Taylor Swift’s three-show extravaganza at BC Place boosted Vancouver’s economy, raking in a jaw-dropping C$157 million in economic impact and C$27 million in tax revenue.
Swifties descended en masse, their wallets bursting, leaving Vancouver basking in the afterglow of sparkly tax dollars and bedazzled spreadsheets.
There’s another star, which may not have the glitz and glamour of Taylor, but who has been powering British Columbia’s economy for over a century: the mining industry.
The province’s resource sector has been a steady economic contributor, producing C$18 billion annually in economic impact and C$2.6 billion in tax revenue each year. And while it doesn’t have pyrotechnics or backup dancers, it provides the raw materials to produce what is needed for a successful entertaining experience, including the cell phones used by fans to capture memories of the concert, the screens, cables, lights and, well, basically everything.
“The comparison isn’t about choosing one over the other — it’s about perspective,” Allie Meeres, executive vice president and partner at Sedgwick Strategies wrote in a social media post.
“Taylor Swift’s incredible tour highlights how cities like Vancouver can thrive as global hubs for arts, culture, and entertainment. But behind the scenes, industries like mining ensure we have the strong foundation necessary to host such world-class events.”
Swift’s Vancouver shows were a cultural phenomenon with a short-term but significant impact. Hotels were packed, local restaurants boomed, and Uber drivers made enough surge-priced fares to finally fix that broken GPS.
Mining is a long-term economic powerhouse, providing jobs, funding infrastructure, and supporting other industries like engineering, logistics, and environmental sciences.
Sure, no one’s showing up to a mine site with “We love copper!” posters, but without the activity, we’d be doing a lot less cheering and a lot more wondering why we can’t afford roads to get to the concerts in the first place.
This isn’t to rain on Taylor’s diamond-encrusted parade — she’s earned every penny of that glitter-infused economic impact. But let’s not forget the unsung heroes in hard hats who’ve been playing the long game.
