Whitehorse resident Jerry Asp, a member of the Wolf Clan of the Tahltan First Nation, will be inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in January.

He was nominated for the honour by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada for his lifelong commitment and support for the involvement of Aboriginal peoples in the mining sector.

“It is such an honour to be recognized by the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and to be nominated by the Prospector’s and Developers Association of Canada,” Asp said in statement when his induction was announced earlier this fall.

“I am one of a small handful of Aboriginal inductees to be recognized and inducted. But I fully expect that to change because, over the course of my lengthy career, I have seen transformative change in the ability and capability of Aboriginal communities in Canada to achieve economic stability through participation in the mining sector and partnerships with mining corporations.”

As the 47th annual Yukon Geoscience Forum kicks off this weekend, Asp will be presenting The Tahltan Story – Achieving Self Determination during a session 
Saturday afternoon at the Coast Mountain High Country.

The founder and former CEO of the Tahltan Development Corp. will be joined by Chad Norman Day, president of the Tahltan Central Government.

Asp is a nationally and internationally recognized Indigenous leader whose work with Indigenous communities has earned him numerous prestigious awards. In 2011, he was awarded the Skookum Jim award by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada; the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013); the Frank Woodside Past Presidents and Chairs Award by the Association for Mineral Exploration BC (2016); and, in 2017 he received the Indspire award for Business and Commerce.

In 2013, Asp and Sonia Molodecky founded Global Indigenous Development Trust, a non-profit organization. The trust provides consultation, negotiation and mediation services in Canada and around the world to resource developers, governments and Indigenous communities.

The Geoscience Forum runs through to Tuesday and includes updates on several mining and exploration initiatives.