JUNE/JULY 2025 • JUIN/JUILLET 2025 MAGAZINE.CIM.ORG
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Read our blog around considerations after optimising your mill liners
42%
consider vehicle electrification as having the greatest potential to increase efficiency and sustainability of mining operations
plan to invest in the decarbonization of their haulage fleet by 2026
68%
plan to electrify at least 25% of their fleets by 2030
More than 400 executives from mining companies globally were surveyed and agree that the time to act is now. To achieve safe and sustainable mining operations while developing a proficient and productive workforce, the shared sentiment is that automation, electrification, and digitalization are essential to future operations. Read their perspectives and how they plan to evolve their operations in our latest ESG report.
https://new.abb.com/mining/campaigns/mining-moment
35 Names to Know
Every year, CIM Magazine profiles a collection of individuals who are making a significant impact on Canada’s mining sector in different ways, whether through cutting-edge research and development, strengthening Canada’s supply chain of critical minerals or championing Indigenous engagement and participation in the industry.
By Graham Chandler, Ashley Fish-Robertson, Lynn Greiner, Sara King-Abadi, Alice Martin, Tijana Mitrovic, Kelsey Rolfe, Mehanaz Yakub
44 Mine-to-network connectivity
High-performing, reliable communication networks are enabling the next era of autonomously controlled machinery in mines
By Mehanaz Yakub
64 The iron island
How a mine on a remote island off B.C.’s coast began supplying iron ore to Japan’s booming steel industry in the 1960s
By Ailbhe Goodbody
12 A powerful performance Compiled by Ashley Fish-Robertson
13 New closure guide
By Kelsey Rolfe
24 A safety shift
By Ashley Fish-Robertson
Columns
26 Only using price-weighted equivalent grade suggests that all the metals are equally recoverable, equally payable and equally marketable
By Vanessa MacLean and James Whyte
28 Why lithium needs more than hype to power the future
By Sasan Maleki
Indigenous participation in mining
29 Three Fires Group is paving the way for Indigenous involvement in Ontario’s growing battery sector
By Ashley Fish-Robertson
AI in operations
31 Computer vision is seeing new potential for safety and productivity in mining By Rosalind Stefanac
33 Mauricio Vega of Weir Group understands that mining’s adoption of artificial intelligence will not happen overnight, but he sees its potential to transform operations and create value in the processing plant
By Mehanaz Yakub
CIM news
47 CIM CONNECT 2025 wrap up
48 Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society of CIM scholarship honorees
48 Upcoming CIM events
49 We are profiling CIM-Bedford Canadian Young Mining Leaders Award winners to learn how they are giving shape to the future of the industry. First up, meet Hannah Lang
By Tijana Mitrovic
50 This year’s Metallurgy & Materials Society of CIM Award winners
Contenu francophone
51 Table des matières
51 Lettre de l’éditeur
52 Mot de la présidente
Article de fond
53 Les noms à connaître
Chaque année, nous dressons le profil d’une série de personnes qui ont un impact significatif sur le secteur minier canadien de différentes manières, que ce soit par la recherche et le développement de pointe, le renforcement de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du Canada en minerais essentiels ou la promotion de l’engagement et de la participation des autochtones dans l’industrie.
Par Graham Chandler, Ashley Fish-Robertson, Lynn Greiner, Sara King-Abadi, Alice Martin, Tijana Mitrovic, Kelsey Rolfe, Mehanaz Yakub
Montreal | Nov. 4-6, 2025
This Year’s Conference Chairs Register Now. Advance your next mine project.
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Names to know
As much as this industry is concerned with industrial processes, we have been shown in so many ways that it is very much animated and inspired by its people.
We can see how keenly interested our network is in the photo galleries generated by the daily happenings at CIM CONNECT.
The Institute’s social media engagement also blooms when we have the opportunity to post images from branch and society events.
That data from our newsletters tells us the same: readers want to see the people behind the stories.
CIM Magazine’s annual “Names to know” feature (p. 35) gives us the opportunity to really lean into this. This year, we have profiled nine individuals whose efforts are directed at challenges from mineral exploration to policy execution to metallurgical innovation.
Those who we feature are not selected by hard and fast quantitative criteria. It is more that they rise to the surface in a flotation process determined by a combination of current events, industry trends and serendipitous discoveries. We hope that, together, these people and their stories sketch out the character of our sector at this moment, and the direction it is heading.
I would also like to bring to the surface the names of the magazine’s editorial team whose work was recently nominated for four different National Magazine Awards in the business-tobusiness category.
Congratulations to Senior Editor Ailbhe Goodbody, whose three stories by Mehanaz Yakub, Trish Saywell and Lynn Greiner that took varied lines of inquiry into the subject of environmental monitoring were considered among the best editorial series.
Special Projects Editor Silvia Pikal’s timely eight-part series “Mining and Mental Health,” which ran throughout 2024, was
Editor-in-chief Ryan Bergen, rbergen@cim.org
similarly recognized as among the best regularly featured editorial. In addition, the story she and past CIM Magazine intern Alice Martin developed on work being done to place qualified female mining engineers from Chile into Canadian operations got a nod for the best diversity, equity and inclusion reporting.
And finally, our ritual, the CIM Magazine weekly mining news recap—which our staff writer, Ashley Fish-Robertson, weaves together into a polished newsletter every Friday— earned recognition as among the best editorial newsletters.
Behind it all is Michele Beacom, our managing editor, who injects her wisdom as needed and shepherds us from one deadline to the next.
Delivering top-notch material does not come easy, both for the wrinkles that need to be smoothed out on the page and the many struggles that present themselves outside of work life.
In general, the success of an editor’s work is measured by the attention it does not draw to itself. It is the errors and oversights that generate the immediate feedback. So, congratulations to the CIM Magazine team for the richly deserved recognition.
Ryan Bergen, Editor-in-chief editor@cim.org
Managing editor Michele Beacom, mbeacom@cim.org
Senior editor Ailbhe Goodbody, agoodbody@cim.org
Special projects editor Silvia Pikal, spikal@cim.org
Staff writer Ashley Fish-Robertson, afrobertson@cim.org
Contributors Graham Chandler, Lynn Greiner, Sara King-Abadi, Vanessa MacLean, Sasan Maleki, Alice Martin, Tijana Mitrovic, Kelsey Rolfe, Rosalind Stefanac, James Whyte, Mehanaz Yakub
Editorial advisory board Mohammad Babaei Khorzhoughi, Vic Pakalnis, Steve Rusk, Nathan Stubina
Translations Karen Rolland, karen.g.rolland@gmail.com
Layout and design Clò Communications Inc., communications.clo@gmail.com
Published 8 times a year by: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum 1040 – 3500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West Westmount, QC H3Z 3C1 Tel.: 514.939.2710; Fax: 514.939.2714 www.cim.org; magazine@cim.org
Advertising Senior Account Executives Marlene Mignardi, mmignardi@cim.org, 416-843-1961 Dinah Quattrin, dquattrin@cim.org, 416-993-9636
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Copyright©2025. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1718-4177. Publications Mail No. 09786. Postage paid at CPA Saint-Laurent, QC.
Dépôt légal: Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. The Institute, as a body, is not responsible for statements made or opinions advanced either in articles or in any discussion appearing in its publications
Printed in Canada
This issue’s cover Doug Schouten, CTO and cofounder of Ideon Technologies, is one of our 2025 Names to Know
Photo: Jon Benjamin Photography
MINING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
A Conference BY Operators, FOR Operators!
Explore topics like predictive maintenance, advanced automation, decarbonization strategies, and workforce innovation. Join us for 3 days of keynotes, technical sessions, and expert insights. Connect with industry leaders and shape the future of mining.
1-3,
The leaders the world needs right now
At the CIM CONNECT conference in May, many people asked me how I ended up in the mining industry. The simple answer is that my early career opportunities were offered by Inco Ltd. However, that answer doesn’t capture why I remained in the industry, seeking further roles as my career progressed, nor why I am so passionate about Canada’s pivotal role in the energy transition.
The fulsome answer is the people. Interaction with the incredible and diverse workforce is the secret behind my rewarding career in the resource sector. The people who work at the corporate office, the people who work at the mines, the people who work supporting the supply chain, the service providers. The people who live and work in the communities we operate in and the many lives that are impacted by the materials we produce and the income those people earn. People are the face and heart of this industry, not pictures of open pits or large haul trucks.
The resource industry is facing unprecedented challenges— the regulatory breakdowns, lack of available capital, talent shortages and negative public perceptions are merely a few. However, we are also at the beginning of a renaissance opportunity, with governmental agencies and world leaders understanding that extractive industries must play a leading role in the energy transition, supplying critical minerals to build renewable energy generation, storage, transmission and carbon-free transport systems.
The industry has a role to play in identifying and addressing the issues we face. The question I have been contemplating for years is how. How do we come together to collaborate on a large scale to identify the issues and problem solve? How do we facilitate and
People are the face and heart of this industry, not pictures of open pits or large haul trucks.
support ensuring the appropriate experts are in the room together working on the right agenda?
ChatGPT told me “A great leader isn’t just someone with authority—they inspire, guide and empower others to achieve a common vision.” The industry and CIM members have a common vision to sustainably and responsibly produce the materials required as we transition to a carbon neutral future. CIM is a collection of people who are leaders, who inspire, guide and empower every day.
My question to each of our members is simple, yet incredibly complex. How do we collate and solve the issues the resource industry faces at a large scale? If we can do this effectively, we will be the leaders the world needs right now and we will attract the younger generations to this industry.
Branches and societies by their very design are set up for collaboration and to identify issues facing the industry within specific areas and across disciplines. How do you, as members, see us working together to identify and tackle broad issues?
I want to hear from you on this topic as it is my belief that this organization has the collective knowledge and experience to change the world. Please send me an email at president@cim.org if you have any thoughts on how we may effectively collaborate together across disciplines and borders. I no longer want us to run the individual 400-metre hurdle event. I want us to be in the final heat of the highly anticipated 4 x 100-metre relay event— which I will point out that Canada won at last year’s Olympics, defying all odds.
This is how we, as resource professionals, will be successful leaders in 2025: by working together.
Candace MacGibbon President, CIM president@cim.org
Courtesy of Candace MacGibbon
Flowsheet efficiency
Metso recently introduced its Sustainable Flowsheet Explorer (SFX), a digital solution designed to streamline the complex assessment of mineral processing flowsheets. The SFX allows users to assess, simulate and compare various technological alternatives within a flowsheet, delivering useful insights into energy consumption, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs and metallurgical performance. Evaluating technological options for a flowsheet, which traditionally takes weeks, can now be accomplished in minutes. The SFX brings together key performance indicators into one unified web-based platform, delivering visualizations of the results that can support informed decision-making.
High-resolution hyperspectral imaging
HAIP Solutions recently launched its BlackIndustry 1.7 Pro Max Sensor industrial in-line scanning hyperspectral imaging camera, which features an ultra-high spatial resolution of 2,560 pixels and a short-wave infrared range of 900 to 1,730 nanometres. The ultra-narrow five micrometre slit enhances spectral resolution, enabling users to detect previously unidentifiable mineral absorption features—which the company said is an essential capability, allowing for more precise material differentiation. The camera comes bundled with HAIP’s BlackStudio software, which supports advanced spectral analysis of acquired data. Additionally, the camera features an integrated graphics processing unit for on-camera classification.
Compiled by Ashley Fish-Robertson
Smarter maintenance for gearless mill drives
ABB’s recently launched GMD Co-Pilot, an artificial intelligence-powered digital solution that can improve the operation and maintenance of gearless mill drives (GMDs) by providing operators with real-time, accurate insights into operational data, which could include maintenance recommendations or interpretation of technical documentation related to GMDs. It is designed to improve decision-making, troubleshoot potential future maintenance issues and prevent equipment failures that could lead to unexpected downtime and increased maintenance costs. The solution, which can be fully integrated with the company’s GMD Connect cloud platform, features a multilingual interface that is easy to navigate, allowing users to ask questions in natural language.
Courtesy of HAIP Solutions
Developments
A powerful performance
Compiled by Ashley Fish-Robertson
To kick off the opening plenary at the 2025 CIM CONNECT Convention and Expo on May 5
(continued on page 13)
Samuel Ojeda opened CIM CONNECT 2025 with a dynamic flute performance in black and gold ceremonial regalia.
Jon Benjamin Photography
in Montreal, musician and dancer Samuel Ojeda took to the stage at the Palais des congrès dressed in black and gold ceremonial attire to deliver a terri-
torial acknowledgment, followed by a powerful flute and drum performance. Ojeda, born in northwest Mexico and part of the Tahue Clan of the Yoreme
New closure guide
Nation, now resides in Montreal. This year’s CIM CONNECT shattered previous records, with 7,601 participants in attendance. CIM
ICMM aims to provide “recipe book” for successful socio-economic transitions in mining
By Kelsey Rolfe
Last spring, migratory caribou returned to a part of Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories that the animals had previously had trouble accessing. As part of its progressive reclamation, the North Country Rock Pile was re-sloped into a shape similar to an esker, a notable landscape feature in the area; the pile’s gentle shape made it easier for caribou to navigate.
It was the recommendation of Diavik’s traditional knowledge panel, a group of representatives from each of the Indigenous communities with whom the company has participation agreements in the Lac de Gras area where the mine is located. The panel has met 15 times since 2011 and made more than 250 recommendations that have informed the company’s closure planning. Once the site ceases operations next year, the panel will transition to a post-closure traditional knowledge monitoring program.
“The focus will shift from informing our designs and our approach to postclosure monitoring, and how we’re meeting our cultural use objectives as part of our closure performance,” said Gord Stephenson, Diavik’s senior manager of surface operations and closure, in an interview with CIM Magazine.
Diavik’s traditional knowledge panel features in a new ICMM handbook, released in May, aimed at helping mining companies, communities and stakeholders plan for closure and the post-mining socio-economic transition.
Mining companies have long been seen as responsible for leading all aspects of closure, including communities’ socio-economic transitions. However, the handbook promotes a shift from company-led transition models towards multistakeholder ones that give local communities, governments, Indigenous groups and civil society far more say in their post-mining future and see miners
take non-central roles such as conveners, financiers or capacity-builders.
“You can equally find examples of where mining projects have changed the lives of communities for the better and of where that hasn’t been the case—or maybe it’s been the case for the duration of the project, but afterwards that benefit has either not been sustained or has actually resulted in a worsened situation for communities,” said Danielle Martin, ICMM’s co-chief operating officer and director of social performance.
Martin noted that particularly for rural and remote communities, mining projects have often enabled the development of, or greater access to, telecommunications, utilities, health care, schools and community-wide wealth creation. However, when transitions fail, former mining towns are left with social, economic and environmental scars.
Multistakeholder transition approaches offer several benefits, the handbook states, including greater clarity for communities about future changes in mining activity and their implications, better decision making, and giving stakeholders who “will live with post-mining legacies” more of a voice in the process.
The handbook is part of ICMM’s ongoing community resilience program, which delves into the skills and capabilities communities and other stakeholders need in order to ensure that they reserve lasting benefits from mining. Martin said that ICMM heard overwhelmingly from members that they wanted to see a focus on transitions, given the lack of existing research, case studies or guidance on the topic.
“It’s complex. It takes a long-time horizon and requires the input of a lot of actors and fundamentally needs mining companies to step out of the middle of
Caribou on the reclaimed North Country Rock Pile at East Island where the Diavik mine is located.
Courtesy of Rio Tinto
the circle, where they’re in control of something,” Martin said.
ICMM formed expert working groups of member companies and partnered with the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies in Australia.
The handbook presents nine multistakeholder models for socio-economic transitions. The models include more traditional and smaller-scale collaborative efforts such as mine closure consultative groups and monitoring committees. It also includes innovative approaches such as land and asset trusts that miners either set up or donate reclaimed mine lands to, or post-mining joint ventures, such as Teck Resources’ SunMine solar farm on the former Sullivan mine site in Kimberley, B.C., which ceased operations in 2001.
The report also highlighted regeneration or development coalitions, collaborative regional planning processes and social investment transition foundations as other potential partnership models.
While Martin said that ICMM had hoped to come up with something of a “recipe book” for successful socioeconomic transitions, she noted that a range of context-specific factors—such as a community’s physical proximity to, and level of economic dependence on, the mine, whether workers are predominantly locals or fly-in-fly-out, the existence of a diversified local economy—will all influence what an ideal transition looks like.
The report said communities that experience socio-economic success postmining do have a few things in common, including a clear vision for their future, an ability to harness place-specific aspects such as natural landscapes or infrastructure to their benefit, and support from external parties.
Having enough time and information to prepare in advance was also a crucial factor. The guidance recommends companies begin transition planning as early as possible and proactively share more information with stakeholders than they have typically done in the past.
“These processes do take time, but as long as the process is initiated early enough, there’s a lot of value to be gained,” said Stephenson. “Mining can’t happen in isolation. Recognizing that mining does have an end and having that early engagement allows time for different perspectives to be heard and incorporated into the outcome.”
While the handbook acknowledged some mines are in operation for decades and it is difficult to plan that far ahead, Martin said it is possible to do some initial “visioning” in the early stages and slowly add more “flesh on the bones” as the years pass.
While Martin said multistakeholder approaches were more likely to lead to successful transitions, she noted they are also far more complex.
The handbook pointed out that these approaches can be hamstrung if stakeholders are not afforded enough time or given enough information in advance, as well as by any existing trust issues or conflict among local stakeholders that makes them unwilling to participate. Mining companies themselves may struggle with their lack of control over the planning process. The report also pointed out that declining resourcing
levels towards the end of a mine’s life, and employee turnover during that time, can create additional challenges.
Tara Marchiori, Diavik’s manager of communities and social performance, noted one challenge that the company worked through was ensuring that the right community representatives, with the right level of expertise and community support, were at the table, and that there was continuity in community participation.
At Diavik, Stephenson said that the panel’s recommendations influenced how the company plans to reconnect the mine operations to Lac de Gras, revegetation plans and waste rock pile design. The multistakeholder approach, he said, “really creates a sense of ownership with communities as well, because they had an integral part in developing the plan.” CIM
Trump administration fast-tracks Utah uranium project
B.C.-headquartered Anfield Energy announced on May 27 the approval of its Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium project in southeastern Utah. The environmental review for the project was completed by the federal Bureau of Land Management within 14 days, as demanded by the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of the Interior first shared on May 12 that it planned to expedite the environmental permitting process for the project, supporting U.S.
President Donald Trump’s push to increase domestic energy production. The company had submitted the plan of operation for approval in May 2024.
The project is the first uranium project to be expedited by the U.S. government under Trump’s newly established emergency permitting procedures, announced in April, to speed up the environmental review process for domestic energy projects.
“We are very pleased that the Department of the Interior has greenlit our Velvet-Wood project in an expedited manner,” said Corey Dias, chief executive officer of Anfield Energy, in the May 27 press release. “This confirms our view
Anfield Energy, with the uranium oxide (above) deposits at its Velvet and Wood properties in southeastern Utah, has benefited from President Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency.
RHJ
Photos via Shutterstock
that Velvet-Wood was well-suited for an accelerated review, given that it is a pastproducing uranium and vanadium mine with a small environmental footprint. The company will now pivot to advancing the project through construction and, ultimately, to production.”
Anfield Energy also owns the shuttered Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in Utah, located around 180 miles from the Velvet-Wood mine area, which the company plans to restart to convert uranium ore from the Velvet-Wood project into uranium concentrate. The mill was built in 1980, operated briefly in 1982, and has been under care and maintenance since then. According to the company, the mill is one of only three licensed, permitted and constructed conventional uranium mills in the United States.
The Velvet-Wood project was acquired by Anfield Energy from Uranium One in 2015. Prior to that, Atlas Minerals—its previous owner—mined approximately 400,000 short tons of ore from the Velvet deposit, with grades of 0.46 per cent uranium oxide and 0.64 per cent vanadium pentoxide, recovering
about four million pounds of uranium oxide and five million pounds of vanadium pentoxide between 1979 and 1984.
A 2023 preliminary economic assessment from Anfield Energy estimated the capital expenditure to bring the VelvetWood mine and Shootaring mill into production would be US$80 million.
– Ashley Fish-Robertson
Conflict between Barrick and Mali drags on
The future of Barrick Mining Corporation’s Loulo-Gounkoto mine remained in doubt as of June 3 press time. In mid-April Mali’s military junta closed the company’s national office in Bamako, the country’s capital, and threatened to expropriate its Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex unless operations resumed and tax payments were made—marking the latest escalation in a long-running dispute.
The company confirmed that an agreement had been negotiated and accepted by the Malian government in
February, appearing to offer a potential resolution to a nearly two-year-long conflict over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, a major earner in the country—the company said in a Dec. 16, 2024, statement that Barrick generated over US$1 billion for Mali’s economy in 2023.
However, in an April 15 press release, the company stated that while it has signed the agreement, the Malian government has failed to execute it. The company added that the agreement appears to be “obstructed by a small group of individuals placing personal or political interests above the long-term interests of Mali and its people.”
Under the terms of the deal, Barrick agreed to pay about US$438 million to Mali. In return, the company’s detained employees would be released, seized gold would be returned and operations at Loulo-Gounkoto would resume. The company noted in the April 15 press release that it paid US$85 million to the government in October 2024 as part of a framework to resolve the dispute.
The company stated that it remains committed to finding a constructive
LARGE INDUSTRIAL GEARS
Ahmed Amin
IG Service Specialist
A TIMELINE OF THE DISPUTE
January 2023
Mali announced a review of its mining code following a sector-wide audit conducted in 2022, which it said revealed that the country, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, was not receiving a fair share of profits stemming from mining projects. While the revised mining code was initially meant to apply only to new contracts, the government has increasingly sought to renegotiate existing agreements.
April 2023
Barrick reported that it received a draft report containing preliminary findings from Mali auditors who visited LouloGounkoto in November 2022. Mali asserted that Barrick owed back taxes and should comply with the updated mining code. During the second quarter of 2023, the company responded to the report to challenge the auditors’ findings, which Barrick remarked were “legally and factually flawed.”
Aug. 8, 2023
The revised code was implemented, raising the state’s financial stake in mining projects, including LouloGounkoto. Under the new code, the local government is allowed a 10 per cent stake in mining projects, with the option to purchase a further 20 per cent stake within the first two years of commercial production.
Sept. 27, 2024
Malian authorities briefly detained four senior Barrick employees from LouloGounkoto on allegations of financial crimes.
Oct. 1, 2024
The four employees were released following the establishment of a tentative agreement between Barrick and Mali.
According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, gold is one of Mali’s most significant exports, accounting for over 80 per cent of the country’s total exports in 2023.
Nov. 25, 2024
The same four employees were later arrested and charged with unspecified offences and have been awaiting trial since then.
Dec. 5, 2024
It was reported by Reuters that Mali’s military junta issued an arrest warrant for Barrick Mining CEO Mark Bristow, accusing him of money laundering and financial violations. Reuters reportedly saw the warrant on Dec. 4, though the warrant may have been issued earlier. An arrest warrant was also issued for Cheick Abass Coulibaly, the general manager of Loulo-Gounkoto.
Dec. 16, 2024
Barrick shared that Mali’s military junta had blocked gold shipments from the complex.
Jan. 6, 2025
Barrick was restricted from shipping stockpiled gold from the complex.
Jan. 11, 2025
The local government seized around three tonnes of gold stocks, valued at around US$245 million, from the complex. The gold was then transferred to the stateowned Banque Malienne de Solidarité.
Jan. 14, 2025
Barrick decided to temporarily suspend operations at the site.
Feb. 3, 2025
Reuters reported that two former Barrick executives working in Mali were assisting the military-led government in pushing for approximately US$200 million in back taxes from Barrick.
Feb. 5, 2025
The Globe and Mail reported that Mali introduced a new mining law, which has garnered backlash from several mining companies operating in the country. The new law requires companies to divest a 35 per cent share of new projects to Malian investors, up from 20 per cent, and to increase royalty taxes from around six per cent to 10.5 per cent. Foreign-owned mining companies are concerned the move will deter investors.
April 25, 2025
Reuters reported that at least four subcontractors operating at the LouloGounkoto complex—together employing several hundred workers—were conducting layoffs.
May 8, 2025
The Malian government formally submitted a court request seeking to impose provisional administration over Loulo-Gounkoto.
May 26, 2025
Barrick shared that it was awaiting a June 2 ruling, since moved to June 12, on the Malian government’s request to place Loulo-Gounkoto under provisional administration—a move Barrick opposed as unlawful amid ongoing employee detentions and blocked gold exports— and that it continues to seek a fair resolution through dialogue and international arbitration while supporting its operations and workforce.
aboodi vesakaran via Unsplash
resolution but that it is also prepared to pursue international arbitration and legal action against the Malian government if necessary.
A Malian court was expected to rule in early June whether the Malian government could take control of the mine complex with the aim of having operations restart there. Approximately 578,000 ounces of gold were produced at LouloGounkoto in 2024.
Other foreign-owned operations in Mali
Other companies with operations in Mali, such as B2Gold, have had more favourable dealings with the government. B2Gold was one of the first foreign mining companies to reach an agreement with Mali over the 2023 revised mining regulations. In September 2024, the company resolved an income tax dispute and agreed to adjust some of its exploration activities to comply with the new rules.
In contrast, Mali has been placing pressure on other companies to cough up more mining revenue. In November 2024, Mali detained Terry Holohan, then chief executive officer (CEO) of Resolute Mining, along with two other employees for nearly two weeks, until Resolute agreed to pay the local government US$160 million to settle a tax dispute. Holohan resigned as CEO in early February.
– Ashley Fish-Robertson
Mines, machines and morals
Rohitesh Dhawan, ICMM president and chief executive officer (CEO), delivered a keynote that preceded the May 5 plenary panel discussion at the 2025 CIM CONNECT Convention and Expo, which began by sharing examples from mine sites around the world that illustrate ethical leadership in the use of technology.
One such example he spoke about is the Los Bronces mine, an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine and plant located about 65 kilometres northeast of Santiago, Chile, that was first established in 1867 and has been operated by Anglo American for the last 40 years. It is one of the largest copper mines in the world, with two per cent of the world’s known copper reserves. During the mine’s technological transformation—about one third of its fleet is autonomous and it opened an integrated remote operating centre (IROC)
in Santiago in 2021—Anglo American committed to zero job losses from the shift.
“Automation can result in fewer workers,” Dhawan said. “Instead of seeing that as simply a cost of doing business, Anglo American thought of it differently. They committed not to make a single person involuntarily redundant as a result of the change to the integrated remote operating centre, and they stuck to that promise.”
He described how the company retrained people and reallocated them to new roles so that technology would not replace jobs. Furthermore, instead of expanding an existing centre that serves its El Soldado mine, which is 125 kilometres north of Santiago, it built a new IROC close to the mine to create local jobs.
He concluded by stating that such stories, “show us that as a sector, we have every reason to be proud and confident of our ability to mine with principles and to lead with purpose.”
Following the keynote, a panel discussion dug into the challenges and opportunities of deploying new technologies in the mining industry.
Moderated by Don Duval, CEO of NORCAT, the panel included Saskia Duyvesteyn, chief advisor of research and development at Rio Tinto; Jeff More, president and CEO of MineSense Technologies; Kimberly Keating, board director of Pan American Silver; and Eric Desaulniers, founder, president and CEO of Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG).
Duval kicked off the session by asking the panellists: does the mining industry have an innovation problem, or an adoption and deployment problem?
Duyvesteyn said that innovation is where people, technology and processes or systems come together: “I think we have a tendency to really focus on that technology piece—how to invent it, how to develop it—but it’s that piece where it comes together with people, with systems; how do we use the technology? How are people going to interact with it? How does it change? I think that’s really where we start to see interesting things happen. Because once we have people interact with technology, we realize that it opens up so many opportunities that we didn’t know [about].”
More said that, while many mining companies are already integrating cutting-edge technologies into their operations, the industry has a history of being on the conservative side when it comes to innovation, due to the large investment required to bring in completely new or disruptive technology. “The rate of adoption is still a bit challenging in terms of how fast things can move forward,” he said.
Keating suggested that companies think about failing fast to push their company to implement new technologies. “I don’t think we have a problem with innovation in this industry; like many, I think it’s the integration and adoption of what will take us from now until the future,” she said.
Panellists at CIM CONNECT’s opening plenary session (from left to right): Don Duval of NORCAT; Saskia Duyvesteyn of Rio Tinto; Jeff More of MineSense Technologies; Kim Keating of Pan American Silver; and Eric Desaulniers of Nouveau Monde Graphite.
Jon Benjamin Photography
“We like to say we have to treat data as an asset, and therefore you need to invest in those systems, just as much as you’re going to invest into your pumps. The best AI does not make up for poor data quality and poor data decisions.”
– Saskia Duyvesteyn, Rio Tinto
Desaulniers pointed out that it is challenging to be innovative with a greenfield project—like NMG’s flagship Matawinie mine, an open-pit graphite mine near the village of Saint-Micheldes-Saints, Quebec—as investors tend to be risk-averse.
“The word ‘new’, they don’t want to hear about it,” he said. “They want proven technology. You really need to pick your battles in terms of innovation when you develop a greenfield project. This is the reality we’re in—we want to innovate, but we first need to precisely understand in a commercial operation before changing [anything].”
The panellists also discussed the benefits and challenges that come with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into mining operations. Duyvesteyn stated that AI should be used to help humans make decisions, creating what she called decision intelligence—which received hearty applause from the audience.
“We often think about AI making decisions, but when humans are using AI to make decisions, [that] is where you really get that shift,” she said. “Here’s a real chance for us to pivot and think about, how do we actually use [AI] going forward? Because that’s where the value comes from.”
Desaulniers agreed with Duyvesteyn, stating that, “I feel AI today is used when humans are sick of making the same decision. They want to automate a decision that they’re making so often that they get bored of doing it.”
Duyvesteyn added that while AI sounds exciting, it is important not to overlook investing into infrastructure and other critical aspects of a mine.
“It’s the shiny stuff, but we have to remember that [AI] is still built on that foundational data, the quality, the governance and the infrastructure, and that’s way less exciting,” she said. “We like to say we have to treat data as an asset, and therefore you need to invest in those systems, just as much as you’re going to invest into your pumps. The best AI does not make up for poor data quality and poor data decisions.”
The panellists also touched on how highlighting the fact that the industry, while it is an old one, is full of technological advancement and innovation could help to address mining’s labour gap. Duyvesteyn said that Rio Tinto brings its technology into schools, from K-12, to show that mining is a high-technology industry. The company also communicates how the mining industry is attempting to address its role in one of the biggest challenges of our time: climate change.
“For the upcoming generation, they want to think about these big-world problems. And we try to tell them mining is part of the solution,” she said.
Keating recommended that companies think about what skills will be needed in the workforce not just now but in the future. “What are the core skills that are going to be required to attract top talent in 2030?” she said. “They [will] look very different than what they did 15 years ago: Big data, AI, critical thinking.”
She added that while it is important to talk about the exciting things happening in the industry to attract younger talent, mining cannot lose sight of its existing workforce.
“Equally, I do think we have to be mindful of the fact that we also have a huge cohort within a lot of the companies that are from a different generation,” she said. “Trying to manage that as we introduce more technology, and making them part of the process, [is important] because we still need those people to be part of these mining operations.”
Desaulniers said that mining has “never been so sexy,” pointing to the fact that Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump are constantly in the news talking about the importance of critical minerals, and that now is the time to seize on this heightened interest.
He added that it is crucial to engage with Indigenous communities, which could be an even greater part of the
workforce: “I think mining is closer to their heart. It’s closer to their community. We need to find a way to get all that untapped talent into mining. And if they want to be in tech in mining, there’s room. If they want to be driving a truck and mining, there’s room. If they want to do anything in the plant, there’s all sorts of skill sets. It’s our job to make it sexy.”
– Silvia Pikal
Unlocking digital connectivity in mining
In the latest episode of The Safety Share webinar series from CIM Magazine and the CIM Health & Safety Society (HSS) on April 17, panellists explored how mobile phones and tablets are transforming connectivity, communication and safety in both open-pit and underground operations. From streamlining risk assessments to improving real-time collaboration, the discussion shed light on the benefits of implementing connected technology in mining operations.
The webinar was hosted by Jennifer Pakula, a senior engineer at Hudbay Minerals’ Lalor mine in Manitoba and an executive member of the CIM HSS. She was joined by a panel of industry experts, including Andrea Hine, product owner at Suncor; Brad Hofford, director of organizational development at Technica Mining; and Hamza Jaffri, senior mining engineer at Redpath Mining.
Benefits of connectivity
Hofford shared how Technica Mining’s use of Sofvie, a safe performance platform designed for mining operations, in underground operations, has improved transparency and visibility by allowing frontline workers to complete risk assessments through the platform and easily access and review digitized data. Hofford added that the platform also enables direct communication with superintendents and can proactively prompt actions from workers, such as dispatching a mechanic to a site, to address issues early on.
“We do all of our risk assessments, pre-ops, frontline risk assessments, investigations and hazard reporting on our system, and it’s easy and accessible to everyone in the organization,” he said. “I find it’s actually grown not only our capability with our safety systems, but
the quality of our safety activities has improved because of the visibility.”
For mining companies considering digital connectivity, he emphasized that while some tools work better than others, the success ultimately hinges on building a strong leadership and safety culture.
Hine also emphasized the importance of real-time connectivity for workers in surface mining. At Suncor, over 3,000 devices help frontline workers stay connected, with many field decisions now discussed through Microsoft Teams and other apps rather than over radio.
“We were pleasantly surprised with how many events we were able to get ahead of because workers had more courage and community with real-time collaboration,” said Hine.
The importance of trust and leadership
Hine echoed Hofford’s sentiments about the importance of leadership in adopting new technology, noting that when Suncor first began rolling out digital connectivity—giving each worker their own device—she found herself coach-
in mining, removing the need for traditional radios and paper-based risk assessments, as discussed in the latest CIM Safety Share webinar.
ing the management team more than the frontline workers. She added that the workers were “hungry for change and feeling like they’re able to do more at work.”
“It’s been a massive campaign of coaching our leaders to treat our workforce with a certain level of trust and professionalism, and [our frontline workers have] risen to that challenge because they have the
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Mobile devices are transforming safety and communication
privilege of these connected devices,” said Hine. “Moreover, because we’ve taken this approach of trust, our workers are starting to innovate and give us feedback to make [it] more effective for them.”
Hine shared an example: some mine operators downloaded a free lightning strike app, and those crews are now more proactive in managing electrical storms instead of waiting for radio instructions to announce a pause in work.
Jaffri explained that during the tablet rollout at the Musselwhite gold mine in Ontario, where he currently works as a consultant for Redpath, much of the workforce was still using flip phones, and he admitted feeling nervous about how they would adapt.
“I was really surprised about how open and how welcoming they were to [adapt] to this change,” he said. He rein-
forced Hofford’s point that successful adoption starts at the top and requires strong support from management.
Hine explained that Suncor gave each mine manager a new digital tool and asked how it could change their operations. The feedback was telling—some managers reported improved maintenance planning through photo-enabled SAP (an enterprise resource planning software) notifications, while another noted a 20 per cent workforce reduction directly linked to the efficiencies gained from the tools.
“When you look at the impact from an enablement standpoint, we’re looking at 10-to-20-fold return on investment, so that’s how we’ve articulated our business case,” said Hine. She added that effective solutions often come from within and can be developed relatively
#ICYMI
In case you missed it, here’s some notable news since the last issue of CIM Magazine, which is just a sample of the news you’ll find in our weekly recap emailed to our newsletter subscribers.
Arizona Lithium has received approval from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Energy and Resources to begin phase one production at its Prairie lithium project (pictured) in southeast Saskatchewan. It is the first lithium brine project in the province, and one of the first in North America, to receive initial production approval. The project will utilize direct lithium extraction (DLE) to generate feedstock for the production of batterygrade lithium carbonate. Fabrication of the DLE unit is progressing on schedule, with completion expected by October.
The Ontario government will invest around $3.1 billion to boost Indigenous participation in mining, as part of the government’s broader strategy aimed at accelerating the development of a domestic critical minerals
supply chain. A majority of the funds will support loan guarantees for Indigenous business investments in Ontario mining projects, as well as grants and scholarships for Indigenous students pursuing careers in mining.
Northback Holdings’ coal exploration project at the former Grassy Mountain coal mine site in Alberta has received exploration approval from the Alberta Energy Regulator. This follows the Alberta government’s recent decision to lift its 2022 moratorium on coal exploration and development along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The regulator emphasized that the approval is for exploration only and does not grant the company approval to begin mining.
Rio Tinto, in partnership with Indium Corporation, extracted primary gallium from bauxite processed at its Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Saguenay, Quebec. This marks a key milestone in the company’s initiative to produce commercial quantities of the critical mineral. The next step is assessing extraction techniques that will enable the company to produce larger quantities of
cheaply—provided that the company listens to its workers and builds tools alongside them, rather than relying on third parties unfamiliar with the business.
Navigating the successful implementation of digital connectivity
Jaffri emphasized the importance of securing both management and crew buy-in to properly implement digital connectivity. “First, you need buy-in from the management team, you need them to make sure their team is on board. That’s going to be where the biggest challenge is, getting the crews to buy-in,” he said. He also noted that, from an infrastructure perspective, it is crucial to decide early on which devices will be used.
Building on this, Hofford advised involving a mining company’s IT department
gallium at pilot-scale. If this is successful, Rio Tinto plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, with a capacity to produce up to 3.5 tonnes of gallium annually. This could lead to a future commercial facility with a production capacity of 40 tonnes per year—which would account for five to 10 per cent of global gallium production.
Artemis Gold shared that it has achieved commercial production at its Blackwater gold mine in central B.C. as of May 1. In the preceding 30 days, the mill processed an average of 15,300 tonnes per day, which represents 93 per cent of design capacity. The company expects to produce between 160,000 to 200,000 ounces of gold in the final eight months of 2025 at all-in sustaining costs of US$670 to US$770 per ounce. For the 2025 financial year, total gold production is forecasted to range from 190,000 to 230,000 ounces of gold. The company is planning for a second phase expansion to boost annual output to above 500,000 equivalent gold ounces.
Ontario is introducing new legislation to accelerate permitting and streamline approvals for resource projects located in “special economic zones,” such as the Ring of Fire. The province intends to route all required paperwork through its mining ministry alone and respond within 24 months, a step it believes will shorten timelines by up to 50 per cent. Despite the legislation, significant development in the long-delayed Ring of Fire region is unlikely to occur quickly, as infrastructure gaps and public opposition remain ongoing obstacles.
Courtesy of Arizona Lithium
early in the process to better understand the logistics of implementation, such as bandwidth requirements, charging stations and other infrastructure needs.
Hine noted that at Suncor, after implementing digital tools, workers are now spending upwards of 30 per cent more time in the field than in the office, as they can complete shift logs and communicate in real time on-site.
“There is so much more value in being able to be in the field and take a Teams call if you have to and continue with your work,” she said. She added that her team relies heavily on the features of these devices, such as real-time video feeds and connected gas detection, as safety tools.
Jaffri highlighted the benefits of autogenerated reports, explaining that instead of supervisors sifting through 20 pages of data to track drilled holes or
Export Development Canada (EDC) is looking to increase its role in financing Canada’s mining sector amid global trade uncertainty, reaching out to developers that are in later stages of mine development. Among the Canadian critical minerals companies that EDC is considering for loans is Canada Nickel Co., which is seeking US$500 million from the export agency to support its flagship Crawford nickel sulfide project near Timmins, Ontario. The project will require approximately US$2 billion to be built.
Ascot Resources has secured $61.1 million in financing to restart its Premier gold mine in B.C. Ascot halted operations at the mine last year due to delays in mine development, followed by a labour shortage that further postponed its restart. The mill is now expected to restart in early August, with full-scale operations anticipated in the first half of 2026, coinciding with the start of mining at the project’s Silver Coin deposit.
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installed pipe, all of this information is now centralized. With reports automatically generated, supervisors spend much less time on data entry and more time focused on work on-site.
When asked about the potential of integrating artificial intelligence (AI), Hine emphasized that it is a gradual process, starting with connectivity and selecting the right devices for workers. At Suncor, a copilot program is being introduced, along with other AI tools, to provide predictive feedback to management. However, she noted that it will take at least three to five years before Suncor can fully leverage AI.
Jaffri agreed that implementing AI takes time, stating, “You have to walk before you can run. AI is pretty advanced, and we’re not at that stage yet.”
As the session concluded, Hofford reiterated that trust in workers is key. While employee devices are secure and monitored at Technica, the company has chosen a more flexible approach, trusting workers to use them responsibly rather than enforcing strict control. This trust has fostered accountability and responsible behaviour, leading to minimal issues and a more efficient work environment.
A recording of the webinar is available through CIM’s YouTube channel @CIM-ICM. – Ashley Fish-Robertson
Transforming how the world powers itself
Christine Healy, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Northland Power Inc., delivered a keynote address at the 2025 CIM CONNECT Convention and Expo on May 6 on the topic “Energy Transition and the Evolving Energy Sector” that explored the future of energy and the drivers behind the energy transition.
“Today, we are living through one of the most consequential shifts in modern history,” she said. “We are transforming how the world powers itself. It’s complex and it’s urgent, and it’s happening in real time. This is a situation where no decision creates a decision, and it has impacts.”
Healy pointed out that Canada has the potential to hold a powerful position in the global energy landscape, with the fourth greenest electricity grid in the world. “More than 80 per cent of our electricity comes from non-greenhouse
gas sources,” she said. “It’s an incredible achievement, but we are in the top two per cent of the countries of the world.”
In comparison, fossil fuels account for about 80 per cent of primary global energy consumption, but investment in renewable energy is growing.
In early May, Northland Power commissioned its $700-million Oneida battery storage facility. It is the largest of its kind in Canada.
Healy also highlighted Canada’s phenomenal natural resources and other advantages. “We have engineering expertise, operational expertise [and] a strong commitment to the rule of law,” she said. “This makes Canada a reliable and necessary partner for the 98 per cent of the world who are behind Canada on their journey to green their grids.”
However, Healy acknowledged that there are several things holding Canada back, such as long approval times for large projects. “We need to build out our infrastructure at home. By most estimates, we need to double, or even triple, our electricity output by 2050,” she said. “Despite the opportunities and the resources and the talent and the urgency, progress here in Canada remains slow, and that has a lot to do with how we permit and approve large infrastructure projects. I’ll be direct—if we don’t improve our regulatory processes, we will not meet our goals, full stop.”
Fundamentally, the long permitting times are not attractive for investors or developers, Healy said. “It’s certainly not a sensible policy for a country that needs
Christine Healy of Northland Power kicked off Tuesday’s programming at CIM CONNECT 2025.
Jon Benjamin Photography
From the wire
Compiled by Ashley Fish-Robertson
Natascha Viljoen, executive vice-president (VP) and chief operating officer (COO) of Newmont Corp., has been promoted to president. She will continue in her role as COO. Prior to working for Newmont, Viljoen held the position of chief executive officer (CEO) for Anglo American Platinum.
Discovery Silver announced several appointments to its leadership team. Pierre Rocque has joined the company as COO; Jennifer Wagner has taken on the role of executive VP of corporate affairs and sustainability; Duncan King has assumed the role of VP of Canadian operations; and Eric Kallio has taken on the role of senior VP of exploration and growth. These appointments coincide with Discovery’s entry as a Canadian gold producer, following its acquisition of the Porcupine Complex in the Timmins area from Newmont Corporation.
Tim Bradburn has joined Magna Mining as senior VP, general counsel and will also serve as corporate secretary for the company. Prior to joining Magna, Bradburn held the same roles at Iamgold Corporation for over 17 years.
Paul Dunbar has joined ONGold Resources as its VP of exploration. Dunbar has held both executive and senior management roles with Canadian exploration, development and production mining companies, including as director of exploration for Argonaut Gold from 2022 to 2024, where he led a team advancing exploration and development of the Magino open-pit gold mine in Dubreuilville, Ontario. Dunbar’s new role will include leading the renewed exploration efforts at the Monument Bay gold project in Manitoba.
Liberty Gold Corp. has appointed Jon Gilligan as its new CEO. Gilligan, who currently serves as president and COO, will continue in his role as president while being promoted to CEO, succeeding Cal Everett. Everett is retiring as CEO and director after more than eight years with the company and will transition to non-executive director of Liberty Gold’s spin-out entity, Specialty American Metals Inc. He will continue to provide his expertise to Liberty Gold as a senior financial analyst. The company has not yet announced a successor for the COO role.
to double or triple its electricity output by 2050,” she said. “We need clear, apolitical processes, [and] a wholesale commitment to be efficient and effective in our permitting processes.”
Without competitive time limits and clear pathways, Healy added, capital will go elsewhere. “Projects stall and communities lose out; we lose out on jobs, on infrastructure, on our future,” she said. “The energy transition is a race against time, and right now, red tape is winning. If Canada wants to be a leader—and we should be a leader—we need fast, efficient, transparent regulatory processes.”
Healy concluded by saying that the energy transition requires a huge amount of collective effort and action from governments, companies and communities, but that the opportunity is enormous.
Following the keynote, an expert panel discussed the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. Moderated by Sherry Iskander, senior director, centre of excellence, processing and technology at Rio Tinto, the panel included Sonia St-Arnaud, president and CEO of EVLO; Scott MacKenzie, director, corporate and external affairs at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada; Terry Smith, chief operating officer at Lundin Gold; and Maxime Lanctôt, general manager, energy development, Canada at Rio Tinto.
MacKenzie highlighted Canada’s clean energy grid as one of the country’s advantages. “Our energy, compared to other countries where Toyota operates, is, honestly, absurdly cheap—whether that’s electricity or natural gas, we’ve got it [in Canada],” he said. “We’ve got a lot of opportunities, we’ve got a lot of technology available to us here, we’ve got a lot of innovation, [and] a highly educated workforce. We’ve got all the recipes here for success.”
The discussion touched on the role of critical minerals in the energy transition, and how the government can strengthen the domestic supply chain. MacKenzie acknowledged that the current geopolitical situation, particularly between Canada and the United States, has created a lot of unpredictability. “As a company trying to plan investments over the coming years, this is a really, really challenging time to do that,” he said. “I think what governments can do is to provide certainty.”
For example, MacKenzie suggested that governments could get involved in procuring products for manufacturers,
“Today, we are living through one of the most consequential shifts in modern history. We are transforming how the world powers itself. It’s complex and it’s urgent, and it’s happening in real time. This is a situation where no decision creates a decision, and it has impacts.”
– Christine Healy, Northland Power Inc.
or provide some cost certainty for critical minerals. “If you’re planning a battery plant, the raw materials are making up 45 to 50 per cent of that product, and the prices of those raw materials are, frankly, all over the place right now,” he said. “That creates a lot of uncertainty for the company, and it creates a lot of uncertainty for the consumer.”
Lanctôt agreed with Healy’s earlier comments about the long permitting times for large energy projects, noting that improving this process would attract more investment capital. “We need a long-term view to make those very large investments,” he said. “For me, it’s simple and actionable regulation that provides long term visibility on the investment situation.”
– Ailbhe Goodbody
Updated feasibility study released for Cariboo gold project
Osisko Development released an updated feasibility study on April 28 for its Cariboo underground gold project in central B.C., outlining several updates from the 2023 feasibility study.
The updated study, prepared by BBA Engineering, outlines an accelerated development sequence, which involves single-phase construction and a direct ramp-up to nameplate capacity of 4,900 tonnes per day, resulting in a 16 per cent increase in the life-of-mine average gold
production to 190,000 ounces annually over a 10-year mine life, and an average of 202,000 ounces per year during the first five years.
Updated metallurgical testing led to the inclusion of a gravity circuit, which, alongside an improved flotation circuit, is expected to boost overall gold recovery
$943 million
Base case net present value
190,000
anticipated average annual gold production in ounces
10 years
Life of mine
to 92.6 per cent and enable the production of a higher-grade concentrate.
The study mentions an updated mine design with stope sizes increased by around 60 per cent, reducing the number of stopes needed to achieve average daily throughput.
Osisko also updated the price of gold from US$1,700 per ounce in 2023 to US$2,400 per ounce this year.
The company anticipates reaching a final investment decision and securing a project financing package in the coming months. Construction is expected to
The Cariboo gold project covers approximately 192,000 hectares and is within the historic Wells-Barkerville mining camp in central B.C.
begin in the second half of 2025, with completion slated for the end of 2027.
The project’s total initial capital costs are estimated at $881 million. In the company’s 2023 study, it shared that for phase one of the project, initial capital costs were estimated at around $137.4 million, and around $451.1 million for phase two.
The base case for the project delivers a net present value of $943 million (up from $502 million in 2023) at a five per cent discount rate, with an internal rate of return of 22.1 per cent and a payback of 2.8 years, based on the estimated gold price of US$2,400 per ounce.
First gold is anticipated in the second half of 2027, assuming construction proceeds as scheduled.
The updated study reflected that probable mineral reserves remain mostly unchanged, increasing slightly to 2.07 million ounces of gold (17.8 million tonnes grading 3.62 grams per tonne).
The company has already signed participation agreements with the Lhtako Dené Nation, in 2020, and the Williams Lake First Nation, in 2022. It is currently working towards an agreement with the Xatśūll First Nation.
– Ashley Fish-Robertson
Dan Apai has been promoted to VP of projects at FPX Nickel, succeeding Andrew Osterloh, who has been with FPX since 2021 and is moving on to a new role as VP of engineering and construction at Skeena Gold and Silver. Apai, who has served as engineering manager at FPX Nickel since 2023, brings over 20 years of mining industry experience, including leading study and detailed engineering projects at Fluor Canada for clients such as Teck Resources, Newmont Corp. and BHP.
Jayden Resources has appointed its current chairman and CEO, David Eaton, to step in as interim CFO following the retirement of Herrick Lau, who held this position for 17 years. Eaton will continue working as chairman and CEO while handling interim CFO duties as the company actively searches for a permanent CFO candidate.
Troubadour Resources has welcomed Zachary Kotowych as its new CEO, corporate secretary and director, as well as a member of the company’s audit committee. Prior to working at Troubadour, Kotowych previously held roles at Abitibi Metals Corp., Great Bear Resources and more. Kotowych succeeded Christopher Huggins, who resigned after working for the company since May 2024.
A safety shift
A new collaborative initiative is targeting invisible workplace hazards in mining, combining practical training and research to improve safety across Ontario
By Ashley Fish-Robertson
According to Workplace Safety North, exposures to caustic, noxious or allergenic substances accounted for 16 per cent of lost-time injuries and illnesses in Ontario’s mining sector in 2023.
Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced a $6.78 million investment to protect the province’s workers in the mining and forestry sectors. The announcement came during the 27th annual Mining Health and Safety Conference, held at Science North in Sudbury from April 30 to May 1.
The WSIB has joined forces with Workplace Safety North (WSN) and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) to launch a campaign aimed at strengthening hygiene monitoring practices and lowering the risk of exposure to workplace hazards. Under this initiative, WSN is creating specialized training resources and will collaborate closely with employers and workers across Ontario, offering hands-on coaching and real-time support with hygiene monitoring equipment, with the aim of empowering frontline teams to better recognize and manage exposure risks.
Invisible threats
According to WSN’s 2023 Workplace Health and Safety Snapshot for Ontario’s mining sector, 1,196 total injuries were reported among 26,391 full-time employees.
Cindy Schiewek, director of health and safety services at WSN, told CIM Magazine in an email that many of mining’s occupational hazards—such as diesel particulate matter (DPM), respirable crystalline silica, metal fumes and occupational noise—are not visible to the naked eye.
“Unlike physical hazards, workers may not immediately recognize their presence or severity, but the health consequences can be severe and long term,” she wrote. “These substances and exposures are often airborne and microscopic, accumulating in the lungs or affecting hearing over time without early warning signs.”
Schiewek added that these hazards can have irreversible effects on workers’
Mohamamd Noori via Unsplash
health, with many symptoms appearing only after years of exposure, highlighting the importance of early control and prevention measures.
Exposure to DPM and silica dust, which are classified as carcinogens, can lead to serious respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and silicosis. Other invisible hazards include exposure to metal fumes, which may lead to metal fume fever or more severe systemic issues. Additionally, Schiewek shared that prolonged noise exposure is a leading cause of occupational hearing loss, which can greatly impact quality of life and communication in safety-critical settings.
Schiewek explained that workers operating in underground environments, as well as mobile equipment operators, drillers, blasters and maintenance personnel, are especially vulnerable to these threats due to close and sustained exposure to fine particulate matter, toxic fumes, airborne dust and high noise levels.
Without a strong foundation in hazard identification, risk assessment, control selection and effectiveness evaluation, Schiewek noted that the mining industry risks ineffective or inconsistent protection for workers. This can lead to occupational disease cases, higher WSIB claims and potentially preventable fatalities. The new initiative aims to directly address these risks and strengthen worker protection across the mining sector.
Building competent capacity
The initiative will see WSN develop sector-specific guidance documents for Ontario’s core resource sectors, featuring virtual, in-person and eLearning training modules for workers, along with hands-on skill application supported by WSN mentorship tailored to specific hazards and work environments, such as inspections and samplings.
“This approach aims to create selfefficacy and build competent capacity in the realm of occupational health hazard identification, assessment and control,” said Schiewek. “When it comes to controls, a focus will be placed on applying the hierarchy of controls, recognizing when controls are not effective and fostering joint health and safety committee involvement in control evaluation.”
The initiative will include two key components: a competency development framework for site participants chosen
for upskilling, and a broader health and safety culture site assessment. Upskilling will involve knowledge- and skills-based training to improve workers’ abilities to manage occupational health hazards more effectively, supported by professional coaching and mentoring. There will also be a broader pre- and postproject culture assessment conducted by the IWH to determine the impact that occupational health hazards have had on the overall health and safety culture at an operation.
The development of educational materials already began in January and WSN started its first on-site portion of the initiative in May. Over the course of the five-year-long initiative, 25 mining companies are expected to participate, along with 25 companies from the forestry sector.
If this initiative proves successful, WSN will start to pilot the framework and work with IWH to determine effectiveness, practicality and required adjustments based on participant feedback and outcomes.
When asked about the biggest gaps or challenges in hygiene monitoring practices, Schiewek pointed to a mix of issues, including a lack of trained personnel and, even when staff are present, confusion about proper procedures and how to carry them out effectively.
She cited the collection of air, dust or other environmental samples from the workplace to detect hazardous substances as an example of a practice that, while seemingly straightforward, can be done incorrectly if factors like exposure times during sampling and the use of necessary equipment are not properly managed.
“It’s not that [these practices] are complicated, there’s just a lot to make sure that you do so you can get the right information to make the right decisions,” Schiewek said in a follow-up interview with CIM Magazine.
Mental well-being equally important
While this initiative focuses on physical safety, it also recognizes that the emotional and mental well-being of workers is equally important. “If you can picture yourself in some of these [work] environments, perhaps you’re on a 10- or 12-hour shift, and you have this noise at 100 decibels for hours, you can imagine the kind of impact that would have not just on somebody’s hearing, but also
Developments
on their mental [well-being],” said Schiewek. “If you’re operating in an area where there’s heavy equipment running, it’s loud, it’s hot, so you can see how these things can stack on one another [and have] an exponential impact.”
Once data is collected over the fiveyear period, WSN and IWH aim to uncover valuable insights and learning opportunities that will deepen the understanding of workplace hazards. IWH will use its research expertise to independently evaluate how the training programs improve worker safety and reduce hazardous exposures, informing potential expansion to other high-risk sectors.
“We have a huge opportunity to do so much good beyond our own walls at the end of the day, and I’m definitely hopeful that we’ll be able to make an impact and work towards serving our mission of making sure everybody goes home safe and healthy,” Schiewek said. CIM
Ascot Resources has appointed Christopher Park as the company’s interim CFO, succeeding Carol Li, who has retired after eight years in the position and stepped into an adviser role with Ascot. Park previously held finance roles with Northern Vertex Mining Corp., Imperial Metals Corporation and more.
After almost 45 years of working for Caterpillar, chairman and CEO D. James Umpleby III has transitioned to executive chairman of the board. Joseph E. Creed, the current COO who has worked for Caterpillar for 28 years, succeeded Umpleby as the new CEO. A successor for the COO position has not yet been announced.
Jessie Liu-Ernsting has been promoted to chief corporate development officer at FireFly Metals, after previously serving as independent director of the company since March 2024. Liu-Ernsting brings significant experience in investor relations, corporate development and mining finance, having previously served as VP of investor relations and communications at G Mining Ventures Corp., investment manager at Resource Capital Funds, and more. She is also a director of the Management and Economics Society of CIM.
Binny Jassal has resigned from his roles as CFO and director with Lake Winn Resources, after working at the company since 2006. James Ferreira has assumed the role of interim CFO as the company searches for a permanent replacement.
INot so equivalent grades
By Vanessa MacLean and James Whyte Part five
of a series on NI 43-101 myths
f you’re reading a mining news release and see a company say something like “1.5 g/t AuEq” or “2.4 per cent CuEq,” that’s an equivalent grade. It is a way of combining multiple metals in a deposit into one simplified number. The problem, however, is that the equivalent grade calculation is often done incorrectly!
Our friend the straw man is confused: “But an equivalent grade just adds up the value of each metal using today’s prices. Everybody does it!”
And that is where the trouble begins.
Let’s think about it in terms of making a smoothie. Imagine you’re blending a smoothie with bananas, strawberries and spinach. You decide to call it a “banana-equivalent smoothie” by counting how much each ingredient costs, and then converting it into banana terms.
But here’s the thing: you don’t absorb all the nutrients equally, and not everything blends the same way. The blender (your processing plant) handles bananas better than spinach. Plus, you’re throwing some of it away (like smelter losses). So, while it sounds like all the ingredients are giving you equal banana power, they’re not!
Only considering price-weighted equivalent grade—simply adding together the grades of each metal, multiplied by their market price—suggests that all the metals are equally recoverable, equally payable and equally marketable. In the real world, they are not because:
• You never recover 100 per cent of any metal;
• You recover some metals better than others. Most mines are built to prioritize one key metal; and
• No smelter will pay you for all the metal you recover. Payables, deductions and penalties are part of mining. You’re selling concentrate under specific commercial terms, not a theoretical blend.
So, if you only use price to calculate an “equivalent” grade, you’re really just expressing a gross metal value. And that just doesn’t tell the whole story.
Wait a minute...an equivalent grade is not a gross value?
Yes, it is. When you take the total price of all the metals in a rock and divide it by the price of one main metal (like gold or copper), you’re not doing anything special. You’re just turning a dollar amount into “metal units.” It’s still the same total value, just written in ounces of gold or tonnes of copper instead of dollars. That doesn’t make it a true equivalent grade, it’s just a fancier way of showing the same number.
Gross value doesn’t consider recovery, payables or processing costs, and neither does a price-weighted “equivalent.”
So, what is the real-world equivalent grade?
Take the grades of each commodity and multiply each by that commodity’s unit price, its recovery and the payable fraction of its price. Then divide by the unit price, recovery and payable fraction that applies to the principal commodity.
Where:
Equivalent grade = (Grade1 × Price1 × Recovery1 × Payable1 + Grade2 × Price2 × Recovery2 × Payable2 + …) ÷ (Pricem × Recoverym × Payablem)
• Each “ 1,2… ” is a commodity in your resource;
• “ m ” is the main commodity, the unit you want to express your equivalent grade in (e.g., copper (CuEq), gold (AuEq));
• You apply metallurgical recoveries and commercial payables to each metal; and
• Include the formula in your disclosure! Math makes it real.
“Let's think about equivalent grades in terms of making a smoothie.”
But we’ve always done it this way.
Not really. One of us looked back through the archives of The Northern Miner and equivalent grades weren’t commonly reported until the mid-1980s, when gold-silver producers reported “gold-equivalent” production and platinum producers reported equivalent grades in concentrates. Those numbers— recovered and payable metal—made sense. Moreover, mine operators using equivalents recognized that any “equivalency” between metals had to take both price and recovery into account. But around 1988, equivalent grades started showing up in resource estimates, before anyone knew whether those resources would be economically extractable. That’s when the shortcut turned into a marketing tool.
So, it’s not traditional. But isn’t it a requirement?
Not at all. Back in 2003, the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines said this about grade equivalents:
Reporting of mineral or metal equivalence should be avoided unless appropriate correlation formulae, including assumed metal prices, metallurgical recoveries, comparative smelter charges, likely losses, payable metals, etc., are included.
Even before that, Raymond Goldie and Peter Tredger’s classic 1991 paper on net smelter return models conceded equivalent grade was widely used but was “misleading” and “should be avoided.” No literature we’ve been able to find accepts pure price-weighting as an equivalent grade. Authors always include recovery and most also include costs. Regulators are not alone in their thinking.
Courtesy of Vanessa MacLean and James Whyte
If we have to include recovery factors, what if we assign a partial recovery—say 80 per cent—to all the metals in the equivalent?
Let’s check that math. Multiply the numerators by 0.8 and the denominator by 0.8 and you’ve multiplied the grade by...one. Sadly, you haven’t corrected anything. You must apply actual or reasonably assumed recoveries and payables.
Other standards like JORC (Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee) and SAMREC (South African Mineral Reporting Code) don’t restrict price-weighted equivalents.
Both JORC Clause 50 and SAMREC Clause 74 require individual metal grades and recovery factors. SAMREC goes further, requiring the equivalent to take account of netback. So yes, other jurisdictions agree that price-weighted equivalents don’t meet best-practice standards.
What about sums of grades, like total platinum group elements? Those aren’t equivalents.
Those are equivalent grades too, just without any weighting. They treat all metals as equally valuable and recoverable, which is rarely true.
But total rare earth oxides are an industry standard. Let’s examine this. Total rare earth oxides include unmarketable rare earths and low-priced commodities that may not figure into a project’s economics. Only a few rare earths (like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium) are actually valuable. A lot of public companies think reporting in this way is meaningful, but just because others do it doesn’t make it right.
Equivalent grades have to be calculated with care and attention to all the economic factors as they apply to each payable commodity. We leave the last word to Foghorn Leghorn in the classic Warner Brothers cartoon A Fractured Leghorn: “It’s mathematics, son. You can argue with me, boy, but you can’t argue with figures.” CIM
Mineral Economics and Mine Management-Informed Mine Asset Valuation for Sustainable Returns Under Risk and Cyclicality
INSTRUCTOR Mustafa Kumral, McGill University, Canada • PLACE Montreal, Canada • DATE September 17-19, 2025
Strategic Mine Planning with New Digital Technologies, Risk Management and Mineral Value Chains
INSTRUCTOR Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University • PLACE Montreal, Canada • DATE September 24-26, 2025
Geostatistical Evaluation of Mineral Resources and their Uncertainty under the New Regulatory Environment
INSTRUCTORS David F. Machuca, SRK Consulting and Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University • PLACE Montreal, Canada • DATE September 29October 3, 2025
Vanessa MacLean is a senior geologist at the British Columbia Securities Commission. James Whyte retired in 2023 from his role as a senior geologist at the Ontario Securities Commission. Both authors are writing in their private capacity.
THeavy expectations
By Sasan Maleki
here’s a common misconception floating around that lithium, because it’s abundant and essential, will simply rise to meet demand as the world electrifies. But the truth is more complicated—and, frankly, more precarious. Yes, lithium is the lightest metal on the periodic table, but it’s carrying the weight of an entire energy transition. And we need to start treating it that way.
For all the optimism around battery innovation and electrification, lithium’s supply chain remains deeply uneven, technologically demanding and environmentally burdensome. That’s not a crisis in itself—but pretending it’s not a problem is. Let’s start with the basics: lithium doesn’t come ready-made. Whether it’s pulled from salt-rich brines in Chile or from pegmatite ores in Australia and Canada, getting usable lithium into a batterygrade form involves complex chemistry, intense heat and a lot of water or energy—or both. And even then, refining it to meet customer specifications adds another layer of cost and emissions. The idea that we can endlessly ramp up production without consequences is a myth we urgently need to move past.
Strategic missteps
At the same time, the geopolitical side of lithium production gets less attention than it should. Over 60 per cent of lithium refining happens in China, giving it an outsized role in the global battery supply chain. Western nations are trying to catch up, but there’s a steep learning curve—and plenty of missed opportunities.
One of the most telling is the story of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology. Originally developed and patented in Canada, LFP technology was licensed to Chinese firms royaltyfree, as long as production stayed in China. It did—and now China dominates global LFP battery production, including the cells used in many Tesla models. That’s not just a business decision; it’s a strategic misstep. We can’t afford to repeat it. If we want lithium to support long-term decarbonization goals, we need to invest not just in mining but in every step of the value chain— from extraction and processing to recycling and next-generation battery chemistry. The race to electrify is also a race to control innovation and infrastructure. And right now, we’re lagging.
Emerging solutions
To be clear, there’s good work happening. Direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies promise to reduce water usage and improve efficiency, though they still need to prove themselves at scale. Battery recycling is picking up momentum, offering a way to recover critical materials from spent cells instead of relying entirely on virgin supply.
These are promising developments—but they won’t replace the need for a coherent, long-term strategy. That strategy has to recognize lithium’s double life. It’s both a mineral resource and a geopolitical tool. A technical challenge and a sustainability question. The projects that will thrive won’t just have good
grades or flashy investor decks, they’ll have credible plans for processing, environmental, social and governance, stakeholder engagement and long-term supply chain resilience.
Waste leverage
The European Union’s March 2025 decision to reclassify black mass as hazardous waste may seem like bureaucratic fine print, but it’s actually a strategic pivot. By restricting exports to nonOECD countries, the EU is signalling that it no longer sees battery waste as disposable—it sees it as leverage. Black mass, the gritty residue of spent electric vehicle (EV) batteries, is rich in lithium, cobalt and nickel. And until now, most of it has flowed out of Europe and into Asia’s well-established recycling hubs. That’s another missed opportunity.
Keeping black mass in-region is about more than circularity—it’s about control. Control over raw materials, industrial emissions and the economic upside of closed-loop supply chains. At the same time, it aligns with tightening environmental regulations by minimizing the carbon footprint of material flows. The policy shift is a step forward, but turning it into real capacity will require investment, infrastructure and smarter economics. The EU doesn’t just need to hold onto its waste—it needs to know what to do with it.
Strategic specifications
Lithium deals are no longer just about supply, they are about strategy. ExxonMobil’s entry into lithium in 2023 through its Mobil Lithium brand isn’t just a resource play, it’s a signal that upstream producers are thinking more like supply chain architects. By partnering with battery makers like SK On, a leading South Korean battery manufacturer, ExxonMobil is doing more than selling lithium; it’s co-building a domestic EV ecosystem. These kinds of strategic partnerships—between miners, refiners and OEMs—are becoming the new blueprint. They reduce risk, increase visibility and help align production timelines with demand curves. For OEMs, it’s about securing critical inputs. For producers, it’s about embedding themselves deeper into the value chain. Either way, the old model—of digging, shipping and hoping someone buys—is fading fast. In its place: alliances built for resilience, not just revenue.
So, here’s the thesis: lithium isn’t just a commodity—it’s an ecosystem. And if we keep thinking about it only in terms of tonnage or market price, we’re going to lose out—economically, strategically and environmentally. There’s still time to course correct. But we’ll need to stop chasing shortcuts and start building systems. Because lithium may be the lightest metal, but our expectations for it have never been heavier. CIM
Sasan Maleki holds a PhD in economic geology and brings over 15 years of experience exploring a wide range of commodities, including critical minerals, combining field expertise with market insights to support the global energy transition. Maleki is author of the book Powering the Future: The Journey of Lithium from Earth to Battery and Market, which is available on Amazon.
Indigenous participation in mining
From scrap to supply chain
Three Fires Group is paving the way for Indigenous involvement in Ontario’s growing battery sector
By Ashley Fish-Robertson
Motivated by a desire to create economic opportunities for Indigenous communities in southwestern Ontario, Three Fires Group—an Indigenous-owned economic development corporation based in Kettle Point, Ontario— approached Toronto-headquartered Electra Battery Materials with a vision to take part in the region’s growing battery industry through recycling.
That vision became a reality on Sept. 18, 2024, when the two partners announced a joint venture (JV), Aki Battery Recycling. Under the JV, lithium-ion battery scrap and waste material from various manufacturers will be shredded into black mass material, which contains critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, at a planned pretreatment facility in southwestern Ontario, which will be able to treat around 14,000 tonnes of scrap per year. Once funding is secured and a location is chosen, the facility could begin operations in 2027.
Three Fires Group seeks to generate wealth and prosperity through economic and infrastructure projects in southwestern Ontario for the nations of the Three Fires Council—also known as the Three Fires Confederacy—which includes the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi. The Council’s treaty territory stretches from the western Waterloo region to Windsor. The group is headquartered in the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
An alternative route to participation
Reggie George, executive director of special projects and partnerships at Three Fires Group, and a member of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, observed that opportunities to mine critical minerals—and to participate in the broader mining industry—have been limited in the area. This is because southwestern Ontario lacks the mineral-rich geology of the province’s northern regions, like the Ring of Fire or Sudbury Basin, and primarily produces non-metallic minerals like salt and gypsum.
“That led us down the path of, okay, can we look at end-oflife solutions, and [eventually] that led us to Electra.” George
added that turning to battery recycling fits with the group’s vision of “First Nations as keepers of the land.”
“The Three Fires group is guided by a strong vision and core values that emphasize environmental stewardship, community empowerment, cultural preservation, collaboration and innovation,” George said. He added that the group’s commitment to environmental stewardship is reflected in its involvement in this recycling project, which promotes responsible disposal and recycling of batteries, reducing pollution and conserving resources.
“The partnership allows First Nations communities to have a stake in the critical minerals and battery supply chain, which can lead to economic empowerment,” he said. “The communities can benefit from job creation, skill development and disbursements from the partnership. This can help improve the overall standard of living. Additionally, by having a voice in the mining industry, First Nations communities can influence policies and decisions that affect their land and resources. This can lead to greater social and political empowerment.”
He added that, by integrating traditional knowledge and practices, this project also honours the cultural heritage of the community.
He observed that the JV works out well not only because it enables Three Fires and Electra to recycle unused resources back into the supply chain—reducing pressure on the mining industry—but also because it aligns with the rapidly growing demand for critical minerals needed for energy storage and other applications.
Beyond its economic and environmental benefits, George views the JV as part of a broader cultural and industry shift— one that increasingly values Indigenous participation and recognizes the importance of Indigenous rights in shaping the future of resource development.
“Mining is getting more and more progressive as an industry and respecting native title rights—I shouldn’t say across the board—but the [industry is] getting better,” said George. “If
Left to right: Reggie George, executive director of special projects and partnerships at Three Fires Group, and Trent Mell, CEO of Electra Battery Materials.
Courtesy of Reggie George and Electra Battery Materials
you look at a lot of the impact benefit agreements, particularly up north, like around the Ring of Fire, a lot of negotiations are going on around there.”
When it comes to advancing economic reconciliation in the mining industry, George said that the industry “should invest in community development, contributing to infrastructure, education, health care and other essential services, leading to longterm benefits and improved living conditions. Collaboration and partnership are key, fostering trust and open communication to prioritize the interests and needs of First Nations.”
“Three Fires Group envisions a mining industry that actively supports economic reconciliation by addressing historical injustices and creating equitable opportunities for First Nations communities,” he added. “They advocate for inclusive economic opportunities, fair compensation and benefits, ensuring that community members have access to jobs, training and business opportunities within the industry.” George stated that “respect for land and resources is paramount, with an emphasis on sustainable practices that honour the cultural heritage of First Nations.”
George views Three Fires’ location in southwestern Ontario as a key strategic position within the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain due to several upcoming battery and automotive plants planned for construction in the area, including plants from Stellantis and Volkswagen.
“[Three Fires’] location in southwestern Ontario has kind of put us in a very interesting spot,” he said “There’s all these gigafactories that they’re looking to open, and it’s right in the middle of our treaty territory. Then on top of that, we’ve got some pretty major landfills within proximity to some of our First Nations as well.”
Three Fires holds a 51 per cent stake in the JV, while Electra owns the remaining 49 per cent. Three Fires will lead capital resourcing efforts and oversee the identification and selection of the future facility’s location. Additionally, Three Fires will support Electra in managing the facility once it becomes operational.
George said that a few potential sites in southwestern Ontario are currently under consideration for the recycling project, though he was unable to share specific details at this stage. Three Fires hopes to settle on a location for the plant and to begin collecting batteries from older EVs to recycle later this year.
He noted that one of the advantages that comes with this type of recycling project is that it requires only a few acres of land and offers the flexibility to repurpose brownfield sites.
A circularity-driven venture
Electra underscored that, even before a lithium-ion battery is placed in an EV, significant waste is generated in each step of the manufacturing process. This manufacturing waste can be shredded into black mass, which is then hydrometallurgically treated in order to extract and isolate valuable battery materials including nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese and graphite. These materials can then be reinserted into the lithium-ion battery supply chain at cathode and anode production facilities before being combined into new cells.
The recovered black mass would be processed using Electra’s proprietary recycling technology at the company’s hydrometallurgical facility in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, where the company is working to complete construction of
North America’s first cobalt sulfate refinery. The processed black mass would produce a nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), lithium carbonate, as well as manganese and graphite products. These products could then be sold asis, or Electra could further separate the MHP and put the cobalt product through its cobalt sulfate refinery to turn it back into battery-grade cobalt sulfate and return it to the battery supply chain.
Once fully commissioned, Electra’s cobalt sulfate refinery is expected to produce around 6,500 tonnes of battery-grade cobalt per year, representing up to five per cent of the total global market share for cobalt sulfate.
“Rather than buying black mass, it allows us to take battery scrap [from cell manufacturers], do the shredding [with Aki] and then send that to our cobalt refinery complex, and you could then return that material back to the [cell manufacturing] battery plant, so you create circularity,” said Trent Mell, CEO of Electra Battery Materials. “The way we envision the [recycling] plant, we don’t want to be collecting old laptops, cellphones and cars from all over the country. The idea is to set up a plant so that you can partner with known battery manufacturers, and then the beauty of that for Electra further downstream, is that you get a very consistent source of feed into your refinery, day in and day out.”
According to Electra, recovering critical minerals through an advanced battery shredding process will help reduce the EV supply chain’s carbon footprint and decrease reliance on foreign sources for these essential materials.
Mell noted that when George approached Electra to share Three Fires’ vision of Indigenous participation in southwestern Ontario’s battery supply chain, “there was an instant chemistry. From that call,” he said, “we landed on a JV whereby we would work with Three Fires to make the black mass through this pretreatment facility to then supply our cobalt sulfate refinery. It’s been a really good relationship thus far.”
Mell considers this JV to be unique as it opens the door for First Nations communities located in southwestern Ontario that are not already engaged in the mining industry to “now participate in mineral production, through recycling.”
He acknowledged that while Electra and Three Fires still have work ahead, he hopes the success of this JV will serve as a model for how mining companies can partner with First Nations to participate in recycling projects such as this one.
With significant investment flowing into southwestern Ontario’s battery manufacturing industry, the JV is well placed to support the region’s shift towards more circular supply chains. As Mell explained, the biggest benefit of the JV, especially for Electra, is its ability to close the loop—recycling battery scrap from nearby manufacturers and feeding it directly into Electra’s cobalt refinery. It is also a way to engage with Indigenous communities.
“[Electra] is trying to enable meaningful economic participation for Indigenous communities in economic activity that takes place on their land,” Mell said. “We’re not so much the proponent in terms of a land impact, we’re a solution that allows us to bridge a project proponent, in this case, a [recycling facility] and Indigenous [communities].” CIM
Indigenous Participation in Mining will run throughout 2025 and explore the people, the ideas and the models that are moving mining projects and economic reconciliation forward.
Intelligent vision
Computer vision is seeing new potential for safety and productivity in mining
By Rosalind Stefanac
In an industry that has long relied on the eyes of trained experts for everything from prospecting and assessing ore quality to monitoring employee safety conditions, new technology in the form of computer vision is watching, learning and ultimately helping to chart the future for safer and more efficient mining operations.
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that trains computers to interpret and analyze visual data to accurately identify and classify objects. Computer vision systems— powered by cameras, sensors and machine learning—are already being used in the manufacturing, retail, automotive and health care sectors to eliminate the need for manual visual checks and to drive efficiencies.
At mine sites, the technology is showing great promise for everything from improving mineral recovery and waste reduction to curbing safety concerns of employees in the field.
“Artificial intelligence is replacing human eyes,” said Dhruv Sharma, founder and CEO of Convolve AI. In fact, the Waterloo, Ontario-based AI and analytics consulting firm is currently in talks with mining companies in Canada and abroad that are interested in piloting computer vision systems for a variety of applications. “The technology has advanced to a point where it’s good, reliable and usable,” he added.
Similar to the human eye, computer vision enables machines to “see” and interpret images and videos. Whether the technology is embedded into cameras, drones or satellite images, it can be trained to track movements, recognize objects, detect patterns and even make decisions based on what is in its line of sight in real time.
By training on thousands or millions of labelled images and videos (such as trucks or geological features at a mine site), the AI model eventually learns to identify distinguishing features and make predictions about new, as yet unseen images. The computer vision system is trained by repeated exposure to visual examples that build familiarity and expertise.
Sharma cited the example of a mining operation equipped with 50 video cameras. “Today there may be one or two people assigned to watch the cameras, but AI could be monitoring all those cameras at once without missing things,” he said. Plus, computer vision could be used to quickly process video feeds from all those cameras and highlight potential safety issues with faulty equipment or operational inefficiencies in need of fixing.
As AI continues to evolve, future applications for computer vision show even greater promise with the integration of natural language processing, noted Sharma. This provides the potential for employees to ask questions of particular computer vision systems in plain language to get actionable results (e.g., “show me unsafe areas in the last scan,” or “what does the drone see?”).
Mining applications
The technology is gaining particular momentum now because the computing power has reached a point where it can effectively capture data in a dynamic environment like mining, according to Ravi Sahu, CEO of Strayos, a provider of an AI-powered platform to enhance mining operations that is currently being used by some 150 Canadian mines.
“What once demanded sprawling server rooms now thrives on a compact GPU [graphics processing unit] tethered to a
By monitoring workers to ensure they are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment, computer vision can help to prevent injuries and accidents.
computer vision camera,” he said. “In a year from now, you’ll have even more computing power and more use cases emerging in mines.”
In terms of present-day applications of computer vision, Sahu pointed to autonomous mining equipment as a key use case. “If the haul truck driver can be in an office far away operating a truck, it’s always better in terms of keeping employees safer,” he said.
Similarly, five trucks equipped with computer vision technology would be able to sense each other’s production loads and feed that data to other machines on site. “Now I have this dynamic data and can go and make production changes as needed,” said Sahu.
More autonomous vehicles and other mining equipment may also be a solution for ongoing labour shortages in the mining sector. “As machines go more autonomous, we can start attracting a new generation of talent that won’t be spending 80 per cent to 90 per cent of their time in the mine,” he said. Rather, they will be designing systems and steering operations through software, hundreds of kilometres away.
Computer vision is also expected to significantly improve ore sorting and grade control. That is because AI-enhanced cameras can perform real-time ore analysis and automatically identify mineral composition and particle size on conveyors and shovels to enhance sorting. The technology can also be used to separate ore from waste, which would cut down tailings production and water consumption, improving the overall environmental impact of mining companies, said Nermina Harambasic, founder of O-MOD, a capital project oversight advisor and AI for mining adoption consultant.
“Over time, these new tools will lead to changes to ore processing facilities as new solutions will remove existing bottlenecks and transform current configurations,” she said. “For example, [computer] vision can be used at the front end to monitor ore fragmentation; separate ore and waste; send that information to the processing plant; and, as a minimum, optimize the existing process or, ideally, simplify configuration of the downstream process.”
Obstacles to adoption
Yet even with all its potential for improving operations and safety in mining, there are a number of factors preventing mainstream adoption of the technology just yet, said Peyman Sindareh, senior data scientist at MineSense Technologies in Vancouver, which provides companies with digital mining solutions. He highlighted limited infrastructure in remote areas, harsh environmental conditions and difficulty integrating with legacy systems as just some of the reasons why computer vision is not more broadly implemented in the mining industry.
“Environmental factors such as dust and poor lighting can lead to false detections, and AI models often require retraining to adapt to new sites and perform site-specific tasks,” he said. “Additionally, customizing and maintaining these systems can be costly.”
Developing effective computer vision models also requires large volumes of field data where security is a major concern, so the data needs to be reviewed by both computer vision specialists and mining domain experts. The labelling process itself is also costly and time-consuming, often requiring expert annotation, he said. Training accurate models then demands advanced expertise in computer vision and computational resources.
“Even after successful development, there’s a critical gap in training operational staff to understand, trust and effectively use these models to drive value and profitability,” said Sindareh. Those mining companies wanting to take full advantage of the potential benefits of computer vision should be investing in hardware, training, transparent data policies and careful change management, he recommended.
In spite of these hurdles, the long-term gains with computer vision will be worth the growing pains, said Sindareh. Compared to traditional models—such as visual inspection by operators, mechanical sensors with no image data, or rule-based systems that use fixed thresholds without adaptive learning— he believes computer vision solutions can be more robust, reliable and ultimately less expensive. For example, he said particle size distribution analysis using computer vision may offer a faster and more cost-effective alternative to conventional sieving methods.
The future
As computer vision becomes more advanced and technologies become better integrated, mining companies that adopt it can expect their productivity gains to only get better, said Yael Valdez, an optimization specialist for digital solutions at Hatch. For example, he said, a computer vision model that is actively tracking compliance or performance and is integrated with an optimization system in the background can harmonize to provide recommendations on how to alleviate bottlenecks at sites as soon as deficiencies are detected.
Similarly, an automated control and response process using computer vision could be used to improve safety in the field. If a person is detected within five metres of a moving haul truck, for example, the system could automatically trigger the truck to turn off, preventing a potentially fatal injury. “I think interconnecting different types of advanced analytics and even basic applications is where these computer vision models will really shine,” he said.
Beyond that, Harambasic pointed to advancements in humanoid robots equipped with computer vision as another big breakthrough to come in the mining sector. “Car manufacturers are already using humanoid robots in their pilot programs,” she said, noting that robots should ideally be used at the positions where people are exposed to harsh conditions and repetitive tasks or to assess potential danger before humans enter an area. “I think [these robots] will be a game-changer in many industries, including mining,” she said.
As with any new technology being introduced into a workplace, pushback from employees is inevitable, said Valdez, especially when adopting technologies that track or change how work is monitored. But he suggested that having clear communication around why and how it will be used, taking an operatorfocused approach to change management, and ensuring that the organization’s employees and management are on the same page, would allow the deployment of computer vision to be a big step forward.
He noted that many mining companies are already housing comprehensive amounts of data from cameras that is not being used to provide analytics on operational bottlenecks or safety issues. “Right now, images and video are a form of unstructured data that is being highly underutilized by mining companies,” he said. “Those not leveraging or planning to leverage this type of data will be left behind.” CIM
Smarter processing
Mauricio Vega of Weir Group understands that mining’s adoption of artificial intelligence will not happen overnight, but he sees its potential to transform operations and create value in the processing plant
By Mehanaz Yakub
Mauricio Vega is the head of process optimization technology at Weir Group, a Scotland-based mining technology company. Over the past seven years, he has been at the forefront of Weir’s digital transformation, starting with developing equipment-level applications that deliver advanced insights into key Weir machinery such as cyclones and pumps.
Weir has always focused on improving its machines to enhance the entire mineral processing circuit. This was further emphasized in late 2023 with Weir’s acquisition of SentianAI, a Swedish software company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that continuously learn and adapt to dynamic processes for mine optimization and improvement.
Vega and his team are now combining Weir’s expertise in equipment and metallurgy with AI to deliver advanced optimization solutions for mineral processing.
In a conversation with CIM Magazine, Vega discussed the value AI brings to mineral processing, the challenges of implementing it and the advantages of taking a holistic, system-wide approach to optimization.
CIM: How can artificial intelligence benefit mineral processing?
Vega: There is no doubt that current mineral processing plants and operations are working. There are standardized approaches, control systems and some very sophisticated automation systems. There is also no doubt that solutions [already] exist that perform certain analytics to optimize processes.
But where we think AI can be beneficial is when you think about mineral processing in a holistic way. By putting AI at a higher level and under proper conditions, we can use it to identify, for example, the reason for process variable drifts that are difficult to catch using existing techniques.
Another strength of AI is its ability to adapt to certain situations and identify disturbances to the process that are difficult, or even impossible, to measure directly—for example, changes in ore characteristics that affect process performance. I think that is the key use of AI.
From there, we can escalate that into adding other AI components. For example, once a disturbance or a drift in the process,
Courtesy of Weir Group
or even a particular behaviour of the operator is identified, AI can recommend actions, send alerts and suggest setpoints for the operator to implement. This will help to optimize the process by avoiding downtime or increasing processing throughput to meet production targets.
CIM: What are the key challenges of deploying AIbased solutions at processing plants?
Vega: There are two main ways of looking at what the challenges are.
The first is from a data science perspective, looking at the availability and quality of the data. Sometimes, customers have issues with certain instruments or sensors that are either not working properly or simply not available at the mine. On the other hand, some customers will not allow a third-party system to be connected to their system to access the data. But that data access is a fundamental requirement for every AI solutions provider.
The other challenge is more about perception. Sometimes, customers require guidance to fully understand the scope and implications of deploying an AI-based solution. We need to ensure that the customer understands that the AI solution will sit alongside or on top of existing systems. It is not a black box that will generate actions that are impossible to execute.
As we stand now, we are not taking over their plant and we are not replacing any existing systems. Our AI systems are designed to complement what is already in place and help them to solve their most complex problems.
CIM: What are the advantages of optimizing entire circuits and processes rather than individual pieces of equipment?
Vega: As Weir started this digital journey, we made our equipment the focus and it was the right thing to do. But usually, individual pieces of equipment do not sit alone in the flowsheet—they are always part of a circuit or functional area. If we look only at performance at the equipment level, it is possible to miss the whole picture, [and] it can be difficult to pinpoint what the real process issues and constraints are.
That is why now, we have taken a step up to analyze the interactions between all the equipment.
The best way to do that is by creating digital twins running in real time that will enable this holistic view by considering the metallurgy aspects, the process dynamics and the hard limitations.
AI can support this by quickly analyzing what is going on, identifying the bottlenecks and finding out what the limits of the process might be. The benefit of having this holistic view is to better understand the whole process and optimize from there.
CIM: What are some of the AI solutions Weir offers to its customers?
Vega: From an operational point of view, we have two main AIbased solutions right now, which are part of Weir’s NEXT portfolio of intelligent solutions.
One is the Intelligent Assistant for HPGR [high-pressure grinding rolls] circuit optimization. This solution considers the HPGR as the core component, but our interest is not in just optimizing the machine itself—we are interested in optimizing the entire circuit in which the HPGR operates. This means looking at key performance indicators that need to be optimized for the whole circuit.
Similarly, we have another Intelligent Assistant for the mill circuit, which targets the secondary grinding stage. This assistant
focuses on optimizing the cyclone cluster, which handles classification, the slurry pump and the ball mill.
CIM: What could be some of the main reasons why mining companies have been slow to embrace AI and digital transformation?
Vega: We have seen some positive initiatives among many of our customers. Some have already built internal teams focused on advanced analytics and AI-based solutions. Others have engaged with consulting firms that specialize in AI. So, we have seen a trend towards adopting these kinds of technologies. In the same way, we have seen more customers become open to connecting their systems with third-party solutions for optimization purposes.
But one of the areas that is progressing more slowly is the pace of adoption. In the mining industry, downtime is extremely costly, so operations always need to stay on the safe side.
That mindset goes all the way down to the control systems, to the sensors and the mechanical equipment. Everything needs to be robust enough and built to sustain the stress of operating in a mine.
The same expectation applies to digital tools like Intelligent Assistants. If these AI-driven tools are not fully engineered, well-developed and well-tailored for these types of operations, I can understand why mines might hesitate to adopt them quickly.
However, we are getting there. Sooner rather than later, this will be adopted, and the market will dictate the pace.
CIM: What is the general outlook for AI-powered process optimization? How do you see AI further influencing mineral processing in the next few years?
Vega: There is a common misconception that AI is going to take over and make everything fully autonomous overnight, but that is not the case. I’m not saying full autonomy will never happen; it might someday, but not in the short term.
The outlook that I see instead is a gradual evolution where AI systems will support the decisions made by operations personnel, metallurgists and process engineers on a day-to-day basis. AI will become a powerful tool for forecasting production levels or predicting where the process will be in matter of days, hours and minutes so that people on-site can respond proactively rather than reactively.
Also, we have been talking about the operational part of the plant, but as part of the operation, maintenance comes into play as well. We are already seeing early examples where AI can diagnose equipment failures using real-time data for predictive maintenance.
In the future, AI systems could go beyond diagnostics. AI could be used to determine, for example, that a slurry pump is no longer able to meet performance targets, and then recommend downtime for part replacement, and even trigger an automatic purchase order of spare parts.
This kind of integration, from operations to maintenance but also to finance and procurement, has always been tricky, but it is the direction we should be going.
Beyond the plant, in the mineral processing world, there is another possibility for integration of the mine pit with the processing plant. AI systems could be used to forecast ore quality and optimize the right spots for extraction.
There is this long-standing concept of “mine-to-mill” and AIbased solutions are an opportunity to finally make it a reality. AI could also enable plant-to-mine feedback, creating a virtuous cycle, where both ends of the operation continuously inform and improve each other. That’s how I see AI playing a big part in the future of mining operations. CIM
Every year, we profile a collection of individuals who are making a significant impact on Canada’s mining sector in different ways, whether through cutting-edge research and development, strengthening Canada’s supply chain of critical minerals or championing Indigenous engagement and participation in the industry. Together, they are CIM Magazine ’s 2025 Names to Know.
NAMES TO KNOW
Janice Martell
Timothy Hodgson
Luis Alberto Torres-Cruz
Josette Ross
Jean-Philippe Paiement
Mélanie Corriveau
Doug Schouten
Derrick Pattenden
Joshua Marshall
The workers’ champion
TIMOTHY HODGSON MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
AFTER LAUNCHING HIS POLITICAL CAREER as a Liberal party candidate and securing a seat as a member of parliament representing the Markham-Thornhill district of Ontario in the 2025 federal election, Timothy Hodgson was named minister of energy and natural resources on May 13.
Hodgson’s appointment to the role signals a shift by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government towards a more
JANICE MARTELL FOUNDER OF THE MCINTYRE POWDER PROJECT
IN THE 1970s, before every shift at the Quirke uranium mine in Ontario, Jim Hobbs and his co-workers were prompted to inhale aluminum dust—known as McIntyre Powder—that was thought to protect them against silicosis, a lung disease common to miners of the time.
This was routine daily practice at many of Ontario’s hard rock mines from 1943 to 1979, when it was discontinued following a CBC exposé that questioned its effectiveness.
Hobbs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2001. It was only 10 years later that Janice Martell, Hobbs’s daughter, began investigating the potential connection between her father’s illness and McIntyre Powder. Martell followed up on a suggestion, given to her mother, that exposure to aluminum dust could have adverse neurological effects.
“I started thinking, ‘if you’re in there every day, and you’re breathing in something neurotoxic… I’m not a scientist, but maybe that’s what caused his Parkinson’s,’” said Martell, who noted that at the time, there had been very little research into the powder.
This moment of curiosity from Martell sparked a decade-long journey into investigating the effects that McIntyre Powder may have had on other miners.
“My thought was that my dad can’t be the only one struggling,” Martell said. “I wanted to reach out to other mine workers who were exposed to this [powder] to see what kinds of health issues they have, because it clearly hadn’t been looked at.”
business-focused and investment-savvy approach, underscoring its intent to prioritize economic growth and drive strategic development across the country’s mining and energy sectors.
Although new to politics, Hodgson brings decades of senior experience in finance and corporate governance, having served in executive roles and on the boards of numerous companies and organizations, including Hydro One and MEG Energy. From 1990 to 2010, Hodgson undertook a range of roles at Goldman Sachs, culminating in his appointment as CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada in 2005.
When Carney, then governor of the Bank of Canada, first invited him to Ottawa in 2010, Hodgson stepped away from his CEO position to serve an 18-month term as Carney’s special adviser, where he provided expertise on complex financial contracts.
“I never saw myself as a politician,” admitted Hodgson in a LinkedIn post shared on April 24. “But I believe our country is at a crossroads. And this moment demands principled and pragmatic leadership.”
Hodgson is expected to play a key role in advancing the federal government’s plans to modernize and expand Canada’s natural resources sector. His experience will be vital in several key areas, including attracting private capital to strategic resource projects, streamlining regulatory processes and fostering public and private partnerships to spur innovation and enhance competitiveness in Canada’s resource industries.
This vision supports Carney’s broader ambition, unveiled in March 2025, to unify Canada’s economic strengths by prioritizing investments in key infrastructure and clean technologies. Central to Hodgson’s responsibilities will be advancing the extraction and processing of critical minerals.
Courtesy of Janice Martell
The rookie politician
Martell founded the McIntyre Powder Project in 2015, a volunteer registry to document the health issues of miners who were exposed to McIntyre Powder; she estimates that tens of thousands of miners in Ontario could have been exposed.
Now, Martell’s registry has over 700 entries, mainly gathered through interviews she conducted in Timmins, Sudbury and other mining towns in northern Ontario. However, 117 miners have died since being logged into the registry; including Hobbs, who died in 2017 after a 16-year battle with Parkinson’s.
“I made them a promise that their stories were not going to die with me, and I feel like it’s important that I carry their voices,” said Martell.
Due to Martell’s enduring advocacy, in 2017, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) commissioned a study by the Occupational Cancer Research Centre into McIntyre Powder. The results, published in 2020, found significant links between McIntyre Powder and Parkinson’s. Based on this study, in February 2022 the Ontario government officially recognized Parkinson’s as an occupational disease caused by McIntyre Powder. This means that miners exposed to McIntyre Powder who developed Parkinson’s are now guaranteed compensation by the WSIB.
For her work to have Parkinson’s formally recognized as an occupational disease, Martell was awarded the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship in March 2025—the second highest civilian honour given to Ontario residents.
“It feels like there’s another level of legitimacy. I’ve been critical of the government, saying ‘You need to give an apology to these guys, and you shouldn’t have stood by while this happened.’
“When it comes to mining, we know that Canada has what the world needs here: lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese and—of course—one of the world’s largest supplies of high-quality uranium,” Hodgson said during a May 23 speech at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. “But we need to do more than dig. We need to process and refine here at home, and export to the world, not just the U.S.”
His appointment takes on added significance in the context of rising geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and Canada’s push to diversify its supply chains and reduce dependence on the U.S.
“Prime Minister Carney has laid out a clear strategy: We will be masters in our own home,” said Hodgson in the May 23 speech. “We will not bow to economic aggression. We will defend our workers, our industries and our values. And we will build a new foundation—one that delivers the strongest, most resilient economy in the G7.”
It may be what the minister and his federal counterparts do not do that could signal a major shift in how the country oversees its natural resource projects. Carney’s election platform proposed a reduced role for the federal government in order to limit duplication with provinces conducting their own review of projects.
While skepticism persists in Western Canada—where many perceive past Liberal governments as unsupportive of resource development—there is cautious optimism that Hodgson’s business acumen and Manitoba roots could encourage a more collaborative approach to energy policy under Carney, as well as paving the way for sustainable growth in Canada’s natural resources sector.
For them to recognize those efforts as worthy makes me feel really good,” said Martell.
Since then, recent studies have shown evidence that McIntyre Powder is linked to more health conditions, such as lung and cardiovascular diseases.
Martell’s priority remains to continue helping affected people to file claims, while spreading awareness, especially to the mining industry.
“I’m very proud that my dad was a miner,” she said. “There are times when it’s been tough to be proud of the mining industry because of decisions made, but I see movement. I applaud those efforts to make things better, and whatever I can do to support those efforts, I will.”
– ALICE MARTIN CIM
The tailings investigator
LUIS ALBERTO TORRES-CRUZ
TECK PROFESSOR IN TAILINGS MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
WHILE LUIS ALBERTO TORRES-CRUZ WAS PURSUING POSTGRADUATE STUDIES at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, mine waste dumps were literally part of the city skyline.
“It’s something that’s very present in our minds when living in Johannesburg,” recalled Torres-Cruz, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Teck professor in tailings management and innovation at the university’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering.
“It made sense to me to study and investigate the stability of a type of structure that I could see very close to the city, and it was easy to appreciate that the consequences of a failure would be quite serious.”
What started as a suggested focus by his then-supervisor Geoffrey Blight, an accomplished geotechnical engineer,
launched Torres-Cruz’s career dedicated to improving safety for mining waste.
The global mining industry produces billions of tonnes of tailings each year. The majority of this waste is held by tailings dams, which, if they fail, can have disastrous consequences for human health and the environment.
In January 2019, one such disaster sent shockwaves throughout the industry and marked a turning point for mining safety. A tailings dam failure at Vale’s Córrego do Feijão mine in Brumadinho, Brazil, that led to 272 deaths was caught on camera and circulated widely.
“The degree to which the skills of tailings engineers are needed became more evident after Brumadinho failed,” Torres-Cruz reflected.
Following the disaster, Torres-Cruz co-authored an opinion piece in The Conversation expressing the need for industry action, which highlighted the importance of collaboration between stakeholders.
In the years since, Torres-Cruz has seen the changes from mining companies in supporting research initiatives first-hand, including the creation of his own position at UBC, which is endowed by Teck Resources. He became the first Teck professor in tailings management and innovation in July 2024.
Through classes with Torres-Cruz, students can learn about the current geotechnical and environmental aspects of tailings, as well as advance tailings management solutions through focused research informed by engaging with mining companies and tailings consultants.
“We can identify where research is needed the most and what the biggest challenges are that practising engineers are facing,” he explained. “Then we can optimize our research efforts.”
While Torres-Cruz’s career has led to a long list of accomplishments—including twice winning the J.E. Jennings Award from the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, an honourable mention for the R.M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society and a robust body of research on tailings storage facilities—his proudest accomplishment is the work he has been able to complete with his students.
“The publications that have come out of this work are special to me because they reflect the learning process,” he said. “They reflect the dedication the students put into the work and also the guidance I provided.”
Having the opportunity to share knowledge about tailings safety with the next generation of mining engineers is a privilege Torres-Cruz sees as crucial to the future of mining.
“It is very important to make sure that this knowledge gets transferred to younger [mining] engineers, especially because tailings engineering has not traditionally been a topic in the curriculum, including at the undergraduate level.”
Looking ahead, Torres-Cruz is excited about the potential to further contribute to understanding the mechanical behaviour of tailings as they exist in storage facilities.
“Actual tailings deposits are not homogeneous at all,” he explained. “We are still figuring out how best to characterize the geotechnical properties of tailings, and there is still quite a bit of work to be done in that field.”
– SARA KING-ABADI CIM
JOSETTE ROSS
GENERAL MANAGER OF RIO TINTO’S ARVIDA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
JOSETTE ROSS IS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, A SCIENTIST.
In 2021, she became the first woman to lead Rio Tinto’s Arvida Research and Development Centre (ARDC) since its founding in 1946. Although her role currently involves more management than science, science is what all her teams are doing. “Even if I manage people, in the end, we also manage science,” she explained. “And to manage science, I need to manage people. For me, it’s the same thing.”
The ARDC, located in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, has a mandate to not only develop new technologies and improve processes, but to provide support for Rio Tinto’s aluminum operations and to help the sales and commercial teams by developing and testing products to meet customer needs. The organization is divided into two areas: one focusing on R&D and innovation, and one supporting operations using analytical chemistry.
One of the centre’s most recent successes was achieved in partnership with Indium Corporation. The two organizations are collaborating to find a viable way to extract primary gallium, in volume, from the bauxite processed in Rio Tinto’s aluminum operations. Gallium is a rare critical mineral used in the production of integrated circuits; its main global supplier is China, which has been restricting the mineral’s export, so a reliable North American source has become essential to the semiconductor industry.
The AI catalyst
JEAN-PHILIPPE PAIEMENT CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AT VRIFY
JEAN-PHILIPPE (JP) PAIEMENT and his then-SGS Geostat colleagues had spent months building a geological model for the 2016 Integra Gold Rush Challenge. They found their advantage in the emerging field of machine learning, ultimately turning to a machine learning algorithm to process Integra’s vast trove of geological data.
The algorithm validated the same exploration targets that Paiement and his colleagues had identified, plus picked out a few more that they had not thought of. Their submission won the challenge and its $500,000 prize, but the real win was
Courtesy of VRIFY
Ross said that a multidisciplinary team, including her experts, has been working with Indium to develop a process that can extract gallium without interfering with the extraction of the alumina from the bauxite, which, she noted, is a very fragile process. The next phase of the project, according to a May 2025 press release from Rio Tinto, is to work on ways to enable pilot-scale production of larger quantities. If it is successful, the company plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean that could produce up to 3.5 tonnes of gallium per year.
highlighting a potentially powerful application of artificial intelligence (AI) for the industry.
Fast forward nearly a decade, and Paiement, for whom the Gold Rush Challenge was his first experience using AI, has become a major advocate for AI adoption in geoscience. “We need a big push to change. It’s not an industry that will move by itself,” he said. “I’m trying to be a catalyst.”
At VRIFY, where he has joined former Integra CEO Steve de Jong, Paiement is leading the development of the company’s growing technology offering, including DORA, its AI-assisted mineral discovery platform.
Launched at PDAC 2025, DORA uses deep learning models to identify potential areas of mineralization. The platform is trained on a combination of a company’s site-specific data, such as geophysical surveys, geochemistry maps and soil geochemistry, and a broader, proprietary database of public data sources and anonymized client data. To date, DORA has been trained on a wide range of deposit types and commodities. Gold is the most common, with roughly 43,000 training examples from Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
In cases where a company has highly specific ground conditions, or a commodity that DORA has not been pre-trained on yet, Paiement said that new models can become “really good at predicting for that location but not good at generalizing. As we add data, the accuracy will go down a bit as it gets conflicting information to differentiate, but the accuracy starts going up again once the model generalizes its knowledge.”
Paiement said that taking a data-driven approach has historically been a tough sell for professionals who interpret
“After that, we hope to go to a commercial level,” said Ross. “We want to secure the supply chain.”
When Ross became the general manager of the ARDC, she had already spent more than 15 years working at the research centre, learning all she could about the various areas, and that served her well.
“That’s why I was chosen to do this role, because it’s not an easy role,” she explained. “We need to know almost everything in our departments to stay relevant. By trying a lot of different roles, and different departments, I learned a lot about all the processes.”
The combination of her deep institutional knowledge and her innate curiosity allowed her to bring a new vision to the ARDC by reorganizing the centre, eliminating silos and building teams of disparate experts so everyone could see the big picture while working on a project. “By putting them together in one team with a focus to bring the best ideas and solutions for operations together, they are much stronger,” she said. “I know it’s a cliché, but it works. I’m very proud of that, because today we have a big portfolio of projects totally aligned with the business needs.”
Her message to young people who want to succeed is straightforward: ignore the impostor inside you that says you can’t do something and try anyway.
“Sometimes it’s a success and sometimes not,” she said. “To learn, we have to try. I know that sometimes people don’t want to try because they don’t want to fail, but it’s not a problem. It’s the way we learn things, and it’s the way we become attractive [candidates on the job market].”
– LYNN GREINER CIM
surface clues and make deductions about what is underground. But, he added, AI has the potential to identify exploration targets that geologists may miss, either because companies have previously kept their data in silos or because of their own cognitive biases.
For example, Paiement started his career in Quebec’s Abitibi camp and became used to the area’s deposit types. “There might be subtleties in the [new] geological environment that make my usual exploration vectoring methods less applicable or reliable in another location,” he explained. “Adjusting takes time and a lot of flexibility.”
DORA is arriving at a particularly opportune time. AI models and neural networks have become more sophisticated in ways that make them “way more performant at generalized geoscience problems,” he said. Simultaneously, the industry is increasingly open to technology, particularly as initial AI applications in core logging and scanning have proved useful, and companies are eager to discover new critical minerals deposits to feed voracious global demand.
That is evident at VRIFY, which Paiement said already has over 30 clients and is onboarding two or three more per month.
The company also closed a $12.5 million Series B round in February, led by venture capital firm LGVP. The funds are supporting VRIFY’s team to continue building algorithms tailormade for the industry—currently, the team is adapting models built for medical imagery due to their ability to see across multiple layers of data—and to automate the data ingestion process to streamline this process to more effectively scale.
– KELSEY ROLFE CIM
Courtesy of Rio Tinto
The silo smasher
The engagement officer
MÉLANIE CORRIVEAU
CORPORATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY RELATIONS AT AGNICO EAGLE MINES
MÉLANIE CORRIVEAU IS LEADING THE WAY in developing and overseeing Agnico Eagle Mines’ engagement strategies with local communities and Indigenous Peoples in regions where it has projects and operations.
DOUG SCHOUTEN
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER AT IDEON TECHNOLOGIES
SOME PLACES LEAVE INDELIBLE MARKS ON A PERSON’S LIFE. For Doug Schouten, TRIUMF—Canada’s national particle accelerator centre at the University of British Columbia (UBC)—became a throughline in his education and career.
Her current focus is on forging agreements with Indigenous nations in Canada and Australia, and implementing Agnico Eagle’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which launched in July 2024. The RAP was developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities and aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Born and raised in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Corriveau was a natural fit for the mining industry. “I grew up on the traditional territory of the Abitibiwinni First Nation, where I developed friendships and a deep appreciation for Indigenous cultures,” she said. “Thanks to my father’s openness and interest, I was introduced early on to their traditions and ways of life. Mining was a part of everyday life for many in the region.”
After working in regional development and consultation through a provincial government branch, Corriveau was approached about 15 years ago by a former colleague involved in mining. She learned about the Dumont project, a brand-new mining project in Abitibi-Témiscamingue that Royal Nickel was developing—so all the permitting, consultations and stakeholder engagement needed organizing and managing.
“This was my first footstep into the mining industry,” she said. And, as it turns out, the beginning of a new career. At the Dumont project, Corriveau was responsible for developing the community engagement strategy.
It is where he landed his first undergraduate internship while studying honours physics and computer science at UBC; where he met the supervisor for his graduate research at Simon Fraser University; and where he returned for postdoctoral work after completing his PhD in particle physics.
It is also where he first encountered the transformative research in muon tomography that would ultimately shape his entrepreneurial journey in the mining industry.
A muon is a naturally occurring subatomic particle produced by cosmic rays striking the Earth’s atmosphere. Muons lose energy in direct proportion to the density of the materials they pass through. Dense materials in the Earth’s subsurface, like many mineral deposits, prevent more muons from progressing deeper, while less dense regions, like voids or caves, let more muons pass through.
During his research at TRIUMF, Schouten pioneered a way to detect muons and measure their trajectory, then transform that data into detailed 3D models of underground features. “The value of this capability for mining is quite extensive,” he said. “You can apply high-resolution density mapping across the full life-of-mine: from exploration, when looking for dense ore bodies; to mine design and operations, when planning how to build and sequence production; all the way through to post-closure, when monitoring for subsidence or fluid migration.”
Schouten co-founded Ideon Technologies alongside two partners, starting commercial operations in 2020. With an initial capital investment, they developed and commercialized the first muon tomography detector that can be deployed in a narrow borehole, generating unprecedented subsurface visibility.
An early project with Glencore in Matagami, Quebec, presented the team with the complex challenge of getting their technology into a kilometre-deep borehole. Despite difficulties, they successfully imaged the deposit, gained substantial data and discovered a new node of possible mineralization at the site.
Courtesy of Agnico
Jon Benjamin Photography
But Corriveau was no stranger to impact assessments, thanks to her previous work with the provincial government. “I spent maybe 10 years advising the government of Quebec on regional development initiatives for Abitibi,” she said.
Then came LaRonde, Agnico Eagle’s underground gold complex in northwestern Quebec; Corriveau became the mine’s communications and community relations coordinator in 2017. “I first developed the plan and agreement with First Nations in Quebec for the company,” she said.
With her experience on both sides of the approval process, Corriveau soon earned a reputation within the company as the “go-to” person for Indigenous relations in Quebec. She moved into her current role in 2022, overseeing the community and Indigenous relations strategy for all of Agnico Eagle’s operations and projects.
Although engagement with Indigenous communities has always been important to some extent for mining companies— mostly because of regulatory processes and industry best practices—Corriveau thinks it needs to be more formalized within businesses to become part of their business strategy, and that more consistency is needed in the way companies approach Indigenous people and share opportunities.
“In Nunavut [where Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank and Meliadine mines are located], if you want to develop a mine, you need the cooperation and participation of Indigenous people; you
“We’re imaging billions of cubic metres of Earth from a single hole—that’s really a game changer when you consider the hundreds of holes mining companies typically drill to get even a partial picture of what’s underground in a much smaller area,” said Schouten. “Combined with the resolution we’re achieving at such depths, it provides much better certainty than any other current technologies can.”
The quest to reduce geologic uncertainty is at the core of Ideon’s mission—and it is guiding Schouten far beyond his roots in muon tomography.
“If we can help companies make better decisions across the whole mining chain, we can impact their productivity, profitability and community engagement,” Schouten said. “Our whole vision is about using technology to unlock new subsurface potential and enable a step change in how the industry understands what’s beneath our feet.”
In 2024, Ideon launched the Reveal subsurface intelligence platform, which consists of novel sensors, data ingestion pipelines, data processing, artificial intelligence (AI) and visualization tools. The platform can integrate inputs from muon tomography as well as from airborne and ground gravity, magnetics, seismic and electromagnetic surveys, amongst others, into a single high-resolution, multi-dimensional model of the subsurface. “That’s the real win,” said Schouten.
The next frontier for Ideon lies in scaling the Reveal platform by developing the next generation of AI and multiphysics algorithms that can yield even deeper insights.
“Now that you have the data, what are you going to do with it?” Schouten asked. “What decisions can you make that you couldn’t before?”
For Schouten, answering these questions by delivering new value to mining customers is what makes this work so worthwhile.
– MEHANAZ YAKUB
need to seek consent, because it’s their land,” she said. “We strive for the same everywhere we operate on traditional Indigenous territory: not just Nunavut but Quebec, Ontario, Finland, Australia, Mexico.”
Agnico Eagle is currently implementing the RAP and will release the first update report in 2026, according to Corriveau. Regular meetings are held to ensure the plan is focused on what is really important to Indigenous people.
As Agnico Eagle was the first Canadian mining company to develop a workable RAP, it has garnered other mining companies’ attention and influenced them in their own dealings with Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders.
“We receive a lot of requests from other exploration and mining companies to learn more about our process,” said Corriveau. “We do a lot of presentations to explain the process because we believe that such cooperation helps all the industry. It’s really important that the industry supports reconciliation.”
CIM
– GRAHAM CHANDLER
The wealth manager
DERRICK PATTENDEN CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER AT NATIONS ROYALTY
DERRICK PATTENDEN VIVIDLY RECALLS THE MOMENT he came across a February 2024 press release announcing that the Nisga’a Nation had formed Nations Royalty, the first majority Indigenous-owned public royalty company in Canada. Pattenden wasted no time reaching out to its management team, eager to be part of the historic venture. What followed was the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his professional journey.
A seasoned investment banker with 15 years of experience in mining finance, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, and a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation (Tyendinaga) near Belleville, Ontario, Pattenden joined Nations Royalty as its chief investment officer in May 2024.
Courtesy of Nations Royalty
Nations Royalty partners with Indigenous groups across Canada by offering them the opportunity to exchange all or part of their future royalty payments— stemming from existing impact benefit agreements (IBAs)—for equity ownership in, or cash from, Nations Royalty. Additionally, Nations Royalty can serve as a financial adviser to Indigenous groups during the negotiation or renegotiation of IBAs.
Pattenden finds immense fulfillment in applying his finance experience to help Indigenous communities across Canada to navigate and negotiate IBA royalties.
“I get to work with Indigenous groups—sometimes [with] a population of just 300 people—and when [we’re] negotiating those very important terms with mining companies, it could impact their community for decades, so I get to apply all my knowledge to push back on weak arguments [from mining companies],” said Pattenden.
In addition to the rewarding nature of his work, Pattenden also embraces the opportunity to travel, which he considers to be one of the major perks of his role. Whereas his former job primarily took him to major Canadian cities, he now finds himself regularly visiting remote communities, where he has encountered many interesting people.
Pattenden sees tremendous opportunity for the future of Nations Royalty, particularly in the company’s ability to access Tier 1 royalty opportunities that are typically available only to larger mining royalty companies. He explained that many of Canada’s most valuable deposits are tightly held by major operators that rarely sell royalty interests unless under financial pressure. However, through existing IBAs, Indigenous communities sometimes already hold royalty rights on these world-class assets.
As an Indigenous-owned and -controlled company, Nations Royalty is uniquely positioned to unlock these opportunities that are usually inaccessible to smaller royalty companies, giving it a powerful edge in an industry where sourcing new royalties can be a significant challenge. Reflecting on the company’s potential, Pattenden remarked, “I firmly believe that some of the best royalties in the entire country are in Indigenous hands.”
He outlined three compelling reasons why Indigenous groups would be drawn to partner with Nations Royalty. First, it offers diversification—helping reduce financial risk for communities that rely heavily on a single mine for future income. Second, it enables them to bring future royalty payments forward, providing immediate capital for critical projects, like infrastructure or education, that benefit communities. Third, by pooling royalty assets with other Indigenous groups, they can unlock significantly higher value than they could alone—gaining strength through collaboration and collective scale.
When it comes to properly structuring royalty agreements with Indigenous communities, Pattenden emphasized the importance of tailoring each approach to the specific community. “I’m learning on this job that every single community is different,” he said. “There’s not really a cookie-cutter approach you can apply to all Indigenous groups across the country. You really need to [visit] their territory, start meeting not just the chief and council but also the community members. Start learning about them and show them that you’re serious about that relationship.”
PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY
A SELF-DESCRIBED “COMPUTER GEEK,” Joshua Marshall first became interested in mining robotics in the late-1990s while working for Inco’s mines research department. There, he was assigned to monitor an underground drill the company was trying to automate.
“It was that project in Sudbury, sitting alone looking at this machine and thinking I could make this better, but I need to learn a few things—that’s what I set my mind to,” he said. “We were in the early days [of automation], and nobody had yet solved the problems necessary to make these systems commercially viable.”
As a robotics engineer, professor and consultant, Marshall has been working to improve robotics and autonomous vehicle technology, particularly in harsh environments like mining, ever since.
Marshall did a split undergraduate degree in mining and mechanical engineering at Queen’s University, where he found equipment more interesting than mines themselves. Spurred on by his passion for robotics, he later obtained a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Toronto.
Marshall joined the Queen’s faculty in 2010 and was also the inaugural director of its Ingenuity Labs Research Institute, focused on robotics and artificial intelligence research. His Offroad Robotics lab, which he founded and co-leads with mechanical engineering professor Brian Surgenor, brings together students from mining, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering to work on field robotics research, often in collaboration with industry partners including Barrick and Cameco.
According to Marshall, what makes the lab unique is that it has successfully taken research beyond the lab and into the field. “We’ve deployed on real vehicles at operating mines and then had that technology incorporated as a new product,” he explained. “A lot of researchers love to count papers. I like to count how many times our stuff has actually made it into the hands of end users.”
From 2016 to 2017, Marshall worked with Epiroc—then Atlas Copco—on a robotic excavation project in Sweden. “We realized
JOSHUA MARSHALL
Courtesy of Queen’s University
The field roboticist
we were collecting a lot of data on this robotic loader that we might be able to exploit for other purposes, [like] to characterize the material that we were digging by using only inertial sensors,” he said.
It became an “open research question,” with the team successfully using an onboard sensor to characterize rock particle sizes while digging. Marshall is currently testing the work in conjunction with a vision-based technology in an operating quarry, and working with engineers at Örebro University in Sweden and Epiroc to do field tests in active production scenarios.
Marshall also has an entrepreneurial side. “In the late-2000s, my team invented an infrastructureless mobile mapping and localization system for underground vehicles,” he said. “The technology was a bit ahead of its time, but it was commercialized as the uGPS RapidMapper system that is now on display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum!”
With his PhD student Marc Gallant, Marshall conceived of the algorithms that underlie an autonomous geotechnical mapping technology developed by RockMass Technologies, which won the Ontario Centre of Innovation’s Mind-to-Market award in 2021.
After over two decades working on robotics, Marshall is glad to see the progress that has been made in mining. “The industry has done a good job at automating and bringing robotics into many of the production aspects of operations,” Marshall said. “There are still a lot of auxiliary tasks [that] need pretty heavy human intervention. My goal has always been to support our industry’s efforts to take people out of dangerous and difficult scenarios. The vision of near zero-entry mining, where there are no people going into dangerous scenarios—that’s where I would love to see us go next.”
– TIJANA MITROVIC CIM
Mine-tonetwork connectivity
High-performing, reliable communication networks are enabling the next era of autonomously controlled machinery in mines
By Mehanaz Yakub
An increasing number of digital and next-generation technologies—such as sensors, automated machinery and wireless monitoring systems—are transforming mining operations to become safer, smarter and more streamlined than ever before.
However, the success of these technologies hinges on one critical requirement: reliable connectivity.
Without a robust, connective communication network, even the most cutting-edge technologies and autonomous solutions will fail to work properly. Autonomous equipment relies on the constant exchange of data to support real-time decision-making, remote control and seamless machine-to-machine communication, whether deep underground or in open pits located in remote areas.
To meet these growing demands, mining companies are exploring a range of communication technologies tailored to their unique environments. From leaky feeder systems to private wireless 5G and dynamic mesh networks, there is no one-sizefits-all approach.
Luckily, there are several companies leading the way in developing advanced communication solutions that are supporting autonomous mining.
Continuous and constant connectivity
One type of communication solution enhancing connectivity at modern mining operations is wireless mesh networks. This technology relies on multiple interconnected devices, known as nodes, that are placed throughout mine sites and on mobile equipment, creating an overlapping mesh that does not rely on a single access point. These nodes work together to create a seamless, high-bandwidth industrial WiFi network.
Among the companies in this space, U.S.-based Rajant Corporation has developed its own kinetic mesh network that can be used in both underground and open-pit mines.
At the core of the Rajant Kinetic Mesh is InstaMesh, a proprietary wireless protocol that enables real-time, intelligent
Newmont has deployed Ericsson private 5G for teleremote operation of its dozers at the Cadia gold-copper mine in Australia.
routing between its rugged wireless nodes, called BreadCrumbs. Each BreadCrumb contains one to four radio interfaces and supports standard WiFi protocols to enable voice, video and data communications across the mine.
What sets Rajant’s mesh network apart from others is its ability to deliver automatic, continuous, on-the-move connectivity, without introducing single points of failure.
Most mesh networks either require a centralized controller and a smart node that makes all the routing decisions or rely on access points to talk to each other, explained Steven Griggs, vice-president of sales engineering at Rajant. This type of setup makes the network more vulnerable to high latency, connection dropouts and bottlenecks, particularly when mobile nodes move out of range from one another, which causes the network to disconnect and reconnect.
In contrast, Rajant’s BreadCrumbs are capable of independently discovering and maintaining multiple connections simultaneously to ensure a continuous network connection.
“Each one of our nodes is capable of making routing decisions, and that’s the real key,” said Griggs. “We don’t have to program how to mesh or how to route anything—they figure it all out on their own.”
This self-routing capability is especially vital in applications involving autonomous mining equipment.
For instance, in operations that deploy massive, driverless haul trucks, a constant, uninterrupted flow of data is crucial. “There will be interferences [with connectivity] in mines,” said Griggs. “[But] if you lose communication with a 400-tonne giant running around your mine, that’s a bad day.”
Rajant’s InstaMesh protocol reduces the risks of this happening by maintaining hundreds of simultaneous connections across infrastructure and mobile machinery. This eliminates reliance on any single device and supports maximum uptime for both the network and the autonomous machines operating on it.
“What this equates to is redundancy, and that’s the key for autonomy,” said Griggs. “Each one of those radios [in each BreadCrumb] is a path for data. It’s all redundant. So, if there’s trouble on one frequency, it can still transmit on another.”
While LTE is often considered for its long-range capabilities, Griggs said that LTE does not deliver significantly more range, and that it is a point-to-multipoint system, which means it can “still have a single point of failure.”
Rajant’s system is scalable and simple to deploy. Mines can start small and scale up to hundreds of nodes. Its largest deployment to date includes 627 nodes in the network.
It is also cost-effective over time, Griggs said. The system can last over a decade in harsh mining environments, without needing frequent upgrades or replacement. “We’ve got mines still running our entire catalogue from 2008 to now,” he said.
Additionally, he said that the Rajant Kinetic Mesh can consolidate multiple applications, such as fleet management, highprecision dozing and GPS corrections, to run under a single powerful network, whereas older systems often required separate networks for each.
This reliable, always-on connectivity has proven successful in real-world mining environments. At the Freeport-McMoRan open-pit copper mine in Bagdad, Arizona, for example, Rajant’s mesh network was integrated into an autonomous haulage system without requiring a complete overhaul of the existing network infrastructure. Similarly, Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek open-cut mine in northwest New South Wales, Australia, adopted Rajant’s technology for its Hitachi autonomous fleet after other systems failed to meet performance expectations.
Enabling 5G communication
In April 2025, Newmont’s Cadia underground gold-copper mine in Australia reached a major milestone it had been pursuing since 2021: the successful teleremote operation of an entire fleet of dozers.
This achievement was made possible thanks to the first-time deployment of Sweden-based telecom giant Ericsson’s private wireless 5G network (EP5G).
In the past, Newmont had tried using WiFi networks to connect its teleremote-control systems, where a single human operator would manage multiple machines at once from a distance.
However, WiFi proved insufficient because it offered limited range and security, low reliability and poor scalability when managing more than a couple of dozers at a time, according to an April 14 joint press release from Ericsson and Newmont.
Ericsson’s private 5G solution resolved these issues. As Kirstin Sym-Smith, global vertical partnership lead at Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions, explained: “5G provides access to more spectrum, better capacity, faster speeds, greater uplink for efficiency and lower latency. It allows for extended range coverage.”
With the EP5G network, Newmont was able to scale its operations to support up to 12 dozers concurrently. This was a transformative step for both its mine’s productivity and operational safety.
Ericsson’s EP5G is designed for flexibility and ease of deployment. The solution integrates advanced radio technologies with a compact core network that can be deployed wherever coverage is needed on-site.
“Deployments with Ericsson’s private 5G are aimed to be simplified so they can provide seamless provisioning, configuration capabilities, unified policy management and a single pane of glass [integrating information from multiple sources into one unified visual display] across the network so the mine can view the health of their network, add users to the network, all the while not having to change a ton of complicated parameters,” said Sym-Smith.
The network also offers a range of different radio variants, from compact indoor radio dot systems for tunnel coverage, to micro radios capable of covering up to six kilometres, to macro radios for broader surface coverage.
Another key feature is its uplink booster technology, which helps transmit data from equipment back to the control centres.
Rajant’s BreadCrumb wireless nodes form its kinetic mesh industrial wireless infrastructure.
Courtesy of Rajant
Ericsson’s uplink booster can extend coverage by up to 10 decibel milliwatts, which translates to nearly 90 per cent greater application coverage. At the Cadia site, for example, uplink throughput hit 175 megabits per second.
“Newmont got better uplink and definitely better connection with just having one 5G radio to support multiple dozers,” said Sym-Smith. “That was a really big deal for their productivity and safety.”
EP5G also offers dual support for both 4G and LTE, allowing mining companies to adapt according to their use cases and needs. While 5G has some clear benefits, adoption does not always come easily.
“5G isn’t new in the broader public space, but it’s still relatively new in the mining world,” said Sym-Smith. “Mines are typically conservative [with spending money], so it is going to take a mine with a different mindset, [one that] is looking to be innovative and find different ways to boost productivity, enhance its safety and increase efficiency.”
Many mining operations may feel comfortable sticking with their existing WiFi or wired systems, particularly if their current needs are being met.
“There’s still room for private networks to coexist with WiFi or other technologies—it all depends on what the mine is trying to accomplish,” said Sym-Smith. “But for these advanced applications, private networks are really a must. You need a better network, and I think sometimes one thing that is overlooked in automation is the correct network infrastructure to support it.”
That being said, Sym-Smith added that she is seeing a growing interest from mines wanting to start using 5G for automation across the globe.
“This is coming from Newmont and all their markets around the world. But we’re also seeing interest in Europe, Africa, Latin America and other places,” she said. “Some are adopting this sooner than later, but it is benefiting the mines now, especially for productivity, safety and construction.”
Bridging the traditional with the new
Thunder Bay-based Turnkey Communications has a communication portfolio that spans leaky feeder systems to fibre-fed deployments, WiFi, 5G and LTE. The company’s philosophy is to use whatever works best for the client.
“We’re agnostic to solutions,” said Terry Joseph, chief executive officer of Turnkey Communications. “It’s not about pushing one system over another. We’re more about providing a solution that’s going to work for our client.”
Turnkey’s offerings include a leaky feeder system, which is a radiating coaxial cable that enables radio communication underground. It is a reliable choice that still holds strong relevance in modern deployments because of its simplicity, maintainability and adaptability, Joseph said.
He said leaky feeders are a legacy technology that has been around for over 40 years, but despite that, they have evolved significantly to keep up with other technologies.
Turnkey often combines its leaky feeder system with its private wireless network technology in order to allow for the integration of a traditional system with a more modern infrastructure.
“There can be a standalone leaky feeder system with LTE radios and technologies, or it could be a fibre-fed system with radios and LTE capabilities, or it could be just radio frequencies alone on the leaky feeder,” explained Joseph. “There are many
different variations that you can do to create network connectivity under or above ground.”
Joseph said that Turnkey understands that most existing mines already have some form of leaky feeder infrastructure in place. Instead of completely replacing the system, it helps customers build on what is already there. For instance, in a project at the NORCAT Underground Centre in Sudbury, Ontario, Turnkey worked with Rogers on a fully fibre-fed private LTE deployment, while also leveraging the mine’s existing leaky feeder system and injecting it with a private wireless network to maximize the communication coverage.
The integration of traditional communication systems with modern technologies is also enabling the adoption of automation in mines today. Leaky feeder systems are now adapted to support the high-throughput, low-latency connectivity required for autonomous mining equipment because of that integration with a private wireless system.
“It’s been a challenge over the last 15 to 20 years to get a network that could [support automation],” said Joseph. “This private network concept is the wave of the future for that.”
In other ways, leaky feeders also offer distinct operational advantages, added Joseph. Their straightforward design with a coaxial cable that radiates signals makes them easy to install and maintain. Expanding the network is as simple as adding another amplifier and extending the cable. Compared to fibre installations, which require more specialized skills and equipment, leaky feeders offer a more flexible and scalable alternative.
“It’s not obsolete technology,” said Joseph. “There is still a place, a very valuable place, for leaky feeders even in new deployments.”
A Turnkey Communications technician installing a strand-mounted antenna.
Courtesy of Turnkey Communications
That’s a wrap
Industry professionals gathered in Montreal in May for a spectacular CIM CONNECT 2025
7,601 conference participants
1,564 conference delegates
602 exhibiting companies
840 trade show booths
280 presentations
50 countries represented
New this year! The Innovation Exchange series brought dynamic, quick-hit presentations and panel discussions on how visionaries are turning ideas into real solutions. From digital twins to autonomous operations, these sessions highlighted strategies that are already reshaping the mining landscape.
Don’t miss the next CIM CONNECT, May 3-6, 2026, in Vancouver
(Left, from top) ICMM’s Rohitesh Dhawan gave the opening plenary keynote; the Komatsu gala; the Expo floor. (Right, from top) The Women in Mining panel; a rapt audience at a morning keynote; a student presenting at the student poster competition; an exhibitor on the Expo floor.
Empowering the next generation
Each year, the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society of CIM awards several scholarships to deserving students. These are this year’s honorees.
The Centennial Scholarship, established in 1998 in recognition of CIM’s 100th anniversary, was awarded to two undergraduates this year.
Liam Retty, fourth-year chemical engineering student at Laurentian University
Jessica Rudd, fourth-year chemical engineering student at Laurentian University
The Edward Melville (Ed) Patton Memorial Scholarship, created in 2015 in memory of Ed Patton, a distinguished MERS member, is awarded to undergraduate and graduate students.
Mouna Cherif, doctoral student specializing in the mining field, with expertise in mining engineering, environmental science and geochemistry at Université du Québec en AbitibiTémiscamingue
The Maintenance, Engineering & Reliability Society of CIM
The Ken Hildebrant Memorial Scholarship was created in 2006 in memory of Ken Hildebrant, a past MERS chairman, and is awarded to post-secondary entrance and undergraduate students.
Arielle Girard, fourth-year student in mining and mineral engineering at Université Laval
The MER Memorial Scholarship was created in 2017 and is awarded each year in remembrance of one or more of the society’s individuals who have attracted prominence and recognition for contributions and service to the activities of MERS. In 2017, the society decided that the MER Memorial scholarship should be used to strengthen the opportunities for access and inclusion to the industry, via a post-secondary education pathway for awardees, so that diversity within the Canadian mining industry and associated industries is improved.
Emmelie Blinder, thirdyear mining engineering student at McGill University
Eduardo Palavicino, fourth-year student at the University of Alberta pursuing a degree in mining engineering
Upcoming events
CIM Amos Golf Tournaments
June 17, 18, 20 | Amos, QC
COM 2025 & LightMAT 2025 July 7-10 | Montreal, QC
CIM Saskatoon Golf Tournament
July 11 | Saskatoon, SK
CIM Red Lake Golf Tournament
July 12 | Balmertown, ON
CIM Toronto & CMP Golf Tournament
August 14 | Oakville, ON
CIM Vancouver Lawn Bowling Tournament
August 15 | Vancouver, BC
September 8-11 | Saskatoon, SK
There is often a tension between the desire for different outcomes and the willingness to make that change possible. Growing up in Massachusetts, Hannah Lang saw it play out first-hand, as people were ready to advocate for renewable energy but did not “[want] a solar panel farm in their backyard.”
Lang’s interest in this tension led her to explore how to make mining as sustainable as possible and tackle environmental problems during her undergraduate studies at Cornell University. After completing her bachelor’s degree in geology, she pursued postgraduate studies in mineral exploration at Queen’s University. After receiving her Master of Science in 2020, Lang set her sights on the next step.
We are profiling CIM-Bedford Canadian Young Mining Leaders Award winners to learn how they are giving shape to the future of the industry. First up is Hannah Lang, manager of digital solutions at MineSense Technologies
Sense of leadership
By Tijana Mitrovic
When she joined MineSense that same year, Lang was one of the first geoscience data analysts at the company. She started its digital solutions team, which uses data generated from MineSense’s ShovelSense and BeltSense products to help improve mining profitability and sustainability by enabling bulk ore sorting at the ore handling and conveying stages and improving downstream processing. As team lead and now manager of the department, Lang has led the implementation of machine learning algorithms for mine-to-mill optimization that are foundational to MineSense’s digital portfolio. She also played a pivotal role in developing and launching the company’s MineSense Data Portal, a client-facing platform for visualizing and analyzing product data, which is now deployed at more than 20 mine sites around the world.
While her team has driven the adoption of its BeltSense and ShovelSense technologies throughout North and South America, she is most excited about getting the technology to Collahuasi in northern Chile, the second-largest producing copper mine in the
world. “They are going to be one of the first mines to fully realize [MineSense’s] full mine-to-mill value,” Lang explained. “It has been super cool getting to work with them and seeing the impact we can have there.”
Lang has spoken to a range of technical and non-technical audiences to drive industry-wide change in long-term sustainability and environmental responsibility. She has also dedicated time to mentorship, having volunteered with the Lab of Misfits to help bring experiential science workshops to young children, including Indigenous youth, in Canada.
In her role as a manager, Lang has enjoyed its leadership and mentorship aspects and is committed to learning how to be a good leader and building that skill set. “The most rewarding thing about being a manager and being a leader is really that your impact is so much greater,” she said. “But you also have the ability to uplift other people around you and have them have those ‘aha’ moments that you once had.”
Working with operations to adopt new tools inspires Lang as a technology provider. “A lot of the time you hear in mining, it’s a race to be second, and no companies want to take that leap to be the first,” she said. “But there actually are companies willing to be the first, and we need [them]. It’s really exciting to see these companies willing to step into the unknown and embrace the change that’s needed in this industry.” Lang is determined to keep pushing the mining industry forward. “We need more leaders in mining who are willing to be bold, to have the tough conversations and drive the transformation of both the industry’s adoption of technology and the culture within it,” she said.
CIM
See CIM Magazine’s August issue for the next profile in the series.
Jon Benjamin Photography
LI
University of Alberta
CHENG
University of Calgary
Presented by the Materials Section, Contributions to the Field of Materials Engineering • ALLAN MACRAE
Tech2Strat Consulting Inc.
Queen’s University
by the Materials Section, Contributions to the Field of Industrial Application • YU ZOU
University of Toronto Presented by the Hydrometallurgy Section, Contributions to the Field of Hydrometallurgy
• RON MOLNAR
MetNetH2O
JOIN US IN MONTREAL!
Recognition of our members and some of these awards will be presented at COM (Conference of Metallurgy & Materials) on July 9, 2025, at Le Centre Sheraton Montréal www.com.metsoc.org
Thank you to the award sponsors who donated to the MetSoc Fund of the CIM Foundation ENGINEER IN MATERIALS INNOVATION AWARD
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL RECIPIENTS | FÉLICITATIONS À TOUS LES LAURÉATS
To read more about the recipients, including our section and student award winners, please visit www.metsoc.org | Veuillez consulter la liste des lauréats des Prix étudiants et des prix des sections techniques MetSoc www.metsoc.org/prix/
JUIN/JUILLET 2025
Les noms à connaître
Quel que soit l’intérêt que l’industrie accorde aux processus industriels, l’histoire nous a montré que, de nombreuses manières, ce sont les personnes qui la composent qui animent et inspirent cette industrie.
Les galeries photo retraçant les événements quotidiens à CIM CONNECT témoignent du grand intérêt de notre réseau vis-à-vis de cette industrie.
La participation sur les médias sociaux de l’institut redouble aussi dès la publication de photos d’événements organisés par les sections et les sociétés.
LES NOMS À CONNAÎTRE
51 Lettre de l’éditeur
52 Mot de la présidente
Article de fond
53 Les noms à connaître
Chaque année, nous dressons le profil d’une série de personnes qui ont un impact significatif sur le secteur minier canadien de différentes manières, que ce soit par la recherche et le développement de pointe, le renforcement de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du Canada en minerais essentiels ou la promotion de l’engagement et de la participation des autochtones dans l’industrie
Par Graham Chandler, Ashley FishRobertson, Lynn Greiner, Sara King-Abadi, Alice Martin, Tijana Mitrovic, Kelsey Rolfe, Mehanaz Yakub
Ces données de nos bulletins d’information nous disent la même chose, à savoir que notre lectorat souhaite connaître les personnes au cœur des récits.
La rubrique annuelle « Les noms à connaître » du CIM Magazine (en p. 53) nous permet de véritablement nous intéresser à ces personnes. Cette année, nous présentons neuf personnes qui dirigent leurs efforts sur les difficultés, depuis l’exploration minérale jusqu’à la mise en œuvre des politiques et l’innovation métallurgique.
Celles et ceux que nous présentons ne sont pas sélectionnés sur des critères quantitatifs absolus, mais plutôt parce qu’ils et elles font surface dans un processus de flottation déterminé par l’association d’événements actuels, de tendances de l’industrie et d’heureuses découvertes. Nous espérons qu’ensemble, ces personnes et leurs histoires dessinent les grandes lignes de notre secteur en ce moment, ainsi que la direction qu’il prend.
J’aimerais aussi amener sur le devant de la scène les membres de l’équipe de rédaction du magazine, dont les travaux ont récemment été sélectionnés pour quatre différents prix du magazine canadien, dans la catégorie B2B.
Toutes nos félicitations à Ailbhe Goodbody, rédactrice principale, dont les trois articles de Mehanaz Yakub, Trish Saywell et Lynn Greiner, qui ont suivi diverses pistes d’investigation sur le thème de la surveillance de l’environnement, ont été désignés dans la série Meilleur éditorial.
La rédactrice de projets spéciaux Silvia Pikal et sa série en huit parties très opportune intitulée Mining and Mental Health (L’industrie minière et la santé mentale), qui s’est étendue sur toute l’année 2024, a également été nommée dans la catégorie Meilleur éditorial, chronique ou rubrique régulière. Par ailleurs, l’article qu’elle et l’ancienne stagiaire au CIM Magazine Alice Martin ont élaboré sur les efforts réalisés pour permettre l’embauche d’ingénieures des mines chiliennes dans des exploitations canadiennes a été mentionné pour sa qualité de communication en matière de diversité, d’équité et d’inclusion.
Enfin, notre rituel, le récapitulatif hebdomadaire des actualités du secteur minier du CIM Magazine, tissé par notre rédactrice attitrée Ashley Fish-Robertson en un impeccable bulletin d’information tous les vendredis, a obtenu une reconnaissance dans la rubrique Meilleures infolettres éditoriales.
Derrière cette équipe, c’est Michele Beacom, notre directrice-rédactrice en chef, qui insuffle ses opinions dès que nécessaire et nous guide d’une échéance à la suivante.
L’exécution d’un travail de premier ordre est loin d’être facile, qu’il s’agisse de « rides à lisser » dans le contenu d’une page ou des nombreuses difficultés rencontrées dans la vie personnelle de chacune et chacun au quotidien.
De manière générale, le succès du travail d’un rédacteur ou d’une rédactrice se mesure à l’attention qu’il ou elle n’attire pas sur sa personne. Ce sont les erreurs et les oublis qui entraînent des réactions immédiates. C’est pourquoi je tiens à féliciter l’équipe du CIM Magazine pour sa reconnaissance largement méritée.
Ryan Bergen, Rédacteur en chef editor@cim.org
Les chefs de file dont le monde a réellement besoin aujourd’hui
Lors du congrès CIM CONNECT en mai, beaucoup de personnes m’ont demandé ce qui m’a poussé à rejoindre l’industrie minière. La réponse la plus simple est que c’est à Inco Ltd. que mes premières perspectives professionnelles ont pris forme. Toutefois, cette réponse ne saisit pas l’essence de ma décision de rester dans cette industrie, à la recherche de postes différents à mesure que ma carrière évoluait, ni n’explique ma passion pour le rôle essentiel du Canada dans la transition énergétique. Une réponse exhaustive consisterait à dire que ce sont les personnes qui la composent qui m’y incitent. L’interaction avec la main-d’œuvre exceptionnelle et diversifiée est le secret de ma carrière gratifiante dans le secteur des ressources. Les personnes qui travaillent au siège social, celles qui travaillent dans les mines, celles qui sont indispensables au bon fonctionnement de la chaîne d’approvisionnement, les prestataires. Les personnes qui vivent et travaillent dans les communautés où nous menons nos activités, les nombreuses vies impactées par les matériaux que nous produisons et les revenus qu’elles en tirent. Ce sont ces individus qui constituent le visage et le cœur de l’industrie, et non des images de mines à ciel ouvert ou de grands tombereaux de transport.
Le secteur des ressources est confronté à des difficultés sans précédent. Faiblesses dans les réglementations, manque de capital disponible, pénuries de talents et perceptions négatives du
public n’en sont que quelques exemples. Toutefois, nous nous trouvons également à l’aube d’une ouverture à la renaissance. De fait, les agences gouvernementales et les dirigeants et dirigeantes du monde entier comprennent le rôle important que doivent jouer les industries extractives dans la transition énergétique, en fournissant les minéraux critiques qui permettront de construire les systèmes de production, de stockage et de transmission de l’énergie renouvelable, et le transport sans émission de CO2.
L’industrie doit intervenir pour identifier et aborder les problèmes que nous rencontrons. La question que je me pose depuis des années est de savoir comment procéder. Comment pouvons-nous unir nos forces pour collaborer à grande échelle afin d’identifier les difficultés et résoudre les problèmes ? Comment faciliter et soutenir tout en s’assurant que des spécialistes qualifiés s’unissent et travaillent sur le bon programme ?
ChatGPT me dit qu’un grand dirigeant ou une grande dirigeante ne se contente pas de faire preuve d’autorité. C’est quelqu’un qui inspire, qui guide, et qui donne à d’autres les moyens d’agir pour atteindre une vision commune. L’industrie et les membres de l’ICM ont une vision commune pour produire de manière durable et responsable les matériaux requis dans la transition vers un avenir où règne la neutralité carbone. L’ICM réunit des personnes qui inspirent, guident et donnent les moyens d’agir chaque jour.
Ma question à chacune et chacun de nos membres est simple, et pourtant incroyablement complexe. Comment se réunir et résoudre les problèmes que rencontre l’industrie des ressources à grande échelle ? Si nous y parvenons, nous serons les chefs de file dont le monde a besoin aujourd’hui, et nous attirerons les plus jeunes générations vers cette industrie.
Les sections et les sociétés, de par leur nature, ont pour objectif d’encourager la collaboration et d’identifier les difficultés que rencontre l’industrie dans des domaines spécifiques, quelles que soient les disciplines. En tant que membres, comment envisagez-vous notre collaboration pour identifier et s’attaquer aux grands enjeux ?
J’aimerais avoir votre avis sur cette question, car je pense que cette organisation possède les connaissances et l’expérience collectives nécessaires pour changer le monde. Envoyezmoi un courriel à l’adresse president@cim.org si vous avez des idées quant à une collaboration interdisciplinaire et interfrontalière. Je ne veux plus que nous courions individuellement le 400 mètres haies. Je souhaite nous voir dans la finale du très attendu relais de 4 fois 100 mètres que, comme vous vous souviendrez, le Canada a remporté l’année dernière aux Jeux olympiques, contre toute attente.
Voici comment nous, spécialistes des ressources, deviendrons d’excellents chefs de file en 2025 : en collaborant.
Candace MacGibbon Présidente de l’ICM president@cim.org
Chaque année, nous dressons le profil d’une série de personnes qui ont un impact significatif sur le secteur minier canadien de différentes manières, que
ce soit par la recherche et le développement de pointe, le renforcement de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du Canada en minerais essentiels ou la promotion de l’engagement et de la participation des autochtones dans l’industrie.
Ensemble, ils constituent les noms à connaître de 2025 de CIM Magazine .
LES NOMS À CONNAÎTRE
Janice Martell
Timothy Hodgson
Luis Alberto Torres-Cruz
Josette Ross
Jean-Philippe Paiement
Mélanie Corriveau
Doug Schouten
Derrick Pattenden
Joshua Marshall
La défenseure des travailleurs
JANICE MARTELL FONDATRICE DU MCINTYRE POWDER PROJET
DANS LES ANNÉES 1970, avant chaque poste à la mine d’uranium de Quirke en Ontario, Jim Hobbs et ses collègues étaient incités à inhaler de la poussière d’aluminium (aussi connue sous le nom de poudre McIntyre), censée les protéger contre la silicose, une maladie pulmonaire commune chez les mineurs à l’époque.
Cette pratique quotidienne était monnaie courante dans les mines à roches dures de l’Ontario entre 1943 et 1979, lorsqu’elle a été supprimée après une révélation de Radio-Canada remettant en question son efficacité.
En 2021, la maladie de Parkinson a été diagnostiquée chez M. Hobbs. C’est seulement 10 années plus tard que Janice Mar-
L’apprenti politicien
TIMOTHY HODGSON
MINISTRE DE L’ÉNERGIE ET DES RESSOURCES NATURELLES
APRÈS LE LANCEMENT DE SA CARRIÈRE POLITIQUE en tant que candidat au parti libéral, et après s’être assuré un poste de député au Parlement pour représenter le district Markham-Thornhill de l’Ontario durant l’élection fédérale de 2025, Timothy Hodgson a été nommé, le 13 mai, ministre de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles.
La désignation de M. Hodgson à ce poste signale un revirement du gouvernement du Premier ministre Mark Carney vers un environnement davantage axé sur les entreprises et l’investissement. Cela souligne son intention d’accorder la priorité à la croissance économique et d’encourager le développement stratégique dans les secteurs des mines et de l’énergie du pays.
tell, la fille de M. Hobbs, commençait à enquêter sur les liens possibles entre la maladie de son père et la poudre McIntyre. Mme Martell a donné suite à une suggestion donnée à sa mère, selon laquelle l’exposition à la poussière d’aluminium pouvait avoir des effets neurologiques nuisibles.
« J’ai commencé à m’interroger sur l’exposition quotidienne à cet environnement et le fait de respirer une substance neurotoxique… Je ne suis pas scientifique, mais peut-être que c’est ce qui avait causé la maladie de Parkinson chez mon père », déclarait Mme Martell, qui indiquait qu’à l’époque, peu de recherches avaient été menées sur cette poudre.
Ce moment de curiosité de Mme Martell est à l’origine d’un parcours d’une décennie sur l’étude des effets potentiels de la poudre McIntyre sur d’autres mineurs.
« Je me disais que mon père ne pouvait pas être le seul à lutter », indiquait-elle. « J’ai voulu contacter d’autres personnes travaillant à la mine qui avaient été exposées à cette [poudre] pour voir le genre de problèmes de santé qu’elles rencontraient, car clairement cette question n’avait pas été abordée. »
En 2015, Mme Martell a lancé le McIntyre Powder Project, un registre bénévole visant à documenter les problèmes de santé des
S’il est nouveau dans le monde de la politique, M. Hodgson amène avec lui des décennies d’expérience en finance et gouvernance d’entreprise. De fait, il a occupé des postes de direction et siégé au sein de conseils d’administration de nombreuses sociétés et organisations, notamment Hydro One et MEG Energy. De 1990 à 2010, M. Hodgson a occupé une série de postes à Goldman Sachs, aboutissant à sa nomination au poste de directeur général de Goldman Sachs Canada en 2005.
Lorsque M. Carney, alors gouverneur de la Banque du Canada, l’a invité pour la première fois à Ottawa en 2010, M. Hodgson a quitté son poste de directeur général pour exercer un mandat de 18 mois en tant que conseiller spécial de M. Carney, auquel il offrait son expertise sur des contrats financiers complexes.
« Je n’ai jamais envisagé d’être politicien », reconnaissait M. Hodgson dans une publication sur LinkedIn du 24 avril dernier. « Je pense toutefois que notre pays se trouve à un carrefour. Ce moment crucial exige une détermination pragmatique et régie par des principes. »
M. Hodgson devrait jouer un rôle primordial dans la promotion des plans du gouvernement fédéral visant à moderniser et à élargir le secteur des ressources naturelles du Canada. Son expérience sera primordiale dans plusieurs domaines importants, notamment pour attirer des capitaux privés pour des projets dédiés aux ressources stratégiques, pour faciliter les processus réglementaires et pour encourager les partenariats privés à promouvoir l’innovation et à renforcer la compétitivité dans les industries des ressources au Canada.
Cette vision soutient l’ambition plus vaste de M. Carney, révélée en mars 2025, visant à unifier les forces économiques du Canada en priorisant les investissements dans des infrastructures et des technologies propres importantes. Au cœur des responsabilités de M. Hodgson se trouve l’avancement de l’extraction et du traitement des minéraux critiques.
« Lorsqu’il est question d’exploitation minière, nous savons que le Canada a tout ce qu’il faut pour le monde entier : du lithium, du cuivre, du cobalt, du manganèse et, bien sûr, l’une
mineurs exposés à la poudre McIntyre. Selon elle, des dizaines de milliers de mineurs en Ontario pourraient y avoir été exposés.
Son registre contient aujourd’hui plus de 700 entrées, la plupart réunies dans le cadre d’entretiens qu’elle a menés à Timmins, à Sudbury et dans d’autres villes minières du nord de l’Ontario. Toutefois, 117 mineurs sont décédés depuis leur inscription au registre, y compris M. Hobbs, qui est décédé en 2017 après avoir lutté pendant 16 ans avec la maladie de Parkinson. « Je leur ai promis que leurs récits ne resteraient pas dissimulés, et je trouve important de me faire leur porte-parole », ajoutait-elle.
Grâce à la mobilisation tenace de Mme Martell, la Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB, la Commission de la sécurité professionnelle et de l’assurance contre les accidents du travail) de l’Ontario a mandaté une étude de l’Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC, le centre de recherche sur le cancer au travail) sur la poudre McIntyre. Les résultats, publiés en 2020, ont révélé des liens importants entre la poudre McIntyre et la maladie de Parkinson. Sur la base de cette étude, le gouvernement de l’Ontario a officiellement reconnu la maladie de Parkinson comme une maladie professionnelle provoquée par la poudre McIntyre en 2022. Ceci signifie que les mineurs exposés à la poudre McIntyre qui ont développé une maladie de Parkinson ont désormais droit à une compensation de la WSIB.
des plus grandes réserves d’uranium de haute qualité », déclarait M. Hodgson durant un discours du 23 mai dernier à la chambre de commerce de Calgary. « Nous devons toutefois creuser plus profond. Nous devons traiter et affiner davantage sur le territoire, et l’exporter au monde, pas simplement aux États-Unis. »
Sa nomination prend une importance supplémentaire dans le contexte des tensions géopolitiques croissantes, des perturbations des échanges commerciaux et de l’effort du Canada pour diversifier ses chaînes d’approvisionnement et pour réduire sa dépendance vis-à-vis des États-Unis.
« Le Premier ministre M. Carney a établi une stratégie claire : nous serons les maîtres chez nous », déclarait M. Hodgson dans son discours du 23 mai. « Nous ne céderons pas à l’agression économique. Nous défendrons nos travailleurs et travailleuses, nos industries, nos valeurs. Nous construirons une nouvelle base. Une base qui offre l’économie la plus solide et la plus résiliente du G7. »
Ce pourrait bien être ce que le ministre et ses homologues fédéraux ne font pas qui pourrait marquer un changement majeur dans la manière dont le pays perçoit ses projets dédiés aux ressources naturelles. La plateforme d’élection de M. Carney proposait un rôle moindre du gouvernement fédéral afin de limiter la répétition inutile avec les provinces menant leur propre examen des projets.
Le scepticisme persiste dans l’ouest du Canada, où beaucoup considèrent que les précédents gouvernements libéraux ne soutenaient pas le développement des ressources. On observe toutefois un optimisme prudent en faveur du sens aigu des affaires de M. Hodgson et de ses racines du Manitoba. Cela pourrait encourager une approche plus collaborative à la politique énergétique durant le mandat de M. Carney, et également ouvrir la voie à la croissance durable du secteur des ressources naturelles du Canada.
– ASHLEY FISH-ROBERTSON ICM
Pour ses travaux qui ont permis de reconnaître depuis quelques années la maladie de Parkinson comme une maladie professionnelle, Mme Martell s’est vu attribuer la médaille du mérite civique de l’Ontario en mars 2025, la seconde plus haute distinction civique pour les résidents et résidentes de la province de l’Ontario.
« J’ai le sentiment que nous avons atteint un autre degré de légitimité. Je me suis montrée critique envers le gouvernement. J’ai demandé qu’il présente ses excuses à ces personnes et ai fait remarquer qu’il n’aurait pas dû rester sans rien faire et simplement observer la situation évoluer. Je suis très satisfaite qu’il considère ces efforts comme louables », indiquait Mme Martell.
Depuis, des études récentes ont apporté la preuve que la poudre McIntyre est liée à d’autres maladies, telles que les maladies pulmonaires et cardiovasculaires.
Toutefois, la priorité de Mme Martell reste de continuer à aider les personnes concernées à déposer des demandes d’indemnisation, tout en sensibilisant le public, notamment dans l’industrie minière.
« Je suis très fière que mon père ait été mineur », indiquaitelle. « Il n’a pas toujours été facile d’être fière de l’industrie minière en raison des décisions prises, mais j’observe des changements. J’applaudis ces efforts visant à améliorer les choses, et je ferai tout ce qui est en mon pouvoir pour les soutenir. »
– ALICE MARTIN ICM
Le chercheur en résidus
LUIS ALBERTO TORRES-CRUZ
PROFESSEUR EN GESTION DES RÉSIDUS ET EN INNOVATION MANDATÉ PAR TECK À L’UNIVERSITÉ DE LA COLOMBIE-BRITANNIQUE (UBC)
PENDANT SES ÉTUDES SUPÉRIEURES à l’université du Witwatersrand à Johannesburg, en Afrique du Sud, les terrils de déchets faisaient partie de la ligne d’horizon de la ville où vivait Luis Alberto Torres-Cruz.
Avec l’aimable autorisation de l’université de la Colombie-Britannique
« C’est quelque chose de très présent dans nos esprits lorsqu’on vit à Johannesburg », se remémore M. TorresCruz, professeur adjoint à l’université de la Colombie-Britannique (UBC) et professeur mandaté par Teck en gestion des résidus et innovation au Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering (l’institut Norman B. Keevil de génie minier) de l’université.
« Cela me paraissait sensé d’étudier et de chercher la stabilité d’un type de structure qui me semblait très proche de la ville. On pouvait facilement imaginer les conséquences dramatiques d’une rupture. »
C’est cette discipline, suggérée comme thème d’intérêt par Geoffrey Blight, son superviseur de l’époque et ingénieur géotechnique accompli, qui a motivé la carrière de M. Torres-Cruz, dédiée à améliorer la sécurité des déchets miniers.
À l’échelle mondiale, l’industrie minière produit des milliards de tonnes de résidus miniers chaque année. La majorité de ces déchets est retenue par des barrages de résidus miniers. En cas de rupture, les conséquences pour la santé humaine et l’environnement sont désastreuses.
En janvier 2019, une catastrophe s’est produite, qui a envoyé une onde de choc à l’industrie et a marqué un tournant dans la sécurité minière. L’effondrement du barrage de résidus à la mine de Córrego do Feijão de Vale à Brumadinho, au Brésil, enregistré sur une vidéo qui a circulé dans le monde entier, a entraîné le décès de 272 personnes.
« L’importance des compétences des spécialistes en génie des résidus est devenue plus évidente après la rupture à Brumadinho », méditait M. Torres-Cruz.
Après la catastrophe, il a corédigé un article d’opinion dans The Conversation qui exprimait la nécessité pour l’industrie de prendre des mesures, et qui soulignait l’importance de la collaboration entre les parties prenantes.
Dans les années qui ont suivi, M. Torres-Cruz a observé des changements de la part des sociétés minières, qui soutenaient désormais des initiatives de recherche directement, avec notamment la création de son poste à l’UBC, financé par Teck Resources. En juillet 2024, il devient le premier professeur mandaté par Teck en gestion des résidus et innovation.
Dans le cadre de cours avec M. Torres-Cruz, les étudiants et étudiantes découvrent les aspects géotechniques et environnementaux des résidus, ainsi que les solutions avancées de gestion des résidus par le biais d’une recherche ciblée informée par une participation avec des sociétés minières et des conseillers et conseillères en résidus.
« Nous identifions les domaines où la recherche est la plus nécessaire et les plus grands défis que rencontrent les ingénieurs en exercice », expliquait-il. « Nous pouvons ensuite optimiser nos efforts de recherche. »
La carrière de M. Torres-Cruz est jalonnée d’un grand nombre d’accomplissements. Il a notamment remporté à deux reprises le prix J.E. Jennings de la South African Institution of Civil Engineering (l’institution sud-africaine de génie civil), a reçu une mention honorable pour le prix R.M. Quigley de la société canadienne de géotechnique et est à l’origine d’un corpus de recherche solide sur les installations de stockage des résidus. Toutefois, son plus
(suite à la page 61)
JOSETTE ROSS
DIRECTRICE GÉNÉRALE DU CENTRE DE RECHERCHE ET DÉVELOPPEMENT ARVIDA DE RIO TINTO
JOSETTE ROSS EST, AVANT TOUT, UNE SCIENTIFIQUE.
En 2021, elle devient la première femme à diriger l’Arvida Research and Development Centre (ARDC, le centre de recherche et développement Arvida) de Rio Tinto depuis sa création en 1946. Si sa fonction est aujourd’hui davantage axée sur la gestion que sur la science, c’est de science dont il est question au sein de ses équipes. « Même si je gère des personnes, en fin de compte, nous gérons aussi la science », expliquait-elle. « Et pour gérer la science, je dois gérer des personnes. Pour moi, c’est la même chose. »
L’ARDC, situé dans la région de Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean au Québec, a pour mission de développer de nouvelles technologies et d’améliorer les processus, mais aussi d’apporter un soutien aux exploitations d’aluminium de Rio Tinto et d’aider les équipes de vente et commerciales en élaborant et en testant des produits répondant aux besoins des clients. L’organisation se divise en deux sections : l’une axée sur la R&D (recherche et développement) et l’innovation, et l’autre qui soutient les opérations à l’aide de la chimie analytique.
L’une des plus grandes réussites du centre récemment a été obtenue en partenariat avec Indium Corporation. Les deux entreprises collaborent pour trouver un moyen fiable d’extraire du gallium primaire en volume, à partir de la bauxite traitée dans les exploitations d’aluminium de Rio Tinto. Le gallium est un minéral critique rare utilisé dans la production de circuits intégrés. La Chine, principal fournisseur à l’échelle mondiale, restreint l’exportation du minéral. C’est pourquoi il devient essentiel pour l’industrie des semi-conducteurs de disposer d’une source fiable en Amérique du Nord.
Le catalyseur de l’IA
JEAN-PHILIPPE PAIEMENT
DIRECTEUR DES TECHNIQUES INFORMATIQUES À VRIFY
JEAN-PHILIPPE (JP) PAIEMENT ET SES COLLÈGUES DE L’ÉPOQUE à SGS Geostat ont passé des mois à développer un modèle géologique pour le concours Ruée vers l’or de 2016 d’Integra. Leur avantage résidait dans le domaine émergent de l’apprentissage automatique. Ils se sont basés sur un algorithme d’apprentissage automatique pour traiter le vaste corpus de données géologiques d’Integra.
Mme Ross expliquait qu’une équipe multidisciplinaire, qui inclut ses spécialistes, collabore avec Indium pour mettre au point un processus permettant d’extraire le gallium sans interférer avec l’extraction de l’alumine dans la bauxite. D’après un communiqué de presse de mai 2025 de Rio Tinto, la prochaine phase du projet comprend l’évaluation des techniques d’extraction de plus grandes quantités de gallium à l’échelle pilote. Si le projet aboutit, Rio Tinto prévoit de construire une usine de démonstration au Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean d’une capacité allant jusqu’à 3,5 tonnes de gallium par année.
« Après cela, nous espérons pouvoir atteindre le niveau commercial », indiquait Mme Ross. « Nous souhaitons garantir la chaîne d’approvisionnement. »
Lorsqu’elle est devenue directrice générale de l’ARDC, elle travaillait déjà depuis plus de 15 ans dans le centre de recherche, où elle apprenait tout ce qu’elle pouvait sur les diverses disciplines. Cela lui a bien servi.
« C’est la raison pour laquelle j’ai été choisie pour ce poste. Ce n’est pas un poste facile », expliquait-elle. « Il faut connaître pratiquement tout dans nos domaines pour rester pertinents. En essayant différents postes et différents domaines, j’ai beaucoup appris sur l’ensemble des processus. »
L’association de ses connaissances institutionnelles approfondies et de sa curiosité innée lui a permis d’apporter une nouvelle vision à l’ARDC en réorganisant le centre, en brisant les silos et en créant des équipes de spécialistes disparates, afin que tous et toutes puissent avoir une vision globale tout en travaillant sur un projet. « En les regroupant en une seule équipe dans l’optique de réunir les meilleures idées et solutions pour l’exploitation, ils sont plus forts », déclarait-elle. « Cela peut paraître banal, mais le résultat est positif. J’en suis très fière, car aujourd’hui, nous avons un grand portefeuille de projets qui sont totalement en phase avec les besoins opérationnels. »
L’algorithme a validé les mêmes cibles d’exploration que M. Paiement et ses collègues avaient identifiées, et en a sélectionné quelques-unes supplémentaires auxquelles ils n’avaient pas pensé. Leur proposition leur a valu de remporter le concours ainsi qu’un prix de 500 000 dollars. Toutefois, leur véritable victoire était d’être parvenus à mettre en avant une application potentiellement puissante de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) pour l’industrie.
Une décennie plus tard, M. Paiement, pour qui le concours Ruée vers l’or constituait une première expérience avec l’IA, est devenu un important défenseur de l’adoption de l’IA dans les sciences de la Terre. « Nous avons besoin de grands efforts pour évoluer. Cette industrie ne changera pas par sa seule bonne volonté », déclarait-il. « J’essaie d’être un catalyseur du changement. »
À VRIFY, où il a rejoint l’équipe de l’ancien directeur général d’Integra Steve de Jong, M. Paiement dirige le développement de l’offre technologique croissante de la société, notamment de DORA, sa plateforme de découverte minérale assistée par l’IA.
Lancée au congrès de la Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC, l’association canadienne des prospecteurs et entrepreneurs), DORA se sert de modèles d’apprentissage profond pour identifier de possibles domaines de minéralisation. La plateforme est formée selon une association de données spécifiques à chaque site de la société, telles que des levés géophysiques, des cartes géochimiques et la géochimie des sols, et d’une banque de données propriétaire plus
La briseuse de silos
Son message aux jeunes qui veulent réussir est simple et direct : ne tenez pas compte de l’imposteur ou impostrice en vous qui vous dit que vous n’êtes pas capables de faire une chose, et tentez votre chance.
« Parfois, vous réussirez, parfois vous échouerez », ajoutait-elle. « Qui ne tente rien n’a rien. Nous hésitons parfois à tenter quelque chose par peur d’échouer, mais là n’est pas le problème. C’est la manière dont nous apprenons les choses qui compte, et c’est ainsi que notre [candidature sur le marché du travail] s’avère plus intéressante. »
– LYNN GREINER ICM
vaste constituée de sources de données publiques et de données de clients anonymisées. À ce jour, DORA a été formée sur une vaste gamme de types de gisements et de matières premières. L’or est le plus courant, avec environ 43 000 exemples de formation au Canada, en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande. Si une société présente des conditions au sol très spécifiques, ou une matière première sur laquelle DORA n’a pas encore été préformée, M. Paiement expliquait que les nouveaux modèles peuvent devenir « très performants dans la prévision pour cette localisation, mais pas si performants pour la généralisation. À mesure que l’on ajoute des données, la précision diminuera légèrement car elle obtient des informations conflictuelles à différencier. Toutefois, la précision commence à remonter lorsque le modèle généralise ses connaissances. »
Comme l’expliquait M. Paiement, il a toujours été difficile de vendre l’adoption d’une approche axée sur les données aux spécialistes, qui interprètent les indices de surface et font des déductions concernant ce qui se trouve en souterrain. Toutefois, ajoutait-il, l’IA a le potentiel d’identifier des cibles d’exploration que les géologues pourraient manquer, soit parce que les sociétés cloisonnaient leurs données jusqu’à présent, soit en raison de leurs biais cognitifs.
M. Paiement, qui a commencé sa carrière dans le camp d’Abitibi, au Québec, s’est par exemple habitué aux types de
(suite à la page 61)
La porte-parole de l’engagement
MÉLANIE CORRIVEAU
ADMINISTRATRICE DES RELATIONS COMMUNAUTAIRES À MINES AGNICO EAGLE
MÉLANIE CORRIVEAU
MONTRE LA VOIE en développant et en supervisant les stratégies d’engagement de Mines Agnico Eagle auprès des communautés et des peuples autochtones dans des régions où la société
détient des projets et des exploitations.
Sa priorité actuelle vise à élaborer des ententes avec les nations autochtones au Canada et en Australie, et à mettre en œuvre le plan d’action pour la réconciliation (PAR), qui a débuté en juillet 2024. Le PAR a été élaboré en collaboration avec les communautés autochtones. Il adhère aux principes de la déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones.
Mme Corriveau est née et a grandi dans la région de l’AbitibiTémiscamingue du Québec. C’est donc tout naturellement qu’elle s’est dirigée vers l’industrie minière. « J’ai grandi dans le
DOUG SCHOUTEN
DIRECTEUR DES TECHNIQUES INFORMATIQUES ET COFONDATEUR D’IDEON TECHNOLOGIES
L’explorateur de subsurface
CERTAINS LIEUX LAISSENT DES MARQUES INDÉLÉBILES sur la vie d’une personne. Pour Doug Schouten, TRIUMF, le centre national d’accélération des particules du Canada à l’université de la Colombie-Britannique (UBC), est devenu le fil conducteur de son éducation et sa carrière.
C’est là où il a effectué son stage initial en premier cycle, alors qu’il étudiait la physique et les sciences informatiques à l’UBC. C’est là aussi qu’il a rencontré le superviseur de ses travaux de recherche de cycle supérieur à l’université Simon Fraser. C’est là où il est retourné pour ses recherches postdoctorales après avoir terminé son doctorat en physique des particules.
C’est là qu’il a été pour la première fois confronté à la recherche transformationnelle en tomographie muonique, laquelle a façonné son parcours entrepreneurial dans l’industrie minière.
Un muon est une particule subatomique naturelle produite par des rayons cosmiques entrant en collision avec l’atmosphère terrestre. Les muons perdent de l’énergie en proportion directe à la densité des matériaux qu’ils traversent. Les matériaux denses dans la subsurface de la Terre,
territoire traditionnel de la Première Nation Abitibiwinni, où j’ai développé des amitiés et une profonde appréciation des cultures autochtones », déclarait-elle. « Grâce à l’ouverture d’esprit et l’intérêt de mon père, j’ai découvert très jeune leurs traditions et modes de vie. L’exploitation minière faisait partie du quotidien de beaucoup de personnes dans la région. »
Après avoir travaillé dans le développement régional et la concertation au sein d’une section du gouvernement provincial, Mme Corriveau a été contactée il y a environ 15 ans par un ancien collègue travaillant dans le secteur minier. Elle a découvert le projet Dumont, un tout nouveau projet minier en Abitibi-Témiscamingue que Royal Nickel développait. Elle a été confrontée à toutes les questions relatives à l’attribution de permis, aux concertations et à la mobilisation des parties prenantes nécessaires dans l’organisation et la gestion.
« C’étaient mes premiers pas dans l’industrie minière », indiquait-elle. Il s’avère que cela a aussi marqué le début d’une nouvelle carrière. Dans le projet Dumont, Mme Corriveau était responsable du développement de la stratégie d’engagement communautaire.
comme les gisements de minéraux, empêchent les muons d’aller plus profonds. Dans des régions moins denses, telles que des vides ou des grottes, les muons peuvent passer.
Durant ses travaux de recherche à TRIUMF, M. Schouten a été le premier à mettre au point un moyen de détecter les muons et de mesurer leur trajectoire, puis de transformer ces données en modèles 3D détaillés de caractéristiques souterraines. « La valeur de cette capacité pour l’industrie minière est très vaste », expliquait-il. « On peut appliquer une cartographie de la densité à haute résolution à l’intégralité de la durée de vie de la mine, en commençant par l’exploration, lorsqu’on cherche des corps minéralisés denses. On peut aussi l’appliquer à la conception des mines et aux activités, lorsqu’il faut prévoir la manière de construire et d’ordonner la production, et à la période suivant la fermeture, lors du contrôle de l’affaissement de surface ou de la migration de fluide. »
M. Schouten a cofondé Ideon Technologies avec deux partenaires, et les activités commerciales ont débuté en 2020. Un investissement de capitaux initial leur a permis de développer et de commercialiser le premier détecteur de tomographie muonique pouvant être utilisé dans un trou de forage étroit, octroyant une visibilité de subsurface sans précédent.
Dans l’un des premiers projets qu’elle a menés avec Glencore à Matagami, au Québec, l’équipe a été confrontée à la difficulté complexe d’insérer sa technologie dans un trou de forage d’un kilomètre de profondeur. Malgré les difficultés, l’équipe est parvenue à prendre des clichés du gisement, à obtenir des données conséquentes et à découvrir un nouveau nœud de minéralisation possible sur le site.
« Nous imaginons des milliards de mètres cubes de Terre dans l’espace d’un seul trou. C’est une véritable révolution si l’on considère les centaines de trous que les sociétés minières forent généralement pour obtenir une image ne serait-ce que partielle de ce qu’il y a sous terre, dans une zone bien plus restreinte », indiquait M. Schouten. « En association avec la résolution que nous obtenons à de telles profondeurs, cet outil
Jon Benjamin Photography
Grâce à son précédent poste au gouvernement provincial, les études d’impact ne lui étaient pas étrangères. « J’ai passé environ 10 ans à conseiller le gouvernement du Québec sur les initiatives de développement régional pour l’Abitibi », indiquait-elle. Puis le complexe aurifère souterrain LaRonde d’Agnico Eagle, dans le nord du Québec, est arrivé. Mme Corriveau est devenue la coordonnatrice des communications et des relations communautaires de la mine en 2017. « J’ai mis au point le plan et l’entente avec les Premières Nations au Québec pour la société », indiquait-elle.
Avec son expérience des deux côtés du processus d’approbation, elle s’est vite forgé une réputation dans la société en tant que personne à contacter pour les relations autochtones au Québec. Elle a endossé son poste actuel en 2022, qui consiste à superviser la stratégie dédiée à la communauté et aux relations avec les Autochtones pour toutes les activités et tous les projets d’Agnico Eagle.
Si l’engagement avec les communautés autochtones a toujours été important dans une certaine mesure pour les sociétés minières, surtout en raison de processus réglementaires et de meilleures pratiques de l’industrie, Mme Corriveau est d’avis qu’il doit être officialisé dans les entreprises pour devenir partie intégrante de leur stratégie commerciale. Par ailleurs, la manière dont les sociétés approchent les populations autochtones et partagent les possibilités doit être plus cohérente.
offre une bien meilleure certitude que n’importe quelle autre technologie actuelle. »
Réduire l’incertitude géologique est au cœur des recherches et de la mission d’Ideon. C’est ce qui guide M. Schouten bien au-delà de ses racines dans la tomographie muonique.
« Si l’on peut aider les sociétés à prendre de meilleures décisions dans toute la chaîne minière, nous aurons une incidence sur leur productivité, leur rentabilité et sur leur engagement avec les communautés », ajoutait-il. « Notre vision consiste à utiliser la technologie pour libérer un nouveau potentiel en subsurface, et permettre un changement progressif dans la manière dont l’industrie comprend ce qui se trouve sous nos pieds. »
En 2024, Ideon a lancé la plateforme Reveal d’intelligence en subsurface, qui associe capteurs innovants, pipelines d’ingestion de données, traitement de données, intelligence artificielle (IA) et outils de visualisation. La plateforme peut intégrer des intrants de la tomographie muonique ainsi que de levés de la gravité terrestre et aérienne, magnétiques, sismiques et électromagnétiques, entre autres, dans un modèle haute résolution pluridimensionnel de la subsurface. « C’est une véritable victoire », se réjouissait M. Schouten.
La prochaine étape pour Ideon porte sur le développement à grande échelle de la plateforme Reveal en mettant au point la prochaine génération d’algorithmes basés sur l’IA et multiphysiques qui peuvent générer des informations encore plus exhaustives.
« Maintenant que l’on a les données, qu’allons-nous en faire ? », demandait M. Schouten. « Quelles décisions, impensables jusqu’ici, peut-on désormais prendre ? »
Pour M. Schouten, apporter une réponse à ces questions en offrant de la valeur aux clients du secteur minier est ce qui rend sa mission si louable.
ICM
« Au Nunavut, [où se trouvent les mines de Meadowbank et Meliadine d’Agnico Eagle], si l’on veut construire une mine, il faut obtenir la coopération et la participation des populations autochtones. Il faut obtenir leur consentement, car ce sont leurs terres », précisait-elle. « Nous voulons les mêmes conditions dans toutes les contrées où nous exploitons sur des territoires traditionnels autochtones. Pas seulement au Nunavut, mais aussi au Québec, en Ontario, en Finlande, en Australie, au Mexique. »
Agnico Eagle met actuellement en œuvre le PAR et publiera le premier rapport actualisé en 2026, d’après Mme Corriveau. Des réunions régulières ont lieu pour s’assurer que le plan est bien axé sur ce qui est réellement important pour les populations autochtones.
Agnico Eagle est la première société minière canadienne à avoir développé un PAR viable. Ainsi, elle a attiré l’attention d’autres sociétés minières et les a influencées dans leurs propres transactions avec les peuples autochtones et les parties prenantes.
« Nous avons reçu de nombreuses demandes de la part d’autres sociétés minières et d’exploration, qui souhaitaient en savoir davantage sur notre processus », indiquait Mme Corriveau. « Nous organisons de nombreuses présentations pour expliquer le processus, car nous sommes convaincus que ce genre de coopération est bénéfique à l’ensemble de l’industrie. Il est primordial que l’industrie soutienne la réconciliation. »
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– GRAHAM CHANDLER
Le gestionnaire de patrimoine
– MEHANAZ YAKUB
DERRICK PATTENDEN
RESPONSABLE DES INVESTISSEMENTS À NATIONS ROYALTY
DERRICK PATTENDEN SE SOUVIENT TRÈS NETTEMENT du moment où il a lu un communiqué de presse de février 2024 annonçant la création par la nation Nisga’a de Nations Royalty, la première société ouverte de redevances minières majoritairement détenue par des Autochtones au Canada. M. Pattenden n’a pas perdu de temps et a immédiatement contacté son équipe de direction, impatient de faire partie de cette entreprise historique. Ce qui a suivi marquait le début d’un chapitre passionnant de son parcours professionnel.
Preneur ferme chevronné ayant à son actif 15 ans d’expérience dans la finance propre au secteur minier, spécialisé dans les fusions et acquisitions, et membre de la Première nation des Mohawks de la baie de Quinte (Tyendinaga) près de Belleville, en Ontario, M. Pattenden a rejoint Nations Royalty en tant que responsable des investissements en mai 2024.
Nations Royalty s’associe à des groupes autochtones du Canada en leur proposant d’échanger tout ou partie de leurs futurs paiements de redevances, émanant d’ententes sur les répercussions et les avantages (ERA) existantes, en contrepartie d’une participation dans les capitaux propres ou d’argent comptant de Nations Royalty. En outre, Nations Royalty servira de conseiller financier aux groupes autochtones durant la négociation ou renégociation d’ERA.
M. Pattenden éprouve un immense épanouissement à mettre son expérience dans la finance au service des communautés autochtones au Canada pour les aider à trouver leur chemin dans les redevances d’ERA et à les négocier.
« J’ai l’occasion de travailler avec des groupes autochtones, parfois [composés] d’une population de seulement 300 personnes. Lorsque [nous] négocions ces conditions très importantes avec les sociétés minières, cela peut avoir un impact sur leur communauté pendant des décennies. Je peux mettre en application mes connaissances pour rejeter des arguments peu consistants [de la part des sociétés minières] », déclarait M. Pattenden.
Outre la nature gratifiante de ce travail, M. Pattenden profite de chaque occasion qu’il a de voyager, ce qu’il considère comme l’un des principaux avantages de sa fonction. Dans son précédent emploi, il voyageait principalement dans de grandes villes canadiennes. Aujourd’hui, il se rend régulièrement dans des communautés reculées, où il a rencontré beaucoup de personnes intéressantes.
M. Pattenden entrevoit une opportunité exceptionnelle pour l’avenir de Nations Royalty, notamment dans la capacité de la société à accéder aux offres de redevances de première catégorie, généralement uniquement réservées aux plus grandes sociétés de redevances minières. Il expliquait que nombre des gisements les plus précieux du Canada sont fermement détenus par de grands exploitants, qui vendent rarement leurs droits de redevance, sauf sous une pression financière. Toutefois, au titre d’ERA existantes, les commu-
JOSHUA MARSHALL
PROFESSEUR DE GÉNIE ÉLECTRIQUE ET INFORMATIQUE À L’UNIVERSITÉ QUEEN’S
« ACCRO D’INFORMATIQUE » COMME IL SE DÉCRIT, Joshua Marshall a découvert et s’est intéressé à la robotique dans l’industrie minière à la fin des années 1990, alors qu’il travaillait dans le département de recherche sur les mines d’Inco. La société lui avait demandé de surveiller un forage souterrain qu’elle tentait d’automatiser.
« C’est ce projet à Sudbury qui m’a convaincu. Assis tout seul devant cette machine, je me disais que je pouvais améliorer le processus, mais que je devais apprendre quelques petites choses », déclarait-il. « C’était alors le début [de l’automatisation]. Personne n’avait résolu les problèmes nécessaires pour rendre ces systèmes viables sur le plan commercial. »
Depuis, en tant qu’ingénieur en robotique, professeur et conseiller, M. Marshall cherche à améliorer la robotique et la technologie des véhicules autonomes, notamment dans des environnements austères tels que ceux que l’on rencontre dans l’industrie minière.
M. Marshall a suivi un double diplôme à l’université Queen’s en génie minier et mécanique. C’est là qu’il s’est pris
nautés autochtones détenaient parfois déjà des droits de redevances sur ces actifs de niveau mondial.
En tant que société détenue et contrôlée par des Autochtones, Nations Royalty occupe une position unique pour exploiter ces possibilités qui sont généralement inaccessibles à des sociétés de redevances plus petites. Ceci lui confère un net avantage dans une industrie où il est extrêmement difficile de trouver de nouvelles redevances. Évoquant le potentiel de la société, M. Pattenden indiquait qu’il est fermement convaincu que certaines des meilleures redevances dans le pays sont dans les mains d’Autochtones.
Il soulignait les trois bonnes raisons pour lesquelles les groupes autochtones pourraient être intéressés par un partenariat avec Nations Royalty. Tout d’abord, la société offre une diversification. Elle contribue à réduire le risque financier pour les communautés qui dépendent fortement d’une seule mine pour un revenu futur. Ensuite, elle leur permet d’avancer les futurs paiements de redevances, offrant un capital immédiat pour des projets critiques tels que l’infrastructure ou l’éducation, qui profitent aux communautés. Enfin, en regroupant les actifs des redevances avec d’autres groupes autochtones, ils peuvent libérer une valeur considérablement supérieure à celle qu’ils pourraient retirer s’ils agissaient seuls. Cela leur permet d’acquérir plus d’assurance par le biais de la collaboration et de l’échelle collective. Lorsqu’il est question de structurer correctement les ententes sur les redevances avec les communautés autochtones, M. Pattenden insiste sur l’importance de personnaliser chaque approche à la communauté en question. « J’apprends dans ce métier que chaque communauté est différente », indiquait-il. « On ne peut pas appliquer une approche réellement systématique à tous les groupes autochtones du pays. Il faut [se rendre] sur leur territoire, rencontrer pas uniquement le chef de la bande et du conseil, mais aussi les membres de la communauté. Il faut commencer à apprendre à les connaître et leur montrer que nos intentions concernant cette relation sont sérieuses. »
– ASHLEY FISH-ROBERTSON ICM
Le
de passion pour l’équipement minier, plus que pour les mines en tant que telles. Animé par sa passion pour la robotique, il a
Avec
l’aimable autorisation de l’université
Queen’s
roboticien de terrain
ensuite obtenu un doctorat en génie électrique et informatique à l’université de Toronto.
M. Marshall a rejoint la faculté Queen’s en 2010. Il a été nommé tout premier directeur de l’ Ingenuity Labs Research Institute (l’institut de recherche des laboratoires sur l’ingéniosité), qui s’intéresse à la recherche dans le domaine de la robotique et de l’intelligence artificielle. Son laboratoire Offroad Robotics, qu’il a fondé et qu’il dirige conjointement avec le professeur de génie mécanique Brian Surgenor, réunit des étudiants et étudiantes en génie minier, mécanique, électrique et informatique pour travailler dans le domaine de la recherche sur la robotique de terrain, souvent en collaboration avec des partenaires de l’industrie, dont Barrick et Cameco.
D’après M. Marshall, ce qui rend ce laboratoire unique est qu’il est parvenu à étendre la recherche au-delà des murs du laboratoire pour l’amener sur le terrain. « Nous avons utilisé de véritables véhicules dans des mines en service, puis nous avons intégré cette technologie comme un nouveau produit », expliquait-il. « La plupart des chercheurs et chercheuses adorent comptabiliser leurs articles publiés. Personnellement, je comptabilise le nombre de fois où nos produits sont réellement arrivés dans les mains des utilisateurs finaux. »
De 2016 à 2017, M. Marshall a collaboré avec Epiroc, à l’époque Atlas Copco, sur un projet d’excavation robotique en Suède. « Nous nous sommes rendu compte que nous recueillions beaucoup de données sur cette chargeuse robotique, données que nous pourrions exploiter à d’autres fins, [par exemple] pour caractériser le matériau que nous creusions à l’aide de capteurs à inertie uniquement », indiquait-il.
Ceci est devenu une « question de recherche ouverte ». L’équipe est parvenue à utiliser un capteur embarqué pour caractériser les calibres de particules de roches pendant qu’elle creusait. M. Marshall teste actuellement les travaux en conjonction avec la technologie basée sur la vision dans une carrière en service. Il collabore avec des ingénieurs et ingénieures de l’université d’Örebro et Epiroc pour mener des essais sur le terrain dans des cas de figure de production active.
M. Marshall a aussi une passion pour l’entrepreneuriat. « À la fin des années 2000, mon équipe a inventé un système de cartographie et localisation mobile sans infrastructure pour les véhicules souterrains », indiquait-il. « Cette technologie était assez avant-gardiste, mais elle a été commercialisée sous le nom de système uGPS RapidMapper, désormais exposé au musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada ! »
Avec son doctorant Marc Gallant, M. Marshall a imaginé les algorithmes qui sous-tendent la technologie de cartographie géotechnique autonome développée par RockMass Technologies, laquelle a remporté le prix « De l’idée au marché » du centre d’innovation de l’Ontario en 2021.
Après deux décennies à travailler sur la robotique, M. Marshall est heureux de constater les avancées réalisées dans l’industrie minière. « L’industrie a fait de grands efforts pour automatiser et robotiser de nombreux aspects de la production dans ses activités », se réjouissait-il. « De nombreuses tâches auxiliaires [restent] dépendantes d’une intervention humaine importante. Mon objectif a toujours été de soutenir les efforts de l’industrie visant à éloigner les personnes des situations dangereuses et difficiles. La vision d’une industrie minière où personne ne se rend dans des situations dangereuses est le prochain objectif que je me fixe. »
– TIJANA MITROVIC ICM
(suite de l’article sur Luis Alberto Torres-Cruz en page 56)
grand accomplissement reste le travail qu’il mène avec ses étudiants et étudiantes.
« Les publications qui ont découlé de ces travaux sont très spéciales pour moi, car elles reflètent le processus d’apprentissage », expliquait-il. « Elles reflètent le dévouement des étudiants et étudiantes vis-à-vis des travaux, et des conseils que je leur ai donnés. »
La possibilité de partager des connaissances relatives à la sécurité des résidus avec la prochaine génération d’ingénieurs miniers, hommes et femmes, est un privilège, que M. Torres-Cruz considère comme crucial pour l’avenir de l’industrie minière.
« Il est important de s’assurer que ces connaissances sont transmises à de plus jeunes ingénieures et ingénieurs [des mines], surtout car le génie des résidus n’est pas un thème traditionnellement présent dans le programme, y compris au niveau des études de premier cycle. »
Pour l’avenir, M. Torres-Cruz se réjouit à l’idée de contribuer davantage à la recherche qui permettra de mieux comprendre le comportement mécanique des résidus tels qu’ils existent dans les installations de stockage.
« Les digues à résidus ne sont pas du tout homogènes », expliquait-il. « Nous cherchons encore comment caractériser les propriétés géotechniques des résidus, et il reste encore beaucoup à faire dans ce domaine. »
ICM
– SARA KING-ABADI
(suite de l’article sur Jean-Philippe Paiement en page 57)
gisements de cette région. « Le [nouvel] environnement géologique peut présenter des subtilités qui rendent mes méthodes habituelles de guidage de l’exploration moins applicables ou fiables dans un autre lieu », expliquait-il. « L’ajustement demande du temps et une grande flexibilité. »
DORA arrive à un moment tout particulièrement opportun. Les modèles d’IA et les réseaux neuronaux sont devenus bien plus sophistiqués, d’une manière qui les rend « bien plus performants pour des problèmes de sciences de la Terre généralisés », indiquait-il. Simultanément, l’industrie se montre toujours plus ouverte à la technologie, particulièrement depuis que les applications de l’IA dans le domaine de la diagraphie et du balayage se montrent si utiles. Les sociétés sont donc soucieuses de découvrir de nouveaux gisements de minéraux critiques pour répondre à la demande mondiale insatiable.
C’est une évidence à VRIFY qui, d’après M. Paiement, compte déjà plus de 30 clients et en intègre deux ou trois nouveaux chaque mois.
La société a aussi clôturé son deuxième tour de financement (Série B) de 12,5 millions de dollars en février, dirigé par l’entreprise de capital-risque LGVP. Les fonds aident l’équipe de VRIFY à poursuivre le développement d’algorithmes personnalisés pour l’industrie (actuellement, l’équipe adapte des modèles à l’imagerie médicale du fait de leur capacité à voir au travers de multiples couches de données), et à automatiser le processus d’ingestion de données afin de simplifier ce processus et de le mettre à l’échelle plus efficacement.
– KELSEY ROLFE ICM
Present
at
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
July 15, 2025: Abstract Submission Deadline March 15–19, 2026: Conference Dates March 16–18, 2026: Exhibit Dates
CIM Journal
Abstracts from CIM Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1
MAINTENANCE, ENGINEERING AND RELIABILITY
Digital
technologies for energy efficiency and decarbonization in mining
O. Asa’d and M. Levesque, NRCan-CanmetMINING, Sudbury, Canada
Several mining companies have set targets to decarbonize their operations by the year 2050. At the same time, there is pressure on the mining sector to increase the supply of minerals needed for clean energy technologies. Digital technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things are reshaping the way the mining sector works. This literature review identifies examples of current digital technologies implemented in mining operations and highlights their reported benefits. Although several benefits were reported, mining companies tend to focus on safety, productivity, and cost. Energy and greenhouse gas reductions are commonly overlooked, despite having the potential to shrink the mining carbon footprint. Quantifying the energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved through implementation of digital technologies could strengthen the business case to enhance their adoption and help the mining sector reach decarbonization goals.
METALLURGY AND MATERIALS
A novel experimental set-up for generating microbubbles for the removal of inclusions from water and liquid metals
R. Tiwari, D. Gonzalez-Morales, M. M. Isac, and R. I. L. Guthrie, Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
To enhance steel cleanliness, extensive research has been conducted on bubble flotation techniques for inclusion removal. However, effective removal of nonmetallic inclusions smaller than 50 µm remains a challenge during standard liquid metal processing operations. These tiny inclusions have insufficient rising speeds to enable them to float out to the slag layer on their own. Several studies have demonstrated that the use of 500-µm bubbles would be necessary to facilitate the flotation of sub-50-µm inclusion particles from liquid steel within a tundish. Our approach to generating microbubbles in liquid metals uses liquid shearing flows. This method splits forming bubbles into smaller sizes by applying intense shear stresses. As a result, significantly larger surface areas are created, enhancing the interaction between the microbubbles and the inclusions. To test the effectiveness of this approach, a novel setup comprising submerged nozzles within a liquid metal was designed, manufactured, and operated. This setup allowed for experimentation with different rotational speeds and effluent gas flow rates, thereby determining the bubble sizes produced. Microbubbles within the desired size range (400-600 µm) were successfully generated in a Cerrolow 136 eutectic alloy.
THE IRON ISLAND
The origin stories of our industry are contained within the digital archives of the CIM Bulletin, the predecessor to CIM Magazine. In this issue, we look at how a mine on a remote island off B.C.’s coast began supplying iron ore to Japan’s booming steel industry in the 1960s
By Ailbhe Goodbody
The Tasu iron-copper mine was located in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) off the north coast of British Columbia, approximately 735 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. The mine was developed on the west coast of north-central Moresby Island, on the south side of Tasu Sound.
According to A. Sutherland Brown, R.J. Cathro, A. Panteleyev and C.S. Ney (CIM Bulletin, May 1971), the Tasu deposit is a magnetite-bearing skarn of the Canadian Cordillera’s Insular Belt. E.J. Wade (CIM Bulletin, March 1968) wrote that the magnetite occurrence was first noted by the Haida people in the 18th century, and that the magnetite-chalcopyrite deposits at Tasu were first explored around 1907 to 1909, following the visit of a prospector named Gowing from Grand Forks to the area in the early 20th century “to investigate the rumour of an unknown metal.”
The deposits were commercially exploited for copper between 1914 and 1917. “During this time, two adits, one stope and an exploratory winze were driven,” wrote Wade.
The site lay inactive for several decades until 1953, when the mineral claims were acquired by Frobisher Limited. Frobisher incorporated a subsidiary, Wesfrob Mines, Limited, in February 1956 to explore and develop the Tasu property.
According to Wade (1968), there had been a political effort for many years to establish an iron and steel industry within the province. “To aid in achieving this objective, legislation was passed in 1951 to prevent the export of iron ore from all but a few properties to which the owners had special title,” he wrote. “By the mid-fifties, this legislation had become unpopular and there were moves afoot to have it rescinded. Moreover, a possible buyer for B.C.’s lump magnetite ore appeared, in the form of the Japanese steel companies.”
By the end of the decade, the provincial government relented and in October 1960, it “removed its restrictive Crown claim to ore reserves and the taxation of iron ore in the ground and permitted the production and export of ore in return for a fair and equitable royalty,” wrote Wade
(1968). “At the same time, the Japanese steelmakers were turning to sinter feed for their blast furnaces and this opened an avenue for the use of Tasu’s crushed and concentrated ore.”
Construction
Wesfrob Mines, after an initial drilling program in 1956, began a more comprehensive exploration program in 1961; it was then acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited in 1962. “This work, and a detailed feasibility study carried out toward the end of this program, prompted the decision to proceed with development in July 1964,” wrote F.A. Godfrey, H.M. Thurgood and F.W. Gilbert (CIM Bulletin, March 1968). They noted that work began on access roads that November, and this was followed closely by initial pit, plant and townsite excavation.
A company town was built for Tasu mine workers and their families, with 51 housing units for staff as well as facilities such as a community centre with a gymnasium, swimming pool, library and hobby rooms; a three-room school to provide full instruction up to grade 10; and a clinic with doctor’s offices, quarters, X-ray room, dispensary, lab and a six-bed emergency ward.
“The townsite is located on Gowing Island, which is connected to the plant and mine area by a 500-foot-long causeway,” wrote Godfrey et al (1968).
However, the project’s location and topography presented some infrastructural challenges. “The proximity of the mine to the plant site and the steep terrain resulted in many problems, including the necessity of constructing roads at a 10 per cent grade, the close grouping of plant facilities, the limiting of stockpile areas, the lack of storage space and the large amount of excavation required to establish foundations,” they added.
The absence of conventional transportation facilities was also challenging. “The lack of boat service or roads necessitated not only providing barge service to the site from Vancouver but also necessitated the providing of water transport and barges at the site for men and material transport between Moresby and Gowing islands,”
wrote Godfrey et al (1968). “During construction, Wesfrob supplied two barges, a water taxi and a small tug for this purpose as well as smaller service boats. The completion of the causeway between the two islands minimized this problem.”
Wade (1968) noted that depending on the season and weather conditions along the coast, a barge trip from Vancouver to the Tasu mine could be as short as 56 hours or as long as 10 days.
Problems with labour availability, the high seasonal rainfall and material escalation meant “construction costs at the site were far above those on the lower mainland,” wrote Godfrey et al (1968). “The necessity of importing construction sand, aggregate and landscaping materials from Vancouver also contributed to abnormal costs.”
Operations
Donald L. Brothers (CIM Bulletin, March 1968) recorded that the Tasu mine opened in June 1967.
Two open pits, Zones 1 and 3, were initially mined, and J.E. Dodge (CIM Bulletin, March 1968) wrote that stripping would start on a third pit, Zone 2, in approximately two years. “Although mining for the first few years will utilize open-pit methods, extensive underground development provided an ore pass, tram and underground crusher system to minimize all trucking of ore,” he added.
Wade (1968) wrote that proven and mineable ore reserves at the Tasu site amounted to 18,500,000 tonnes grading 38.2 per cent iron. “Of this total, Number 3 zone contains 5,200,000 tonnes assaying 44.5 per cent iron and 0.75 per cent copper,” he wrote. “In addition, surface drilling has indicated about 15,000,000 tonnes of probable ore grading 45 per cent iron to the west of the main zones.”
The open pits serviced the primary crusher from two areas via ore pass raises. According to Kenneth Blower (CIM Bulletin, March 1968), the run-of-mine ore was classified as copper-bearing (for Zones 2 and 3) or copper-free (Zone 1), according to its source. “The two types of ore are isolated throughout their treatment,” he wrote. “The grinding and concentrating circuits may be considered as two individual entities—a copper-bearing pellet concentrate circuit and a copper-free sinter concentrate circuit.”
Wade (1968) noted that the Tasu mine’s location in a temperate rainforest with annual rainfall in excess of 160 inches posed further challenges.
“Water has been the major ore pass problem and has produced major spills in the haulage adit and at the primary crusher. Although ore passes making water were grouted during the development program, cracks around the raise collars led to the ingress of surface water,” wrote Dodge (1968). He added that the ore passes were being run as empty as possible at all times to minimize the amount of water in the ore.
Mining the archives
Despite the region’s heavy rainfall, water storage was an issue at the site. “Run-off is immediate and the long summer provides a small percentage of the total rainfall,” wrote Godfrey et al (1968). “After considerable study, Wright Lake, four miles to the southwest at the head of Fairfax Inlet, was selected as the only reliable water source… It is noted that the watershed feeding the lake was the supply tapped and not the lake itself.”
While the mine was close to deep water, there were still some challenges related to shipping. “The trend to super ore carriers forces the producer to become involved with the problem of large vessels,” wrote Godfrey et al (1968). “Storage space at Tasu was limited, but large stockpiles were necessary. A natural harbour was available but underwater excavation and dredging were necessary. Local shipping activity was limited, but berthing tugs were necessary. Fewer than twenty carriers were scheduled annually, but high loading rates were necessary. A normally adequate docking area was available, but a movable shiploader was necessary.”
According to Wade (1968), the first shipment of iron concentrate to Japan took place in August 1967.
Godfrey et al (1968) wrote that “Japanese markets consume the entire Wesfrob production of approximately one million tons per year of iron concentrate and 50,000 tons per year of copper concentrate. All sales are arranged by Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Limited.”
Underground development at the Tasu mine was completed in 1977; with the exhaustion of ore in the open pits, underground mining was initiated the same year.
With its economic reserves extracted, the Tasu mine closed permanently on Oct. 5, 1983. According to figures from the B.C. government, the mine’s total production from 1914 to 1983 was 23,297,228 tonnes of ore; from this, 1,430,141 grams of gold, 52,822,505 grams of silver and 57,090,466 kilograms of copper were recovered. Iron concentrates totalled 12.35 million tonnes, averaging 65 per cent iron. CIM
A view of the Tasu townsite, plant site and mine, and the entrance to Tasu Sound from the Pacific (CIM Bulletin, March 1968)
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