Jade Fever

Last updated
Jade Fever
GenreDocumentary, reality
Created byDavid Gullason
Jeffrey Kinnon
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
Production
Executive producersDavid Gullason
Brian Hamilton
Gabriela Schonbach
Michael Chechik
Production locations Jade City and the Turnagain River basin of British Columbia
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network Discovery Canada
ReleaseMarch 31, 2015 (2015-03-31) 
July 19, 2021 (2021-07-19)

Jade Fever is a Canadian documentary television series from Discovery Channel Canada, produced by Omnifilm Entertainment, [1] that ran for seven seasons between April 2015 [2] and July 2021. [3] The series follows a long-standing jade mining family as they explored and placer-mined nephrite jade in the Dease Lake area of Northern British Columbia while also running a small motel and souvenir business in Jade City. The series was narrated by Martin Strong. [4]

Contents

Jade Fever was nominated for a 2016 Canadian Screen Award in the "Best Factual Program or Series" category. [5] [6] The series premiered on The Weather Channel in the US on June 5, 2021. It was also available in Germany, France, Sweden, Australia, and Russia, among other territories. In April 2021, Jade Fever became available to stream on CTV.ca. [7]

The series was cancelled in July 2021. Prior to its cancellation, Tahltan First Nation claimed the series was filmed in a mine in Tahltan territory without approval from the nation. [8] However, permits from the Ministry of Energy and Mines had been obtained. [9] In July 2021, Bell Media did not respond to questions of whether the series was pulled off-air owing to pressure from the Tahltan First Nation. [3]

Summary

Jade City is a remote highway stop in northern British Columbia with a community of 25 run by Claudia Bunce and her husband Robin. They mine a large jade claim and employ most of the people in town, making the town dependent on the financial success of the mine.

Cast

Claudia Bunce
The matriarch of the Bunce jade mining family and the mine boss bookkeeper (season 1–7).
Robin Bunce
The patriarch of the Bunce jade mining family and heavy truck/construction equipment operator (season 1–7).
Josh Bunce
Claudia and Robin's youngest son, a mine hand, heavy truck/construction equipment operator (season 17), and camp medic (season 3).
Justin Bunce
Claudia and Robin's middle son, a mine hand, prospector, heavy truck/construction equipment operator (season 2; season 7), and jade tabletop maker (season 3).
Shaun Bunce
Claudia and Robin’s eldest son (season 2, episode 13).
Steve Simonovic
Claudia Bunce's father, a pioneer Cassiar Country jade miner, and founder of Jade City (season 1–2 and season 5–7)
Guy Martial
Mine hand, heavy truck/construction equipment operator (season 15)
Robin, a.k.a. "R-2"
Mine hand, heavy truck/construction equipment operator (season 17), and alternate camp medic (season 3).
Alan Qiao
First Chinese investor (season 12).
Gary Wentworth
Mine hand, heavy truck/construction equipment operator, and friend of Guy (season 3–7).
"Scrappy" Larry
Local scrap metal/used heavy truck/used construction equipment dealer, heavy truck/construction equipment mechanic, heavy truck/construction equipment operator, and Bunce family friend (season 2–3; season 57).
Susan
Scrappy Larry's common-law wife (season 5, episode 36).
Alex
Bunce company employee residing in Jade City (season 2; season 3).
Joe, a.k.a. "Jo-Jo"
Bunce company employee residing in Jade City (season 2–3; season 5).
Karim Kaouar
Professional pastry chef, Two Mile mine camp cook (season 56).
Peter Niu
NEK Mining Inc. company executive (season 3).
William
Beijing-based representative of NEK Mining (season 3).
Christina
Vancouver-based representative of NEK Mining (season 3).
Chris
Geologist, mine hand, and Justin's friend (season 3).
Henry
Jade miner on a neighbouring claim and Bunce family friend (season 3).
Mike Mee
Engineer, mine hand, venture capital fundraiser, and Justin's friend (season 2–3).
Lesley Hunt
Consultant Geologist (Season 1).

List of episodes

Season 1

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Jade Fever"March 31, 2015
2"Got a Rope"March 31, 2015
3"The Long March"April 7, 2015
4"Slippery Slope"April 7, 2015
5"Hide and Seek"April 14, 2015
6"No Jade Until Blood is Spilled"April 14, 2015
7"The Curse of the Jade"April 21, 2015
8"Rude Awakening"April 21, 2015
9"Company's Coming"April 28, 2015
10"Out of Bounds"April 28, 2015
11"Down to the Wire"May 5, 2015
12"It Ain't Easy Finding Green"May 5, 2015

Season 2

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Mountains To Climb"February 23, 2016
2"Out in the Cold"February 23, 2016
3"500 Bolts"March 1, 2016
4"Loaded"March 1, 2016
5"An Ounce of Hope"March 8, 2016
6"May Jay!"March 8, 2016
7"Walk Hard"March 15, 2016
8"Big Chunk of Green"March 15, 2016
9"Sink, Sank, Sunk"March 22, 2016
10"Fractured"March 22, 2016
11"The Jade Whisperer"March 29, 2016
12"Mystery Rock"March 29, 2016
13"Code Brown"April 5, 2016
14"The Big One"April 5, 2016
15"Jaded"April 12, 2016
16"Escape From Wolverine"April 12, 2016

Season 3

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Hard Climb"March 7, 2017
2"Breakdown and Meltdowns"March 7, 2017
3"Digging In"March 15, 2017
4"Cutting Crew"March 15, 2017
5"High Stakes Claim"March 21, 2017
6"Eyes on the Prize"March 21, 2017
7"Shut Out"March 28, 2017
8"Start It Up"March 28, 2017
9"Slabs of Jade"April 4, 2017
10"Night Moves"April 4, 2017
11"The Big Fin"April 11, 2017
12"The Bunce Dynasty"April 11, 2017

Season 4

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Head Start"March 13, 2018
2"Hard Core"March 13, 2018
3"Tip of the Iceberg"March 20, 2018
4"You're My Boy Blue"March 20, 2018
5"Uphill Battle"March 27, 2018
6"All Slice, No Dice"March 27, 2018
7"Slipping Away"April 3, 2018
8"Failing Grade"April 3, 2018
9"Moving Day"April 10, 2018
10"Battered and Bruised"April 10, 2018
11"The Curse of Wolverine"April 17, 2018
12"Shower Day"April 17, 2018
13"Medio-core"April 24, 2018
14"We Found Jade"April 24, 2018

Season 5

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"The Long and Grinding Road"April 8, 2019
2"Nose for Jade"April 8, 2019
3"Bunkhouse Blues"April 15, 2019
4"Stuck In The MiddleApril 15, 2019
5It's My PartyApril 22, 2019
6"Who's The Boss?"April 22, 2019
7"Running On Empty"April 29, 2019
8"Ridge to Riches"April 29, 2019
9"Playing With Fire"May 6, 2019
10"Bunkhouse or Bust"May 6, 2019
11"Risky Business"May 13, 2019
12"No Country For Cold Men"May 13, 2019
13"Snow Job"May 20, 2019
14"Pushing the Limits"May 20, 2019

Season 6

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"The Big Deal"March 23, 2020
2"The Last Laugh"March 23, 2020
3"Down to the Wire"March 30, 2020
4"Trans Mission"March 30, 2020
5"Bad Brakes"April 6, 2020
6"Right Under Our Nose"April 6, 2020
7"Deal Breaker"April 13, 2020
8"Deal or No Deal"April 13, 2020
9"Heavy Lifting"April 20, 2020
10"Panic Mode"April 20, 2020
11"Digging In"April 27, 2020
12"Christmas In August"April 27, 2020
13"Between A Truck and a ..May 4, 2020
14"Mutiny On the Mountain"May 4, 2020

Season 7

No. [10] TitleOriginal release date
1"Keep On Truckin'"May 10, 2021
2"Young Guy With Semi"May 17, 2021
3"One Step Forward"May 24, 2021
4"Of Mud and Men"May 31, 2021
5"Six Pack O' Trouble"June 7, 2021
6"Fly By Wire"June 14, 2021
7"The Little Saw That Couldn't"June 21, 2021
8"Go Deep"June 28, 2021
9"Fathers And Sons"July 5, 2021
10"All That Glitters is Jade"July 19, 2021

Impact on industry

In season 3, the Bunce's hard rock mining operation at the Dynasty claim started to successfully quarry jade – a first in jade mining; which usually rips jade lenses out of rock with heavy equipment instead of quarrying it out like marble. [11]

Controversy

In 2020 Tahltan First Nation requested the show's mining crew cease operations of their mine as they had not consulted with or sought approvals from Tahltan First Nation to mine within their territory. Tahltan reached out to Bell Media and Omnifilm who develop the program to cease filming. [12] [13] [14] In May 2021, Bell Media claimed they were unaware of the requests from Tahltan First Nation, but claimed they would investigate into the matter. [8] In May 2021, after a request from the Tahltan Central Government, the Province of British Columbia put an order to not issue jade mining permits in the region for 2 years. [15]

See also

Gemstone mining TV shows
Resource extraction TV shows in Canada

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade</span> Ornamental stone, commonly green

Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of ornamental rocks used as jewelry, in jewelry or for ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite, or jadeite. Nephrite is typically green, although may be yellow, white or black. Jadeite varies from white or near-colorless, through various shades of green, to lavender, yellow, orange, brown and black. Rarely it may be blue. However these names are mineralogically incorrect. Both the amphibole jade (nephrite) and pyroxene jade are actually mineral aggregates (rocks) rather than mineral species and thus should not be described by mineral species names. Nephrite was deprecated by the International Mineralogical Association as a mineral species name in 1978. This makes the name "nephrite" mineralogically correct for referring to the rock. As for jadeite, since this is a legitimate mineral species, its name should not be used for the pyroxene jade rock. In China, the name jadeite has been replaced with fei cui, the traditional Chinese name for this gem that was in use long before Damour created the name in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy equipment</span> Vehicles designed for executing construction tasks

Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. Heavy equipment usually comprises five equipment systems: the implement, traction, structure, power train, and control/information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stikine River</span> River in British Columbia and Alaska

The Stikine River is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and south for 610 kilometres (379 mi), it empties into various straits of the Inside Passage near Wrangell, Alaska. About 90 percent of the river's length and 95 percent of its drainage basin are in Canada. Considered one of the last truly wild large rivers in BC, the Stikine flows through a variety of landscapes including boreal forest, steep canyons and wide glacial valleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dump truck</span> Truck which can tip its bed, dumping its contents

A dump truck, known also as a dumping truck, dump trailer, dumper trailer, dump lorry or dumper lorry or a dumper for short, is used for transporting materials for construction as well as coal. A typical dump truck is equipped with an open-box bed, which is hinged at the rear and equipped with hydraulic rams to lift the front, allowing the material in the bed to be deposited ("dumped") on the ground behind the truck at the site of delivery. In the UK, Australia, South Africa and India the term applies to off-road construction plants only and the road vehicle is known as a tip lorry, tipper lorry, tipper truck, tip truck, tip trailer or tipper trailer or simply a tipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Union of Operating Engineers</span> North American trade union

The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a trade union within the United States-based AFL–CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and stationary engineers who maintain heating and other systems in buildings and industrial complexes, in the United States and Canada.

Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of Tahltan First Nation and non-native residents. The town offers basic services, including Anglican and Catholic churches, a general store, a post office, a clinic with several nurses on-call around the clock, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, and a K-9 school. Steep river banks and rocky gorges form the terraced nature of the geography.

Dease Lake is a small community in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 230 km south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway at the south end of the lake of the same name. Dease Lake is the last major centre before the Alaska Highway while driving northbound, and also the junction to Telegraph Creek and the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. Dease Lake Indian Reserve No. 9 is nearby and is under the governance of the Tahltan First Nation band government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade City</span> Human settlement in Canada

Jade City is a settlement in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near the Yukon, located on Highway 37, west of Good Hope Lake and close to Cassiar, in the Cassiar Highlands. The region around Jade City is rich with serpentinite, greenstone, and Nephrite jade. Jade City is by road about 19 hours north of Greater Vancouver, and 1 hour south of the Yukon border. As of 2015, it had a population of about 30 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Edziza</span> Stratovolcano in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Edziza, sometimes called Edziza Mountain or Edziza Peak, is a stratovolcano in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the Big Raven Plateau of the Tahltan Highland which extends along the western side of the Stikine Plateau. The mountain has an elevation of 2,786 metres, making it the highest volcano of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. However, it had an elevation of at least 3,396 metres before its original summit was likely destroyed by a violent, climactic eruption in the geologic past. Mount Edziza contains several lava domes, cinder cones and lava fields on its flanks, as well as an ice cap that is characterized by several outlet glaciers stretching out to lower altitudes. All sides of the mountain are drained by tributaries of Mess Creek and Kakiddi Creek which are situated within the Stikine River watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road</span> Highway in the Northwest Territories

Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is an annual ice road first built in 1982 to service mines and exploration activities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Northern Canada. Between 400 and 600 km long, the road is said to be the world's longest heavy haul ice road and operates for eight to ten weeks starting in the last week of January. Most of the road (85%–87%) is built over frozen lakes, 495 km (308 mi), with the remaining 73 km (45 mi) built on over 64 land portages between lakes.

The Tàłtàn Nation is a tribal council-type organization combining the governments of two band governments of the Tahltan people in the Stikine Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The two member governments are the Iskut First Nation and the Tahltan First Nation, which is also known as the Tahltan Indian Band. The Tahltan Nation is governed by the Tahltan Central Council, which is composed of representatives of 10 families from each band and has its offices at Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terex 33-19 "Titan"</span> Prototype off-highway ultra class haul truck

The Terex 33-19 "Titan" was a prototype off-highway, ultra class, rigid frame, three-axle, diesel/AC electric powertrain haul truck designed by the Terex Division of General Motors and assembled at General Motors Diesel Division's London, ON, Canada assembly plant in 1973. Only one 33-19 was ever produced and it was the largest, highest capacity haul truck in the world for 25 years. After 13 years in service, the 33-19 was restored and is now preserved on static display as a tourist attraction in Sparwood, BC, Canada.

The Tuya River is a major tributary of the Stikine River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. From its source at High Tuya Lake in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park just south of Ash Mountain, the highest peak of the Tuya Range, the Tuya River flows south about 200 km (120 mi) to meet the Stikine River in the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. The Tuya River's main tributary is the Little Tuya River. The Tuya River divides the Tanzilla Plateau on the east from the Kawdy Plateau, to the northwest, and the Nahlin Plateau, to the southwest. All three are considered sub-plateaus of the Stikine Plateau. The Tuya River's watershed covers 3,575 km2 (1,380 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 36.9 m3/s (1,300 cu ft/s). The mouth of the Tuya River is located about 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 67 km (42 mi) southwest of Dease Lake, British Columbia, and about 210 km (130 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska. The Tuya River's watershed's land cover is classified as 35.7% shrubland, 31.4% conifer forest, 14.0% mixed forest, 7.2% herbaceous, and small amounts of other cover.

Automated mining involves the removal of human labor from the mining process. The mining industry is in the transition towards automation. It can still require a large amount of human capital, particularly in the developing world where labor costs are low so there is less incentive for increasing efficiency. There are two types of automated mining- process and software automation, and the application of robotic technology to mining vehicles and equipment.

Kupol Gold Mine is a combination underground and open pit gold and silver mine located in the Bilibinsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia, at the eastern end of the Anyuy Range. The mine, which produces gold and silver doré bars, is 100% owned by Toronto based Kinross Gold. The name Kupol, literally means "dome".

<i>Bering Sea Gold</i> Television series

Bering Sea Gold is a reality television series set in Nome, Alaska, on Norton Sound, that airs on Discovery Channel. It is from the creators of the Deadliest Catch reality TV show.

<i>Highway Thru Hell</i> Canadian documentary series

Highway Thru Hell is a Canadian documentary TV series that follows the operations of Jamie Davis Motor Truck & Auto Ltd., a heavy vehicle rescue and recovery towing company based in Hope, British Columbia. Quiring Towing, Aggressive Towing, MSA Towing, Mission Towing and Reliable Towing are also featured in the series. The show focuses on the hardships of operating along the highways of the BC Interior, especially the Coquihalla Highway (Coq).

The jade trade in Myanmar consists of the mining, distribution, and manufacture of jadeite—a variety of jade—in the nation of Myanmar (Burma). The jadeite deposits found in Myanmar's northern regions are the source of the highest quality jadeite in the world, noted by sources in China going as far back as the 10th century. Chinese culture places significant weight on the meaning of jade; as their influence has grown in Myanmar, so has the jade industry and the practice of exporting the precious mineral.

Wenco International Mining Systems, Ltd. (Wenco) is a Canadian technology company that develops, manufactures, and distributes computer systems to manage and control surface mining equipment. It is a provider of fleet management, machine guidance, asset health, and industrial safety technology to the mining sector. The company's computer systems include software and hardware that record data related to mining equipment activity, location, time, production, and maintenance. This information also displays to machine operators and other mining personnel. Its systems run at open-pit sites operated by large mining conglomerates De Beers Group of Companies, Syncrude, KCGM, the United States Steel Corporation, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, and others.

On 2 July 2020, a major landslide at the Wai Khar jade mining site in the Hpakant area of Kachin State, Myanmar, killed between 175 and 200 miners in the country's deadliest-ever mining accident. At 06:30 local time (MMT) heavy rains triggered the collapse of a heap of mining waste, which came tumbling down into a lake. This generated a 6.1-meter (20 ft) wave of mud and water that buried those working at the Wai Khar mine. The miners killed or injured by the landslide were independent "jade pickers", who scavenge tailings from larger operators and who live in ramshackle quarters at the base of large mounds of rubble.

References

  1. Julianna Cummins (5 March 2015). "Discovery Canada polishes "Jade Fever"". Realscreen.
  2. "Pilot". Jade Fever. Season 1. Episode 1. 31 March 2015. Discovery Channel Canada.
  3. 1 2 "Popular reality show 'Jade Fever' pulls the plug amidst mining controversy with northwest B.C. First Nation". The Toronto Star. 2021-07-22. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  4. "Jade Fever (TV Series 2015– )". IMDb.
  5. Creative BC. "BC Nominees - 2016 Canadian Screen Awards" (PDF).
  6. Sabrina Furminger (19 January 2016). "Local talent up for 2016 Canadian Screen Awards". Westender. Vancouver Westender.
  7. "Discovery Networks Join CTV's Digital Experience with Smash-Hit Canadian Originals and Iconic Series Now Available on CTV.ca and the CTV App".
  8. 1 2 "Popular reality show 'Jade Fever' pulls the plug amidst mining controversy with northwest B.C. First Nation". The Toronto Star. 2021-07-22. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  9. "Jade mining in northwestern B.C. focus of reality show, opposition by Indigenous nation". vancouversun. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  10. "Jade Fever".
  11. "The Big Fin". Jade Fever. 11 April 2017. Discovery Channel Canada.
  12. "Tahltan Nation demands Bell Media cease airing "Jade Fever" and the Province to Suspend all Jade and Placer Mining in Tahltan Territory". nationtalk.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  13. "Tahltan Nation Demands Bell Media Cease Airing "Jade Fever" and the Province to Suspend all Jade and Placer Mining in Tahltan Territory" (PDF). Ibehi Summer Newsletter – 2021. Tahltan Central Government. 2021.
  14. Notice to Cease Jade and Placer Operations , retrieved 2022-03-15
  15. "Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council". Province of British Columbia.