Exploration Spending

British Columbia ranks third in Canada for mineral exploration expenditures, with 16% of all exploration spending taking place in this province in 2018.

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (EMLI) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) both compile data on provincial exploration spending.

Prior to 2016, EMLI’s regional geologists and Mineral Development Office generated annual exploration expenditure estimates. In 2016 and subsequent years, exploration expenditures, drilling estimates and other metrics were captured in the British Columbia Mineral and Coal Exploration Survey, which replaces the annual EMLI survey (see the “BC Exploration Survey / Provincial Geoscience Statistics” column in the table below). The survey is a joint initiative between EMLI, the Association for Mineral Exploration, and Ernst & Young LLP.

NRCan uses data obtained through the federal-provincial/territorial Survey of Mineral Exploration, Deposit Appraisal and Mine Complex Development Expenditures (see the “NRCan Survey” columns in the table below) to generate its estimates. Because the same survey is administered in the same way to all provinces and territories, NRCan’s estimates are used when comparing BC exploration spending to other provinces and territories.

Table notes:
^p = preliminary estimate
For more information, see Regional Highlights in Exploration