With months yet until it’s opened, the Copper Mountain Mine near Princeton is already having a tremendous impact on the small Similkameen Valley community.
More than 400 new workers have converged on the town, filling motels and overwhelming the rental market.
Homes construction and “˜Sold’ signs fill the town, with more housing development planned as the mining town comes back to life.
“We’re looking for that sort of thing going on as much as possible to try and accommodate those people that are going to be moving to town,” says Randy McLean, Princeton’s mayor.
Copper Mountain currently employs a construction crew of 300, with another 100 direct employees.
The sudden influx has overwhelmed the town of 2,800.
“It’s put a strain on things, but it’s good for business, good for restaurant owners, good for motel owners, and good for retail,” says McLean.
Real estate and rental prices have skyrocketed with the demand, with a typical two-bedroom home, which used to rent out between $450 and $600 a month, now fetching between $1,200 and $1,500 a month.
“I can’t wipe the smile off my faces for the development that’s going on our town, in terms of the new people coming to town, the children in the schools, and participation in the service clubs,” boasts McLean.
The Copper Mountain mine is set to be in full production by June of next year.
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