Canada’s thriving mineral exploration and mining community is projected to see an estimated 80,000 vacant jobs over the next decade. In order to sustain the current growth of Canada’s mining and mineral exploration and address this labour shortage, several of Canada’s top mining and minerals companies have announced their partnership with the University of British Columbia to construct the Earth Systems Science Building, a state-of-the-art new facility that will house innovative research facilities and teaching space.

Major minerals companies will collectively invest more than C$20 million to the University of British Columbia (UBC) to build the Earth Systems Science (ESS) Building. The new C$75 million facility, set to begin construction in 2009, will house UBC’s earth and ocean sciences department (EOS) - known for its global leadership in sustainability research and education and its longstanding ties and remarkable history of contributions to the minerals industry. To date, more than C$20 million of the C$32.5 million private sector funding for the building’s construction has been donated by industry leaders including Goldcorp, Lundin Group and Pan American Silver. The strong level of industry support underlines the economic, educational and environmental importance of the ESS Building for UBC and the mineral exploration and mining community.

“As an international leader in earth sciences, UBC has helped to shape Vancouver into a world-renowned centre for mineral exploration and development,” said Ross Beaty, chairman of Pan American Silver. “Vancouver is home to more mineral resource companies than any other city in the world and further creation of opportunities for future geologists, geophysicists, geochemists and geological engineers is critical to sustaining BC’s - and indeed Canada’s - minerals industry.”

One of the largest hurdles anticipated by the minerals industry is the growing labour shortage. Not only will the ESS Building help to meet this challenge by educating future generations of highly skilled earth science professionals, it will also serve as a focal point for research and innovation in sustainable mining and mineral exploration practices. “The ESS Building represents an investment in the future of the Canadian and international mineral exploration communities,” said Simon Peacock, Dean, Faculty of Science. “It builds upon the longstanding partnership between the minerals industry and UBC. Housing high-tech research labs, lecture halls, teaching and breakout rooms and a shared space, the ESS Building will provide undergraduate and graduate students a world-class education in the earth sciences.” Slated to open in 2011, the ESS Building will accommodate the more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in EOS courses, providing them a common area to collaborate with faculty through research and dialogue. Recent EOS discoveries include new innovations in locating kimberlite and increasing the absorption of carbon dioxide in mine tailings to reduce greenhouse gases.

“As a UBC geology student, much of my thesis research was conducted off campus due to a lack of space,” says Liane Boyer, a UBC geology graduate and Kennecott Canada employee. “There is an urgent need for increased research facilities to support students and faculty in their research activities on campus. To have everyone under one roof exchanging ideas, sharing expertise and learning would greatly contribute to the overall growth of the program and wider minerals community.”

Donors as of January 2008 are Breakwater Resources, Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, Global Copper, Goldcorp, Imperial Metals, Lundin Group, Northern Dynasty Minerals, Northern Peru Copper, Pan American Silver, Ross Beaty, Selwyn Resources, Silver Standard Resources, Silver Wheaton and Western Copper. www.science.ubc.ca/essb