For Immediate Release
May 8, 2020
MABC Names Jerry Asp as the 2019 Mining Person of the Year
VANCOUVER, BC – The Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC) is pleased to announced Jerry Asp, Chair of the Board and Co-Founder & CEO of Global Indigenous Development Trust, as the 2019 Mining Person of the Year.
The Mining Person of the Year award publicly recognizes an individual who has shown outstanding leadership advancing and promoting the mining industry within British Columbia. The award marks the beginning of Mining Month in BC, which celebrates the province’s mining industry and its positive contribution to British Columbians each May.
This year Mining Month will take place online to enable the industry, our employees, contractors, communities and stakeholders to connect and support each other through COVID-19 and the provincial state of emergency. This year’s award honours Jerry Asp for his decades of leadership creating and supporting training and employment opportunities in the mining sector on behalf of the Tahltan Nation and other Indigenous peoples across Canada.
“MABC commends Jerry’s dedication and advocacy in support of training and employment opportunities for Indigenous communities and for his enduring commitment to promote economic reconciliation and shared prosperity for his Nation and other Indigenous peoples through mining,” said Michael Goehring, President and CEO of the Mining Association of BC.
“I am honoured to congratulate Mr. Jerry Asp twice in one year on his tremendous achievements and significant contributions towards mining and Indigenous relations in British Columbia,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “His dedication to building strong, inclusive relationships between the mining industry and the Tahltan Nation has shown us all that including Indigenous voices is not a hurdle, it is an important process that benefits everyone.”
Jerry began his career in mining in 1965 working on diamond drills and rose to become one of western Canada’s most prominent Indigenous leaders. He was the founder and President of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation, the largest Indigenous-owned and operated heavy construction company in Western Canada. Jerry helped bring his Nation to near full employment by advancing and increasing the Tahltan’s inclusion and participation in the mining industry. Jerry was a pioneer in building partnerships between the mining sector and Indigenous communities and businesses. He negotiated the first notable Impact Benefit Agreement in BC’s mining industry, which set the foundation for the mutually beneficial agreements that are seen across Canada’s mining sector today. He has also led numerous initiatives to promote Indigenous skills development in mining in BC, Canada and globally. As Co-Founder & Chair of the Board of Global Indigenous Development Trust, Jerry remains an active and effective advocate for Indigenous communities globally, supporting them in developing their people and natural resources sustainably.
