The North-Central B.C. branch of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) has won a national award for its industry advocacy.
The group received the Mel W. Bartley Award which is, according to a CIM statement, "awarded to the CIM branch demonstrating the most effective progress in reaching the aims and objectives of the institute."
The CIM was founded in 1898 and has a current membership of about 13,000 people in 30 branches and 10 technical societies across Canada. The local group caught the attention of their national peers "in recognition of the members' hard work and perseverance in expanding the CIM North Central BC branch, and in supporting mining, education and work opportunities in northern B.C."
The awards were handed out at a black tie gala in Toronto.
"We have a great group of people in our branch - from suppliers and contractors to service professionals. The range includes consultants, engineers, machinists, miners, heavy equipment operators, salespeople and technicians," said Jerome Lamarre, branch chair and sales associate with West Fraser Electro/Mechanical
According to branch vice-chair Christy Smith of Taseko Mines Ltd., the local branch was "totally gone only about five years ago. We were down to about 40 members and it was an inactive group in most respects, but things came back to life starting about 2008, as mining activity was picking up and some energetic new board members pushed it back to life. We are up to 120 members now and still growing."
They are active members, too, said Smith and Lamarre. A broad array of events are held annually - both networking activities for members and charitable activities for the broader community.
One of the group's favourite causes is the Northern Friends of Children Society to which they have donated close to $30,000 to help families with a child in medical distress.
The group has also built up about $40,000 in a bursary foundation that pays out four scholarships per year to CNC students in the Mining Certification Program. The Yes2It (Youth Exploring Skills to Industry Training) Program for high school students in the Cariboo is another destination for their benevolent funding.
This array of related businesses plus the overarching major industry corporations will all be in the same room at the Coast Inn of the North later this spring. The local CIM branch holds its annual general meeting on June 18 to 20, including a golf tournament, general membership meeting, banquet, keynote speaker, informational seminars and networking opportunities.
For more information visit the CIM website and click the North-Central B.C. Branch tab.
