Copper Mines in Canada: Map, List and Output by Mine

The largest of the copper mines in Canada is Highland Valley Copper in British Columbia, which produced 127,100 tonnes of copper in 2025 (Teck, 2025 results). Copper is mined in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2024 Canadian mines produced 514,582 tonnes of copper in concentrate (preliminary), based on Natural Resources Canada copper facts.

This page has a location chart of the main sites, a list with owner and nearest community, output by mine from company reports, and a calculator for testing whether a copper deposit could pay. It also shows where to open the official interactive maps.

Copper mines in Canada on a map

A federal source for location is the Minerals and Mining in Canada map on the Atlas of Canada, a federal interactive map with a downloadable map of principal mineral areas and producing mines. For British Columbia, the province keeps a mineral inventory with records of individual mineral occurrences and mines.

The chart below is a simple sketch of how the sites spread across the country. It plots approximate positions, not survey coordinates. The pattern is clear: one cluster in the interior and north of British Columbia, then scattered sites across the Canadian Shield to Labrador.

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Where eight copper sites sit across Canada

Approximate positions, rounded to the nearest half degree; a selection of sites

Where copper is mined in Canada, by province

British Columbia leads. The 2024 table from Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada, published February 2026 shows 300,187 tonnes for the province, ahead of Ontario at 88,258 tonnes. Quebec follows at 29,202 tonnes, then Newfoundland and Labrador at 13,612 and Manitoba at 13,327.

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Copper produced by province

Metric tonnes, 2024 Statistics Canada table

Two national totals are in circulation for 2024, so check which one you quote. That table totals 444,587 tonnes. The Natural Resources Canada copper facts page gives 514,582 tonnes, marked preliminary, and puts British Columbia at 48%. Within that table the province holds about 68%. Compare provinces inside one table only.

• British Columbia: mainly large open-pit mines where copper is the main product or shares value with gold or molybdenum.
• Ontario: the Sudbury Basin, where copper comes with nickel and precious metals, and the Kidd mine at Timmins.
• Quebec: copper from sites such as the Raglan nickel-copper mine in Nunavik, plus the Horne smelter at Rouyn-Noranda.
• Manitoba: Hudbay’s operations around Snow Lake, where gold, zinc and copper come out together.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: copper from the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine.

List of copper mines in Canada

The table lists the main sites with named owners. Figures are 100% basis for 2025 where the company reports them per mine. Where no mine-level copper figure appears in the report we checked, the cell says so.

Sources for the figures: Taseko 2025 results, Imperial Metals 2025 results, Hudbay 2025 results and Centerra 2025 results. Glencore’s half-year report for 2026 records the Kidd sale, completed on 1 June 2026. Vale refers to its Canadian polymetallic assets as a group in its copper reporting. The federal Raglan mine publication describes that site as a nickel and copper producer that ships ore from Deception Bay.

Output of the largest copper mines in Canada

Among the six British Columbia mines with a 2025 figure, Highland Valley made about 46% of the combined 274,000 tonnes. Gibraltar and Red Chris are close together in second and third place.

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Six British Columbia copper mines by output

Thousand tonnes of copper, 2025, 100% basis; pounds converted

Output can move a lot in a year because grade changes as a pit advances. Teck guides Highland Valley to 115,000 to 135,000 tonnes for 2026. Newmont, the operator, guides Red Chris to 60 to 66 million pounds for 2026, well below the 93 million pounds of 2025, and Mount Polley 19 to 21 million pounds. Rankings based on one year can therefore change quickly. For a ranking of producers and companies, see our guide to the main copper producers.

Highland Valley Copper

Natural Resources Canada calls Highland Valley the country’s largest copper mine. It lies 17 kilometres west of Logan Lake, according to the BC assessment report, and has run in some form since the 1960s. Teck approved the life extension in 2025, which moves closure from 2028 to 2046, with average output of 132,000 tonnes a year over that life and a capital estimate of C$2.1 to 2.4 billion. There is more on the site in our Highland Valley mine article.

Copper projects to watch in British Columbia

The next changes to the list are likely to come from expansions at existing sites. The sites below are in the province, and each depends on approvals or studies, so treat the dates as company expectations.

• Highland Valley life extension: approved by Teck in 2025 and described above.
• New Ingerbelle at Copper Mountain: Hudbay says regulators referred the permit application to decision makers on 16 January 2026, that it expected permits in the first quarter of 2026, and that the project should further extend mine life. Check the current permit status. Hudbay also reports refreshed participation agreements with the Upper and Lower Similkameen First Nations communities.
• Red Chris block cave: Imperial Metals’ results say a feasibility study and permitting for an underground operation were under way, with study completion and joint venture approval expected in the second half of 2026.
• Kemess: Centerra published a preliminary economic assessment in January 2026 for this gold and copper project in British Columbia.

Copper price and why it matters for these mines

NRCan reports an average copper price of US$9,142 per tonne in 2024, with a monthly price of US$8,339 in January and US$10,139 in May. Over the past decade the monthly average fell to a low in 2016 and peaked at US$10,231 in March 2022.

Price decides which low-grade ground is worth mining. Costs matter as much. Taseko reports a total operating cost of US$2.66 per pound at Gibraltar for 2025, and Hudbay reports a sustaining cash cost of US$6.12 per pound at its British Columbia business after by-product credits. These measures are not defined the same way, so they should not be ranked against each other. Read the definitions in each report before comparing mines.

Canadian copper production over time

Canada is a mid-sized producer, not a top-five one. It ranked 12th in world mine output in 2024, with about 2% of the total, while Chile led at 23%, according to Natural Resources Canada. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 estimates Canadian mine output at 500,000 tonnes for 2025 and lists reserves of 7 million tonnes, out of 980 million tonnes worldwide.

Output has fallen over the past decade. The NRCan series drops 26% from 697,322 tonnes in 2015 to 514,582 tonnes in 2024, although 2024 was up 6.2% on 2023.

Where Canadian copper goes

Canada exported 348,211 tonnes of copper ores and concentrates in 2024, worth C$4.0 billion, mainly to China and Japan. Refined exports were 140,639 tonnes, and over 99% went to the United States. Total exports of copper and copper products were C$10.7 billion, with the US taking 56% of the value (NRCan, 2024 data).

NRCan counts one primary copper smelter and refinery in Quebec, and two sites in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador making limited refined copper while processing other metals.

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Canadian mine production of copper

Tonnes of copper in concentrate, selected years; 2024 preliminary

What Canadian copper is used for

Copper carries electricity and heat well and resists corrosion. NRCan’s breakdown of global use in 2024 is building construction 26%, consumer, cooling and electronic products 23%, power and telecom infrastructure 17%, transportation 13%, industrial equipment 12% and other uses 9%.

▶ Follows copper from the Atacama Desert in Chile to the electric car. · 6:03

If you are interested in the farm side, our page on zinc and copper in crop soils covers the agronomy.

Test a copper deposit: mine economics

Mine maps show where copper is. Whether a new site could pay depends on grade, recovery, price and cost. Grades at large open pits are low: Taseko reports 0.24% copper at Gibraltar in the second half of 2025. The calculator below shows how thin the margin can be at grades like that. It is a screening aid, not a financial or engineering study; get professional advice before any decision.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

Environmental rules and Indigenous consultation

Large mine projects in British Columbia go through a provincial environmental assessment that looks at environmental, economic, social, cultural and health effects, working with potentially affected First Nations, agencies, local governments and the public. The Highland Valley assessment report notes that staff held meetings and open houses in the territories of the Nlaka’pamux and Secwépemc Nations.

When you use a mine map for planning, overlay these layers too:

• Traditional territories and any agreements with the Nations concerned.
• Watersheds and water quality monitoring points downstream.
• Tailings facilities and land already reclaimed.
• Wildlife habitat and protected areas.

Rules differ across provinces and change over time, so check current local rules and take legal advice for any specific project.

▶ The seven environmental impacts of mining, explained in clay. · 2:31

How to use copper mine maps in practice

Different users need different layers. Here is a simple order of work:

1. Start with the federal map. Use the Atlas of Canada to see producing mines and processing sites.
2. Go provincial. Open the provincial mineral inventory for occurrence records, then the provincial claims register for who holds the ground.
3. Check the operator’s report. Company results give the latest output, grade and guidance. Note whether figures are 100% basis or the company’s share.
4. Check the status. Mines close and change hands. Kidd is an example: it left Glencore’s portfolio in June 2026.
5. Add satellite imagery. Recent images show pit growth, tailings and access roads, which a static map cannot. Farmonaut offers satellite mineral mapping for exploration ground, and field checks and drilling remain the test of what is there.

Related pages on our site: Arizona copper mines map, types of farming, farming technology, fleet tracking, carbon footprint tracking, product traceability, large farm management, satellite web app, satellite API, API developer docs, mobile apps.

▶ Shows how satellite imagery and soil geochemistry are used on copper and gold targets in British Columbia. · 3:11

FAQ

What is the biggest copper mine in Canada?

Highland Valley Copper, near Logan Lake in British Columbia. Natural Resources Canada names it the largest, and Teck reports 127,100 tonnes for 2025.

Where is copper mined in Canada?

Mainly in British Columbia, followed by Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba, based on the 2024 Statistics Canada production table.

How many tonnes of copper does Canada produce?

NRCan gives 514,582 tonnes of copper in concentrate for 2024 (preliminary). The Statistics Canada 2024 production table totals 444,587 tonnes, and USGS estimates 500,000 tonnes for 2025.

Is Canada a top five copper producer?

No. NRCan ranks it 12th in 2024, with about 2% of world mine output.

Where can I find an official map of copper mines in Canada?

The Atlas of Canada has the federal interactive map of minerals and mining. British Columbia’s mineral inventory covers individual occurrences in that province.

Does Canada refine its own copper?

Partly. NRCan lists one primary smelter and refinery in Quebec and two sites making limited amounts. Much of the output is exported as concentrate.