The members and supporters of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, North Central B.C. Branch, met for three days this week to discuss various ventures, explore new technologies and give back to the communities its members work in.
The three-day event included a tour of the recently expanded Endako Mine; a golf tournament; banquet with keynote speaker Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation; updates on several of the mining ventures unfolding in northern B.C.; and opportunities to learn about new technologies emerging in mining and petroleum.
The branch made some local reinvestments Thursday. The group handed out $500 scholarships to CNC students involved in resource industry training: Myrtle Patrick of Vanderhoof, Joe Sinclair from Fort St. James, Kim Jones from Mackenzie and Gerald Whitford from Burns Lake.
Brent Marshall of the Northland Auto Group was also on hand to help the students, donating $5,000 to the institute's growing endowment fund.
"We have gathered $30,000 for that bursary fund so far, and we are getting it to $50,000 where it will be self-sustaining for the scholarships it supports in the future," said Jamie Hull of Wolftek Industries, the vice-chair of the institute.
The group also handed $7,000 to the Northern Friends of Children, a Prince George-based charity operating across the north covering medical costs for families of sick and injured kids.
