Welcome everyone to our unceded traditional territory, our home community of Prince George, and the 2025 BC Natural Resources Forum. I am incredibly pleased the Advisory Committee for the BCNRF have chosen this year's theme 'BC Natural Resources – Purpose, Partnerships, and Prosperity'.

This theme highlights how purpose-driven initiatives, meaningful partnerships, and shared prosperity are interconnected and essential to creating lasting positive impacts in British Columbia and beyond. For Lheidli T'enneh - and many other First Nations and communities - these elements pave the way for sustainable opportunities to dream, thrive, and build a prosperous future.

By strengthening collaboration between First Nations, industry, governments, and communities, we can continue to chart a path toward shared success and sustainability.

Enjoy your time in our territory and in our home community. I look forward to seeing you all during the 2025 BCNRF!

For British Columbians, natural resources are as vital to our identity as they are to our economy. Countless families and communities across the province rely on the foundational strength of our natural resource sector to put food on the table, grow the economy and create good-paying jobs now and into the future.

The 2025 Natural Resources Forum is an opportunity to bring together First Nations, governments, and the natural resource sector to explore our shared responsibilities and opportunities for economic growth. This is a critical moment for British Columbia as we face unprecedented threats to our export sector from the incoming administration in the U.S.

By working together – business, labour, First Nations, and communities – we can create jobs, enhance economic stability and build a more sustainable and prosperous industry today and for future generations. My team and I look forward to participating in the 2025 Natural Resources Forum and continuing our work together to build a strong province for everyone.

It is with great excitement and anticipation that I welcome you to the 22nd Annual BC Natural Resources Forum, hosted on the traditional territories of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. 

As the Chair of the Forum Advisory Committee, I am proud to be part of this year’s event under the theme, “Purpose, Partnerships, and Prosperity.” This year’s Forum will explore the interconnectedness of these elements and their collective contribution to creating positive economic and social impacts, both in our province and globally. 

I am deeply grateful for your participation in this year’s Forum. Your presence here not only enriches the conversation but also plays a crucial role in shaping the future of BC’s resource sector. A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors and Advisory Committee, whose support has made this event possible. 

I look forward to the insightful discussions, new partnerships, and innovative ideas that will emerge from this transformative gathering. 

Rio Tinto is proud to, once again, be the Patron Sponsor for the 22^nd annual Natural Resources Forum. The annual conference is an important gathering place to better understand the changes happening within and across our industries, strengthen existing connections, establish new partnerships, and to hear new and different perspectives on BC’s natural resource sector.

Our vision at BC Works is to become the best operator: by being the safest, most responsible, efficient and profitable aluminium smelter in the world, we will ensure a sustainable future for our employees and the region while being valued by our customers, the Indigenous nations that host our operations, and the communities in which we operate. 

2024 marked Rio Tinto BC Works’ 70^th anniversary - an incredible milestone that makes us proud to be a longstanding and significant contributor to BC’s regional and provincial economy. As one of the most modern aluminium smelters in the world and the largest employer in the northwest, with more than 1,100 employees and 400 indirect contractors, we remain committed to finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs. We continue to invest in our operations, breaking ground on our $135 million alumina conveyor project- our biggest investment since the completion of the second tunnel at our Kemano powerhouse - to sustain our operations for the next 70 years where we foresee a bright future for BC’s aluminium industry.

We are also aware that we cannot achieve success alone. Collaboration fosters diverse ideas, resource sharing, and collective problem-solving, which are essential for innovation and progress. Our partnership with First Nations and UNBC is an important example of the collaboration needed to address some of the region’s most pressing climate-related challenges. This year I am excited to invite you to join me for a Fireside Chat led by Pamela Ketlo, Lands Manager for the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, where we will also be joined by partners from UNBC to discuss how bringing together scientific expertise, Indigenous knowledge and industry experience can help improve our understanding of climate change impacts right here in Northern BC.

At Rio Tinto BC Works, we have set our sights on achieving ambitious goals to become a company that northern communities and First Nations are proud to host, and that British Columbians identify as a solid pillar of the economy. I would like to acknowledge and offer appreciation to external partners in our host communities that work and live alongside us.