Lakehead University’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining and Exploration (CESME), established in 2013, is releasing its first report, from a conference held on the Role of Government Policy in Sustainable Mining that took place in December 2013.
The report provides some key conclusions from the conference discussions, among them:
- Regional sustainable development frameworks that facilitate Aboriginal peoples’ participation in decision making are sorely needed
- Infrastructure planning and development should involve provincial, federal and First Nation governments
- With mining being the highest paying industrial sector and with workforce gaps predicted in the next decade, the opportunity is ripe to develop a larger Aboriginal workforce
“The purpose of the conference was to examine the past, present and future of public policy and how it promotes sustainable mining development, with a focus on policy development for the Ring of Fire and other major exploration projects in Northwestern Ontario,” said Dr. Peggy Smith, a CESME researcher and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Natural Resources Management.
The report chronicles key points made by a diverse array of speakers and participants who engaged in discussions around major themes, including decision making, infrastructure, Aboriginal and community engagement, environmental protection, workforce development, taxation and benefit sharing, and business development.
“CESME is excited to release this report, and we hope that it will continue to stimulate discussion as to how best develop the incredible resources of Northern Ontario in a way that can benefit everyone,” said Dr. Peter Hollings, CESME’s Director and Chair of Lakehead’s Department of Geology.
Speakers at CESME’s 2013 Role of Government Policy in Sustainable Mining conference ranged from industry representatives like Stephen Lindley of SNC-Lavalin who discussed best practices; First Nations, such as Webequie and the Metis Nation of Ontario, that are engaging in the mining sector; non-governmental representatives concerned about environmental protection; legal expert Bill Gallagher, who spoke about the influence of Aboriginal rights cases on resource development; and Matawa First Nations negotiator Bob Rae.
“None of this would have been possible without the hard work of our conference participants and the support of our generous sponsors,” added Dr. Hollings, who presented CESME’s report at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual conference in Toronto, this morning.
Several partners made CESME’s 2013 conference possible: the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission and District Entrepreneur Centre, Cliffs Natural Resources, Nordmin Engineering Ltd, SNC Lavalin, Zenyatta Ventures Ltd., Stillwater Canada Ltd., WSP Group, Goldcorp Musselwhite Mine, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, Noront Resources Ltd. and Superior Survey Inc.
CESME’s report is available upon request. Dr. Peggy Smith is available for interviews.
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For more information, please contact:
Brandon Walker
Media Relations Officer
807-343-8177
mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca
