand for critical minerals is rising, driven by global efforts to lower emissions and electrify infrastructure.
“We are blessed to have an abundance of critical minerals in B.C.,” he says. The province can produce roughly half the minerals on Canada’s critical list. It also leads the country in copper production and remains its only producer of molybdenum.
This positions B.C. at a strategic moment. As trade tensions and tariffs create uncertainty, resource strength offers stability. Mining, Brar suggests, can anchor economic resilience while opening new pathways for growth.
Jobs and shared prosperity
Brar returns often to the human side of the industry. Mining jobs, he notes, are not only plentiful but well paid.
“The average job is $130,000,” he says, describing them as “good jobs for the people of British Columbia.”
That economic impact extends beyond paycheques. In rural and remote regions, mining can sustain entire communities. It also creates opportunities for First Nations partnerships and local business development.
Brar emphasizes that this is not just about extraction. It is about building lasting economic participation. The goal, he says, is to “share prosperity with the local community.”
In this view, mining becomes a bridge between global demand and local benefit. It links international supply chains with community-level outcomes, especially in regions that rely on resource development.
Moving projects forward
If demand and opportunity are clear, the next challenge is execution. Brar points to a pipeline of projects already in motion.
“We have close to a dozen critical mineral projects in the process, worth about $48 billion,” he says. Together, they could create nearly 10,000 jobs.
To support that pipeline, the province is working to streamline approvals. A new mining project advisory team brings ministries together to reduce overlap and speed decisions.
By cutting duplication, Brar says the province has “reduced roughly about 35 per cent of the time” needed for permitting.
He stresses that this acceleration does not come at the expense of environmental or safety standards. The goal is efficiency, not compromise.
For industry and investors, that clarity matters. Faster timelines can improve project viability and help B.C. compete globally for capital.
Communities at the centre
Brar closes with a message aimed directly at communities. He sees mining as a collaborative effort, not a top-down process.
“Almost every mine I have visited, they participate in the local community,” he says.
That participation can take many forms. Companies support youth sports, fund local initiatives and invest in infrastructure. These contributions, while sometimes overlooked, help shape community life.
Brar encourages residents, including Indigenous and rural communities, to engage with the industry. The opportunity, he suggests, lies in partnership.
“They need to work with the mining industry and work together,” he says, highlighting job creation and shared benefits.
The message reflects a broader shift. Mining is no longer just about what comes out of the ground. It is also about how projects are built, who benefits and how communities grow alongside them.
In Brar’s telling, B.C. stands at a moment of alignment. Global demand, local resources and policy focus are moving in the same direction. The challenge now is to carry that momentum forward.
Ian Biana writes for the Resource Works Accelerate team and can be reached at [email protected].
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