CIM Magazine May 2015 by CIM-ICM Publications

THE BIGGES BIG GGEST THIING WE MOVE IS TIME

M o d u l e m ove o n S PM Ts to Va l e M i n e s i te, N ew fo u n d l a n d CA

At Mammoet, we w provide solutions for lifting g,

matters mostt. That’s why we strive to bring their

transporting, in nstalling and decommissioning

deadlines forw ward.

large and heav y structures.

It’s an integra ated, daily effort shared by evveryone

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at Mammoet.

and about how w sophisticated and powerful iit is.

That’s how we w move time for our custome rs.

But all that pow wer means nothing without a plan.

So time isn’t set in concrete. Or forged in steel. s

In fact, we belie eve our business isn’t about size. s

It’s not even a all that heavy.

It’s about: time.

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Uptime. Turnaround time. Time to market. To o our custome ers, time is the currency that

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IN THIS ISSUE 69

CIM MAGAZINE MAY | MAI 2015

cover story

The Kassandra complex Eldoradoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greek mines have a storied past but face an uncertain future By Peter Braul

14 Planning ahead

The Quebec government is eager to re-ignite excitement for mineral projects in the north By Antoine Dion-Ortega

62 Crushing it at camp

Tips, tools and techniques for making the modern remote work environment work for you By Katelyn Spidle

77 Charged up

Battery-powered LHDs offer miners cleaner, cooler and quieter alternatives to diesel By Eavan Moore

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM PROGRAMME PRELIMINAIRE May/Mai 2015 | 5

104

19 8 10

Editor’s letter President’s notes

tools of the trade 12

The best in new technology

news 16 19 30

SGS Canada launches its new REE separation plant By Chris Balcom

The gold industry celebrates 10 years with the cyanide code

columns

By Katelyn Spidle

44 48

How to weather the mining cycle By Ryan Montpellier

An update on harmonization of 2014 CIM Definition Standards Good data key to paste plant design and operation

education & training 54

Goldcorp programs encourage women to risk taking the lead By Kelsey Rolfe

Burkina Faso schools getting revamped with help from a Canadian partnership By Katelyn Spidle

6 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Healthy lifestyle program aims to prevent chronic disease among mine workers

article de fond 104

By Katelyn Spidle

scholarships 84

MER recipients announced

focus on genomics 92

By Chris Balcom

The immense and untapped potential of biological processes in mining

Par Katelyn Spidle

95 95 96 108

By Ryan Bergen Illustrations by Alex Winch

mining lore 122

S’adapter à la vie au campement Des conseils, des outils et des techniques pour créer l’environnement de travail moderne qui vous convient dans un lieu isolé

President Roy Slack explains Cementation’s award-winning employee-first safety culture By Ian Ewing

By Paul Bankes

By Frank Palkovits

Compiled by Katelyn Spidle

News briefs

contenu francophone

113

Lettre de l’éditeur Mot du président Les actualités en bref Le complexe de Kassandra

Les mines grecques d’Eldorado sont chargées d’histoire, mais leur avenir est incertain Par Peter Braul

Résumés techniques

A young girl in present-day Quebec launched a gold rush to the region in 1846 By Correy Baldwin

113 Technical abstracts

travel 120

Stratoni, Greece By Peter Braul

La version française intégrale du CIM Magazine est disponible en ligne : magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA

Editor-in-chief Ryan Bergen, rbergen@cim.org Executive editor Angela Hamlyn, ahamlyn@cim.org Managing editor Andrea Nichiporuk, anichiporuk@cim.org

editor’s letter

Editorial advisory board Alicia Ferdinand, Garth Kirkham, Vic Pakalnis, Steve Rusk, Nathan Stubina Translations CNW, Karen Rolland Published 8 times a year by: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum 1250 – 3500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West Westmount, QC H3Z 3C1 Tel.: 514.939.2710; Fax: 514.939.2714 www.cim.org; magazine@cim.org Advertising sales Dovetail Communications Inc. Tel.: 905.886.6640; Fax: 905.886.6615; www.dvtail.com Senior Account Executives Janet Jeffery, jjeffery@dvtail.com, 905.707.3529 Neal Young, nyoung@dvtail.com, 905.707.3525 Account Manager Mark Spasaro, mspasaro@dvtail.com, 905.707.3523 For Quebec: Info-Industriel Inc. Senior Account Executive Yvan Gauthier, ygauthier@cim.org, 514.576.5869

Finalist

Layout and design by Clò Communications Inc. www.clocommunications.com 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.

8 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3 Printed in Canada

Bes t in

Tailings rehabilitation work underway at the Olympias mine Courtesy of Hellas Gold

Ryan Bergen, Editor-in-chief editor@cim.org @Ryan_CIM_Mag

eth R. Wilson enn Aw 4K

s ard

20 1

Subscriptions Included in CIM membership ($187); Non-members (Canada): $270/yr (AB, BC, MB, NT, NU, SK add $13.50 GST; NB, NL, ON add $35.10 HST; QC add $40.40 GST + PST; PE add $37.80 HST; NS add $40.50 HST); Non-members (USA & International): US$290/yr; Single copy: $25.

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ast autumn section editor Peter Braul and communications coordinator Zoë Koulouris packed a camera and a voice recorder, as well as some sunscreen, and flew off to Thessaloniki, Greece. The final destination was Eldorado Gold’s Kassandra mines on the Halkidiki Peninsula. The sites, operated by Eldorado subsidiary Hellas Gold, are a constellation of brownfield and greenfield properties, some of which have, off and on, been producing metals for thousands of years. Before Eldorado can turn these properties into profitable operations, the company has plenty of work to do: an eight-kilometre tunnel that connects two of the mines and allows for the transport of ore must be completed; tailings from past production will have to be cleaned up; old underground workings need to be expanded; an open-pit mine – a first for the country – must be developed and a processing plant that integrates the feed from three different mines built. Peter details the work in our project profile, “The Kassandra complex” (pg. 69), a title derived from the Greek myth of Cassandra, who was given the power of prophecy, but whose warnings about the future were not believed. The projects, which currently employ more than 2,000 people, might seem like a great boost for Greece, which is way over its head in an economic mess, but politics have jeopardized the future of the mines. Supporters will argue that the project, where two of the mines have at least 25 years of life, have a role to play in saving the country from its current distress. Shut it down and foreign investors will take their badly needed dollars elsewhere. Opponents contend the environmental costs will be too high and have the recently elected government as an ally. And so we wait to see whose warnings will be heeded and whose will be dismissed. Spring is always a rush at CIM National as preparation for the annual CIM Convention reaches its peak. This year we added the publication of a new book, Metallurgical Plant Design, to the long list of projects and deadlines. This volume, as co-editor Chris Twigge-Molecey explains (pg. 35), bridges the informational gap between engineering and project execution. The 12-chapter book is the product of countless hours of work from volunteers and CIM staffers and a testament to their enormous commitment to their professional calling. Copies are available at the conference and online at cim.org. CIM’s media offerings have also expanded to video. Visitors to CIM Magazine online can now find presentations from a number of industry experts who are challenging miners to weigh the risk of innovation against the growing risk of complacency. The videos capture the proceedings at McEwen Mining’s quarterly innovation lunches hosted at the company’s Toronto offices. The presentations, complete with slides, are graciously provided by McEwen Mining and are an excellent complement to whatever is on your lunch menu.

Section editors Peter Braul, pbraul@cim.org Tom DiNardo, tdinardo@cim.org Copy editor/Communications coordinator Zoë Koulouris, zkoulouris@cim.org Web content editor Maria Olaguera, molaguera@cim.org Contributing editor Eavan Moore, emoore@cim.org Editorial interns Katelyn Spidle Michael Yang, myang@cim.org Digitization technician Marie-Ève Lapierre, melapierre@cim.org Contributors Chris Balcom, Correy Baldwin, Paul Bankes, Antoine DionOrtega, Ian Ewing, Sahar Fatima, Clare Mallison, Ryan Montepellier, Frank Palkovits, Kelsey Rolfe, Alex Winch

ian Business Pu nad b Ca

To Hellas and back

president’s notes

Canada’s vital role on the global stage CIM members are respected internationally for our technical skills and ethical approach to mineral industry development. It is our responsibility to bring this best practice approach to every country and every project in which we are in involved. Responsible mineral resource development can provide immediate and sustainable improvement in the quality of life to many underdeveloped regions and countries. Taking this one step further, CIM, as the premier technical institute for the Canadian minerals industry, has a key role to play in promoting best practices for the global minerals industry. Other technical institutes in the minerals industry, including the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy; the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration in the United States; and the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, share this commitment to best practices. Under the framework of the Global Minerals Professionals Alliance (GMPA), CIM is working with these organizations to “foster a mutually beneficial relationship that will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and technology, promote technical and professional excellence across the minerals industries, provide programs for education and professional development, and facilitate opportunities for knowledge sharing.” Furthermore, each of these organizations will offer “Visiting Member” status for up to 12 months for members who are living or working in a host institute region. As this is my final President’s Note, I will take this opportunity to say that this has been a thoroughly rewarding and fulfilling year. I am profoundly honoured to have had the opportunity to serve as your president, and to work alongside the highly effective staff members in our national office and a dedicated team of council, society and branch volunteers. I wish to thank each and every one of them for their support, commitment and a job well done! This month, Garth Kirkham will take on the role of CIM president. Garth brings extensive industry knowledge and a high level of enthusiasm to the role, and I look forward to working with Garth in the year ahead.

Sean Waller CIM President

10 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Safe raisedrill carriers Transporting raisedrills and related machinery using generic mining equipment can result in damage or delays. Recognizing the need for a product that is designed to move them safely, Redpath introduced the Redtrax raisedrill carrier to its fleet. It eliminates the need for telehandlers, load-haul-dump machines and forklifts to do this work, thereby freeing them up to be used elsewhere at the mine. The carrier is designed to transport Redpath’s Redbore 30, 40, 50 and 70 raisedrills, although it can accommodate other drills on the market. Its diesel fuel engine meets emission standards and reduces workplace noise levels. “Redtrax allows the team to execute the project requirements independently from site to site, reduces damage of drill components as the unit is purpose built, and safety features keep our workforce available to execute the client’s request,” said Bryan Maille, Redpath’s raisebore superintendent.

Courtesy of SEI Industries

Courtesy of The Redpath Group

OF TOOLS THE TRADE

Military-grade refuelling system Many remote mines lack the refuelling capability required to accommodate large aircraft on their airstrips. That is why SEI Industries decided to make its High-Pressure Aviation Refuelling System (HPARS) – originally designed for military training and operations – available for commercial use. The system weighs about 1,800 kilograms and is built on a skid so it can be easily moved. “It’s a portable system that [companies] can take with them, but it’s also heavy duty and substantial enough that it can stay in one place for a long period of time,” said Robin Cnudde, the company’s Canadian sales manager. HPARS is fully self-contained, weather-proof and explosion-proof. It also comes equipped with a drip tank, a lighting system, an emergency stop control system and a fire extinguisher. Using a self-priming centrifugal pump, HPARS has a maximum flow rate of 750 litres per minute and runs on an electric motor.

Taking the next step When choosing flotation technology for a plant, mineral processors look for high recovery rates and low operating costs. After seven years of development, FLSmidth unveiled its nextSTEP rotor/stator for use in forced-air flotation equipment. The product consistently draws 10 to 15 per cent less power than what were the most energy-efficient models on the market, according to Frank Traczyk, the company’s global flotation technology director. The team designed the rotor/stator with horizontal slots, enhancing overall recovery by one to two per cent. After testing more than 200 combinations, “With this particular stator/rotor combination we got better mixing, better suspension and a finer bubble,” Traczyk said. “Those fine bubbles really enhance the recovery.” Courtesy of FLSmidth

Compiled by Katelyn Spidle 12 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

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A pilot plant for a blossoming sector

PDAC 2015: Mining’s rite of spring

A decade of safer gold extraction

CIM launches met plant design book

News

Planning ahead The Fraser Institute’s annual survey on the mining industry, released in February, brought Quebec back among the top 10 world’s most attractive jurisdictions to the sixth spot. The province had previously enjoyed the first position from 2007 to 2010 before tumbling down to 18th in 2013. However, provisional statistics released a few days later by the Institut de la statistique du Québec told a different story. Mining investment in Quebec declined by almost a third in 2014, dipping to a five-year low of $3.2 billion. Last year the current Liberal-led government resurrected the Plan Nord, an ambitious if nebulous natural-resourcefocused economic development strategy for the vast territory north of the 49th parallel. Since then it has been acting on multiple fronts to convince investors that Quebec will be in an enviable position when prices recover. The Plan Nord, initially launched by the Liberal government in 2011, was squelched by a lost election in 2012 and a slump in commodity prices. The feasibility study contract for a third rail line connecting the Labrador Trough to the Port of Sept-Îles was awarded to Montreal-based Canarail last October, thanks in great part to the impetus of Champion Iron and Adriana Resources – and a $20 million budgetary allowance from Quebec. In December, Bill 70 finally brought to life the Société du Plan Nord. Nine of the 15 board members were nominated in 14 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Rogerio Barbosa for the Société du Plan Nord

Quebec government eager to re-ignite excitement for mineral projects in the north

The Quebec government announced its Plan Nord Toward 2035, 2015–2020 Action Plan on April 8, which includes about $2.7 billion in infrastructure projects in the north.

March. One of them is Hélène Lauzon, the current president of the Conseil patronal de l’environnement du Québec, a non-profit organization bringing together various industries concerned about their impact on the environment. “Our job will be to implement the government’s strategy for the Plan Nord,” she said. “It is our mandate to contribute to maximizing economic benefits and advise the government regarding any questions on the development of the north. We are going to have lots of meetings in the next couple months to set up the whole structure, its rules and its budget.” The Société was officially born on April 1. On March 6, deputy minister of

mining Luc Blanchette returned from a one-week tour trip to Abitibi, CôteNord, and Nord-du-Québec, where he led various consultations with stakeholders: mining and supplying companies, but also municipalities and affected communities, R&D institutions and social and environmental groups. Blanchette has been conducting meetings since September in order to set up a strategic vision on mining development – the pièce de résistance of the broader Plan Nord strategy. The provincial government announced its Plan Nord Toward 2035, 2015–2020 Action Plan on April 8, which includes investments of about

news $2.7 billion in infrastructure projects by 2035. Hydro-Québec alone will invest $10 million annually. Among the stated objectives in the action plan, the government will aim to responsibly develop natural resources in the north, diversify the mineral resource sector and increase the mineral processing capabilities of the province.

Mine Arnaud and the Côte-Nord dilemma Among the government’s efforts to diversify mineral production in Quebec, the phosphate-rich Mine Arnaud apatite project was considered by the business community and unions as one of the most critical for the Côte-Nord region’s mining industry (historically dominated by iron ore production). The project – 62-per-cent-owned by the provincial government’s investment arm Investissement Québec (IQ) and 38 per cent by fertilizer giant Yara International – has

been struggling, however, to secure a social licence to operate in Sept-Îles for many years, mostly because of concerns surrounding its environmental impacts on the local population. In February Quebec’s public consultation forum on the environment – the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement – issued its report on the project, concluding that it was “not acceptable in its current form.” Mine Arnaud made 17 new commitments after the report was issued to address environmental concerns. In addition to highlighting ecological shortfalls, the bureau also put in doubt the very economics of the project: It needs a phosphate market price of above $125 per tonne to remain viable. The current price for rock phosphate has been stable at $115 per tonne since September 2014. The Côte-Nord badly needed good news after the successive closures of the Pointe-Noire iron pelletizing plant and

the Bloom Lake iron mine. The economy of the region has been fully exposed to shifts in iron ore prices for decades. Many now consider Mine Arnaud a buffer to the local economy, including Russell Tremblay, assistant director at Développement économique Sept-Îles. “We need to bring back the people who lost their jobs, because we are going to lose them,” he said. “Mine Arnaud will evolve on a different cycle than iron ore.” It seems that the provincial government, which has been frequently criticized for letting the region down during commodity busts, is sympathetic to Tremblay’s arguments. On March 16, the Ministry of the Environment granted a permit for the $850-million project. Mine Arnaud is currently looking for a third partner to operate the mine. “As soon as we find an operator, the shares in the project will change and we expect a reduction of IQ’s share in it,” said – Antoine Dion-Ortega Blanchette.

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May/Mai 2015 | 15

Industry association reviews tailings management guidelines An independent task force commissioned by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) to review the association’s tailings management requirements held its first meeting on April 8. The initiative was launched on the heels of a B.C. government investigation into last year’s Mount Polley tailings dam breach, which sent 13.8 million cubic metres of tailings slurry into nearby Hazeltine Creek. The task force, headed by former MAC Board of Directors chair Doug Horswill, is examining MAC’s tailings management guidelines and requirements under its Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) program and will make recommendations where it determines rules could be strengthened to avoid another large-scale breach. Imperial Metals, which owns Mount Polley, has been a member of MAC since late 2012 and is in the early

stages of implementing the TSM initiative, with its first company profile appearing in the 2014 TSM Progress Report. The current TSM tailings management guidelines outline best practices including assigning accountability for tailings management to a company executive, conducting periodic inspections to manage risk and having solid policies in place to ensure compliance with laws and the TSM guides. “There are areas on the design and build side that are not covered in the protocols,” Horswill said. “I don’t know whether they can be, but we have to understand whether or not that’s feasible.” The task force is also reviewing the report and recommendations released in January by the three-person panel appointed by the province of B.C. to investigate the Mount Polley breach. The report blamed a design flaw in the tailings dam that did not account for an unstable foundation.

“An event occurred, which none of us feels good about or wanted to have happened,” Horswill said. “So we need to understand, based on the information now available to us […] whether or not there are ways to strengthen the TSM tailings management process.” MAC’s seven-member task force includes Peter Lighthall, an independent consultant who formerly worked for AMEC and Klohn Crippen; John Sobkowicz of Thurber Engineering; Nalaine Morin of the Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team; Alan Young with the International Boreal Conservation Campaign and a member of MAC’s Community of Interest Advisory panel; Craig Ford of Corporate Responsibility Solutions; and Teck Resources’ Michael Davies, chair of MAC’s Tailings Working Group. TSM is a mandatory program launched in 2004 for all MAC member companies to encourage them to operate in a more socially and environ-

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16 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

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mentally conscious manner. Member performance is assessed against 23 indicators and results are publicly available in annual TSM Progress Reports. In a news release, MAC president and CEO Pierre Gratton touted TSM’s

success in ensuring the safe operation of tailings facilities but acknowledged there are opportunities for further development. “We believe there is always room for improvement and we are committed to learning from the Mount Polley incident with the goal

of ensuring we never have another one,” he said. The task force will submit a report with recommendations to MAC by the end of 2015, and the organization will then decide how to proceed. – Sahar Fatima

Junior achiever NioCorp Developments’ share performance in 2014 earned it the distinction of leading mining company on the TSX Venture Exchange’s annual top 50 list. On Feb. 11, when the company made the announcement, its shares were valued at 83 cents, up from 25 cents the same day one year ago. It also had a market capitalization of $102.68 million, up from $24.1 million on Feb. 14, 2014. Earlier in the month, NioCorp announced it had more than tripled the Indicated Resource of niobium pentoxide at its Elk Creek, Nebraska project to 572,000 tonnes, up from 177,000 tonnes. As further proof of its strong performance, NioCorp’s common shares were listed on the TSX on March 9. The top 50 list is compiled by the TSX Venture Exchange and includes 10 companies from each of five sectors: mining, oil and gas, technology and life sciences, diversified industries, and clean technology. The rankings are based on performance in four categories: share price appreciation, trading volume, analyst coverage and market capitalization growth. – Katelyn Spidle

The 2015 TSX Venture Exchange top mining performers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

18 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Niocorp Developments Ltd. Excelsior Mining Corp. Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation NexGen Energy Ltd. Roxgold Inc. Ascot Resources Ltd. Bacanora Minerals Ltd. Kaminak Gold Corporation Red Eagle Mining Corporation Columbus Gold Corporation

news

A pilot plant for a blossoming sector SGS Canada completed construction of a new state-of-the-art pilot plant in February to test and develop rare earth element (REE) separation techniques. The group plans to serve western REE-focused companies as they attempt to compete with the Chinese, who have dominated the market for the last 20 years. SGS first began planning the plant at its Lakefield, Ontario site over a year ago. The company held meetings with a group of outside technical advisors at the end of February to physically review the plant and help draw up commissioning plans. The plant underwent commissioning in April, and trial separations are underway throughout May and June. Once operational, the plant will be one of the only commercial REE separation testing facilities in the world. SGS expects to offer a much greater degree of flexibility at its facility than others around the world, which can be found in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and China. “Other groups doing this are at least partially funded government labs, with different agendas and

Courtesy of SGS Canada

SGS takes a measured approach to developing rare earth separation methods

Metallurgist Guoming Qin examines a sample from SGS’ recently constructed REE separation plant at its Lakefield site in front of the first bank of 30 mixersettlers of the 120-unit circuit.

objectives,” explained SGS senior engineer James Brown. Of the two current western rare earth producers – Australia’s Lynas Corporation and U.S.-based Molycorp – Brown noted that neither has complete REE separation facilities to perform full separations for all their

elements. Jim Sims, vice-president of corporate communications at Molycorp acknowledged that the company sends some partially separated products to plants in China for final separation. Meanwhile, Lynas operates an REE processing facility in Malaysia. SGS principal metallurgist Niels Verbaan pointed out that both companies have struggled to live up to their initial potential, and both suffered lengthy ramp-up times. Rather than attempt to bring clients in immediately, SGS decided to first focus on developing its baseline technologies and testing methodologies. “We’re going to learn lots,” said Verbaan. “We’re also going to learn how not to do it.” The company plans to begin by separating didymium (praseodymium plus neodymium) from lanthanum and cerium, a separation that they believe will be applicable to most of their clients at some point in time. In the early stages, Verbaan and his team will use a synthetic feed but they intend to switch to a real feed later in their internal testing.

May/Mai 2015 | 19

According to Verbaan, the pilot plant will use the hydrometallurgical technique of solvent extraction, a common approach to REE separation. The process works with two immiscible liquid inputs moving countercurrently; the metal containing aqueous feed enters from one end, and the organic solution enters from the

20 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

opposite end. When the two streams mix, some of the REEs pass to the organic stream, thus achieving a stage of separation. “Because [REEs] are chemically so similar, many individual stages are required to perform one separation,” Verbaan explained. The new facility allows for 120 stages, known as

mixer-settlers, which Verbaan said “should be good to conduct most, if not all, separations independently.” The SGS plant is also physically small, spanning roughly 2,000 square feet. Verbaan noted that this was a deliberate move on their part and a “key part” of the design and operation. The primary motivation for these choices was to control cost. The biggest expense in REE separation testing is often not in the separation testwork itself but rather in preparing the feed for the process. Naturally, a larger plant would require a larger quantity of feed. With this in mind, the plant has been designed to require minimal feed inputs for testing. “By making this plant as small as we physically can, we’re trying to help our clients in reducing costs,” Verbaan commented. He expects around 100 kilograms of purified REE precipitate will allow for around five weeks of pilot plant operation. Verbaan said one potential difficulty in operating small testing plants is that drawing frequent samples during the process can “disturb [the] circuit performance significantly” by upsetting the equilibrium of the stages. To minimize this, SGS will use a portable X-ray machine to analyze key samples for control purposes and then return the sample to the stream as fast as possible. Fortunately, SGS’ Lakefield site is also home to a well-equipped lab that can provide rapid turnaround times – as short as one hour – using techniques including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. While western expertise in REE separation has fallen by the wayside since China’s rise in the sector, SGS has found that there is still a good amount of accumulated expertise in North America that needs to be harnessed. Brown said a “recurring theme” of their technical meetings was an impulse on the part of some experienced advisors, who had been involved with the industry back in the 1970s, to pass along their expertise to REE engineers in North America. “They’re quite keen to transfer their knowledge to a younger generation and keep this knowledge here,” said Verbaan. – Chris Balcom

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Tel: 905 681 9292 1 800 668 3199 Fax: 905 681 9444 info@ca.endress.com

Courtesy of SME

Looking ahead While it is impossible to predict the future, it did not stop anyone from trying at the keynote session of the 2015 Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration conference, where industry sages speculated on the challenges and opportunities for the industry in the coming years. The discussion kicked off the annual event, which welcomed more than 6,000 attendees to over 100 technical sessions, along with 670 exhibiting companies, to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver in February. All speakers agreed that technology would drive innovation in the “mine of the future.” However, session moderator Peter Bryant, senior fellow of the Kellogg Innovation Network, pointed out that the mining industry has provided relatively little fuel. “The [mining] industry invests, by most studies, somewhere between a quarter to a half of one percent on R&D,” he said, compared to industrial companies at 1.5 to

Dean Gehring, president and CEO of Rio Tinto Minerals, speaking at the keynote session of the 2015 SME conference in February

two per cent, oil and gas at five per cent and aerospace at eight to 10 per cent. Gwenne Henricks, vice-president of product development and global technology and chief technology officer at Caterpillar, emphasized the role big data and data analytics have had on mining innovation, a trend she said she believes will continue. “[The] exponential growth in computing power and data storage provides us with the

Movin’ on up

Compiled by Katelyn Spidle and Tom DiNardo

Ota Hally was named CFO of Endeavour Mining effective April 1. Hally joined Endeavour in 2014 as vice-president and group controller. Previously, he worked at Pan American Silver as director of finance. Steve Wood is the new executive vice-president and COO of Sherritt International, the company announced on March 24. Wood previously served as president and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada and has held various senior management positions at Vale and PT International Nickel Indonesia. Agnico Eagle announced on March 19 that it made several new appointments to its senior management team. Ammar Al-Joundi, former CFO and senior executive vicepresident of Barrick Gold, took over the president’s seat from Sean Boyd in early April. Boyd remains vice-chairman and CEO. Dominique Girard was appointed vice-president of technical services and Nunavut operations, and Nancy Guay will report to him after being chosen for the position of senior corporate director of technical services. Michael 22 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

opportunity to collect and analyze data that can be used to ensure our productivity across the entire value chain,” she said. “With infinite computing via the cloud, coupled with the explosion in networking sensors, data can be analyzed and provide real-time decision support from the mine planner to the operations manager to the equipment operator.” Dean Gehring, president and CEO of Rio Tinto Minerals, agreed that data will play a large role not only in technology, but also in governmental regulation. He predicted a day in which the vast amounts of data that are captured today by mining companies will be sent in real time to regulatory bodies. “That starts to bring transparency to a different level than what we’re accustomed to,” he said. Bryan Galli, group executive and chief marketing officer for Peabody Energy, highlighted the importance of continued innovation by looking back. “Since 1970, coal used for electricity has increased more than 170 per cent

Timmins was promoted to vice-president of corporate development, while Carol Plummer was named vice-president of project development for the United States and Latin America. Finally, Michel Julien was selected as vice-president of environment. Teck Resources announced on March 17 that Andrew Stonkus is now senior vice-president of marketing and sales. He joined Teck in 1998, serving most recently as vicepresident of base metals marketing. Stonkus has more than 30 years’ experience in marketing and sales within the mining industry. Pershimco Resources announced on March 12 that it has welcomed Angelina Mehta as representative of private equity firm Sentient Group to the company’s board of directors. Sentient has a 17 per cent stake in Pershimco. Mehta has a range of experience within the mining industry including operations, finance, development and advising. She is also a founder of the Montreal branch of Women in Mining.

news as GDP has doubled and key emissions per kilowatt hour have decreased nearly 90 per cent,” he said. The dramatic improvements, he noted, have been spurred mainly by clean coal technologies and initiatives. Next year’s SME conference will be held Feb. 21 to 24 in Phoenix, Arizona. – Tom DiNardo .

Court rules Pascua-Lama caused no damage Barrick Gold’s embattled PascuaLama project received some good news recently. Chile’s Environmental Court ruled on March 23 that the project in the high Andes has not damaged glaciers within its immediate area of influence. “We are pleased that the court has confirmed what the technical and scientific evidence demonstrates, that these ice bodies have not been damaged by activities at the Pascua-Lama

project,” said Eduardo Flores, Barrick’s executive director for Chile. In October 2013 Barrick halted construction at the gold-silver-copper mine, which straddles the ChileArgentina border, in the wake of legal and financial issues. Earlier in the year, the Supreme Court of Chile ruled that the company was required to address an incomplete water management system at Pascua-Lama. Falling gold prices and rising costs also factored into the company’s decision to suspend work on the project, which was originally set to begin producing last summer. The Toronto-based mining company has maintained it is committed to advancing its $8.5-billion mine in an environmentally responsible manner. Apart from working with local communities to ensure environmental requirements are met, Barrick has also implemented a glacier monitoring program at Pascua-Lama that captures

data from 27 different points and provides the results directly to regulatory authorities. Once in operation, Pascua-Lama is expected to produce an average of 800,000 to 850,000 ounces of gold per year in its first five years. – Michael Yang

Feds appoint CSR counsellor Jeffrey Davidson was named Canada’s new corporate social responsibility (CSR) counsellor for the extractive sector in early March. International Trade Minister Ed Fast made the announcement on the opening day of this year’s PDAC Convention in Toronto. “I’m pleased that we’ll have someone as highly qualified and experienced as Jeffrey Davidson as our new CSR counsellor,” Fast said at the announcement.

May/Mai 2015 | 23

Courtesy of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

Jeffrey Davidson (right), Canada’s new corporate social responsibility counsellor for the extractive sector

Davidson is approaching the end of a five-year contract at Queen’s University, where he is a professor of applied mineral economics and sustainability and the academic coordinator of the department of mining’s graduate certificate in community relations for the extractive industries.

Davidson previously worked in community relations for the World Bank and several mining companies, including Rio Tinto, and taught mining economics at McGill University. Throughout his career, Davidson has been committed to working with communities and companies to “Find better ways to account for the social and environmental concerns of communities and allow mining to occur in a responsible way,” he said. “[The position] looked very interesting, and I thought, maybe I can make a difference.” An updated CSR strategy for mining companies operating abroad, released in November by the federal government, expanded the powers of the CSR counsellor’s office to include working with the extractive industry to encourage miners to adopt CSR best practices, as well as identifying and resolving early-stage disputes between companies and neighbouring communities. The counsellor position has been

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vacant since October 2013 when Marketa Evans resigned after four years on the job. Davidson will begin his three-year – Kelsey Rolfe tenure in mid-May.

Noront purchases Ring of Fire assets from Cliffs U.S.-based Cliffs Natural Resources has decided to step away from the Ring of Fire. Noront Resources announced in March it would purchase Cliffs’ chromite properties in the area as the latter company exits the resource-rich but distant region. The US$20-million deal was expected to close mid-April, subject to court approval of Cliffs’ restructuring of its Quebec iron operations. FrancoNevada Corporation will loan US$22.5 million to Noront at a seven per cent interest rate to finance the transaction in return for a small percentage of royalties from Noront’s Ring of Fire properties.

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“This purchase consolidates the world-class discoveries made in the Ring of Fire,” said Noront president and CEO Alan Coutts. “We have made significant investments in the Ring of Fire and our team has become experts in the region from both a technical and a social point of view.” A crescent-shaped area located northeast of Thunder Bay, the Ring of Fire is considered to possess significant mining potential due to its rich deposits of chromite, platinum, nickel and other metals. But the area is not accessible by road, and Cliffs halted its operations in the area in 2013. The sale will transfer ownership of about 100 claims to Noront including all of the Black Thor and Black Label chromite deposits. The deal also includes a 70 per cent interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit and 85 per cent ownership of a copper-zinc resource near McFauld’s Lake. Noront already owns the polymetallic Eagle’s

Nest project in the region and will now hold about 65 per cent of the land included in mining claims in the Ring of Fire, according to a news release. “The sale of these assets to Noront, an experienced mining company with a strategic interest in the Ring of Fire region, further demonstrates execution of Cliffs’ strategy which includes divesting non-core assets and focusing on being the major supplier of iron ore pellets to the North American steel industry,” said a Cliffs news release. Last November Cliffs announced it was also pursuing exit options for its eastern Canadian iron ore operations. This includes the Wabush Scully mine in Newfoundland and Labrador, which implemented a permanent closure plan in November due to a high cost structure, and the Bloom Lake mine in Quebec, which Cliffs is placing under bankruptcy protection.

Mining’s rite of spring Like the gold price that animates the event, attendance numbers at the annual PDAC Conference have come off their historic highs of a few years ago. The gathering still attracted an estimated 23,500 people in early March, however. Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver used the occasion to extend the mineral exploration tax credit for another year. It allows companies that issue so-called flow-through shares to pass a percentage of expenses from exploration to

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UNLOCKING POTENTIAL HIDDEN ASSETS

PETER McCARTHY Chairman / Principal

Young people can be inspirational. Occasionally we work with someone who shows great potential but whose future is limited by their education. More than thirty years ago I worked with a scheme that identified promising mine shift-bosses, survey assistants, exploration field assistants and similar people and awarded them a scholarship to complete a full-time university degree. The successful recipients worked hard; some needed considerable remedial math and language training and had limited previous technical education, but they progressed well and all graduated as mining engineers. Their subsequent careers made a positive contribution to our industry. The oldest recipient was forty years old when he entered the programme, so gained more than twenty years in a professional career. This human potential is all around us and it is not hard to identify. While programs like the one described may be difficult to establish, we can do more to develop such people within the workplace if we make the commitment.

amcconsultants.com At AMC we aim to develop potential, within our own employees and with our clients’ projects. For more information feel free to contact me, Peter McCarthy on pmc@amcconsultants.com or call one of our consultants in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Toronto, Vancouver or Maidenhead (UK).

28 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

shareholders who in turn can deduct them from their taxable income. The credit, first created in 2000, sweetens the deal for investors who might otherwise not take a risk on earlystage exploration projects. The annual renewal of the credit has become a spring ritual since its initial three-year period expired. The finance minister did, however, offer something new, adding that the costs of certain aboriginal and environmental consultations required before exploration permits are eligible for the Canadian Exploration Expenses deduction. The addition “is pretty significant because those costs are getting higher. Twenty years ago they did not exist,” noted PDAC president Rodney Thomas in an interview with CIM Magazine. The federal government also committed to splitting the cost of a $785,000 study with the Ontario government for an east-west all-weather road that would connect the Ring of Fire and a number of First Nations communities to the existing road that ends at Pickle Lake – around 300 kilometres to the southwest. The current tight market thinned the number of companies at PDAC, but some specialists said they were seeing increased business. For example, a profusion of exhibitors were marketing the services of unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones) this year. Mike Reed, mining account manager for drone manufacturer Leica Geosystems, explained that miners’ imaginations ignite once they see what imaging equipment attached to drones can do, whether it is monitoring previously inaccessible highwalls, providing an alternative to time-expensive inspections or offering cost-effective surveying. Nonetheless, market watchers did not tout 2015 as a breakout year, though they remain optimistic for the longer-term prospects of the metals markets. Martin Murenbeeld, Dundee Capital’s chief economist, suggested forces, such as a sluggish world economy and a strong U.S. dollar, balanced against bullish influences, would keep gold prices in the US$1,250 range for the near future. Speaking of the broader metals markets at a wellattended forum, Murenbeeld argued, “We are in a very long-run commodity cycle. Today is a mid-cycle correction.” At a separate session, Patricia Mohr, commodity market specialist at Scotiabank, predicted, “Commodity prices will bottom later this year but won’t bounce back. Wait until 2017 or 2018 for the ‘bull run’ to continue.” PDAC’s Thomas highlighted Goldcorp’s friendly takeover of Probe Mines as a development that should add some skip to the step of junior miners. Probe’s Borden project near Chapleau, Ontario, attracted a $526-million bid from the gold major earlier this year. Next year’s PDAC Conference will take place March 6 to 9 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. – Ryan Bergen

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A decade of safer gold extraction Industry celebrates 10 years with the cyanide code

Courtesy of Kinross

Much has changed to consider. Despite since the International decades of scientific reCyanide Management search into alternatives Code was implemented a like thiourea and thiosuldecade ago to help reguphate, cyanide remains late a practice that has the most efficient chemiexperienced its fair share cal for leaching gold. of controversy. To date, In May â&#x20AC;&#x201C; four months after the Romania inci231 operations in 41 dent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the United countries are certified, Nations Environment representing 60 per cent Programme and the forof global gold production mer International Counaccording to the Internacil on Metals and the tional Cyanide ManageEnvironment, along with ment Institute (ICMI). a number of other stakeThe gold mining All but one of Kinrossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operating mines are certified under the International Cyanide Management Institute, including their Fort Knox operation in Alaska (processing plant above). holders, met in Paris to industry came under fire after a spill of cyanide establish the ICMI, and heavy metals from a tailings dam in which would draft and manage the sequently demanded the illegalization code. Introduced in 2005, the code Romania poisoned waterways in eastern of the chemical in mineral processing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; originally included 14 signatory minEurope on Jan. 30, 2000. Activists suba scenario the industry could not afford

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news

ing and producing companies. Transporters were not required to become signatories until 2009. The code is voluntary and gives companies the opportunity to publicly demonstrate their commitment to responsible cyanide management. To become certified, companies must submit an application to the ICMI and have a

FROM CRISIS TO CONTROL JANUARY 2000 A dam breaks at Esmeralda Gold’s Aural mine near Baia Mare, Romania, releasing 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated tailings into the Some River. The subsequent public outcry shines an international spotlight on the gold mining industry’s use of cyanide.

MAY 2000 Multi-stakeholders meet in Paris for a workshop hosted jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council on Metals and the Environment to establish a steering committee that will oversee the development of a best practice code for cyanide management. DECEMBER 2000 The first of five organizational meetings takes place in Washington, D.C. to draft the International Cyanide Management Code for the Manufacture, Transport and Use of Cyanide in the Production of Gold.

MARCH 2002 Completion of the cyanide code is formally announced at the World Mine Ministries Forum in Toronto. OCTOBER 2002 The International Cyanide Management Institute is incorporated to oversee the code’s implementation and development. NOVEMBER 2005 The institute announces the first 14 signatory companies have adopted the cyanide code.

report completed by a qualified thirdparty auditor. It is then processed by the ICMI and posted to the website regardless of the results. For 2014, code-certified

gold producers paid a fee of four cents per ounce of gold, transporters US$1,000 and manufacturers US$6,000 to be recognized as signatories.

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Paul Bateman, the current president of the ICMI, explained that the code does not eliminate the risk of an accident – in 2010, for example, Newmont Mining agreed to pay US$5 million to the government of Ghana for a cyanide spill at its code-certified Ahafo mine – but its emergency response planning and training procedures safeguard against major spills. The World Gold Council, the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practice, the International Finance Corporation and the G8 all recognize the code as best practice. Bateman said that even uncertified companies model their operations according to the code’s requirements. Dean Williams, Kinross’ vice-president of environmental affairs, agreed that the code has become the new industry standard. “Any responsible gold miner of any size that elects not to become certified is actually making a statement that is contrary to most of the industry,” he said. All of Kinross’ operating projects with the exception of its Tasiast gold project in Mauritania are certified. The ICMI processed 117 applications in 2013, which represents a 50 per cent increase from the previous year. Bateman noted that these numbers are indicative of the program’s growth. To prevent a backup in processing times, the institute hired a fulltime employee in late 2013. The current processing time for a report is, on average, 60 days. Mines, transporters and manufacturers are certified via a third-party auditor that is knowledgeable in the site- and sector-specific certification requirements. Code auditors are licensed through self-regulating professional organizations like the Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board, for example. “The code’s objective is to bring the mines that are voluntarily adhering to the code up to a certain level of performance,” said Kent Christie, manager of environmental affairs for Kinross. “When an audit occurs, it’s not with punishment in mind if they haven’t got it quite right, but to work with the 32 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

THE CYANIDE CODE: ICMI’S NINE PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE 1. PRODUCTION Purchase cyanide from manufacturers that demonstrate a commitment to protecting workers and the environment through their participation in initiatives such as the International Council of Chemical Associations’ Responsible Care program.

2. TRANSPORTATION Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of cyanide producers, transporters and distributors at every stage of the transportation process and ensure transporters have proper emergency response protocol in place.

3. HANDLING Follow accepted engineering practices and quality assurance measures for the design and construction of on-site unloading, storage and mixing facilities.

4. OPERATIONS Implement systems that monitor the management of cyanide process solutions and their effects on the local habitat.

5. DECOMMISSIONING Prepare an effective plan for decommissioning cyanide facilities that takes human health and the environment into consideration.

6. WORKER SAFETY Evaluate ways to reduce the risk to worker safety and ensure that emergency response plans can effectively respond to incidences of accidental exposure.

7. EMERGENCY Collaborate with stakeholders to develop an emergency plan that ensures the proper personnel and equipment, as well as emergency notification, reporting, monitoring and revision systems, are in place.

8. TRAINING Provide specialized training for workers and emergency response personnel to ensure all parties understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of an accident.

9. DIALOGUE Engage stakeholders and increase transparency through public consultations.

mine site to bring it up to that performance level.” While the code remains voluntary, external forces are beginning to limit the choice for many companies. Signatory mines must use certified manufacturing and transportation companies, which has made bidding for large contracts more competitive. Bateman stated that both the International Finance Corp. and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have incorporated code certification into its lending agreements with mining companies. In addition, Bateman said that being code-certified is another form of due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions. Companies that become certified have access to ongoing support and training from the ICMI in the proper implementation of the code. The insti-

tute also hosts quarterly industrial advisor group conferences where participating companies can suggest improvements to the code. “It was never intended for the code to be a static document,” Bateman assured. “It’s in our best interest to have a system where we can evolve with the best practice instead of locking it in.” – K.S.

Greece adds hurdle for Eldorado’s Skouries project Greece’s new radical left-wing government revoked the approval required for Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold to complete construction of its Skouries processing plant, the company announced in early March.

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Courtesy of Hellas Gold

The newly elected Syriza party government had previously stated its opposition to the mine, a gold-copper project operated by Eldorado’s subsidiary, Hellas Gold S.A. “We are absolutely against it and we will examine our next moves on it,” Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis told Reuters in January. The revocation prompted a furious response from Eldorado. “The recent decision of the Ministry of Energy – if not Installation of the SAG mill at Eldorado’s Skouries project in Greece reversed in a timely manner – may force Eldorado to reconsider its Eldorado also asserted the ministry’s investment plans for Greece,” Eldorado decision “has no legal basis” and said it CEO Paul Wright said in a statement. will “act to protect the legal rights of

Project Pipeline Pretium Resources’ Brucejack project in northern B.C. received an environmental assessment certificate from the province’s Environment and the Energy and Mines ministries on March 26. The following week the company signed a project cooperation and benefits agreement with the Nisga’a Nation, which includes commitments to the First Nations related to jobs, contracts, training and payments. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is currently conducting its review of the project. The proposed underground gold mine aims to achieve commercial production in 2017, and has Proven and Probable Reserves of 6.9 million ounces over its 18-year mine life. Teranga Gold Corporation’s Gora project in Senegal received environmental approval to begin development, the company announced on March 16. Over its projected four-year mine life, the heap leach project is expected to produce between 50,000 and 75,000 ounces of gold per year with average feed grades expected to range from four to six grams per tonne. Stornoway Diamond Corp. began pre-stripping what 34 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

the company, employees and stakeholders” if necessary. The notice Hellas Gold received from Energy indicates the decision may be reversed once the ministry finishes an internal review process of Eldorado’s application to construct the processing plant, but has not been clear on the timing of the review. Eldorado has spent more than US$450 million since 2012 on the construction and development of the Skouries and Olympias mines on the Chalkidiki Peninsula in northeastern Greece. It also operates a silver-leadzinc mine in the area (see project pro-

Compiled by Tom DiNardo and Katelyn Spidle

will be the Renard 2-Renard 3 open pit at its Renard diamond project in northern Quebec, the company announced on March 5. The mine, which is expected to begin commercial production in 2017, is projected to produce 1.6 million carats per year over an initial 11-year mine life. The Kintyre uranium project, which is 70 per-centowned by Cameco and 30 per-cent-owned by Mitsubishi Development, was approved in March by the Western Australia Environment Ministry after four years of community consultations and environmental and technical studies. The planned open pit mine in the East Pilbara Region of Australia has a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource estimate of 55 million pounds. Cameco completed a prefeasibility study for the project and signed an indigenous land use agreement with the Martu people in 2012. Brian Reilly, Cameco Australia’s managing director, said the company will wait for market conditions to improve before beginning a feasibility study. The breakeven uranium spot price for the 2012 study was US$67 per pound. As of March 9, the commodity had a spot price of US$39/lb.

news file on p. 69). The company announced plans earlier this year to invest another US$310 million in the development projects in 2015. Eldorado said the approval revocation has so far caused “no material impact” to the construction schedule of Skouries. – K.R.

Better results through design: Metallurgical Plant Design created to fill knowledge gap Chris Twigge-Molecey, former CIM president and current senior advisor at Hatch, gave a sneak peek into Metallurgical Plant Design, a new book he helped draft and edit with metallurgical engineers Rob Boom, Frank Wheeler and Jack Young. The book contains chapters written by 13 other metallurgy experts from Japan, the United States, and Australia. “It’s truly a global view of the projects business,” he said. The 200-page hardcover book will be launched at CIM’s annual convention hosted this year in Montreal, May 9-13. CIM: Why was it important to put this book together? Twigge-Molecey: We felt there was a significant gap in the literature, particularly in the metallurgical field, where there seems to be nothing at all. There are many books on the fundamentals of engineering, project management and construction management of projects, but there is very little on the design function itself of transferring fundamental knowledge to a workable plant. CIM: How do you account for this gap? Twigge-Molecey: It’s a gap by default. Plant design is not something that professors typically do research on; they would be doing research on the fundamentals. And professionals in the field don’t typically write books.

GIVING BACK PotashCorp announced in late January that a charitable campaign organized jointly by the company and the Food Banks of Saskatchewan collected donations exceeding $2 million over the 2014 holiday season. PotashCorp subsequently made an additional contribution of $1 million. Since 2010 PotashCorp has contributed $5 million toward the annual campaign. In February the company also donated $150,000 to the University of Regina for the third year in a row to help improve the varsity program within the university’s athletics department. With the money, the university plans to increase academic support services and training opportunities for athletes. – K.S.

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CIM: Why is this book particularly relevant now? Twigge-Molecey: It’s been in the works for a couple of years. The methodology we’ve laid out in this book is well known and has been proven over and over again. It’s time to take stock of what we’ve learned. It’s also time for people and practitioners in the business to digest it before we get going on the next cycle, since metallurgy is in a highly capital-constrained situation at the moment. CIM: What do you hope this book achieves? Twigge-Molecey: Understanding. A lot of projects have been unsuccessful over the past few decades because people made decisions when they didn’t understand the consequences. This book is targeting people who make the decisions but

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May/Mai 2015 | 35

Tough competition at annual Mining Games The University of Saskatchewan hosted teams from 10 universities across the country in February for the 24th annual Canadian Mining Games. From Feb. 18 to 22, 150 students competed in 25 events and were judged by representatives from many of the games’ corporate sponsors, including PotashCorp, Cameco and Imperial Mines. Events were designed to be tough, explained co-chair Tanner Edwards. In

math and the ability to work under pressure were all on the table. Most events finished within three hours. In the past, judges awarded teams a percentage-based grade for their performance in a given event. This year, however, teams were given a rating between one and 10 to make it easier to determine the winner. The results were announced at the final banquet: Queens University took first place, the University of Toronto was second, and École Polytechnique de Montréal came in third. While stressful, the games were a lot of fun this year, according to Edwards. A banquet dinner and an excursion to nearby pubs were planned for each evening. “It was just a really good weekend,” Edwards said. CIM was a silver sponsor of the – K.S. event. Courtesy of Tanner Edwards

who don’t come from a projects background. They don’t understand how the engineering part – even though it’s a small part of the cost – influences the total project: its capital cost, operability and ability to meet the performance standards it’s expected to, like safety, productivity, environmen– K.S. tal impact and sustainability.

Participants at the Canadian Mining Games in February

one challenge, teams were asked to design a mine in seven hours. “It’s basically an impossible task, so the trick is to see how much you can get done,” he said. Other events tested a range of skills, not just those pertaining to engineering: public speaking, finance,

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Moving ahead. 36 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Top 10 most attractive mining jurisdictions globally

The Fraser Institute released its annual survey of mining companies recently. The institute received more than 480 responses to its survey, which was sent to exploration, development and other mining-related companies to evaluate 122 jurisdictions around the world. To determine investment attractiveness of each region, the Fraser Institute combined its index rating of jurisdictions by their geologic attractiveness and its Policy Perception Index, which is designed to measure the effect of government policy on a company’s attitude toward exploration investment. Here are some of its findings: –T.D.

1 2 3 4 5

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May/Mai 2015 | 39

HR OUTLOOK

How to weather the mining cycle BY RYAN MONTPELLIER

iven the current economic climate, asking mining employers to implement a long-term workforce planning strategy can be a hard sell. The mining labour force closely shadows the volatility in commodity prices, with wild swings in hiring and layoffs. Not surprisingly, the mining sector has already shed thousands of jobs in the past year. However, to soften the impacts of ongoing volatility, workforce planning and HR strategy should evolve from short-term, needs-based staffing to a strategic function that enables organizations to mitigate business risks. This will ensure the right people are in the right positions, with the knowledge and skills to meet business and production objectives, when the market recovers. One option during a downturn is to share human resource capacity amongst projects, thus retaining key talent. Transferring workers to better performing projects can help companies retain high performers across operations and offer developmental and career progression opportunities where appropriate. Although there are monetary costs for relocation, visas and travel, these are balanced against those resulting from the long-

term loss of a worker, onboarding a new employee and the value of retaining an engaged workforce. Employees could also explore training or working in a complementary, in-demand occupation during a downturn. This strategy allows individuals to take more ownership of their careers by planning for the upswings and downturns. One industry-based recruiter recently suggested that companies could reduce the risk of losing recent mining engineering graduates by recruiting and developing them as miners first. When engineering positions eventually do open up, these individuals would have the upper hand on their peers and would have developed a much stronger appreciation for mining operations. The experience would be particularly beneficial to those who will be advanced into a mine manager or other supervisory role. Another option to explore before a layoff is to take advantage of various government programs designed to help mitigate changing business conditions. For example, Work-Sharing is a federal adjustment program offered by Service Canada designed to help employers and employees avoid layoffs when

FROM EXPLORATION TO CLOSURE. JUST ASK GOLDER. Complex geology, remote sites and technical issues are some of the engineering challenges faced in mining projects. Add to that obtaining the required social, environmental and regulatory approvals, and your project can experience unexpected schedule and budget overruns. Integrating your engineering and environmental studies can result in a more robust design and can streamline the planning process, avoiding unnecessary delays and costly rework. Visit Golder during the 2015 CIM Convention at Booth #1408 to learn about the integrated mining solutions we offer for every stage of your mining project.

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there is a temporary reduction in the normal level of business activity. The measure provides income support to employees eligible for employment insurance (EI) benefits who work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer recovers during a cycle. When not working, the employee receives an EI benefit, and, therefore, the cost to the employer is reduced significantly. The forestry and manufacturing sectors in particular are significant users of the Work-Sharing program. When downsizing is the only option, or a project reaches the end of its life, there are well-documented practices that can make this period of transition run smoother. Workforce transi-

tion support instituted prior to layoffs results in better attendance of affected employees and less disruption to production and quality of work. Remaining employees are positively affected since they experience less “survivor syndrome” and have concrete evidence of the employer’s concern for workers. In some cases, employers may also support the transition process by offering training or skills recognition services that make an employee more marketable to another potential employer. Over the last few years, we have seen Xstrata Zinc’s Brunswick mine, Agrium’s Kapuskasing mine and Northgate Minerals’ Kemess mine certify their workers through the Canadian Mining Certification program – designed to acknowledge the skills and competencies of workers in the occupations of underground miner, surface miner, minerals processing operator and diamond driller – as one component of their responsible mine closure strategy. It may seem counterintuitive to invest in an employee that is moving on, but these organizations felt that it was important to reward the service of their employees, preserve the legacy of the operation and provide their employees with a credential that will assist them in finding work post-closure. An additional benefit is that employees stay engaged during the transition, resulting in a successful mine closure. When responsible mine downsizing or closure practices are ignored, employee trust is broken and these workers will not return to the employer in an improved market. In some cases, they may transition out of the industry altogether. The immediate effect is that operations suffer overall, as workers not subject to downsizing leave for better conditions, or in a closure scenario, leave early, preventing a successful and safe closure. While it is challenging to make the shift away from short-term or reactionary strategies, creative and long-term approaches to ensuring our talent pool does not shrink will be essential for the sustainability of the industry over the next decade as we look to the next economic phase in the cycle and prepare to say goodbye to our many retiring workers. CIM

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MINERAL RESOURCES AND MINERAL RESERVES

An update on harmonization of 2014 CIM Definition Standards BY PAUL BANKES

This column is the first in a two-part series that examines changes to CIM Definition Standards in detail. he CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves were updated in 2014 to harmonize Canadian definitions with other members of the Committee for Mineral Reserve International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO). The revised Canadian standard also incorporates industry, Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and international requests for clarification and guidance. This update is important for Qualified Persons filing public reports on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The CIM Standing Committee on Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Definitions, which I chair, maintains CIM definitions referenced by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and represents CIM on CRIRSCO. Following extensive consultations with industry, CIM members and the CSA staff, revisions were incorporated in the

final Definitions Standards that were approved by CIM Council on May 10, 2014. CRIRSCO was formed in 1994 under the auspices of the Council of Mining and Metallurgical Institutes (CMMI) to represent CIM and its seven partner organizations responsible for developing mineral reporting codes: the Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee, the Chile-based National Committee, Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pan-European Reserves & Resources Reporting Committee, the Mongolian Professional Institute of Geosciences and Mining, Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Association for Subsoil Use Auditing, South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South African Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (SAMREC) and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration of the U.S. With increased international exposure, CRIRSCO members agreed in 2011 on 13 harmonized core definitions that had drifted from the definitions accepted in 1997 under the Denver Accord. For international practitioners reporting under multiple CRIRSCO codes and standards, the core definitions in the

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2014 CIM Definition Standards are now harmonized with CRIRSCO definitions as well as seven of eight member codes. In some cases, the core definitions are followed by additional national code or guidance. SAMREC is expected to incorporate CRIRSCO core definitions in 2015. The following examples identify significant harmonization changes that affect the Canadian definitions.

Mineral Resource The 2005 and 2010 CIM definitions of a Mineral Resource differed from the definitions of other CRIRSCO members in two key aspects: the inclusion of “solid material” and the exclusion of “reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction.” The Canadian definition has always included the word “solid,” but other CRIRSCO members omitted it. In 2011, however, all members agreed to include the phrase “solid material” in their respective codes to address the recent reporting of lithium brines as Mineral Resources. CRIRSCO members concluded that the nature and the risk associated with lithium brine estimates would be better captured by probabilistic definitions, considering porosity and permeability than by the more deterministic CRIRSCO definitions.

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In a similar fashion, the CIM definition has historically excluded the word “eventual,” from the phrase “reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction,” which had been adopted by all other CRIRSCO members. The committee added the word “eventual” to the Canadian definition and provided the following guidance: Interpretation of the word ‘eventual’ in this context may vary depending on the commodity or mineral involved. For example, for some coal, iron, potash deposits and other bulk minerals or commodities, it may be reasonable to envisage ‘eventual economic extraction’ as covering time periods in excess of 50 years. However, for many gold deposits, application of the concept would normally be restricted to perhaps 10 to 15 years, and frequently to much shorter periods of time. While the committee acknowledges the word “eventual” relaxes the definition by extending project timing beyond the moment of reporting, we believe the new wording is reasonable and accurately reflects current industry practice. The new guidance was inserted to limit the timeframe that should be considered by the required Qualified Person when preparing mineral resource estimates.

Mineral Reserves In 2012 the UN Expert Group on Resource Classification noted that the CRIRSCO template for reporting a Mineral Reserve did not identify a “reference point.” This is particularly important when Mineral Reserves are reported as a product, such as clean coal, rather than as feed to a plant or concentrator. The following text was included in the new CRIRSCO and CIM definition: “The reference point at which Mineral Reserves are defined, usually the point where the ore is delivered to the processing plant, must be stated. It is important that, in all situations where the reference point is different, such as for a saleable product, a clarifying statement is included….” The committee included the following guidance in the CIM Definition Standards to assist the practitioner: ‘Reference point’ refers to the mining or process point at which the Qualified Person prepares a Mineral Reserve. For example, most metal deposits disclose mineral reserves with a “mill feed” reference point. In these cases, reserves are reported as mined ore delivered to the plant and do not include reductions attributed to anticipated plant losses. In contrast, coal reserves have traditionally been reported as tonnes of “clean coal.” In this coal example, reserves are reported as a “saleable product” reference point and include reductions for plant yield (recovery). The Qualified Person must clearly state the ‘reference point’ used in the Mineral Reserve estimate. My next article will focus on the alignment of the Standard with NI 43-101 for the permitted disclosure of economic analyses. CIM Paul Bankes is a geologist with more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in project development, mine operations, geostatistics, mine design and business development. Paul chairs the CIM Standing Committee on Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Definitions and represents CIM on CRIRSCO and the UN Experts Committee on Resource Classification.

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SAMPLING

Good data key to paste plant design and operation BY FRANK PALKOVITS

tailings-thickening operation is an integral part of an overall mine plan. It is therefore essential to base its design on good data. If not, it can result in wasted weeks and dollars. A couple of years ago, a representative from a testing laboratory at an underground mine, who had examined some rock samples, called our company in to discuss problems he was having with the performance of the tailings in the paste plant. The mine had started as an open pit to extract the surface ore but was later converted to an underground operation to get at the deeper resource.

the

Here are three principles to ensure that the tests and advice from the laboratory provide the basis for sound decisions on paste plant design and operation.

Experienced advisors

Many laboratory tests involving ore samples are straightforward. However, it is only through working with advisors – whether they are independent or in-house, who have experience with the operational realities of mining – that a company can gain confidence that the recommendations based on those tests will actually work out. Experience-based advice will help in designing, specifying and “The testing of samples needs to done in a way building a paste plant in a that takes into account the operational situation because cost-effective way and guarantee that operations are efficient data from those samples will be used to drive decisions.” and economical.

The story that emerged caused considerable embarrassment for those involved and turned on that fact that ore types differ in mines over time – common knowledge among experienced miners or geologists. To explain: Weathering causes significant changes to the characteristics of rock near the surface, creating oxidized caps. This means that there can be significant differences between the near-surface rock, such as that which had been encountered by the open pit mine, and the deeper rock that would be removed by the underground mine. The problem was that ore samples used in the laboratory testing had come from the near-surface open pit mine; they did not come from the depths that would be reached by the underground mine. It was the underground mine that would generate the tailings to be used in the paste plant and, eventually, for backfilling. Because the samples used in the tests were not relevant to the rock that would be processed through the tailings plant, the whole testing program had to be scrapped and redone using tailings from the same ore type as would be encountered by the underground mine. This problem could have been averted through consultation with experienced professionals including the mine’s operations people, the geologist, the metallurgist, or mine engineers. A mine plan arranged by year, ore type, blends and tailings generation might have pointed out the difference in current and future tailings characteristics, and suggested the proper design of the backfill plant or tailings disposal plant. The testing of samples needs to done in a way that takes into account the operational situation because the data from those samples will be used to drive decisions. 48 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Ask the right questions A test is not just a test for its own sake. It is unwise to have laboratory testing of samples done in isolation from operational considerations. It is much better to make sure that the right questions get asked about the situation the mine is facing, and only then to proceed with next steps in developing a plan, which might include various types of sample testing.

Look for patterns There are patterns to many things. Experience and observation can help point these out to avoid problems and to access available opportunities. Mining companies and their advisers need to look for patterns in paste plant design and operation. This can include recognizing what does and does not work in the mine operation, geology and metallurgy that feed the backfill system. Through patterns and experience, lab testing can give an indication of what flow sheet options exist. This can then be followed by a screening study from which two different parameters can be tested, to see how those affect results. This leads to a final suite of testing to prove which direction is best. This is an iterative approach that is time and money well spent – because at this point we are not tweaking $50,000 on a choice of pump, but entire flow sheets and entire large plants. The right design upfront should generate much higher payback, reduce risk and improve the environmental aspect, resulting in greater shareholder value. CIM Frank Palkovits, P.Eng., is president of Kovit Engineering Ltd., which provides mine backfill and tailings management, including strategic studies, consulting to detail engineering services, plant design and implementation. frank.palkovits@koviteng.com

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In praise of upward mobility Programs encourage women at Goldcorp to risk taking the lead By Kelsey Rolfe

Goldcorp’s Growing Choices program helps women develop as leaders.

hen, in 2007 and 2008, Anna Tudela toured Goldcorp’s recently acquired assets in Mexico and in Central and South America, she saw many women working on mine sites whose talents seemed underused and whose careers appeared stalled. They were, the company’s vice-president of regulatory affairs and corporate secretary, recalled, “shy or not pushing hard enough to be recognized,” and were limited in career advancement because of it. The experience compelled Tudela to help women develop their confidence and succeed at the company. Women are a clear minority at Goldcorp. According to the company’s 2013 diversity report, women make up 12 per cent of Goldcorp’s overall workforce. Tudela said women comprise 20 per cent of the seats on the board of directors and 23 per cent of the executive management team. Women currently represent 14 per cent of the Canadian mining sector workforce and 12.3 per cent of senior roles, according to WIM Canada. “I saw the need to do something about helping every woman at [Goldcorp], at every level of the company, to develop their leadership skills and potential,” said Tudela. She founded the Creating Choices program at Goldcorp in 2010 to address the issue. The program, a two-day professional development seminar for women, runs year-round and helps participants build confidence and self esteem while encouraging them to set professional goals and take on leadership roles.

Real world results Since its inception, the program has graduated more than 1,200 women across all the countries Goldcorp operates in, and its success prompted Tudela to launch a new phase this year, aptly called Growing Choices. Following up on the skills taught in Creating Choices, the newly rolled out second phase teaches participants how to “brand themselves as leaders,” 50 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

plan for career success, and network and build relationships that will help advance their careers. Tudela said she feels the program is necessary because it encourages women to constantly take chances and opportunities they might not have otherwise. “A lot of the times we’re afraid to put our foot forward and say, ‘I want to take this challenge, I want to do this,’” she said, “because we feel we have to first make sure that we are overqualified before we say we’re ready.” Boi Linh Van, the engineering team leader at Goldcorp’s Musselwhite gold mine in Opapimiskan Lake, Ontario, and a Creating Choices graduate, understands that feeling. She got involved with the program in 2011 when she was living in Vancouver, spending a year job-shadowing Goldcorp’s COO at the head office. But the decision to apply for that opportunity in the first place, she said, was a tough one. “I didn’t know if I could do [the job], but a lot of my colleagues said, ‘Yeah, you should, it’s an opportunity and you’d be good at it,’” she recalled. “I had worked at the company for quite a number of years and it never occurred to me to think about moving forward, think about my career, [and] think about where I want to go.” Van, who joined Goldcorp in 2003 as an engineering intern and described herself as “more introverted,” reached out to Tudela once she was in Vancouver and signed up for the program. She said it taught her to be more open to taking chances. “It might’ve taken me years to take other opportunities [before], whereas now I know that it’s okay, even if I am not perfect or things don’t go as well,” she said. “You’ve gotta put yourself out there.”

A homegrown opportunity When she was planning Creating Choices in 2010, Tudela invited 16 women, one from each of Goldcorp’s operations and regional offices, to Vancouver to brainstorm the most effective

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Courtesy of Goldcorp

program for women in the company. Goldcorp partnered with communications firm The Humphrey Group and modified its existing four-module program to fit Goldcorp’s culture. “We needed to bring the program home where women could identify themselves with the examples and dayto-day life experiences,” Tudela said. The result was a six-module program recorded in English and Spanish with video components. The first few modules of Creating Choices teach women to build on their self-esteem, set future career goals for themselves and take chances that they might normally believe they are not prepared for. The last three focus on leadership-specific skills: communicating effectively and what Tudela called “achievAnna Tudela saw an opportunity to help women across the company to grow their careers. ing a leader’s presence.” As well as Creating and Growing Choices, the program also has a third component, which pairs the women who have participated in mentor higher up in the company, and they have a meeting or workshops with a mentor in the company. Based on a woman’s a conference call once every two months for a year to discuss resumé, experience, and career goals, Tudela pairs her with a professional development. Both men and women can mentor,

May/Mai 2015 | 51

but Tudela said she makes sure mentees and their mentors are never working at the same operation. Rather than bringing in external teachers for the program, Goldcorp took the approach of training women within the company to be program facilitators before sending them back to their respective mine sites to offer Creating Choices there. Kaeli Gattens, a coordinator of change management in Goldcorp’s Mexico City office, was among those women. While working as an investor relations intern at Goldcorp’s head office in 2012, she met Tudela, who encouraged her to join the facilitators group. “I’d started off quite young at the company, and part of those [modules], gaining confidence and learning how to use your voice, really spoke to me,” Gattens recalled. “Once I was in the actual course with the other women, I knew that was exactly what I needed to develop my skills and to grow as an employee at Goldcorp.” After her internship, Gattens started working full time in corporate communications, and then in 2014 made a big move down to Mexico. She said the skills she learned from the program encouraged her to take the job, even though it was a very different role. “It was a really tough decision to make because I thought I was going to be sticking with communications and investor relations,” she said, “but [the program] showed me [...] that it’s

52 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

okay to jump around to different areas. It pushed me and challenged me to see that change management is something I’m really interested in.”

Exclusively for women While Tudela pairs mentees with both male and female mentors, the Creating Choices program trainers are exclusively women, as are the participants. Though Tudela said she has heard men at the company express an interest in participating, she has kept Creating and Growing Choices a women-only program. The reason, she said, is having men present might discourage women from speaking up. “You can see the mechanics anywhere,” she said. “You attend a meeting where it’s two women and 10 men, women do not say anything unless [...] they’re strong characters, but most of the time they go quiet. You put those two women with another 10 women and everybody at the table will be talking.” For participants, a sense of friendship and a network remain after the program ends. “Over the course of the two days you gain a lot of confidence with the group that you’re with and it’s a very supportive environment,” Gattens said. “All the women are in the same boat, so it’s a safe place to work through all those different challenges that we have as women in the mining industry, and share stories and experiences.” CIM

Courtesy of Plan International Canada

Schools retooled Partnership between miner, NGO and federal government revamps educational facilities in Burkina Faso By Katelyn Spidle

Upgraded educational facilities in Burkina Faso will help the workforce prepare to join the country's growing economy.

amgold, Plan Canada, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) have pooled their resources to support the development and strengthening of the educational and employment sectors in Burkina Faso. The three organizations have contributed $1 million, $900,000 and $5.6 million, respectively, to a project that has so far seen 11 pre-vocational centres rehabilitated and two completely rebuilt. Though the project has faced criticism that the Canadian government is funding CSR projects for mining companies, “the results have been extremely positive so far,” said Iamgold’s director of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Aaron Steeghs. The Burkina Faso workforce is presently ill-prepared to take on the country’s industrial output, which is growing at about 6.5 per cent. Education levels and literacy rates are poor: children can expect only about eight years of schooling in total and consequently only about 29 per cent of people over 15 years old can read and write. It is with that in mind that the six-year pilot project is meant to develop educational and training opportunities for youth, and help create a steady flow of workers with transferable skills. The idea grew out of a 2007 workshop led by the University of Toronto that examined cross-sector partnerships through a case study of the Kimberley process for conflict diamonds. After the initial workshop, it took close to three years of relationship building before the Burkina Faso project proposal was drawn up and executed. “We have a lot of CSR projects around the mine site to support local communities, but this is a national-level initiative,” Steeghs said. “At a national level, almost all companies make some contributions to philanthropy. We thought this would be a lot more meaningful and impactful, in an area where we can really add value beyond writing a cheque. That’s been the fun part; this project is about a lot more than just making a financial contribution.”

54 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Renovations boost enrolment The centres getting help are pre-professional vocational schools for youth aged between 13 and 18. The facilities, located in the southwest and north-central regions of the country, were long-neglected and offered little value in terms of employment preparation. Nadine Grant, director of programs for Plan Canada, explained that before the renovations were completed, classrooms were missing necessary equipment like motorcycle parts for the motorcycle mechanic program. The centres had poor attendance rates and reputations. Grant also noted that parents were not proud to send their teens there to study. “Now that we have renovated them, we’ve made the curriculum easier to understand for the young people,” she said, pointing out that the revamped curricula were informed by market research surveys. “We actually have tools that they can use so that they leave with very marketable skills,” she continued. “Exam scores have really increased and the enrolment rate has increased.” There are now several programs being offered – sewing, welding, carpentry, and electrical maintenance, for example –

that generally take four years to complete. Plan Canada retrained 101 Burkinabé teachers, and the facilities are run by the Burkina Faso Ministry of Education. As of September 2014, DFATD reported that 2,867 students had enrolled in technical, vocational and educational training centres since the project began. “The Ministry of Education loves this project because it reignites something they had that wasn’t performing strongly,” Grant said.

A window into the mining workplace Neither Grant nor Steeghs could confirm how many youth have succeeded in finding a job upon graduation, due primarily to data tracking challenges in that context. However, both emphasized that none have been employed at Iamgold’s Essakane mine, located in the northeastern part of the country. That is not a goal of the project, and Essakane leads mining-specific training in the region of operation. Iamgold’s mine, however, plays a critical role in offering students real-world learning opportunities. For the past three years, Iamgold has been sending Essakane employees – always Burkinabé and often women in nontraditional roles – to give presentations and workshops at the centres. The presenters offer students the chance to pick their brains and gather insight into what it would be like to work in their field and to hold a job in a professional environment. One of the workshops evolved into an internship program where students gain experience with local businesses, Iamgold, and other mining companies across the country. Iamgold, in particular, has hosted more than 100 students annually for the past two years, usually in cohorts of 20 or so. “These students have never really seen a work environment that resembles a large-scale industrial mine,” Steeghs said, explaining that the internship is “an intense crash course in the life skills that are a little bit harder to teach in a school environment, as well as a look at what you can do with vocational training and the opportunities that are out there.” Iamgold buses in the students from as far away as a few hundred kilometres to spend one week touring the mine, asking questions and testing their practical skills.

Looking toward a prosperous future The project’s overall goal is to leverage the renovated centres to enroll 3,390 in pre-vocational centres and 6,400 in professional training centres, and to create 525 internships. The partners want to ensure that a minimum of 525 graduates become either employed or self-employed by 2017. In the meantime, Iamgold and Plan Canada have spent the last two years building a CSR forum in Burkina Faso that will pull mining companies and NGOs together to discuss critical issues and to bring in external expertise. “Formal mining is not that old in Burkina Faso,” Grant said. “As a result, we’re only just starting to unpack issues like CSR. This network is trying to increase the understanding of some of these concepts across the mining community, the NGO community and the private sector, so that we can get on board in terms of a responsible approach to mining.” CIM May/Mai 2015 | 55

Courtesy of Diavik

Well-being in the north gets a boost Healthy lifestyle program aims to prevent chronic disease By Katelyn Spidle

Diavik’s nutrition module of the Working on Wellness program begins in May.

he government of the Northwest Territories has launched a program to help companies encourage healthy lifestyle choices among aboriginal men: the people it believes are least likely to access the health care system. And local diamond miners, among the largest private employers in the N.W.T., are joining the effort.

The Working on Wellness program (WoW) was modelled on a module-based approach that proved successful in B.C. and Yukon. The N.W.T. initiative devotes a few months at a time toward promoting a specific wellness topic – such as nutrition, physical activity, mental health, tobacco cessation or UV awareness – inside participating workplaces. WoW is

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Courtesy of Diavik

structured in such a way that it can be itself is not gender or culture specific. This Aboriginal males are adapted to each worksite. Employees deteris true for all participating sites. thought to be among the least likely to access the mine which topics get focus by detailing health care system. A growing trend their preferences in a baseline survey. A 2008 survey of Canada’s top 100 The program is a partnership between employers (according to the annual compethe BC Healthy Living Alliance, the Canatition at canadastop100.com) revealed that dian Cancer Society, B.C. and Yukon, the 90 per cent had an employee wellness proCouncil of Yukon First Nations and the gram in 2006, up from 44 per cent in 1997. Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Of the companies reviewed, 95 per cent Canada, and is jointly funded by the Canaagreed that the main motivation for impledian Partnership Against Cancer, the Heart menting these programs was to increase and Stroke Foundation, and Health employee satisfaction and engagement. Canada. Reducing disability and drug benefit costs Dr. Kami Kandola, deputy chief public were lower on companies’ list of priorities health officer of the Northwest Territories, but still important factors. The study also felt that the best way to extend health care showed that when companies tracked the access to aboriginal men was to approach results of these programs, the investment major mining companies. The fly-in/fly-out schedule of a remote mining workplace provided the ideal set- saved them money in the long run. Workplace wellness proting to test WoW’s potential to influence the long-term choices grams in Canada most commonly take the form of Employee employees make both in and out of the workplace that affect Assistance programs (short-term counselling services), health their health. “Someone comes here and has access to the best seminars and fitness programs. Benefits Canada reported in facilities and the best food, but how do you sustain these changes 2013 that Dupont, Citibank, Prudential Insurance and Canada when they go home where they don’t have the same access?” Life had a positive return on investment between $2 and $6.85 for every $1 spent. Kandola said. “That’s something the mines have in mind.” Diavik Diamond Mines, Dominion Diamond Ekati and De Beers Group agreed to participate in the pilot program, which will last until September 2016. At Diavik, where the workforce is 89 per cent male and 24.1 per cent aboriginal, employees surveyed last summer expressed an overwhelming desire for more resources related to physical activity, proper nutrition and mental health. These will make up the first three modules of the pilot program. The physical activity module at Diavik began with “Map Our Fitness,” which asks employees to commit to 10 minutes of physical activity three times per week over the course of the four months. “It’s not the Health Canada, 30-minutes-per-day recommendation, but what we decided is that we want to really target the people who are not doing anything, just to make it a reasonable goal,” explained Cara Benoit, occupational hygienist at Diavik. The company will help employees brainstorm ideas for physical activities, such as walking, yoga or push-ups. Participants were gifted an elastic band that offers light resistance for exercise and a pedometer, and entered into a prize draw. “We’re hoping that there’s going to be an effect of increased morale,” said Benoit. “We’re trying to show that we care about their health.” The physical activity module was implemented in March at Diavik, and a nutrition module will begin in May. Ideally, each module would be allotted four months of focus. However, as the program is in development, there will be some crossover between modules. Benoit pointed out that while WoW targeted the three diamond mining companies because of their male-dominated workforces with sizeable aboriginal populations, the program May/Mai 2015 | 57

Exercise facilities at camp provide an opportunity to teach employees about healthy lifestyles.

Tracking the results

Courtesy of Diavik

Frontline Medics is an occupational health services provider for the mining, oil and gas, and construction industries that is involved with implementing the WoW program at De Beers’ Snap Lake mine. CEO and medical director Dr. Ken Jenkins observed that with so many miners approaching middle age, companies are tuning into the risks that poor lifestyle choices pose to the overall functioning of operations. “When you’re sick, you can’t do your job, so we may have to send you off-site,” he said. “When someone has a special skill that’s important to the functioning of the mine site, it can become a very big problem.” To track WoW’s effectiveness, data collected from last summer’s baseline surveys will be compared against information that will be obtained during interim and final evaluations, planned for the summers of 2015 and 2016, respectively. Evaluations will consider participation, programs offered, and job satisfaction, as well as changes to policy, practice and environment. The results of the pilot program will inform how WoW will move forward. “We know this is going to be a long-term project,” said Debbie Corrigan, occupational health nurse at Frontline Medics. “The hope is to embed [WoW] into the culture of the

58 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

mine site: not only do [mines] produce diamonds, but their intent is to have the employee stay healthy – even leave their job healthier than when they started.” The long-term goal of the WoW program is to reduce the incidence of chronic disease, and both Benoit and Kandola acknowledge that this will be difficult to measure. It is also hard to predict whether the WoW program will bring about the social change that everyone involved has claimed it has the potential for. In spite of this uncertainty, Kandola has chosen to think big: “We’re hoping that they go home and share it with families. We feel that workplace wellness should translate into healthy families and healthy communities.” CIM

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Courtesy of Cementation Canada

New school thinking Training is at the heart of Cementation’s award-winning employee-first safety culture By Ian Ewing

y the time he was approached by Kvaerner Cementation U.K. in 1998 to run a new North American arm, Roy Slack had more than 15 years of industry experience and some ideas of his own about how a mining contracting company ought to be run. At the newly christened Cementation Canada, he had an opportunity to create a company in that vision. First among his priorities was to eliminate workplace injuries. Since inception, the company has achieved zero lost-time injuries on many major projects, such as the Nickel Rim South mine twin shaft project for Xstrata and the Piccadilly project for PotashCorp. Along the way, Cementation Canada has also become recognized both within the mining industry and outside of it for its relentless focus on employee training. Despite a full docket of work – 15 to 20 major projects at any given time, including marquee projects like the recent 6,943-foot-deep shaft at Resolution in Arizona and the upcoming Goderich Twin Shafts project in Ontario, plus engineering studies and smaller projects – Cementation makes sure that every one of its 1,100 Canadian and American employees gets formal training each year. What has driven Cementation to be an industry leader in this area? And what lessons can other companies take from Slack’s vision as president of the company?

CIM: What is your personal motivation to build the company in this way, with this focus on safety and training, and what’s best for your employees? Slack: When I started out in 1982, the second shaft project I went to was a deep timber shaft. There were four fatalities on that project. And, you know, I was new to the industry. In school, we didn’t talk much about safety, so it was a shock to me. And then you’d have some people saying, “Well, you know, it’s going to happen,” almost accepting that every project 60 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

was going to have serious injuries. But I saw [those] things, and I was deeply impacted by them. The old-timers were accepting them, but the new people coming in were saying, “This isn’t right.” You go through your career and there are different things that hit home. There are many years where you’re not in a position to change things, but once you are, once you get the chance, you say, “Let’s go for it. Let’s change some of these things.” CIM: Cementation Canada has been named one of the Financial Post’s Ten Best Companies to Work For (2012), winner of Canadian Occupational Safety’s Canada’s Safest Employers Gold Award (2014), and one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2014, for the seventh time). How important is employee training to those results? Slack: It’s absolutely critical. Part of our mission statement is to be not only the contractor of choice, but the employer of choice in our industry as well. It’s so important to the success of our projects to have not just the right people, but with the training they need to be successful. I look at those processes [participating in “Ten Best”-type competitions] as a tool. It’s almost like an audit. It takes you through your systems and how you’re doing on them. It also introduces you to what other companies are doing, to give you good ideas on how to continually improve. We have a really strong base in safety training – Workplace Safety North’s Common Core program and the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) requirements – all those training elements you need for our industry. But we’ve also developed, over the last number of years, the soft-skill training and professional development that really adds depth and opportunity for our people. The soft skills are very important for safety as well as productivity.

upfront E D U C AT I O N & T R A I N I N G

CIM: At a time when many employers – particularly in the mining sector – find it difficult to justify spending on “extras” like employee training, how do you remain committed to that value? Slack: If you’re committed to the value, then you’ll find ways to do it. When times are slow, we look at how we can conserve, how we can get the most for our dollar, but it doesn’t change our commitment to train and develop our people. The vision, mission and values are my philosophy for the company. The basics of it are my own operating philosophy, but it’s certainly been fine-tuned by lots of people in the group. CIM: How do you decide what training programs to undertake within the company? Slack: There are two different processes. The first is on our projects. When we start a project, we have a training matrix that’s developed. [When you come onto a project], we evaluate what training you have now and what gaps you have in the training. Then we establish a program so that within so many months, you will have the modules completed and have the training done that you need to do the job we need you to do. So that’s a very structured process. It’s not a simple process, but it’s very easy to understand, and it’s all based on Common Core and MiHR records or the legislated requirements for whatever jurisdiction we work in. The second part is for all staff. We do what we call a PAR (Professional Assessment Review). It establishes personal goals for the year, based on departmental goals. Departmental goals are set through a cascading process from corporate goals, so there is alignment between corporate, departmental and personal goals. Then we establish a personalized training program for the year, based on what you as an employee think you should be trained on, and based on what your supervisor thinks you should be trained on. It’s very much focused on professional development. So every employee has kind of a wish-list of training. The other element [of staff training] is our leadership development program, which identifies a number of people in the company who we feel are in developing leadership roles. It’s a much more structured program. It’s supported by the Harvard ManageMentor system, which is an e-learning tool that has about 40 modules. We’ve developed a lot of it internally [too], and we can distribute it to a number of employees at a reasonable cost per employee. It’s an excellent program.

We’re pretty diligent about what we spend on training, but there are other numbers that are much more important to me than what we spend. When it comes to training, what’s important to me is making sure that we’re implementing our plans. When we say “every employee will have a training program within the company,” we evaluate and see the amount of training each employee has done. And if we’re not meeting our goals, then that’s an issue. That’s a more important measure to me than what we spend. CIM: Has the rigorous training resulted in any unexpected benefits? Slack: The New Miner Training program, which we originally started in Sudbury to introduce non-mining people to the mining industry, has become a keystone of our partnership with the First Nations across Canada. It was never designed that way to start with. But training is key to any First Nations partnership. Our strong training programs have been very beneficial to our partners in introducing their people to the mining industry and getting them good jobs in the industry. And [it’s] not just for our company; once our work is done, they’re fully qualified to work for the owner’s team after we move out and hand the mine over to the owners. It’s been a real success story and very important for our group and for our partners. CIM

CIM: You’ve obviously decided that training is a worthwhile investment. Do you have any empirical data that would indicate the value of your investment in training and education? Slack: [Laughs] No! That’s one of the things about training: there’s a little bit of faith involved. It’s very hard to put into numbers that return on investment. How do you put numbers on morale? How do you put numbers on retention? You don’t know how many people would leave if you didn’t do that training. It’s really difficult [to quantify]. You have to be committed to it for the right reasons. May/Mai 2015 | 61

The lesser-known perks of remote work How companies are helping employees lead richer lives at camp By Katelyn Spidle Illustrations by Clare Mallison

It used to be that a job in mining often meant joining communities and putting down roots in towns created to serve a mine. But the last of those in Canada â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was built more than 30 years ago. According to research by Keith Storey at Memorial University of Newfoundland, the boom-bust nature of the minerals sector, the birth of telecommuting, a shortage of labour supply and the fact that resource towns offer limited opportunities, especially for women, have all contributed to wearing away the welcome of purpose-built mining towns. Camp life is here to stay.

62 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

May/Mai 2015 | 63

ong-distance commuting and camp life is the new model, with its own unique and sometimes difficult circumstances. And while it is difficult to assess the growing number of workers facing these challenges, globally there are now tens of thousands flying or driving to remote camps. In Western Australia, for example, the number of camp-based mines grew to more than 100 in 2005 from about 26 in 1991. Camp life means contending with social isolation, long hours and harsh weather, all the while trying to balance two lives: one at the mine, the other at home. Fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) workers make great pay and have access to modern facilities, but being separated from family and friends can leave an emotional gap that companies are increasingly trying to fill. “There are things companies are doing that have an impact,” said Adrian Blanco, former procurement corporate manager at Hochschild Mining (he is now with McEwen Mining). Until recently, he spent between 35 and 40 per cent of his time at Hochschild’s San José mine camp in Argentina. “When you have people involved in activities other than work, that provides a better environment for quality of life and also improves safety standards and productivity.” Camp life is unique in that for the weeks that an employee is on site, the line between work and home is erased. Joanne Klein, Goldcorp’s vice-president of people, explained that the company strives to make sure employees do not feel they are missing key parts of their home life. “I think it’s the small things, too,” she added. “When I was at Musselwhite recently, I walked into the cafeteria and there was a big whiteboard announcing someone’s birthday. They had a big cake, and I think those are the things that go a long way to making people feel at home.” Blanco agreed that even small gestures greatly improve FIFO workers’ living conditions. When senior management and board members visit operations in Argentina, for example, everyone eats together in the dining room so that everybody feels equal and valued. “People have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same place for weeks straight. It’s a time they share with everybody else; it’s a special time of day,” he said.

Cross-cultural exchange

At the Raglan mine in Nunavik, Quebec, FIFO workers typically spend between two to three weeks at a time on site, followed by two to three weeks at home. The company has several initiatives to help workers cope with the alternative lifestyle. For example, in addition to offering each employee a gift on Christmas morn-

64 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

ing, the company hosts local Inuit artists for an art and crafts fair on International Aboriginal Day. “The art and crafts fair allows us to promote the Inuit culture,” said Céliane Dorval, communications and external relations coordinator at Raglan, “and it’s a nice sharing [experience] between the Inuit employees and the non-Inuit employees.” Raglan also has a leisure committee that regularly organizes game nights, BBQs, concerts, comedy shows and even golfing down south for when FIFO workers are on their time off. Sharing between the mining camp and local culture helps FIFO workers cultivate a sense of pride, Blanco pointed out. One way that operations can encourage sharing is by having workers give tours of the mine and lead activities with local people. “This creates not only a sense of responsibility towards the community but also a sense of membership with the company and pride for what the company is doing across the area,” Blanco said.

Healthy body, healthy mine The benefits of physical activity have been well researched and documented. Staying physically fit decreases susceptibility to illness and injury, and it also has a positive effect on mental health. To improve productivity and morale, companies are increasingly outfitting mines with athletic facilities that are freely accessible to employees. “At Cigar Lake, Cameco’s recreation club tries to offer a variety of physical and social activities for our employees and contractors to keep busy after work,” said Trevor Gonzales, HR generalist at Cameco. He described the mine’s full-size gym, where workers play floor hockey, soccer, badminton, volleyball and basketball. Employees can also join in a pumkin-carving contest around Halloween, watch ultimate fighting or boxing matches on pay-per-view, or participate in sports competitions between neighbouring mines. Goldcorp’s mines also have stand-out fitness facilities, but Christine Marks, the company’s director of corporate communications, said these take different forms depending on the site. “At Peñasquito in Mexico there’s a beautiful soccer pitch. But that doesn’t really make sense for northern Quebec in winter.” At Musselwhite, on the southern shore of Opapimiskan Lake, fishing equipment is very popular. Fueling all that activity properly is crucial. “The food is very, very important,” Klein said, adding that nutrition is also site and culture specific. “We are fortunate because the catering company that we use at Musselwhite is a First Nations company.” Windigo Catering, which serves the operation 480 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, employs people from the area and incorporates traditional foods like bannock and wild game into the menu.

2 3 4 5

If your site has lockers, keep as much as you can in there. Not having to check a bag at the airport will save you a lot of hassle.

LIFE HACKS indispensable

Disposable income is an illusion, be thrifty. -zmobie632

for remote worksites

-mol3cul3

Live with parents/ family if you have a long FIFO stint. Why pay 100 per cent of the rent while you’re only back home 20 per cent of the time? -fermilevel

Whether you are a wily vet or a rookie hoping to appear less so, these tips can help you take control of your camp life. These suggestions originally came from a discussion one of our editors started on reddit.com/r/mining, and are attributed by username. Some have been edited for length, grammar or punctuation.

9 10

Candy’s good in general. A jumbo operator I worked with used to hide a bag of lollypops in the cab which would mysteriously appear when the fitters showed up. His jumbo always -Maldevinine worked fine.

Tupperware! If you want a healthy lunch, bring a few tupperware and get your name on it. Been to a lot of lunches with the lads and their food is always squished up and wrecked from bouncing around the back of their MUTs/scoops. Meanwhile I’ve got a beautiful salad and my sandwich is pristine. -undertheaurora

Befriend the IT guy, it makes your workflow a lot smoother.

-Kneep

Don’t be a dick.

Empty your fridge before you go and empty it well! -the__funk

Stock up on your tampons! Not only will you need them, but some day one of your (very few) female co-workers will need some. -undertheaurora

-Kneep

Stock up on sauces/dressing packets from the mess. You never know when they’ll suddenly disappear for days/weeks at a time.

-mol3cul3

Internet at most mining camps is shoddy. Plan for not having it in the evenings (bring a USB with movies or a book or whatever).

-mol3cul3

Internet dating – Do the legwork when you’re on site, reap the benefits when home. -zmobie632 May/Mai 2015 | 65

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Striking a balance At Raglan, spouses are invited three times a year to visit the site. “This is a great way to help spouses understand what their husband or wife does at the mine site and to see for themselves what life is like there,” said Dorval. “Family plays a significant part in employee retention, so we have to engage with them as well to ensure our workers’ well-being.” But helping FIFO workers stay connected with family on a daily basis is one part of camp life that is proving difficult for companies to improve. The cost of Internet is very high, especially in remote locations. While most mines have a wireless network connection, Blanco explained that the connection is often too shoddy for video calling, which is very frustrating for employees anxious to see the faces and hear the voices of their family back home. While a reliable Internet connection is undoubtedly becoming critical to the maintenance of modern life, Blanco pointed out that providing a high-speed Wi-Fi connection at the mine camps is a double-edged sword. Many employees can become dependent on the Internet for entertainment and social connection, and spend all of their free time glued to an iPhone, tablet or laptop. This discourages workers from engaging in exercise, participating in activities and integrating with the FIFO community. “It’s a whole new challenge for companies to win over employees with attractive activities to promote teamwork,” Blanco said. At mines where he has worked, employees were encouraged to participate because there were plenty of organized inter-departmental sports competitions and tournaments. He said there is a noted increase in participation when companies provide game calendars, jerseys and prizes, and when workers are encouraged to develop creative team names. Such things provide identity, which helps form a sense of community – especially when the sport is culturally appropriate. Providing a camp environment where FIFO workers can lead fulfilling lives sets the stage for more than just productivity, safety and health; it opens the door to meaningful experiences, relationships and memories that can last a lifetime. “I have seen many examples of friendships that grow beyond the mining site,” said Blanco. “This is a natural thing. Having these tough conditions can create a lot of bonds between people.” CIM

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Eldorado’s Skouries project, set to enter production in 2017, could define a new era for the Halkidiki Region in northern Greece. Along with the new open pit mine being developed, historic tailings are being reprocessed, industrial lands are being reclaimed and Eldorado’s subsidiary, Hellas Gold, is intent on building a leading gold mining jurisdiction in the municipality of Aristotelis. But with Greece in political and economic turmoil, every small step forward is being carefully placed. BY | PETER BRAUL

illennia-old mining artefacts dot the sides of the road as we wind our way up the steep hills from the small seaside town of Stratoni to Skouries, Greece’s newest gold mine. “For us, this is going back to our roots,” said Mihalis Theodorakopoulos, managing director of Hellas Gold. He has been working on the Kassandra mines, which includes the Skouries, Olympias and Stratoni assets, for more than 25 years, long before they were ever owned by a Canadian company (the first was TVX Gold in 1995). Eldorado’s

nearby Mavres Petres silver-lead-zinc mine – part of the Stratoni facility that also includes a processing plant and port – has been in near-continuous operation since the sixth century. And while miners have always made up a significant portion of the local population, Eldorado’s Greek projects now employ around 1,700 people in a municipality of about 18,000. Unemployment in Greece currently hovers at around 26 per cent. As much as it is a throwback to the old ways, this project is more about rebuilding Greece as a modern country. May/Mai 2015 | 69

Courtesy of Hellas Gold

The Kassandra complex At Skouries, shown here, development work is underway to prepare for both open-pit and underground mining.

Courtesy of Hellas Gold

project profile | K A S S A N D R A M I N E S

The main adit that will connect the Olympias mine to the Medem Lakkos ore body at the Stratoni operation

Metallurgical master key With the entire Kassandra mines project approved under one environmental impact assessment, Eldorado’s vision for the area is long-term and broad in scope. Because it does not produce gold, Stratoni might otherwise seem like an odd fit for Eldorado, but the existing mine site is central to the way the company is simultaneously developing its Olympias and Skouries assets. “The idea was to create one mining centre,” said Theodorakopoulos. “Instead of having three, let’s con-

nect them all in one place. The connecting link between all these things is the metallurgical process.” That connection is taking some time to build – about seven years from now is when Eldorado expects facilities to be ready at Stratoni to treat ore and concentrate from the Olympias, Skouries and Stratoni operations. Gold from the Olympias mine is refractory, so Eldorado is planning to build a flash smelting plant at Stratoni that will treat a mixture of copper and pyrite concentrates using tech-

A short lesson in modern Greek history

1970

1974

1981

Production started at Olympias

A conservative government returns the country to democracy after seven years of military dictatorship

Greece enters the European Union

70 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

1991

Owner Hellenic Fertilizer Company goes into receivership socialist government conservative government radical left government

| project profile

Courtesy of Hellas Gold

Peter Braul

KASSANDRA MINES

Joel Rheault, general manager of the Olympias mine

The Olympias flotation plant

nology provided by Outotec. Flash smelting is a process designed to produce copper with gold as a byproduct, so naturally it requires copper in order to work. That copper will come from the Skouries copper-gold porphyry deposit and its associated concentrator. Olympias ore will be refined to produce lead/silver, zinc and gold concentrates. The gold concentrates from Olympias and the copper concentrate from Skouries will be combined in the flash smelting

process. For all of this to come together, an eight-kilometrelong ore transportation tunnel connecting the new plant with Olympias’ underground workings will need to be completed. The two gold-bearing deposits are of very different geological character. While Skouries is relatively high grade for a porphyry ore body, with reserves at 0.76 grams per tonne of gold and 0.51 per cent copper, Olympias’ polymetallic carbonate replacement ore body is much richer.

• Jan.: Kinross acquires TVX Gold and properties • June: Kinross’ Greek subsidiary starts bankruptcy proceedings • Dec.: Greek state takes possession of properties for €11M • Dec.: Hellas Gold acquires properties from Greek state for €11M

TVX Gold wins auction for properties

Joint EIA approval for all Kassandra mines Eldorado Gold acquires European Goldfields

European Goldfields acquires Hellas Gold

1995

2000 2001

2003 2004 2005

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

tax evasion reaches 49% Greece accepted into eurozone, begins using euros

Greece arranges secret €2.8B currency swap with Goldman Sachs to hide government debt from eurozone

Greek debt-to-GDP ratio reaches 127% • Greek government debt downgraded to junk bond status • Bailout of €110B

2015

Bailout of €130B

Greece in recession

May/Mai 2015 | 71

project profile | K A S S A N D R A M I N E S

OLYMPIAS • Products: lead/silver, zinc and gold concentrates • Mining method: drift and fill • Estimated mine life: 25 years

STRATONI • Products: lead-zinc-silver from Mavres Petres ore body • Includes: tailings management facility, laboratory, concentrator, port

SKOURIES • Products: gold/copper concentrate and dore bars • Mining method: open pit and sublevel open stoping • Estimated mine life: 27 years Ore from Olympias will travel through an eight-kilometre tunnel to be processed at Stratoni.

There, reserves are measured at 7.56 grams per tonne, with 128 grams per tonne of silver, 5.7 per cent zinc and 4.3 per cent lead – numbers that are counterbalanced by the difficulty in processing the refractory gold. The codependent relationship of Skouries and Olympias makes both more economic, but processing Olympias’ ore at Stratoni and away from the town of Olympiada is also motivated by environmental concerns. The past-producing mine left a large footprint, with old tailings taking up space. As the mine’s old workings are being refurbished to support modern operations, the tailings too are being treated and reclaimed. Remaining gold is being extracted, creating backfill for mined-out areas, and dewatered new tailings are being moved to the active tailings facility at Stratoni. It is likely the only chance the municipality has at having the historic Olympias site returned to something like its original state without footing the bill, and though Eldorado is not making any money reprocessing tailings, it is at least gaining social credit. Eldorado’s shareholders want to see a return on their investment, however, and the company is about to make a major transition in terms of economics. Next year, should the project 72 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

continue, the company expects to turn a profit in Greece for the first time. The mill and concentrator at Skouries are in construction now, though the government recently revoked permits for the plant’s completion, and pre-stripping is ongoing for the open pit, with commercial production expected in 2017. “In Skouries, 30 per cent of the gold is free, so with a gravity circuit, this gold will be produced from the first day of production,” said Theodorakopoulos. “The other 70 per cent of the gold will report to the copper concentrate and for the first six to seven years it will be sold to external smelters. When we have our metallurgical plant [at Stratoni], up to 30 per cent of the produced copper concentrate will be co-treated with the Olympias concentrate.”

Multi-tasking When I was on site last September, Greece’s head of operations for Eldorado, Britt Reid, and his operations team were also there, taking a look at how progress was being made and chomping at the bit to take over from the construction team – though that would still be over a year away. Bulldozers were moving earth to prepare the tailings management facilities, and a crew was installing drainage wells and injection

| project profile

Peter Braul

KASSANDRA MINES

Olympias processing plant manager Konstantinos Markogiannis (left)

Courtesy of Hellas Gold

wells to divert groundwater from the ore body for the start of process tailings and even within that process to tweak it on a production in the open pit. At the same time, development monthly basis. For example, slimes found in the old tailings was ongoing for the underground operations that will replace posed a dewatering challenge for disc filters. “If the concenproduction from the open pit about seven years after start- trate is below 20 grams per tonne the material is not saleable up. “We’ll get there,” Reid assured me. or the penalties are very high,” said Markogiannis. Skouries will be the first open pit gold mine ever Filter presses will figure into Markogiannis’ plans with attempted in Greece. The project has been designed to min- run-of-mine ore as well. Until the drilling contractor Aktor imize its footprint, limiting the total surface disturbance to finishes the tunnel to Stratoni, dewatered fine tailings will be 180 hectares. SRK Consulting was brought on to determine trucked to the Stratoni tailings facility while coarse tailings the optimum balance between open pit and underground will be used as cemented backfill, so new filter presses will mining. Theodorakopoulos explained that it would have be added to support the Olympias mill’s throughput of up to been possible to keep the mine entirely underground, “but 400,000 tonnes per year. that would have meant we couldn’t use the open pit as a tailings disposal area, so we’d have to create another tailings facility and occupy about 700 hectares.” He added that open pitting the entire deposit would have meant occupying 1,600 hectares. With all the preparation underway at Skouries, Olympias is equally under pressure to start mining next year. This November Konstantinos Markogiannis, the plant manager at Olympias, will start refurbishing his equipment in order to treat feed from the mine once all of the historic tailings have been reprocessed. “We’ll stop for six months in order to install the new equipment and modify the plant,” he said, estimating that it will be ready for production next May. His team is accustomed to change by now, having had to refit the plant first to The mill at Skouries, shown under construction last December, is slated to be commissioned in 2016. May/Mai 2015 | 73

Courtesy of Hellas Gold

project profile | K A S S A N D R A M I N E S

Work currently underway includes tailings rehabilitation at the Olympias mine.

Joel Rheault, general manager of the Olympias mine, is overseeing the development of untapped resources at Olympias and the widening and heightening of old drifts that can still be of use. A native of Atikokan, Ontario, Rheault moved with his wife and three daughters to nearby Thessaloniki. He is not likely to run out of work. “There’s a lot left,” he said, examining the mine plan with glee. Previous mining only reached the upper half of one ore body, and left a second deposit a few hundred metres to the east untouched. Rheault said he and his team hope to be there soon enough: “The east ramp will open up multiple work headings to us to start driving towards the [east] ore body.”

Greek political theatre With so much work ongoing at Eldorado’s operations, it is hard to come to terms with the sabre-rattling of the Greek government (see “Greece adds hurdle for Eldorado’s Skouries project,” p. 32). According to Eldorado, the mines will offer more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs once they are in full production at a time of painful economic realities in Greece. Eldorado has worked to build relationships and show a Greek sense of hospitality. The local culture is one in which coffee breaks stretch to accommodate social requirements, and no meal is complete without company. But pioneering modern mining techniques in a tourism-oriented economy is 74 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

not without its challenges. “Changing hearts and minds takes time, patience and a lot of dialogue,” says Eduardo Moura, Eldorado’s vice-president and general manager of Greece. To familiarize local residents with its operations and environmental commitments, the gold miner has welcomed more than 4,000 people to its Halkidiki sites in the last year alone. Students come by the busload, and the company’s PR manager, Kostas Georgantzis, told me they are seeing major improvement in public sentiment, but the company faces a constant uphill struggle. At the moment, a lot of the tension surrounding Eldorado’s operations seems to be coming from the chaos of Athens, rather than the local parties. Political divisions in the country are now contested with a fiery and even violent passion that is difficult to reconcile with Greece’s reputation as the birthplace of democracy. In the municipality of Aristotelis, however, there is hope that things can settle down as the benefits of Eldorado’s projects continue making their mark on the surrounding communities. “We have a new mayor whose main election slogan was ‘Let’s reunite the area,’” Theodorakopoulos said, adding that groups that had traditionally been anti-mining have gotten behind this new leader and may be more open to seeing what the company’s operations are really like. It is perhaps in this small way that a country gets rebuilt. CIM

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Charged up

technology

UNDERGROUND EQUIPMENT

By Eavan Moore

Courtesy of GE

Electric mining vehicles are cleaner, cooler and quieter alternatives to diesel. As companies continuously look to cut costs and improve working conditions, battery-powered load-haul-dump (LHD) units are being deployed to take on more of the underground mining workload.

The weight provided by a battery enhances the traction of an LHD when the bucket engages a muck pile.

attery-powered machines, unlike their power-cord-tethered or trolley-connected cousins, have unlimited range of motion, the freedom to work in development areas without outlets, and few exposed fragile parts. Finding the right battery has been challenging enough to limit the use of this technology to specific, light-use vehicles. But two manufacturers, General Electric (GE) and RDH, have pushed battery power into a new, more intensive, application: load-haul-dump vehicles.

From scoops to LHDs

The closest relative of the battery-powered LHD would be the scoop, which is the norm for utility applications in underground coal mines, where regulations designed to prevent methane fires have discouraged diesel use. Typical scoops have a flat profile suited for low coal seams. May/Mai 2015 | 77

“Scoops, as utility machines, operate intermittently,” explained Mark Sprouls, spokesperson for Caterpillar, one of several manufacturers of battery-powered scoops. “Battery power is quite efficient in such applications, as there is no need to allow an engine to come up to operating temperature or to cool down before turning off.” According to Sprouls, a typical coal mine has a scoop for each continuous mining section. The scoop will have four lead-acid batteries in circulation: two in the vehicle and two charging. At every shift change, the scoops pull up to a charging station near the operating area, where a hoist or a specialized transfer system is used to swap out the depleted batteries. These batteries are extremely heavy – in the several-ton range – and large. That is why their use is limited to less demanding utility applications. But battery technologies have improved in recent years. When GE acquired the underground equipment manufacturer Fairchild in 2012, it immediately set about adapting the frame of a Fairchild battery-powered coal scoop for use as a hard-rock production LHD. Concurrently, RDH Mining Equipment developed its own battery-powered LHD. LHDs are a different animal from scoop trams. Designed to lift and drop loads into trucks and hoppers, they have the higher, narrower profiles suited to the geometry of a hard

rock mine and they come in a wider range of sizes to meet more varied needs. At their largest, LHDs can get over 20 tonnes of tramming capacity; at their smallest, they carry under two tonnes.

Building better batteries

GE decided to use 240-volt lead-acid batteries in its first models, providing customers with a familiar technology from other mining applications. Lead-acid is also a more economical battery solution than lithium-ion, which costs three to four times more per kilowatt hour, according to Sid Gaitonde, senior product manager of underground propulsion at GE Mining. Although batteries of any type are heavy – adding as much as 20 per cent to the LHD weight – that can actually be an asset for machines during mucking operation, said Gaitonde. He explained that they get more traction when the bucket engages the muck pile. The operator does not have to let the wheels slip to ensure the bucket is completely filled. GE’s choice to power the wheels and hydraulic functions with separate AC motors provides extra efficiency, added Gaitonde. Having a dedicated motor gives the machine more traction on inclines, and the operator has better control during the different modes of operation.

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78 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

technology

Courtesy of Caterpillar

UNDERGROUND EQUIPMENT

Further, the more power that can be packed into that added weight, the better. Competitor RDH decided to build its prototypes with 470-volt lithium iron phosphate battery cells from the outset. Among their numerous advantages over lead-acid, lithium batteries weigh about half as much for the same power. They also live longer; whereas lead batteries last about 1,500 cycles before they need to be discarded, lithium can get up to 5,000. Gustavo Portalier, COO at RDH, said it took about a year of testing batteries to come up with cells that provided sufficient power and that did not overheat. “This is a big learning curve with batteries,” said Portalier. “It’s why not many companies do it.”

Kirkland Lake Gold

RDH won its first customer through field tests at the Macassa mine in Ontario, where a deepening mine plan led owner Kirkland Lake Gold to find ways of reducing ventilation needs. The first battery-powered LHD went underground in 2012, followed by three 18-tonne trucks the year after. Batteries are now powering 12 LHDs at Macassa, each with buckets that hold about 2.3 cubic metres. The mine keeps three batteries available for each vehicle at any given time: two on board – one in use and one spare – while a third is charging. A single battery can operate the machine for up to four hours, and each takes up to an hour and a half to recharge. When one of the vehicle’s batteries runs low, it stops by a battery station and an overhead crane switches it out for a spare. When the spent battery has finished recharging, the vehicle comes back and gets another switch-out. It is also possible to replace all the batteries at once – but that requires about 1.5 hours of downtime for the LHD. Making sure the batteries stay charged and fully operational is something that Kirkland Lake has been learning to

do over time. “We The Caterpillar SU488 battery-powered scoop (above) is ideal for low coal recently set up a mainteseams because of its flat profile and high heat efficiency. nance crew dedicated first and foremost to the batteries and their respective infrastructure,” said CEO George Ogilvie. “Keeping that equipment and infrastructure running efficiently is essential to our production.”

Iamgold

GE tested its own prototype at Iamgold’s Westwood mine in Quebec. “Westwood was very helpful, very eager to try it,” said Rémi Desrosiers, an application engineer at GE Mining. In continuous operation, one lead-acid battery supplies six to eight hours of power while one or two additional batteries charge. At the end of each shift, the battery can be changed in 10 to 15 minutes using a proprietary swap-out system that does not require a crane or other permanent infrastructure. “The lead-acid takes about eight hours to charge, so if you want a battery available at all times, we recommend three batteries,” said Gaitonde. When GE fulfills its plans to introduce a lithium – or a similarly efficient – battery, customers who take that option would use two batteries per vehicle.

Cost and benefits

Any prospective customer will ask how much, exactly, batteries cost. Portalier said RDH’s LHD is 30 per cent more costly than a diesel model, but the reduction in diesel consumption and ventilation required to clear exhaust from the work area gives batteries a short payback. A complete battery charge for the 2.3-cubic metre LHD – providing three to four hours of work – is about 120 kW, according to Portalier, who says a diesel LHD of the same size would consume 12 to 16 litres of fuel an hour. May/Mai 2015 | 79

Kirkland Lake introduced the battery-powered LHDs when oil was more than $120 a barrel. Given a strong differential between the cost of diesel and the cost of electricity, the new equipment paid for itself within a year. With oil on its more recent downswing, said Ogilvie, Kirkland Lake is still saving money, but the greatest benefits are in ventilation. “Most importantly, our workforce in these areas is working in cleaner air,” he pointed out. Desrosiers said the main focus of GE’s marketing was to address the problem of diesel particulate matter, which the World Health Organization deemed carcinogenic in 2012. But what he has discovered is that some customers are more interested in the heat-reduction aspects of battery-powered vehicles. “Electric machines have much, much higher [heat] efficiency than a diesel counterpart,” he said. “For many customers, the heat management is sometimes more impor-

Courtesy of RDH Mining Equipment

tant than the diesel particulate matter (DPM) concentration. Whether the need is to reduce DPM or heat, we can help reduce the ventilation cost.”

Learning how to use it

Seasoned operators can make the switch to electric easily, according to GE’s Desrosiers. “There was one operator who actually got the hang of the vehicle controls within 45 minutes,” he said. The machine is simpler in some ways. For example, there is no starter for the engine. There is also less operator involvement in braking. “Normally, the operator would use the brakes quite a bit if he had to go down a hill,” explained Desrosiers. “In our case, the

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Kirkland Lake Gold has been using RDH Mining Equipment’s batterypowered Muckmaster 300EB LHD at its Macassa mine since 2012.

brake usage is reduced because as you’re going down, the system automatically engages the motors to slow the unit and transfers that energy to the batteries. Effectively, they’re recharging the batteries when going down the slope, and this is transparent to the operator.” Equally, operators will not have much to relearn on RDH machines, said Portalier. While they could theoretically let the battery run down unintentionally, the machines have a warning system. At 20 per cent battery life, a yellow light comes on and the machine shuts down long enough to alert the operator that it is time to get to a charging station. GE has a similar system on its LHDs. Remote battery monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting can be done by the mine, with support from manufacturers if needed. RDH machines can connect to a wireless network for remote assistance; GE provides overthe-phone or in-person support. The most striking difference equipment operators will find is the relative quiet of the battery-powered units. The roar of diesel LHDs can put out a lot of decibels, sometimes requiring operators to wear double hearing protection. The battery-powered models only produce around 50 to 60 decibels – so little that both RDH and GE customers have requested an audible warning to alert workers in the vicinity when the machines move.

Orders and expansions on the way

Following successful trials, GE and RDH have orders in place for their respective LHDs. The GE commercial model to be launched at the end of 2015 has been dubbed the LHD-7-HB, indicating its seven-ton hauling capacity. The bucket is four cubic yards (three cubic metres).

82 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

GE is also planning to expand its battery choices in 2016. Gaitonde said the company is evaluating lithium against other materials, including GE’s own Durathon sodium nickel batteries. RDH sells its machine under the name Muckmaster 300EB. Portalier said the company will have a two-cubic yard (1.5-cubic metre) machine ready by the end of July in addition to the three-cubic yard to 3.5-cubic yard (2.3 to 2.67-cubic metre) and six-cubic yard (4.6-cubic metre) models it has already sold to miners. The company is also working on a more powerful lithium phosphate battery that would operate for six hours. Those plans could go some way to address the desires of the current user. Asked what improvements he would like to see in the technology, Ogilvie answered: “We’d like to see longer life in the batteries before a change out is required. In addition, we’d like to see individual cells last longer before having to be discarded or refurbished.” Macassa’s first cells are expected to reach the end of their useable life shortly. The Macassa mine could also use smaller equipment, having recently prioritized grade over tonnage and narrowed the scope of its mining activities. Ogilvie said the current LHDs require a minimum 2.1-metre mining width; there are areas where a 1.5-metre width would be preferred. With battery-powered trucks and LHDs already in operation at one mine, more orders on the way, and plans for expansion, these manufacturers have broken a path for the rest of the industry. When it comes to scaling up, said Portalier, “There’s no limit. Everything depends on the battery technology you’re using.” CIM

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scholarships MER announces annual scholarship recipients By Chris Balcom CIM’s Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability (MER) Society unveiled its annual scholarship winners for the 2014–15 academic year, collectively valued at nearly $10,000. MER offers scholarships to students entering or currently attending post-secondary institutions, each of

which can be awarded several times depending on the quality of the applicants. All scholarships are open to CIM members and their immediate family. Next year’s scholarship applications are due by the end of September.

Centennial Scholarship The Centennial Scholarship, established in 1998 to mark the 100th anniversary of CIM, is awarded to current students studying MER disciplines with plans to enter the mining industry after graduating. The scholarship is valued at $1,998. Catherine Lamontagne will soon be concluding the third and final year of her undergraduate studies at Université Laval in Quebec City, where she has been studying mechanical engineering.

Cooper Meadows is in the final year of his undergraduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. He will be graduating this spring with a degree in chemical engineering. Meadows is very active in the CIM Saskatoon Student Chapter, the National Mining Competition, and the newly formed CIM MetSoc Student Chapter at the University of Saskatchewan.

Ken Hildebrant Memorial Scholarship The Ken Hildebrant Memorial Scholarship, created in 2006 in memory of the former MER Society chairman, is open to students entering or currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution. The scholarship is valued at $2,000 and was awarded to three applicants this year.

Liana Hadjigeorgiou is a first-year student at Queen’s University, where she received an Excellence Scholarship to enroll in the bachelor of commerce program. Hadjigeorgiou is a member of the Queen’s Consulting Association.

84 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Nicolas Smit is a graduate of Laurentian University and the mining engineering technician program at Sudbury’s Cambrian College. He is currently enrolled in the college’s mining engineering technology program and will be graduating this spring. Smit is the social chair of CIM’s Sudbury Branch and previously sat on the board as the student representative.

Nathaniel Smith is in his second year of studies at the University of British Columbia’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining, where he is enrolled in the undergraduate mining and mineral processing engineering program. He is currently the second-year representative of the Mining Undergraduate Society and a participant on the university’s Canadian Mining Games team.

held in conjunction with

THE HEART OF THE METALS & MATERIALS COMMUNITY Welcome to the 54th annual Conference of Metallurgists (COM) and America’s Conference on Aluminum Alloys (AMCAA) to be held at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 23-26, 2015. MetSoc is delighted to co-host the first AMCAA with a focus on the aluminum alloys used in transportation. Issues around sustainability of both metals and materials manufacturing and use are woven into the conference technical symposia. COM's program includes three honorary symposia dedicated to people who have made substantial contributions to our field; a poster session; a riveting plenary; and an expanded tradeshow. A unique aspect of this conference is a special symposium held to honour women who have made significant contributions to the Canadian metallurgical, materials and mining industry. The International Conference on Aluminum Alloys (ICAA) has traditionally been the premier global conference for exchanging emerging knowledge on the processing, structure and properties of aluminum materials. The first America’s regional meeting of ICAA will be held in conjunction with COM in Toronto, Canada in 2015 and will act as a building block for Canada to host the ICAA18 meeting in Quebec in 2018. Don’t miss it! Participate in what will be an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, meet old friends and make new ones, and honor and celebrate those in our industry. Mary Wells, COM 2015 Chair and Incoming President University of Waterloo SPONSORS

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Help us deliver quality programming and get some visibility! Contact bfarah@cim.org

{ 23-26 } AUGUST

TORONTO FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK HOTEL, ONTARIO, CANADA

web.cim.org/COM2015

IN METALS AND MATERIALS PROCESSING AND USE COM 2015 SUSTAINABILITY

GREAT MINDS

5 4 t h A N N U A L C O N F E R E N C E O F M E TA L L U R G I S T S

SPEAK

» Advanced Aerospace Materials » Advances in Materials Manufacturing II » Computational Materials Science » David S. Wilkinson Honorary Symposium » Sustainable Hydrometallurgical Processes & Technologies, Lucy Rosato Memorial Symposium » Management of Metallurgical Plant Capital Projects » Managing Furnace Integrity for Reliable Metal Production » Materials Challenges » Sustainability in Ironmaking/Steelmaking » Torstein Utigard Memorial Symposium » UBC-McGill-UoA Symposium on Mineral Processing: Modelling & Optimization of Mineral Processing Systems » WALSIM: Water, Air and Land; Sustainability Issues in Mineral and Metal Extraction

SPECIAL INVITED TALKS

PLENARY

DAY REGISTRATION AVAILABLE FOR THIS SESSION!

Maurits van Camp Director of Recycling & Extraction Platform, Umicore

“

Towards a Resource Resilient Society via the Triple Helix Concept

”

Donald Sadoway

AMCAA: American’s Conference of Al Alloys

» Mechanical Properties, Phase Transformations and Characterization » Manufacturing Processes » Formability and Fracture » Modelling and Simulation » Aluminum Supply and Recycling » Joining » Surfaces and Corrosion

John F. Elliot Professor of Materials Chemistry, MIT

Stephen Carlisle President of General Motors of Canada Ltd.

CHECK OUT THE SPEAKERS’ LIST ONLINE:

web.cim.org/COM2015

DAY REGISTRATION AVAILABLE FOR THIS SESSION!

Women of Impact Celebrate and hear from some of the women who have made a significant impact on our industry. 1

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Annette Bergeron, Management Consultant Liana Centomo, CEZinc Eva Carissimi, CEZinc Louise Grondin, Agnico-Eagle Mines Carolyn Hansson, University of Waterloo Jennifer Jackman, CANMETMaterials Susan Knoerr, Teck Resources Limited Indira Samarasekera, University of Alberta Priti Wanjara, NRC Canada Janice Zinck, CanmetMINING

GREAT MINDS

PARTICIPATE

Exhibit at COM 2015 and get the best of both worlds! Included with each 10x10 booth space, exhibiting companies now have two full delegate passes, a value of $1,700. Exhibitors can take advantage of showcasing their company while discovering recent trends and innovative research at the technical sessions. Monday Poster and Trade Show session dedicated for you.

Trade show exhibitors include: Activation Laboratories Ltd. • Ashland Inc. • AuTec Innovative Extractive Solutions Ltd. • Blasch Precision Ceramics • GEA Westfalia Separator • IC Controls • Intlvac • Keyence Canada Inc. • Olympus Canada Inc. • RPS Composites • Scantech Pty Ltd. • SGS Canada Inc • Watson Valve Services Inc.

GREAT MINDS INSPIRE Students, your career starts here! » Student-Industry Mixer: Start building your network of contacts at the Student-Industry Mixer - and don't forget to bring your resumé! » Poster Competition: Present your poster to peers and industry professionals. A cash prize is available. » MetSoc Students Financial Assistance: Financial assistance is available to support student travel to the conference. Students may also partially defray expenses by serving as session monitors. Contact Brigitte Farah at bfarah@cim.org for further details.

GREAT MINDS

LEARN

Short Courses You are not required to be a conference delegate to register for the courses. All courses take place on August 22-23 prior to the start of the conference. 1. Fundamentals and Applications of Sustainable Hydrometallurgical Processing Techniques Concepts (11⁄2 days) 2. Improvement Through Constraints Modelling (1 day) 3. Liquid Metals and Molten Salts (2 days) 4. Sheet Materials and Processing for Transportation Lightweighting (1 day) 5. Welding of Aluminum Alloys (1 day) 6. Refractory Systems Optimization and Why Furnaces Fail and What you Can Do About it (1 day)

Industrial Tour The Sustainable Hydrometallurgical Processing tour is organized on Thursday, August 27, with visits to SGS Canada Inc and Eco-Tec Inc.

WHY WAIT? REGISTER NOW Registration for COM-AMCAA, is now open. Pay one price and experience it all!

Only 25 spaces are available so act fast!

GREAT MINDS

NETWORK

Social Program We’re more than just a technical conference TUESDAY AUGUST 25

Hydrometallurgy Section Luncheon The Hydrometallurgy section of MetSoc of CIM is inviting delegates to attend the annual section luncheon where invited speaker Dr. Fathi Habashi, Professor Emeritus of Extractive Metallurgy of Université Laval, will be featured. The section activities and awards will also be presented.

Awards Banquet & Reception The MetSoc-AMCAA conference banquet will be held on Tuesday. At this event, the Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM will honour its outstanding members by presenting the MetSoc Awards.

SUNDAY AUGUST 23

Opening Reception All delegates are invited to attend the Welcome Reception Sunday evening, taking place in the Metals 2015 Trade Show. Come and enjoy a complimentary drink and hors d’oeuvres.

Historical Metallurgy Lunch The Historical Metallurgy Committee of MetSoc will host a box lunch on Wednesday, featuring guest speaker Phil Haynes. He will present “Developments in Ni HPAL: From Moa Bay to Today.”

MONDAY AUGUST 24

Torstein Utigard Memorial Night Join us for an informal fun night that includes cocktails and finger foods. This will be a great opportunity for people to raise a glass to the late professor Utigard, share some personal moments with others and connect with people who have been touched by him. Donations will be made to the Palliative Care Unit from Credit Valley Hospital.

GREAT MINDS

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26

Women of Impact luncheon Join us for the Women of Impact symposium luncheon! Dr. Indira Samarasekera, President of the University of Alberta, will be our guest speaker.

VOTE

Notice to members | Avis de convocation The Annual General Meeting of the members of the Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM will be held in Toronto on Monday, August 24, at 8 a.m. at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

L’Assemblée générale annuelle des membres de MetSoc de l’ICM et du pétrole aura lieu à Toronto, le lundi 24 août à 8 h à l’hôtel Fairmont Royal York.

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92 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

May/Mai 2015 | 93

SECTION francophone article de fond

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Des conseils, des outils et des techniques pour créer l’environnement de travail moderne qui vous convient dans un lieu isolé Par Katelyn Spidle

Lettre de l’éditeur Mot du président Les actualités en bref Le complexe de Kassandra Les mines grecques d’Eldorado sont chargées d’histoire, mais leur avenir est incertain

113 Résumés techniques Par Peter Braul

La version française intégrale du CIM Magazine est disponible en ligne : magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA

Jason Benz Bennee / Shutterstock.com

104 S’adapter à la vie au campement

lettre de l’éditeur

Voyage en terres hellènes l'automne dernier, notre chef de rubrique Peter Braul et notre coordinatrice des communications Zoë Koulouris se sont envolés pour Thessalonique, en Grèce, en mettant dans leurs valises un appareil photo, un enregistreur vocal et un tube de crème solaire. Destination les mines de Kassandra d'Eldorado Gold, situées dans la péninsule de Chalcidique. Ces sites, exploités par Hellas Gold, la filiale grecque d'Eldorado, sont un ensemble d'anciens terrains industriels et vierges dont certains produisent sporadiquement des métaux depuis des milliers d'années. Avant que ces sites ne soient transformés en exploitations rentables, la société Eldorado a cependant encore beaucoup à faire : elle devra terminer la construction d'un tunnel de huit kilomètres reliant deux des mines et permettant de transporter le minerai ; retraiter les résidus issus de l'ancienne production ; réaménager et élargir les anciens chantiers souterrains ; développer une mine à ciel ouvert (la première dans le pays) et construire une usine de traitement qui pourra gérer l'alimentation des trois mines construites. Vous trouverez dans notre rubrique Profil de projet des explications détaillées de Peter dans l'article intitulé « Le complexe de Kassandra » (p. 109), dont le titre fait allusion au mythe grec de la belle Cassandre, laquelle reçut le don de prophétie mais dont les prédictions d'avenir ne furent jamais prises au sérieux. Ce projet, qui emploie actuellement plus de 2 000 personnes, semble être une belle occasion pour la Grèce qui se trouve depuis quelques temps dans une situation économique plus que déplorable. La politique pratiquée dans le pays a cependant mis en péril l'avenir de ces mines. Les partisans argumenteront du rôle important que ce projet (dont deux des trois mines ont une durée de vie d'au moins 25 ans) pourrait jouer pour arracher le pays du marasme économique dans lequel il se trouve. S'il est arrêté, les investisseurs étrangers se contenteront de récupérer leurs fonds si précieux et d'aller les placer ailleurs. Les opposants, quant à eux, prétendent que les coûts environnementaux seront trop lourds et le gouvernement récemment élu les soutient. Ainsi, nous attendons pour l'heure de voir quelles mises en garde seront prises en compte ou rejetées.

Ryan Bergen, Rédacteur en chef editor@cim.org @Ryan_CIM_Mag

mot du president

Le rôle essentiel du Canada sur la scène mondiale

es membres de l’ICM sont connus dans le monde entier pour leurs compétences techniques et leur approche éthique de l’exploitation des minéraux. Il nous incombe de partager cette approche fondée sur les pratiques exemplaires avec tous les pays et de l’appliquer à tous les projets auxquels nous participons. Le développement responsable des ressources minérales peut apporter des améliorations immédiates et durables à la qualité de vie de nombreux pays et régions moins développés. Dans cette optique, l’ICM, à titre de principal institut de technologie au service de l’industrie des minéraux canadienne, a un rôle clé à jouer afin de promouvoir les pratiques exemplaires dans l’industrie des minéraux mondiale. D’autres instituts techniques de l’industrie des minéraux, notamment l’Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, la Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration aux États-Unis et le Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy partagent cet engagement dans les pratiques exemplaires. Dans le cadre de la Global Minerals Professionals Alliance (GMPA), l’ICM travaille avec ces instituts afin « d’encourager les relations mutuellement bénéfiques qui faciliteront le partage de connaissances et de technologies qui renforceront l’excellence technique et professionnelle dans l’industrie des minéraux, d’offrir des programmes de formation et de perfectionnement professionnel et de faciliter les occasions de partage des connaissances. » Par ailleurs, tous ces instituts accorderont un statut de « membre visiteur » pendant 12 mois aux membres qui résident ou travaillent dans la région d’un institut hôte. Comme ceci est mon dernier message du président, j’aimerais profiter de cette occasion pour vous dire que cette année a été particulièrement enrichissante et satisfaisante. Ce fut pour moi un grand honneur d’assumer les fonctions de président et de travailler en collaboration avec les membres du personnel très efficaces de notre bureau national, ainsi qu’avec une équipe dévouée de bénévoles auprès du conseil, de l’institut et des sections. J’aimerais remercier chacun d’entre vous pour votre soutien, votre engagement et votre excellent travail! Ce mois-ci, Garth Kirkham va assumer le rôle de président de l’ICM. M. Kirkham est un passionné et un grand connaisseur de notre industrie, et je me réjouis de travailler avec lui au cours de l’année.

Sean Waller Président de l’ICM

May/Mai 2015 | 95

Les actualités en bref Planifier à l’avance Le Québec souhaite raviver l’enthousiasme pour les projets miniers dans le Nord

Gracieuseté de Mine Arnaud

Dans son classement annuel sur tiplié ces rencontres depuis l’industrie minière publié en septembre afin de définir une février, l’Institut Fraser a ramené le vision stratégique du dévelopQuébec au 6e rang des 10 juridicpement minier, l’élément tions les plus attrayantes au central de la stratégie du monde. La province occupait la Plan Nord. première position de 2007 à 2010, Le gouvernement a avant de dégringoler au 18e rang annoncé le 8 avril son Plan en 2013. Nord à l’horizon 2035, plan Quelques jours plus tard pourd’action 2015-2020, qui tant, les statistiques provisoires inclut des investissements de publiées par l’Institut de la statisprès de 2,7 milliards $ dans tique du Québec affichaient un des projets d’infrastructures tableau bien différent. Les investisd’ici 2035. Hydro-Québec En mars, le ministère de l’environnement du Québec a accordé un permis sements miniers au Québec ont au projet d’apatite de Mine Arnaud. Ci-dessus, un modèle du complexe investira 10 millions $ décliné de près d’un tiers en 2014 minier prévu pour ce projet situé à Sept-Îles. annuellement. pour atteindre 3,2 milliards $, le Parmi les objectifs prévus résultat le plus mauvais en cinq ans. conseil d’administration ont été nompar le plan, le gouvernement s’efforcera L’an dernier, le gouvernement libéral més en mars, dont Hélène Lauzon, préde développer de façon responsable les a ressuscité le Plan Nord, une stratégie sidente du Conseil patronal de ressources naturelles du Nord, de de développement économique ambil’environnement du Québec (CPEQ), diversifier le secteur des ressources tieuse, bien que nébuleuse, misant une organisation à but non lucratif qui minérales et d’accroître les capacités de presque exclusivement sur les ressources rassemble plusieurs industries se préoctraitement des minerais de la province. naturelles du vaste territoire québécois cupant de leur impact sur l’environnesitué au nord du 49e parallèle. Il s’est ment. « Notre mandat consistera à Mine Arnaud et le dilemme depuis activé sur plusieurs fronts afin de mettre en œuvre la stratégie gouvernede la Côte-Nord convaincre les investisseurs que le Quémentale sur le Plan Nord », indiquaitParmi les initiatives du gouvernebec jouira d’une position enviable elle. « Il est de notre responsabilité ment visant à diversifier la production lorsque les prix remonteront. La pred’optimiser les retombées économiques minérale du Québec, le projet de mine mière version du Plan Nord, présentée et de conseiller le gouvernement quant d’apatite riche en phosphate de Mine par le gouvernement libéral en 2011, au développement du Nord. Nous Arnaud est considéré, du moins par le avait été balayée par une défaite électoallons organiser de nombreuses secteur des affaires et les syndicats, rale et un effondrement du cours des réunions dans les mois à venir pour comme l’un des plus importants pour matières premières. mettre en place l’intégralité de la strucl’industrie minière de la Côte-Nord (une L’étude de faisabilité relative à la ture, ses règlements et son budget. » région dominée depuis longtemps par la construction d’une troisième ligne ferLa société est officiellement sur pied production de minerai de fer). Détenu à roviaire entre la fosse du Labrador et le depuis le 1er avril. Le 6 mars, le ministre 62 % par Investissement Québec, une port de Sept-Îles a été confiée en délégué aux mines Luc Blanchette est société de financement du Québec, et à octobre à la société montréalaise Canarevenu d’une visite d’une semaine en Abi38 % par Yara International, l’un des rail, en grande partie grâce à l’activisme tibi, dans la Côte-Nord et le Nord-duplus gros producteurs d’engrais au de Champion Iron et d’Adriana Québec, où il a mené des consultations monde, ce projet peine depuis des Resources, sans oublier l’enveloppe auprès des parties concernées, à savoir les années à obtenir son permis social d’exbudgétaire de 20 millions $ accordée sociétés minières et les fournisseurs ; les ploitation à Sept-Îles, en raison des par le Québec. municipalités et les communautés affecinquiétudes que suscitent ses impacts Puis, en décembre, le projet de loi tées ; les centres de recherche et dévelopenvironnementaux sur la population. 70 a donné naissance à la Société du pement (R&D) et les groupes En février, le Bureau d’audiences Plan Nord. Neuf des 15 membres du environnementaux. M. Blanchette a mulpubliques sur l’environnement (BAPE) 96 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

les actualités en bref a publié son rapport sur le projet, concluant qu’il n’était « pas acceptable dans sa forme actuelle. » Mine Arnaud a pris 17 nouveaux engagements afin de répondre aux inquiétudes d’ordre environnemental décrites dans le rapport. En plus de révéler de nombreuses lacunes écologiques, le BAPE a également mis en doute la rentabilité même du projet, qui mise sur un prix de 125 $ la tonne de phosphate pour être viable. Or, le prix du phosphate stagne à 115 $ la tonne depuis septembre. Par ailleurs, la Côte-Nord a cruellement besoin de signes positifs après les

fermetures successives de l’usine de bouletage de Pointe-Noire et de la mine de Lac Bloom. Beaucoup considèrent Mine Arnaud comme un tampon dans l’économie locale, dont Russell Tremblay, directeur adjoint à Développement économique Sept-Îles. « Nous devons rallier les personnes qui ont perdu leur emploi, sans quoi nous risquons de les perdre à jamais », déclarait-il. « Mine Arnaud évoluera sur un cycle différent que celui du minerai de fer. » Il semble que le gouvernement provincial, souvent critiqué pour avoir fait

faux bond à la région pendant les phases de ralentissement du marché des marchandises, ait été sensible aux arguments de M. Tremblay. Le 16 mars, le ministre de l’environnement a donné son feu vert au projet de 850 millions $. Mine Arnaud est présentement à la recherche d’un troisième partenaire pour exploiter la mine. « Dès que nous trouverons un exploitant, les participations dans le projet évolueront, et celle d’Investissement Québec devrait diminuer », concluait M. Blanchette. – Antoine Dion-Ortega

Nomination d’un conseiller en RSE par le gouvernement fédéral Début mars, Jeffrey Davidson a été nommé conseiller en responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE) du Canada pour l’industrie extractive. Le ministre du Commerce international, Ed Fast, en a fait l’annonce le jour de l’ouverture du Congrès de l’Association canadienne des prospecteurs et entre-

preneurs (ACPE) de cette année, à Toronto. « Je suis heureux à l’idée qu’une personne aussi hautement qualifiée et expérimentée que Jeffrey Davidson sera le nouveau conseiller en RSE », a déclaré le ministre Fast dans son annonce.

M. Davidson arrive au terme d’un contrat de cinq ans avec l’Université Queen’s dans le cadre duquel il dispense des cours sur l’économie de l’industrie des minéraux et sur la durabilité et assure la coordination du certificat d’études supérieures en relations communautaires pour les indus-

Nos membres font la force de l’ICM.

L’ICM, C’EST : BILL WRIGHT Directeur du développement de l’entreprise, RungePincockMinarco Membre corporatif de l’ICM / Membre du conseil de direction de l’IEF / Président de la conférence sur la gestion de la sécurité et la fiabilité des systèmes / Exposant à l’EXPO! de l’ICM / Président aux séances techniques de MEMO et du congrès de l’ICM / Membre du groupe sur les normes et les directives mondiales en matière d’exploitation minière

« L’ICM me donne la possibilité de discuter de tout un éventail de thèmes tels que l’innovation technologique avec les chefs de file de l’industrie minière. Ma participation active à l’ICM m’a permis d’élargir et de renforcer mon réseau en développant des relations durables avec des professionnels chevronnés de l’industrie minière. »

L’ICM OFFRE UNE VALEUR AJOUTÉE À SES 15 000 MEMBRES IMPLIQUEZ-VOUS. C’EST VALORISANT. IT’S ALL MINE | CIM.ORG May/Mai 2015 | 97

Gracieuseté du ministère des Affaires étrangères, commerce et développement Canada

Une association de l’industrie examine les lignes directrices sur la gestion des résidus miniers

Jeffrey Davidson (ci-dessus), le nouveau conseiller en responsabilité sociale des entreprises de l’industrie extractive du Canada

tries extractives, du département de génie minier. M. Davidson a œuvré auparavant dans le domaine des relations communautaires pour la Banque mondiale et pour diverses sociétés minières, dont Rio Tinto. Il a également enseigné l’économie minière à l’Université McGill. Tout au long de sa carrière, M. Davidson s’est attaché à travailler avec les communautés et les sociétés pour « trouver de meilleures façons de tenir compte des préoccupations sociales et environnementales des communautés et pour faire en sorte que les activités minières soient menées de façon responsable », a-t-il déclaré. « [Le poste] m’a semblé très intéressant, et j’ai pensé que je pourrai peut-être jouer un rôle positif. » En novembre, le gouvernement fédéral a publié une version actualisée de la stratégie en RSE pour les sociétés minières œuvrant à l’étranger. Elle élargit les pouvoirs du bureau du conseiller en RSE pour y inclure une collaboration avec l’industrie extractive visant à encourager les sociétés minières à adopter des pratiques exemplaires en RSE et prévoit également repérer et résoudre dès le début les litiges entre les sociétés et les communautés avoisinantes. Le poste de conseiller était vacant depuis le mois d’octobre 2013 à la suite de la démission de Marketa Evans qui l’avait occupé pendant quatre ans. M. Davidson commencera son mandat de trois ans à la mi-mai. – Kelsey Rolfe 98 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Un groupe de travail indépendant mandaté par l’Association minière du Canada (AMC) pour examiner les exigences de cette dernière en matière de gestion des résidus miniers tiendra sa première réunion le 8 avril. L’initiative a été lancée dans la foulée d’une enquête de la Colombie-Britannique sur le bris de la digue à résidus de Mount Polley, qui a déversé 13,8 millions de mètres cubes de boue de forage dans le ruisseau Hazeltine se trouvant à proximité. Le groupe de travail, dirigé par Doug Horswill, ancien président du conseil de l’AMC, examine les lignes directrices et les exigences de l’AMC en matière de gestion des résidus dans le cadre du programme intitulé Vers le développement minier durable (VDMD) et formulera des recommandations quant aux secteurs où les règles devraient être renforcées pour éviter un autre déversement à grande échelle. Imperial Metals, propriétaire de Mount Polley, est membre de l’AMC depuis la fin de 2012 et en est au début de l’implantation du programme VDMD, son premier profil d’entreprise ayant figuré dans le Rapport d’étapes VDMD 2014. Les lignes directrices actuelles du programme VDMD sur la gestion des résidus mettent l’accent sur les pratiques exemplaires comprenant l’attribution de la responsabilité de la gestion des résidus à un haut dirigeant de l’entreprise qui mènera des inspections périodiques pour gérer les risques et qui mettra en œuvre des politiques solides pour assurer la conformité avec les lois et les lignes directrices de l’AMC. « Certaines questions sur la conception et la construction ne sont pas couvertes dans les protocoles », a déclaré M. Horswill. « Je ne sais pas si elles peuvent l’être, mais nous devons déterminer si c’est faisable ou pas. » Le groupe de travail étudie également le rapport et les recommandations déposés en janvier par le groupe de trois experts nommés par le gouver-

nement de la Colombie-Britannique pour enquêter sur la brèche de Mount Polley. Le rapport a mis en cause un défaut de conception dans la digue qui n’était pas associé à une instabilité des fondations. « Aucun de nous ne se sent bien par rapport à l’événement qui s’est produit, ni aucun de nous ne voulait qu’il survienne », a affirmé M. Horswill. « C’est pourquoi nous devons comprendre, en fonction des données dont nous disposons actuellement […] s’il existe ou non des moyens d’améliorer les méthodes de gestion des résidus dans le programme VDMD. » Les sept membres du groupe de travail de l’AMC comprennent Peter Lighthall, consultant indépendant ayant déjà travaillé pour AMEC et Klohn Crippen ; John Sobkowicz, de Thurber Engineering ; Nalaine Morin, de Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team ; Alan Young, de la Campagne internationale pour la conservation boréale et membre du Groupe consultatif des communautés d’intérêts de l’AMC ; Craig Ford, de Corporate Responsibility Solutions ; et Michael Davies, de Teck Resources Limited et président du Groupe de travail sur les résidus de l’AMC. VDMD est un programme obligatoire lancé en 2004 pour toutes les sociétés membres de l’AMC afin de les inciter à travailler de manière plus responsable d’un point de vue social et environnemental. Le rendement des membres est évalué en fonction de 23 indicateurs et les résultats sont publiés chaque année dans des rapports d’étapes VDMD. Dans un communiqué, Pierre Gratton, président et chef de la direction de l’AMC, a vanté le succès de l’initiative VDMD pour assurer une exploitation sécuritaire des parcs à résidus, mais a reconnu qu’il y a place à l’amélioration. « Nous sommes d’avis qu’il y a toujours de la place à l’amélioration et nous voulons apprendre de l’incident de Mount Polley afin de nous assurer

les actualités en bref

Une vive compétition aux Jeux miniers annuels L’Université de la Saskatchewan a accueilli des équipes de 10 universités du pays en février à l’occasion des 24e Jeux miniers canadiens annuels. Du 18 au 22 février, 150 étudiants se sont affrontés dans le cadre de 25 compétitions au cours desquelles ils ont été jugés par des représentants des nombreuses entreprises commanditaires des Jeux, dont PotashCorp, Cameco et Imperial Mines. Les épreuves ont été conçues pour être difficiles, a expliqué le coprésident Tanner Edwards. Au cours de l’une d’elles, les équipes ont dû concevoir une mine en sept heures. « C’est une tâche pour ainsi dire impossible, mais il s’agissait d’évaluer ce qui pouvait être accompli », a-t-il poursuivi. D’autres défis ont testé toute une gamme de compétences, non seulement celles touchant au génie, mais également des aptitudes telles que l’art de parler en public, les connaissances en finances et en mathématiques et la faculté de travailler sous pression. La plupart des épreuves étaient terminées au bout de trois heures. Par le passé, les juges accordaient aux équipes une note en pourcentage pour leur performance au cours d’un événement donné. Cette année, cependant, des points entre 0 et 10 ont été attribués aux équipes afin de faciliter le choix du gagnant. Les résultats ont été annoncés lors du banquet de clôture. L’Université Queens s’est classée première, l’Université de Toronto, deuxième et l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, troisième. Malgré le stress, ces jeux ont été des plus amusants cette année, selon M. Edwards. Un dîner-banquet suivi d’excursions dans les bistros avoisinants étaient au programme de chaque

Participants aux Jeux miniers canadiens

Gracieuseté de Tanner Edwards

que cela ne se reproduira plus », a-t-il déclaré. Le groupe de travail présentera un rapport avec ses recommandations à l’AMC avant la fin de 2015, l’organisation décidera alors des mesures à – Sahar Fatima prendre.

vants : mines, pétrole et gaz, technologie et sciences de la vie, industries diversifiées et technologies propres. Le classement est établi en fonction de la performance affichée dans quatre catégories : appréciation du cours de l’action, volume de négociation, couverture par les analystes et augmentation de la capitalisation boursière. Voici les sociétés minières les plus performantes selon le palmarès TSX Croissance 50 de 2015 : 1 2

soirée. « La fin de semaine a été tout simplement fantastique », a résumé M. Edwards. L’ICM était un commanditaire argent pour cet événement. – Katelyn Spidle

Une petite société minière performante Grâce au rendement affiché par ses actions en 2014, la société NioCorp a été classée en tête des sociétés minières les plus performantes dans le palmarès TSX Croissance 50 de la Bourse de croissance TSX. Le 11 février, au moment de l’annonce de cette distinction par la société, ses actions étaient évaluées à 0,83 $, ce qui représente une progression de 25 % par rapport à la même journée l’an dernier. La société avait également une capitalisation boursière de 102,68 millions de dollars, en hausse comparativement à 24,1 millions de dollars le 14 février 2014. Plus tôt au cours du mois, NioCorp a annoncé avoir plus que triplé les ressources indiquées de pentoxyde de niobium à son projet Elk Creek, au Nebraska, lesquelles se chiffrent à 572 000 tonnes, par rapport à 177 000 tonnes. Autre preuve de l’excellente performance de NioCorp, ses actions ordinaires ont été inscrites à la cote de la Bourse de Toronto le 9 mars. Compilé par la Bourse de croissance TSX, le palmarès TSX Croissance 50 comprend dix sociétés de chacun des cinq secteurs d’activité sui-

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Noront achète les actifs de Cliffs dans le Cercle de feu La société minière américaine Cliffs Natural Resources a décidé de se retirer de la région du Cercle de feu. Noront Resources a annoncé en mars qu’elle rachetait les propriétés de chromite de Cliffs dans le Cercle de feu au vu de la décision de cette dernière de quitter cette région riche en ressources, bien que très isolée. Cette transaction, d’une valeur de 20 millions $ US, devrait se conclure à la mi-avril, en fonction de la décision du tribunal autorisant Cliffs à restructurer ses exploitations de minerai de fer au Québec. La société FrancoNevada Corporation prêtera 22,5 millions $ US à Noront à un taux d’intérêt de 7 % pour financer la transaction, en échange d’une faible part des redevances issues des propriétés du Cercle de feu acquises par la société. « Cette acquisition vient consolider les découvertes de classe mondiale réalisées dans la région du Cercle de feu », déclarait Alan Coutts, président et May/Mai 2015 | 99

Normand Huberdeau/NH Photographes Ltée.

directeur général de Noront. « Nous avons beaucoup investi dans le Cercle de feu et notre équipe est devenue une véritable experte de cette région des points de vue technique autant que social. » Le Cercle de feu, une région en forme de croissant située au nord de Thunder Bay, présente un fort potentiel minier car elle renferme d’importants

gisements de chromite, de platine, de nickel et d’autres métaux. Cependant, ce secteur n’est desservi par aucune route, d’où la décision de Cliffs en 2013 de suspendre ses activités dans la région. Cette vente entraîne le transfert des droits de propriété d’environ 100 concessions minières à Noront, dont l’intégralité des gisements de chromite

De meilleurs résultats grâce à la conception Metallurgical Plant Design, un ouvrage visant à combler des lacunes sur le plan des connaissances

Chris Twigge-Molecey, ancien président de l’ICM et actuel conseiller principal chez Hatch, a donné un aperçu rapide de Metallurgical Plant Design (disponible en anglais seulement), un nouvel ouvrage auquel il a collaboré à la rédaction et à la mise en forme avec Rob Boom, Frank Wheeler et Jack Young, ingénieurs métallurgistes. Certains chapitres du livre ont été rédigés par 13 autres spécialistes en métallurgie du Japon, des États-Unis et d’Australie. « Il présente véritablement une vision d’ensemble du secteur des projets », dit-il. Le lancement de l’ouvrage à couverture rigide de 200 pages se fera dans le cadre du congrès annuel de l’ICM, qui se tiendra cette année à Montréal, du 9 au 13 mai. ICM : Pourquoi était-il important de publier cet ouvrage ? Twigge-Molecey : Nous estimions qu’il existait une lacune importante sur le plan de la documentation, surtout dans le domaine de la métallurgie, où il semble ne rien exister du tout. De nombreux ouvrages traitent des principes fondamentaux de l’ingénierie, de la gestion de projets et de la 100 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Black Thor et Black Label. La transaction comprend également une participation de 70 % dans le gisement de chromite Big Daddy et un droit de propriété de 85 % dans une ressource de cuivre et de zinc près du lac McFauld. Noront est déjà propriétaire du projet polymétallique Eagle’s Nest dans la région et, d’après un communiqué de presse, détiendra désormais environ

gestion de construction de projets, mais il s’est écrit très peu de choses sur la fonction de la conception elle-même liée au transfert de connaissances de base dans une usine exploitable. ICM : Comment expliquez-vous cette lacune ? Twigge-Molecey : C’est une lacune par défaut. De façon générale, la conception d’usines n’est pas un domaine de recherche que privilégient les professeurs; ils se concentrent plutôt sur les principes fondamentaux. Et les professionnels dans le domaine rédigent rarement des ouvrages.

ICM : Pourquoi cet ouvrage est-il particulièrement pertinent maintenant ? Twigge-Molecey : Nous y travaillons depuis quelques années. La méthodologie que nous énonçons dans ce livre est bien connue et a fait ses preuves à maintes reprises. Il est temps de faire le point des enseignements tirés. Il est également temps pour les différents intervenants et spécialistes dans le domaine de les assimiler avant de passer au prochain cycle, étant donné que la métallurgie doit actuellement composer avec d’importantes contraintes sur le plan de l’accès aux capitaux. ICM : Qu’espérez-vous accomplir avec ce livre ? Twigge-Molecey : Favoriser une meilleure compréhension. De nombreux projets ont échoué au cours des dernières décennies parce que des personnes ont pris des décisions sans en mesurer les conséquences. Ce livre s’adresse aux personnes qui prennent les décisions, mais qui n’ont pas d’expérience concrète de projets. Elles ne mesurent pas l’influence que le volet ingénierie – même s’il ne représente qu’une petite partie du coût – a sur le projet global : son coût en capital, son exploitabilité et sa capacité à se conformer aux normes de rendement attendues, comme la sécurité, la productivité, l’impact environnemental et la durabilité. – K.S.

les actualités en bref 65 % des terres comprises dans les concessions minières du Cercle de feu. « La vente de ces actifs à Noront, une société minière qui possède une grande expérience dans la région du Cercle de feu et y détient des intérêts stratégiques, vient confirmer l’exécution de la stratégie de Cliffs qui implique de se séparer de ses actifs non essentiels et de se concentrer sur son rôle de fournisseur principal de boulettes de minerai de fer pour l’industrie de l’acier d’Amérique du Nord », pouvait-on lire dans un communiqué de presse de Cliffs. En novembre dernier, Cliffs a annoncé qu’il étudiait ses options de désengagement de ses exploitations de minerai de fer dans l’est du Canada, notamment la mine Wabush Scully en Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, qui a mis en œuvre un plan de fermeture permanente en novembre en raison de sa structure de coûts élevés, et la mine Bloom Lake au Québec, que Cliffs place sous la protection de la loi sur les – S.F. faillites.

Le tribunal décrète que Pascua-Lama n’a causé aucun dégât Le projet Pascua-Lama de Barrick Gold, qui a traversé de grandes difficultés, a eu de bonnes nouvelles récemment. Le 23 mars dernier, le tribunal de l’environnement du Chili a décrété que le projet Pascua-Lama, établi dans les hauts plateaux andins, n’avait causé aucun dégât aux glaciers situés dans les aires d’influence immédiates. « Nous sommes heureux que le tribunal ait confirmé aujourd’hui ce que les preuves techniques et scientifiques démontrent, à savoir que les activités menées dans le cadre du projet PascuaLama n’ont pas endommagé ces masses de glace », expliquait Eduardo Flores, directeur exécutif de Barrick pour le Chili. En octobre 2013, suite à des problèmes financiers et juridiques, Barrick avait suspendu la construction à sa mine d’or, d’argent et de cuivre, qui se trouve

à la frontière entre le Chili et l’Argentine. Au début de cette même année, la Cour suprême du Chili avait déclaré que la société devait régler le problème de son système inachevé de gestion de l’eau à Pascua-Lama. Le déclin des prix de l’or, associé à la hausse des coûts, avaient également pesé dans la décision de la société de suspendre le projet, dont la production devait initialement commencer l’été dernier. La société, basée à Toronto, a maintenu qu’elle était décidée à développer sa mine de 8,5 milliards $ dans le plus

grand respect de l’environnement. Outre sa collaboration avec les communautés locales pour être sûre de répondre aux exigences environnementales, Barrick a aussi mis en œuvre un programme de surveillance sur le site de Pascua-Lama qui recueille des données de 27 points différents et envoie directement les résultats aux autorités réglementaires. Une fois en activité, le projet PascuaLama devrait produire en moyenne entre 800 000 et 850 000 onces d’or par an durant ses cinq premières années – Michael Yang d’activité.

INSCRIVEZ-VOUS MAINTENANT

SYMPOSIUM 2015 • ROUYN-NORANDA

SUR L’ENVIRONNEMENT ET LES MINES MINES AND THE ENVIRONMENT DIMANCHE 14 JUIN : COURS INTENSIFS LUNDI ET MARDI 15 ET 16 JUIN : PROGRAMME TECHNIQUE PORTANT SUR : • Rejets miniers • Remblais souterrains • Roches stériles • Prédiction de la qualité des eaux • Traitement des eaux • Restauration des sites • Réglementation/société • Innovation (nouvelles tendances) Traduction simultanée : Français-Anglais / Anglais-Français

MERCREDI 17 JUIN : VISITES DE SITES Pour plus d’information, contactez : Nadia Bakka (ICM) : 514-939-2710, 1333, nbakka@cim.org

Suivez les publications de l’ICM pour plus de détails et visitez notre site WEB à :

ROUYN-NORANDA2015.CIM.ORG May/Mai 2015 | 101

Le rite minier du printemps Tout comme le cours de l’or au cœur de l’événement, le nombre de participants présents au Congrès annuel de l’ACPE a baissé par rapport aux niveaux historiques d’il y a quelques années. Toutefois, le congrès a tout de même rassemblé 23 500 personnes début mars. Joe Oliver, ministre fédéral des Finances, a profité de l’occasion pour prolonger le crédit d’impôt pour l’exploration minière pour une autre année. Ce crédit permet aux entreprises qui émettent des actions accréditives de transférer un pourcentage de leurs dépenses d’exploration à leurs actionnaires, qui peuvent à leur tour les déduire de leur revenu imposable. Ce crédit, créé pour la première fois en 2000, est intéressant pour les investisseurs qui autrement ne prendraient pas de risques sur des projets d’exploration en phase initiale. Le renouvellement annuel du crédit est devenu un rituel du printemps depuis l’expiration de son délai initial de trois ans. Toutefois, le ministre des Finances a proposé quelque chose de nouveau, en ajoutant les coûts de certaines consultations environnementales et auprès des Autochtones nécessaires avant que les permis d’exploration soient admissibles à la déduction des dépenses d’exploration au Canada. Cet ajout « est assez important parce que ces coûts augmentent. Il y a vingt ans, ils n’existaient pas », a fait remarquer Rodney Thomas, président de l’ACPE, dans une entrevue donnée à CIM Magazine. Le gouvernement fédéral s’est aussi engagé à partager le coût d’une étude de 785 000 $ avec le gouvernement de l’Ontario visant la construction d’une route permanente est-ouest qui relierait le Cercle de feu avec un certain nombre de communautés autochtones à la route existante qui se termine à Pickle Lake – à environ 300 km vers le sud-ouest. Le marché actuel tendu a diminué le nombre d’entreprises membres de l’ACPE, mais certains spécialistes ont remarqué un accroissement des activités commerciales. Par exemple, cette 102 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

année de nombreux exposants commercialisaient les services de véhicules aériens sans pilote (les drones). Mike Reed, directeur commercial, industrie minière, pour le fabricant de drones Leica Geosystems, a expliqué que l’imagination des sociétés minières s’enflammait une fois qu’elles constataient ce que l’équipement d’imagerie fixé sur les drones pouvait faire, que ce soit pour surveiller des parois hautes auparavant inaccessibles, fournir une solution de rechange aux inspections coûteuses et chronophages ou procurer un système de surveillance économique. Toutefois, les observateurs du marché n’ont pas vanté 2015 comme une année exceptionnelle, bien qu’ils demeurent optimistes pour les prospects à plus long terme sur le marché des métaux. Martin Murenbeeld, économiste en chef chez Dundee Capital, a suggéré que certaines forces motrices, comme le ralentissement de l’économie mondiale et la vigueur du dollar américain compenseraient les hausses de prix possibles, et maintiendraient les cours de l’or dans la fourchette de 1 250 $US à court terme. En évoquant le marché des métaux dans son ensemble à l’occasion d’un forum très suivi, M. Murenbeeld a déclaré : « nous sommes dans un cycle des matières premières à très long terme. Aujourd’hui, on observe une correction de milieu de cycle. » À l’occasion d’une séance distincte, Patricia Mohr, spécialiste du marché des produits de base à la Banque Scotia, a prédit que « les prix des matières premières seront à leur plus bas cette année, mais ne remonteront pas. Il va falloir attendre 2017 ou 2018 pour que le marché reprenne. » Rodney Thomas, de l’ACPE, a évoqué la prise de contrôle amicale de Probe Mines par Goldcorp, en soulignant que ce projet de développement pourrait dynamiser les petites sociétés minières. Le projet Borden de Probe Mines, près de Chapleau, en Ontario, a fait l’objet d’une offre de 526 millions de dollars de cette importante société aurifère plus tôt cette année. Le congrès de l’ACPE de l’an prochain aura lieu du 6 au 9 mars au Palais

des congrès du Toronto métropolitain. – Ryan Bergen

Perspectives d’avenir S’il est impossible de prédire l’avenir, cela n’a empêché personne de s’y essayer lors de la séance d’ouverture du Congrès 2015 de la Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration où des sages de l’industrie se sont interrogés sur les difficultés et les opportunités auxquelles l’industrie doit s’attendre dans les années à venir. La discussion a marqué le lancement de cet événement annuel ayant réuni plus de 6 000 personnes qui ont participé à plus de 100 séances techniques et 670 sociétés exposantes au Palais des congrès du Colorado, à Denver, en février. Tous les orateurs se sont entendus pour dire que la technologie serait le moteur de l’innovation dans la « mine du futur. » Cependant, le modérateur de la séance, Peter Bryant, agrégé supérieur auprès du Kellogg Innovation Network, a souligné que l’industrie minière y a relativement peu contribué. « L’industrie [minière] investit, selon la plupart des études, quelque chose comme ¼ % à ½ % dans la recherche et le développement », a-t-il précisé, alors que les sociétés industrielles y investissent de 1,5 % à 2 %, les sociétés pétrolières et gazières, 5 %, et les sociétés aérospatiales, de 8 % à 10 %. Gwenne Henricks, vice-présidente de Caterpillar, responsable de la division Développement des produits et technologie mondiale, et directrice de la technologie, a mis l’accent sur le rôle de l’analyse des données et des mégadonnées dans l’innovation minière, tendance qui va se poursuivre croitelle. « [La] croissance exponentielle en matière de puissance informatique et de stockage des données nous offre la possibilité de recueillir et d’analyser des données qui peuvent être utilisées pour assurer notre productivité au long de toute la chaîne de valeur », a-t-elle souligné. « Grâce aux capacités infinies de l’infonuagique, associées à l’émergence des réseaux de capteurs, les données peuvent être analysées et fournir une base en temps réel aux décisions

Gracieuseté de SME

les actualités en bref

Évaluation de territoires attrayants pour les minières L’Institut Fraser a publié récemment son enquête annuelIe sur les sociétés minières. L’Institut a reçu plus de 480 réponses au sondage envoyé à des sociétés œuvrant dans le secteur minier, en particulier dans l’exploration et le développement, afin d’évaluer 122 territoires dans le monde. Dans le but de déterminer les attraits présentés par chacun pour y investir, l’Institut Fraser a combiné son indice d’évaluation des territoires selon leur attrait géologique et son indice de perception des politiques visant à mesurer l’incidence des politiques gouvernementales sur l’attitude des sociétés en matière d’investissement dans l’exploration. Voici certains des résultats de cette enquête : T.D. Les 10 territoires miniers les plus attrayants dans le monde 1 Finlande 6 Québec 2 Saskatchewan 7 Wyoming 3 Nevada 8 Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador 4 Manitoba 9 Yukon 5 Australie-Occidentale 10 Alaska

prises à tous les niveaux, des responsables de la planification minière, à ceux de l’exploitation ou aux conducteurs d’équipement. » Dean Gehring, président et chef de la direction de Rio Tinto Minerals, reconnaît aussi que les données joueront un rôle important, non seulement en matière de technologie, mais aussi dans les réglementations gouvernementales. Il prédit qu’un jour viendra où des quantités massives de données recueillies par les sociétés minières seront envoyées en temps réel aux organismes de réglementation. « Cela instaurera une transparence à un degré différent de celui auquel nous sommes habitués », a poursuivi M. Gehring. Bryan Galli, coordinateur en chef et directeur du marketing à Peabody Energy, a souligné l’importance de constantes innovations dans le passé. « Depuis 1970, le charbon utilisé pour produire de l’électricité a augmenté de plus de 170 % alors que le PIB a doublé et que les principales émissions par kilowattheure ont diminué de presque 90 % », a-t-il dit, ajoutant que ces considérables améliorations résultent principalement d’initiatives et de technologies propres dans le secteur du charbon.

Degré d’attrait des provinces canadiennes en termes d’investissement Indice d’attrait en termes d’investissement

Dean Gehring, président et directeur général de Rio Tinto Minerals, s’exprime à l’occasion de la session liminaire de la conférence de la Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME, la société des mines, de la métallurgie et de l’exploration) à Denver en février.

83.6 82.9 81.5 80.7 80.1

76 74.9 74.8 74.5 70.5 70 62.6

Degré médian d’attrait en termes d’investissement dans le monde

May/Mai 2015 | 103

Les avantages meconnus du travail en region eloignee Comment les sociétés aident leurs employés à vivre une vie plus riche au camp Par Katelyn Spidle Illustrations par Clare Mallison

utrefois, décrocher un emploi dans le secteur minier signifiait souvent qu’on devait s’installer et s’enraciner dans une ville ou un village créé autour d’une mine. Mais, au Canada, la dernière de ces villes – Tumbler Ridge, en Colombie-Britannique – a été construite il y a plus de 30 ans. Selon une recherche effectuée par Keith Storey, de l’Université Memorial de Terre-Neuve, les importantes fluctuations subies par le secteur des minerais, l’arrivée du télétravail, une pénurie de main-d’œuvre et le manque de perspectives offertes par les villes minières, particulièrement pour les femmes, ont tous contribué à la disparition progressive des villes minières champignons. Aujourd’hui, les déplacements sur de longues distances et la vie dans les camps sont devenus les modèles, dont les particularités sont uniques et parfois ardues. Bien qu’il soit difficile d’évaluer l’augmentation du nombre de travailleurs vivant cette réalité, on compte aujourd’hui dans le monde des dizaines de milliers de travailleurs se rendant dans des camps éloignés, soit par la route, soit par la voie des airs. Par exemple, en Australie-Occidentale, le nombre de mines où les travailleurs vivent dans des camps est passé d’environ 26 en 1991 à plus de 100 en 2005. Pour le travailleur, la vie au camp signifie qu’il doit affronter l’isolement social, de longues heures de travail et de rudes conditions météorologiques, tout en essayant d’équilibrer ses deux vies : celle à la mine et celle à la maison. Les travailleurs navetteurs gagnent un bon salaire et ont accès à des commodités modernes, mais la séparation d’avec la famille et les amis peut créer un problème affectif auquel les sociétés tentent de plus en plus de répondre. « Les sociétés font un certain nombre de choses qui ont une incidence », affirme Adrian Blanco, ancien gestionnaire de l’approvisionnement à Hochschild Mining (il travaille à présent pour McEwen Mining). Jusqu’à tout dernièrement, il

passait entre 35 et 40 % de son temps au camp minier San José, en Argentine. « Si des gens pratiquent des activités qui ne sont pas liées au travail, cela crée un meilleur environnement en matière de qualité de vie et améliore aussi la productivité et le respect des normes de sécurité. » La vie de camp est unique en ce sens que lorsqu’un employé s’y trouve pendant des semaines, la conciliation vie professionnelle-vie personnelle est impossible. Joanne Klein, vice-présidente des ressources humaines de Goldcorp, explique que sa société fait en sorte que les employés ne sentent pas qu’ils ratent des aspects importants de leur vie personnelle ou familiale. « Je crois qu’on y arrive aussi par de petites choses », ajoute-t-elle. « Quand j’étais à Musselwhite, récemment, je suis entrée dans la cafétéria et j’ai vu un grand tableau blanc sur lequel on annonçait l’anniversaire d’un employé. Il y avait un gros gâteau, et je crois que de telles actions jouent un grand rôle pour que les gens se sentent à la maison. » M. Blanco acquiesce : même de petits gestes améliorent de beaucoup les conditions de vie des travailleurs navetteurs. Par exemple, quand la haute direction et les membres du conseil d’administration visitent les sites d’exploitation, en Argentine, tout le monde mange ensemble dans la salle à manger pour que tous se sentent égaux et justement appréciés. « Les employés prennent leur déjeuner, leur dîner et leur souper au même endroit pendant des semaines d’affilée. Ce sont des moments qu’ils partagent avec tous les autres ; ce sont des moments spéciaux dans la journée. »

Échanges interculturels En règle générale, à la mine Raglan, au Nunavik, au Québec, les travailleurs navetteurs restent de deux à trois semaines sur le site, puis passent de deux à trois semaines chez eux. La May/Mai 2015 | 105

société a lancé plusieurs initiatives pour aider les travailleurs à composer avec leur double mode de vie. Par exemple, en plus d’offrir à chaque employé un cadeau le matin de Noël, la société invite des artistes inuits de la région à tenir une foire d’artisanat à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des peuples autochtones. « La foire d’artisanat nous permet de promouvoir la culture inuit », remarque Céliane Dorval, coordonnatrice des communications et des relations extérieures à Raglan, « et ça permet aux employés inuits et non-inuits de partager dans une atmosphère chaleureuse. » Raglan a aussi mis sur pied un comité de loisirs qui organise régulièrement des soirées de jeux, des barbecues, des concerts, des spectacles humoristiques et même des parties de golf, dans le sud, pour les travailleurs navetteurs en congé. Les liens entre le camp minier et la culture locale permettent aux travailleurs navetteurs de cultiver un sens de fierté, fait remarquer M. Blanco. Parmi les moyens mis en œuvre par la société minière pour encourager le partage, elle demande aux travailleurs de faire visiter la mine à la population de la région et de lui proposer des activités. « Ces visites créent non seulement un sens de responsabilité envers la population, mais aussi un sens d’appartenance à la société et de fierté pour ce que celle-ci accomplit dans toute la région », conclut M. Blanco.

Corps sains, mine saine Les avantages de l’activité physique ont fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches et sont bien documentés. Être en bonne forme physique diminue les risques de maladie et de blessure, en plus d’avoir des effets bénéfiques sur la santé mentale. De plus en plus, les sociétés équipent leurs mines de gymnases mis gratuitement à la disposition des employés en vue d’améliorer la productivité et le moral. « À Cigar Lake, le club de loisirs de Cameco tente d’offrir toute une gamme d’activités physiques et sociales à ses employés et entrepreneurs pour qu’ils puissent s’occuper après le travail », explique Trevor Gonzales, généraliste en ressources humaines à Cameco. Il décrit le gymnase de dimension réglementaire de la mine, où les travailleurs jouent au hockey en salle, au soccer, au badminton, au volleyball et au basketball. Les employés peuvent aussi participer à un concours de sculpture de citrouilles dans le temps de l’Halloween, regarder des combats extrêmes ou des galas de boxe à la carte ou participer à des compétitions sportives avec les employés des mines avoisinantes. Les mines de Goldcorp possèdent aussi des installations de conditionnement physique remarquables, mais Christine Marks, directrice des communications de la société, explique que ces installations sont différentes d’un site à l’autre. « À Peñasquito, au Mexique, il y a un beau terrain de soccer. Mais avoir un tel terrain dans le nord du Québec en hiver n’aurait aucun sens. » À Musselwhite, sur la rive sud du lac Opapimiskan, l’équipement de pêche est très demandé. Alimenter correctement toutes ces activités est essentiel « C’est pourquoi l’alimentation est très, très importante », affirme Mme Klein, ajoutant que l’alimentation varie aussi 106 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

d’un site et d’une culture à l’autre. « Nous sommes chanceux parce que l’entreprise de traiteur que nous utilisons à Musselwhite appartient aux Premières Nations. » Windigo Catering, qui dessert la mine, située à 480 kilomètres au nord de Thunder Bay, emploie des gens de la région et incorpore des aliments traditionnels, comme la bannique et de la viande d’animaux sauvages, au menu.

Atteindre un équilibre À Raglan, les conjointes et les conjoints sont invités trois fois par an à visiter le site. « C’est une excellente façon de les aider à comprendre ce que fait leur conjoint ou leur conjointe sur le site minier et de voir par eux-mêmes comment on y vit », a indiqué Mme Dorval, « Les familles jouent un rôle important dans la fidélisation des employés, aussi devonsnous établir des liens avec eux et veiller à leur bien-être. » Cependant, aider les travailleurs navetteurs à se connecter quotidiennement avec leur famille représente un des aspects de la vie de camp que les sociétés ont de la difficulté à améliorer. Le coût de la connexion Internet est très élevé, particulièrement dans les lieux éloignés. Bien que la plupart des mines offrent une connexion réseau sans fil, M. Blanco explique que cette dernière est souvent de trop mauvaise qualité pour les appels vidéo, situation très frustrante pour les employés qui ont hâte de voir le visage et d’entendre la voix des membres de leur famille. Bien qu’une connexion Internet fiable soit sans aucun doute devenue essentielle à la vie moderne, M. Blanco fait remarquer qu’une connexion sans fil à haute vitesse dans un camp minier est une arme à double tranchant. De nombreux employés pourraient devenir dépendants d’Internet pour le divertissement et les liens sociaux et passer tout leur temps libre accrochés à un iPhone, à une tablette ou à un ordinateur portatif, ce qui les inciterait peu à faire de l’exercice, à participer à des activités ou à s’intégrer à la communauté des travailleurs navetteurs. « Pour les sociétés, c’est un tout nouveau défi que de gagner les cœurs des employés avec des activités intéressantes qui favorisent le travail d’équipe », estime M. Blanco. Dans les mines où il a travaillé, on encourageait la participation des employés puisqu’on y proposait de nombreuses compétitions sportives entre divisions ainsi que de nombreux tournois. Selon M. Blanco, on note une augmentation de la participation là où les sociétés proposent un calendrier de matches et offrent des maillots et des prix et où on incite les travailleurs à trouver des noms d’équipe originaux. De tels gestes créent une identité, laquelle à son tour forme un sens d’appartenance – particulièrement si les sports proposés font partie de la culture locale. Un camp où les travailleurs navetteurs peuvent mener une vie profondément satisfaisante ne stimule pas que la productivité, la sécurité et la santé, mais ouvre également la porte à des expériences, à des relations et à des souvenirs marquants, lesquels peuvent durer toute une vie. « J’ai vu de nombreux cas d’amitiés qui se sont prolongées au-delà du travail à la mine », affirme M. Blanco. « C’est naturel. Vivre des conditions si difficiles peut sceller des liens solides entre les gens. » ICM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Si votre campement dispose de consignes, mettez-y tout ce que vous pouvez. Voyagez léger et évitez-vous une grande perte de temps à l’aéroport pour enregistrer vos bagages.

conseils indispensables

-mol3cul3

La connexion Internet dans les campements miniers est souvent mauvaise. Préparez-vous à ne pas pouvoir accéder à Internet le soir (apportez des films sur une clé USB, des livres, ou tout ce qui peut vous aider à passer le temps). -mol3cul3

pour survivre dans un campement isolé

Que vous soyez un vétéran rusé ou une jeune recrue essayant de ne pas se faire remarquer, ces conseils vous Les bonbons et autres sucreries aideront à garder un certain sont en général une bonne contrôle sur votre vie dans un idée. Un opérateur de jumbo campement. Ces suggestions avec lequel je travaillais cachait sont tirées d’une discussion toujours un sachet de sucettes que l’un de nos rédacteurs a dans la cabine qui, lancée sur reddit.com/r/mining mystérieusement, faisait son (uniquement disponible en apparition dès que l’appareilleur anglais) et sont publiées par arrivait. Son jumbo fonctionnait nom d’utilisateur. Certaines ont toujours parfaitement. été modifiées en raison de leur -Maldevinine longueur et de fautes grammaticales ou de Videz votre frigo avant de partir, et ne ponctuation.

laissez absolument rien à l’intérieur !

-the__funk

Pour les femmes : prenez un stock de tampons ! Vous en aurez besoin pour vous, certes, mais vous rendrez aussi service à vos (rares) collègues femmes qui pourraient avoir oublié d’en amener. -undertheaurora

Le revenu disponible est une illusion, alors soyez économe.

-zmobie632

Amenez des Tupperware ! Si vous voulez un repas qui ressemble à quelque chose, amenez quelques Tupperware sur lesquels vous aurez inscrit votre nom. J’ai souvent pris mon déjeuner avec les collègues et, à force de transporter leurs repas dans les racleurs souterrains, les aliments ressemblent toujours à une sorte de bouillie écrasée. Ma salade et mon sandwich, par contre, sont intacts et bien plus appétissants.

10 11

-undertheaurora

Liez-vous d’amitié avec l’informaticien, votre quotidien au campement n’en sera que facilité. -Kneep

Récupérez les sachets de sauces et de condiments au réfectoire pour éviter de vous retrouver à court ; ils disparaissent parfois pendant des jours et des semaines entières.

Ne soyez pas idiot. -Kneep

Rencontres sur Internet. Préparez le terrain quand vous êtes au campement, récoltez les fruits de vos efforts quand vous rentrez chez vous.

-mol3cul3

Logez chez vos parents ou votre famille si vous devez faire la navette entre le campement minier et votre lieu de vie pendant plusieurs mois. Pourquoi payer 100 % de votre loyer lorsque vous ne passez que 20 % de votre -fermilevel temps chez vous ?

-zmobie632 May/Mai 2015 | 107

Avec l’aimable autorisation d’Hellas Gold

Le complexe de Kassandra

Les résidus sont retraités à la mine d’Olympias

Le projet Skouries d’Eldorado Gold, dont la production devrait commencer en 2017, pourrait marquer le début d’une nouvelle ère pour la région de Chalcidique, dans le nord de la Grèce. Outre la nouvelle mine à ciel ouvert en cours de développement, des résidus historiques sont de nouveau traités, des terrains à usage industriel sont réhabilités, les exploitations sont reliées les unes aux autres et Hellas Gold, la filiale grecque d’Eldorado, est résolue à faire de la municipalité d’Aristotelis une importante province d’exploitation aurifère. Cependant, la Grèce étant aux prises avec de graves difficultés politiques et économiques, chaque pas en avant est effectué avec précaution. PAR | PETER BRAUL

es artéfacts miniers millénaires parsèment le bord de la route alors que nous quittons le petit village de Stratoni, en bord de mer, et nous frayons un chemin vers les hauteurs en direction de Skouries, la mine d’or la plus récente de Grèce. « Pour nous, c’est un retour aux sources », déclarait

108 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Mihalis Theodorakopoulos, directeur général de Hellas Gold. Il travaille sur les mines de Cassandre, qui incluent les actifs de Skouries, Olympias et Stratoni, depuis plus de 25 ans, bien avant qu’elles ne deviennent la propriété d’une société canadienne (la première était TVX Gold, en 1995). La mine

LES MINES KASSANDRA

| profil de projet Avec l’aimable autorisation d’Hellas Gold

adjacente d’argent, de plomb et de zinc Mavres Petres d’Eldorado, qui fait partie de l’installation de Stratoni et comprend également une usine de traitement et un port, est en activité pratiquement non interrompue depuis le VIe siècle. Les mineurs ont toujours représenté une fraction importante de la population locale, et aujourd’hui, les projets grecs d’Eldorado emploient près de 1 700 personnes de cette municipalité d’environ 18 000 habitants. À l’heure actuelle, le chômage en Grèce avoisine les 26 %. Bien qu’il nous ramène aux temps anciens, ce projet concerne davantage la reconstruction de la Grèce en tant que nation moderne.

Un passe-partout métallurgique L’ensemble du projet des mines de Cassandre a été approuvé au titre d’une seule étude d’impact environnemental, ce qui confirme qu’Eldorado a une vision à long terme et ambitieuse pour cette région. Stratoni, qui ne produit pas d’or, pourrait sembler ne pas concorder avec le reste des activités d’Eldorado. Pourtant, le site minier existant est essentiel à la façon dont la société développe simultanément ses actifs d’Olympias et de Skouries. « Nous cherchions à créer un seul et unique centre minier », expliquait M. Theodorakopoulos. « Plutôt que d’avoir trois mines, nous souhaitons les relier en un seul complexe. Le lien entre ces sites est le procédé métallurgique. » Ce lien ne sera cependant pas établi du jour au lendemain ; Eldorado pense qu’il lui faudra environ sept ans pour que ses installations spécialisées à Stratoni puissent assurer le traitement du minerai et du concentré des exploitations d’Olympias, de Skouries et de Stratoni. L’or de la mine Olympias est réfractaire, aussi Eldorado prévoit de construire une usine utilisant la méthode de fusion éclair à Stratoni qui traitera un mélange de concentrés de cuivre et de pyrite à l’aide de cette technologie fournie par la société Outotec. La fusion éclair est un procédé qui permet de produire du cuivre et de l’or en produit dérivé, aussi il requiert naturellement du cuivre pour fonctionner. Ce cuivre proviendra du gisement de porphyre cuivre/or de Skouries et de son concentrateur associé. Le minerai provenant d’Olympias, quant à lui, sera raffiné afin de générer des concentrés de plomb/d’argent, de zinc et d’or. Le minerai aurifère concentré d’Olympias et le concentré de cuivre de Skouries seront ensuite mélangés durant le procédé de fusion éclair. Pour réunir tous ces éléments, il faudra construire un tunnel de transport du minerai de huit kilomètres qui reliera la nouvelle usine aux chantiers souterrains d’Olympias. Les deux gisements aurifères sont de nature très différente du point de vue géologique. Le site de Skouries renferme un minerai à teneur relativement élevée pour un corps porphyrique, avec des réserves de 0,76 grammes par tonne d’or et de 0,51 % de cuivre ; le site d’Olympias, quant à lui, recèle un amas minéralisé polymétallique de remplacement des roches carbonatées bien plus riche. Les réserves y sont de 7,56 grammes par tonne, avec 128 grammes par tonne d’argent, 5,7 % de zinc et 4,3 % de plomb (des taux qui sont compensés par la difficulté de traiter l’or réfractaire). La relation codépen-

L’installation de flottation d’Olympias

dante de Skouries et d’Olympias rend ces exploitations plus rentables, mais le traitement du minerai d’Olympias à la mine de Stratoni, et donc en dehors du village d’Olympiade, est également motivé par des préoccupations d’ordre environnemental. L’ancienne production à la mine a laissé une empreinte considérable et les résidus des activités passées prennent une place considérable. Les anciens chantiers de la mine sont en cours de réaménagement afin d’être adaptés aux nouvelles activités, et les résidus font eux aussi l’objet d’un traitement et d’une récupération. L’or restant est en cours d’extraction, ce qui génère du matériau de remblai pour les zones exploitées, et les résidus asséchés sont transportés dans un parc à résidus miniers à Stratoni. C’est probablement le seul moyen pour la municipalité de rendre au site historique d’Olympias son statut initial sans avoir à en payer la facture ; quant à Eldorado, à défaut de récupérer de l’argent sur le retraitement des résidus, elle en tire au moins une certaine crédibilité sociale. Mais les actionnaires d'Eldorado attendent un rendement de leurs investissements, et la société s'apprête à réaliser une transition majeure en termes d'économie. L'année prochaine, si le projet se poursuit, la société espère réaliser des bénéfices pour la première fois en Grèce. Le broyeur semi-autogène (broyeur SAG) et le concentrateur de Skouries sont en cours de fabrication, bien que le gouvernement ait récemment révoqué les May/Mai 2015 | 109

profil de projet | L E S M I N E S K A S S A N D R A

OLYMPIAS

• Produits : concentrés de plomb/argent, zinc et or • Méthode d’exploitation minière : percement de galeries et remblayage

• Durée de vie estimée de la mine : 25 ans

STRATONI

• Produits : plomb/zinc/argent du corps

minéralisé de Mavres Petres • Durée de vie estimée de la mine : 4 ans • Comprend : installation de gestion des résidus, laboratoire, concentrateur, port

SKOURIES

• Produits : concentré d’or/de cuivre et lingots d’argent aurifère

• Méthode d’exploitation minière : exploitation à ciel ouvert et par sous-niveaux abattus • Durée de vie estimée de la mine : 27 ans

Le minerai du site d’Olympias sera transporté par l’intermédiaire d’un tunnel de huit kilomètres pour être traité à Stratoni

autorisations pour mener à bien la construction de l'usine ; la démétallisation préalable se poursuit pour la mine à ciel ouvert et la production devrait commencer en 2017. « À Skouries, 30 % de l'or est vierge, aussi avec un circuit de concentration par gravité, cet or sera extrait dès le premier jour de la production », expliquait M. Theodorakopoulos. « Les 70 % d'or restants seront mélangés au concentré de cuivre et seront vendus à des fonderies externes les six ou sept premières années. Une fois notre usine métallurgique construite [à Stratoni], jusqu'à 30 % du concentré de cuivre produit sera traité conjointement avec le concentré d'Olympias. »

Mode multitâche En septembre dernier, lors de ma visite sur le site, le directeur des opérations pour Eldorado en Grèce Britt Reid et son équipe d’exploitation étaient aussi sur place ; ils prenaient note des progrès réalisés et on les sentait impatients de prendre la relève de l’équipe de construction, même s’il leur faudra encore attendre une année. Les bulldozers déplaçaient des masses de terre pour préparer les installations de gestion des résidus et une équipe installait des puits perdus et d’injection 110 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

pour détourner les eaux souterraines du corps minéralisé dès le début de la production dans la mine à ciel ouvert. Parallèlement, le développement de l’exploitation souterraine se poursuivait, laquelle remplacera la production dans la mine à ciel ouvert environ sept ans après le démarrage des activités. « Nous y arriverons », m’assurait M. Reid. Skouries sera la première tentative de développement d’une mine d’or à ciel ouvert en Grèce. Le projet a été conçu de manière à minimiser son empreinte, aussi les perturbations totales en surface ont été limitées à 180 hectares. La société d’experts-conseils SRK Consulting a été contactée afin de déterminer l’équilibre optimal entre les exploitations à ciel ouvert et souterraine. M. Theodorakopoulos expliquait que la mine aurait pu être entièrement souterraine, « mais dans ce cas, nous n’aurions pas pu utiliser la mine à ciel ouvert comme zone d’élimination des résidus, aussi nous aurions été contraints de développer un autre parc à résidus miniers et d’occuper environ 700 hectares ». Il ajoutait que l’exploitation à ciel ouvert de l’intégralité du gisement aurait impliqué d’occuper 1 600 hectares. Les préparations se poursuivent à Skouries, et Olympias est soumise à la même pression pour commencer l’exploitation

| profil de projet

minière l’année prochaine. En L’équipe de développement au travail novembre, Konstantinos Markogiandans le tunnel de transport du minerai du côté du site d’Olympias nis, directeur de l’usine à Olympias, commencera à moderniser son équipement afin de traiter l’alimentation de la mine une fois que tous les résidus historiques auront été de nouveau traités. « Nous arrêterons nos activités pendant six mois afin d’installer les nouveaux équipements et de modifier l’usine », déclarait-il, ajoutant que selon ses estimations, la production pourrait commencer à la mine en mai l’année prochaine. Son équipe est bien habituée aux changements ; en effet, elle a tout d’abord dû remettre l’usine en état afin de pouvoir traiter les résidus, et au sein même de ce procédé, y apporter de légères modifications chaque mois. Par exemple, les schlamms fins trouvés dans les anciens résidus ont posé un problème d’exhaure pour négligeable à une époque aussi noire pour la Grèce sur le plan les filtres à disques. « Si le concentré est inférieur à 20 économique. Eldorado fait de son mieux pour établir de bonnes relations grammes par tonne, la matière n’est pas vendable, et les pénaet faire preuve d’une hospitalité à la grecque. La culture locale lités sont très élevées », expliquait M. Markogiannis. Les filtres-presses feront également partie des projets de implique de longues pauses-café afin de répondre aux exiM. Markogiannis pour le minerai brut. Jusqu’à ce que l’entre- gences sociales, et personne ne prend son déjeuner sans comprise de forage Aktor ait fini le tunnel menant à Stratoni, les pagnie. Mais imposer des techniques minières modernes dans résidus fins asséchés seront envoyés par camion au parc à rési- une économie principalement axée sur le tourisme n’est pas dus miniers de Stratoni et les résidus grossiers serviront de simple. « Changer les mœurs et l’état d’esprit prend du temps, remblais miniers cimentés ; en outre, de nouveaux filtres- de la patience et une bonne dose de dialogue », expliquait presses seront ajoutés de manière à assurer le maintien de la Eduardo Moura, vice-président d’Eldorado et directeur général capacité du concentrateur d’Olympias de 400 000 tonnes par des exploitations en Grèce. Afin de familiariser les habitants de la région à ses activités et de leur montrer son engagement an au maximum. Joel Rheault, directeur général de la mine d’Olympias, sur- envers l’environnement, la société aurifère a accueilli plus de veille le développement des ressources inexploitées à Olym- 4 000 personnes sur ses sites de Chalcidique l’année dernière. pias ainsi que l’élargissement et l’élévation des anciennes Les étudiants arrivent par autocars entiers, et Kostas Georgantgaleries qui pourraient encore servir. M. Rheault, originaire zis, directeur des RP de la société, m’affirmait que la société a d’Atikokan, en Ontario, a emménagé près de Thessalonique constaté une amélioration notable du sentiment public. avec sa femme et ses trois enfants. Il est peu probable qu’il se Cependant, la société mène un combat de longue haleine. En ce moment, la forte tension imposée sur les exploitaretrouve au chômage. « Il y a encore tant à faire », expliquaitil, le regard heureux alors qu’il étudiait le plan de la mine. L’ex- tions d’Eldorado semble provenir de la situation chaotique qui ploitation minière menée auparavant n’avait permis d’atteindre affecte Athènes plutôt que des protestations locales. Les divique la partie supérieure d’un corps minéralisé et avait laissé de sions politiques dans le pays font maintenant l’objet d’un élan côté un second gisement situé à une centaine de mètres à l’est. passionnel, voire violent, qu’il est difficile de concilier avec la M. Rheault et son équipe espèrent y arriver bientôt. « La des- réputation de cette nation comme berceau de la démocratie. Dans la municipalité d’Aristotelis, cependant, on espère cenderie est ouvrira plusieurs galeries d’avancement qui nous que les choses se tassent à mesure que les bénéfices des projets permettront de commencer à nous rapprocher du corps minéd’Eldorado commencent à se faire sentir dans les communauralisé [à l’est]. » tés environnantes. « Le slogan électoral de notre nouveau Théâtre politique à la grecque maire était “ Œuvrons à réunifier la région “ », indiquait Au vu du travail considérable accompli dans les exploita- M. Theodorakopoulos, ajoutant que les groupes qui étaient tions d’Eldorado, il est difficile d’accepter les tentatives d’inti- auparavant contre l’exploitation minière se sont ralliés à ce midation du gouvernement grec (p. 109). D’après Eldorado, nouveau chef de file et sont prêts à découvrir les activité de la les mines généreront plus de 5 000 emplois directs et indirects société. C’est peut-être de cette manière, pas à pas, qu’un pays une fois qu’elles seront en pleine production, ce qui n’est pas se reconstruit. ICM May/Mai 2015 | 111

Peter Braul

LES MINES KASSANDRA

An Introduction to Cutoff Grade: Theory and Practice in Open Pit and Underground Mines (with a new section on blending optimization strategy) Cutoff grades are essential in determining the economic feasibility and mine life of a project. Learn how to solve most cutoff grade estimation problems by developing techniques and graphical analytical methods, about the relationship between cutoff grades and the design of pushbacks in open pit mines, and the optimization of block sizes in caving methods. INSTRUCTOR Jean-Michel Rendu, USA • DATE September 9-11, 2015 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Geostatistical Mineral Resource Estimation and Meeting the New Regulatory Environment: Step by Step from Sampling to Grade Control Learn about the latest regulations on public reporting of resources/reserves through state-of-the-art statistical and geostatistical techniques; how to apply geostatistics to predict dilution and adapt reserve estimates to that predicted dilution; how geostatistics can help you categorize your resources in an objective manner; and how to understand principles of NI 43-101 and the SME Guide. INSTRUCTORS Marcelo Godoy, Newmont Mining Corp., Denver; Jean-Michel Rendu, JMR Consultants, USA; Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada; and Guy Desharnais, SGS Canada Inc., Canada • DATE September 14-18, 2015 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Strategic Risk Management in Mine Design and Production Scheduling: Generating Optimal Mine Plans Given Uncertainty • Find out how to manage and minimise risks and produce optimal pit designs with strategic mine planning processes and the next generation optimisation methods. • Discover how new developments will help you capture the “upside potential” in mine designs and minimise “downside risks” as well as increase cash flows through the effect of the mining sequence and “risk blending”. • Explore real-world examples and participate in hands-on computer sessions that show how to increase project value by employing new riskbased (stochastic) optimisation models. • Understand and learn about the new stochastic mine planning optimisation framework and its contribution to sustainable utilisation of mineral resources. • Discover new developments in optimizing mining complexes and mineral value chains. INSTRUCTORS Matt LaBonte, Minemax, Denver, USA; and Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada • DATE September 21-23, 2015 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada

TECHNICAL ABSTRACTS

CIM

journal

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CIM Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2. To subscribe, to submit a paper or to be a peer reviewer—www.cim.org

Contributing to community sustainability during mineral exploration: Lessons learned from Mesoamerica J. M. Ríos and I. Thomson, On Common Ground Consultants Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

ABSTRACT Without conscious effort and understanding, a number of factors unique to mineral exploration often hinder building sustainability in host communities. These include the episodic and transitory presence of an exploration team in the community and the inherent uncertainty of outcomes—most projects fail from an exploration perspective. Experience in rural communities across Mesoamerica, however, has shown that it is possible to go beyond pragmatic philanthropy and infrastructure improvements to promote positive, sustainable outcomes in communities. Examples are provided of lessons learned and proven practices that improve quality of life and support a strong social license to operate.

RÉSUMÉ Sans une compréhension et un effort réfléchis, de nombreux facteurs uniques à l’exploration minérale nuisent souvent à l’établissement d’un développement durable dans les communautés d’accueil. Ces facteurs comprennent la présence épisodique et transitoire d’une équipe d’exploration dans la communauté et l’incertitude inhérente des résultats – la plupart des projets échouent après l’étape de l’exploration. L’expérience dans les communautés rurales à travers la Méso-Amérique a toutefois démontré qu’il est possible de dépasser la philanthropie pragmatique et les améliorations des infrastructures pour promouvoir des résultats positifs et durables dans les communautés. Des exemples qui améliorent la qualité de vie et soutiennent un solide permis social d’exploitation sont présentés ; ils sont tirés de leçons apprises et de pratiques éprouvées.

International law norms of consultation with Indigenous communities: Significance for corporate stakeholders D. Newman, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the author’s work on international law norms of consultation with Indigenous communities and examines unexpected corporate stakeholder impacts on these norms. Customary international law, which governs the area, does not traditionally refer to corporate conduct. This paper surveys several sources on developing international law on consultation obligations; it also discusses the impacts these norms can have on corporate stakeholders in the mining industry. Finally, it asks how interactions of corporate stakeholders in this area can indirectly impact future law and suggests implications for different business models in the mining sector.

RÉSUMÉ Le présent article traite du travail de l’auteur sur les normes de consultation avec les communautés autochtones contenues dans le droit international et examine les impacts inattendus des parties prenantes sur ces normes. Le droit coutumier international, qui gouverne ce domaine, ne réfère traditionnellement pas à la conduite des sociétés. L’article analyse plusieurs sources traitant du développement de nouvelles lois internationales sur l’obligation de consulter ; il traite aussi des impacts que ces normes peuvent avoir sur les parties prenantes dans l’industrie minière. Finalement, il pose la question à savoir comment les interactions des parties prenantes dans ce domaine peuvent avoir un impact indirect sur les lois futures et il suggère des implications pour divers modèles d’affaires dans le secteur minier.

Noise and vibration: Mine workers’ exposure in Quebec underground mines M. Laflamme, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; P. Marcotte and J. Boutin, Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and S. Ouellette and G. LeBlanc, Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING, Val-d’Or, Quebec, Canada

ABSTRACT To characterize noise and vibration sources of different types of mining equipment used in underground mining, the authors performed a study in eight Quebec mines on 28 pieces of equipment. This paper presents the procedure followed to select the equipment to be evaluated and the low-cost acquisition system developed to perform multichannel time-domain data acquisition in harsh environments. It also presents the results obtained for the noise level produced by the equipment and for hand-arm and whole-body vibration exposures.

RÉSUMÉ Dans le but de caractériser les sources de bruits et de vibrations de divers équipements miniers utilisés sous terre, les auteurs ont étudié 28 équipements dans huit mines du Québec. L’article présente la procédure suivie pour choisir les équipements à évaluer ainsi qu’un système multicanal à faible coût développé pour acquérir des données dans des environnements difficiles. Il présente aussi les résultats obtenus pour les niveaux de bruit produit par les équipements et pour les expositions main-bras et du corps entier aux vibrations.

May/Mai 2015 | 113

TECHNICAL ABSTRACTS

CIM

journal

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CIM Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2. To subscribe, to submit a paper or to be a peer reviewer—www.cim.org

Multivariate data cleaning and reclassification of particle size distribution data for the Joslyn lease P. Babak, PennWest Exploration, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; P. Henriquel and E. Insalaco, Total E&P Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and O. Babak, Cenovus Energy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT Detection of outliers is an important primary step in geomodelling. Geological datasets often contain errors due to problems such as measurement device limitations and recording glitches. In this paper, a robust Mahalanobis distance-based approach is successfully applied to particle-size distributions of the Joslyn lease, an oil sands development site near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. Automatic outlier detection and geological review were combined. Outliers from the Mahalanobis distance approach were compared with their respective core photographs to determine if laboratory measurements and facies classification were correct. A checking procedure for laboratory technicians is proposed.

RÉSUMÉ La détection des valeurs aberrantes constitue une étape primaire importante de la modélisation géologique. Les ensembles de données géologiques contiennent souvent des erreurs en raison de problèmes tels que les limitations des instruments de mesure et des pépins d’enregistrement. Dans le présent article, une méthode robuste basée sur la distance de Mahalanobis a été mise en oeuvre avec succès aux granulométries du bail minier Joslyn, un site de sables bitumineux en développement à proximité de Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. La détection automatique des valeurs aberrantes a été combinée à une étude géologique. Les valeurs aberrantes de la méthode de la distance de Manalanobis ont été comparées avec leurs photographies respectives de carottes de forage afin de déterminer si les mesures en laboratoire et la classification des faciès étaient correctes. Une procédure de vérification pour les techniciens de laboratoire est proposée.

Towards a practical stope reconciliation process in large-scale bulk underground stoping operations, Olympic Dam, South Australia Y. Potvin, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Nedlands, Australia; and D. Grant and G. Mungur, BHP Billiton Olympic Dam, Adelaide, Australia

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the reconciliation of open stope performance at Olympic Dam, South Australia, with a focus on stope stability, recovery, and operational aspects of stope reconciliation in relation to the expected or planned stope design. The observed stope performance is inconsistent with the equivalent linear overbreak sloughing criteria for assessing the performance of large open stopes. The aim is to investigate new stope performance criteria using quantitative (overbreak, underbreak, maximum depth of wall failure) and qualitative (stope productivity, observed fragmentation) information that correlates with the observed stope behaviour, providing a process for improving future stope designs.

114 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

RÉSUMÉ Le présent article traite de la réconciliation de la performance des chambres ouvertes à Olympic Dam, Australie du Sud, en ciblant la stabilité des chambres, la récupération et les aspects opérationnels de la réconciliation des chambres par rapport à la conception attendue ou planifiée des chambres. La performance observée des chambres ne concorde pas avec les critères d’épaisseur équivalente du bris hors profil pour évaluer la performance de grandes chambres ouvertes. L’objectif est d’étudier de nouveaux critères de performance des chambres au moyen de données quantitatives (rupture hors profil, rupture à l’intérieur du profil planifié, profondeur maximale d’effondrement du mur) et qualitatives (productivité des chambres, fragmentation observée) qui concordent avec le comportement observé de la chambre, fournissant ainsi un processus pour améliorer les futures conceptions des chambres.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACTS

CIM

journal

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CIM Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2. To subscribe, to submit a paper or to be a peer reviewer—www.cim.org

Le diagramme ternaire Al2O3-Sr-Y : un nouvel outil pour l’exploration de gisements de sulfures massifs volcanogènes M. Proulx, Géo-Consilium, Val-d’Or, Québec, Canada

ABSTRACT The tertiary diagram Al2O3-Sr-Y is a new tool to explore Archean volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. The diagram can be used to discriminate between the volcanic rocks where zinc is the dominant mineralization (Zn+ domain) and the rocks where copper is the dominant mineralization (Cu+ domain), as well as the volcanic rocks that were subjected to hydrothermal chloritization that could have led to the formation of chloritites associated with alteration chimneys (Cl+ domain). These three domains define the zones of geochemical influence, or residual or fossil hydrothermal footprints produced by hydrothermal convection cells generated by magmas. Exploration companies can apply the diagram to determine, at low cost, the potential fertility of the Archean volcanic rocks by using their databases and the results of their field analyses, without any data manipulation. The diagram does not apply to gold-bearing VMS deposits.

RÉSUMÉ Le diagramme ternaire Al2O3-Sr-Y est un nouvel outil servant à l’exploration de gisements de sulfures massifs volcanogènes (SMV) archéens. Le diagramme permet de discriminer entre les roches volcaniques à minéralisations à zinc dominant (domaine Zn+) et celles à minéralisations à cuivre dominant (domaine Cu+), ainsi que les roches volcaniques ayant subi une chloritisation hydrothermale pouvant aboutir à la formation de chloritites associées aux cheminées d’altération (domaine Cl+). Ces trois domaines délimitent des zones d’influence géochimique ou d’empreintes hydrothermales résiduelles ou fossiles produites par les cellules de convection hydrothermales générées par des magmas. Le diagramme permet aux sociétés d’exploration de déterminer de façon peu coûteuse la fertilité potentielle des roches volcaniques archéennes en ayant recours à leurs bases de données et aux résultats de leurs analyses de terrain, sans aucune manipulation des données. Le diagramme ne s’applique pas aux SMV aurifères.

Modelling heavy-tailed coarse gold deposits with a spatial point process C. R. Mooney, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; W. Board, Pretium Resources Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and J. B. Boisvert, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT Traditional geostatistical modelling methods are difficult to apply to heavy-tailed deposits because the extreme positive skew of the grade distribution leads to bias. The focus here is on an innovative method of modelling the high-grade population by conditionally simulating discrete volumes (nuggets) of gold with marked Poisson and Cox processes. Capping and other ad-hoc manipulation of the assay data is not required; however, an intensity map for the point processes is required. The method is demonstrated on a dataset from an epithermal deposit and demonstrates an improvement in reducing smearing and controlling the skew of the grade distribution.

RÉSUMÉ Les méthodes traditionnelles de modélisation géostatistique sont difficiles à appliquer dans des gisements dont la distribution de la teneur est à queue lourde car l’extrême asymétrie positive de la distribution de la teneur génère des biais. Dans le présent article, l’accent est mis sur une méthode novatrice de modélisation de la population à haute teneur par la simulation conditionnelle des volumes discrets d’or (pépites) au moyen de procédés marqués de Poisson et de Cox. La limite d’utilisation et d’autres manipulations ad hoc des données ne sont pas requises ; toutefois, il faut une carte des intensités pour le processus ponctuel. La méthode est démontrée sur un ensemble de données d’essais provenant d’un gisement épithermal et elle montre une amélioration dans le lissage du flou et dans le contrôle de l’asymétrie de la distribution de la teneur.

May/Mai 2015 | 115

TECHNICAL ABSTRACTS

canadian metallurgical quarterly

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CMQ, Vol. 53, No. 1. To subscribe – www.cmq-online.ca

Comparative study on simultaneous leaching of nutrients during bioleaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge using indigenous iron and sulphur oxidising microorganisms A. Pathak, Mineral Resource Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon, Korea; P. Singh, Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India; P. Dhama, Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Ghaziabad, India; M. G. Dastidar, Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India; D. J. Kim, Mineral Resource Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon, Korea; and G. Heyes, CSIRO, Process Science and Engineering, Clayton South, Australia

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the changes in nutrient profile of sewage sludge during bioleaching in a batch mode of operation. The study identified the optimum bioleaching period at which maximum solubilisation of metals is achieved while maintaining the fertilising property of the bioleached sludge. The bioleaching experiments were performed using anaerobically digested sewage sludge by employing indigenous iron and sulphur oxidising microorganisms. The results showed that bioleaching using sulphur oxidising microorganisms is comparatively advantageous due to the higher solubilisation of heavy metals. However, despite its high potential in solubilisation of heavy metals from the sludge, the bioleaching process resulted in the undesirable dissolution/loss of sludge bound nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), thus making the sludge less attractive for land application as a fertiliser. After 16 days of bioleaching about 45% of the nitrogen and 34% of the phosphorus were leached from the sludge using indigenous iron oxidising microorganisms, whereas about 78% of the nitrogen and 56% of the phosphorus were leached using indigenous sulphur oxidising microorganisms. The findings indicated that the fertilising property of the sewage sludge can be maintained by conducting the process for a shorter duration of time (up to 10 days). The optimum bioleaching period was 10 days where about 85%Cu, 71%Ni, 91%Zn and 61%Cr were solubilised from the sludge while the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus was only 56 and 51% respectively, by using sulphur oxidising microorganisms. The heavy metals remaining in the bioleached sludge were mostly in the residual fraction ensuring the safe disposal of bioleached sludge for land application as a fertiliser.

116 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

RÉSUMÉ Cette étude examine les changements du profil de nutriment de boues d’épuration lors de la biolixiviation d’un procédé discontinu. L’étude identifie la durée optimale de biolixiviation à laquelle la solubilisation maximale des métaux est achevée tout en maintenant les propriétés fertilisantes de la boue biolixiviée. On a effectué les expériences de biolixiviation en utilisant des boues d’épuration digérées en condition anaérobique et en employant l’oxydation par ferro- ou thiomicroorganismes indigènes. Les résultats ont montré que la biolixiviation par oxydation avec des thiomicroorganismes était comparativement avantageuse grâce à la solubilisation plus élevée des métaux lourds. Cependant, en dépit de son potentiel élevé de solubilisation des métaux lourds de la boue, le procédé de biolixiviation avait pour résultat une dissolution ou une perte indésirables des nutriments liés dans la boue (azote et phosphore), rendant ainsi la boue moins attrayante pour application dans les champs comme engrais. Après 16 jours de biolixiviation, environ 45 % de l’azote et 34 % du phosphore étaient lixiviés de la boue par oxydation avec des ferromicroorganismes indigènes, alors qu’environ 78 % de l’azote et 56 % du phosphore étaient lixiviés en utilisant des thiomicroorganismes indigènes. Les constatations indiquent qu’on peut maintenir les propriétés fertilisantes de la boue d’épuration en effectuant le processus sur une durée plus courte (jusqu’à 10 jours). La période optimale de biolixiviation était de 10 jours, pendant lesquels environ 85 % du Cu, 71 % du Ni, 91 % du Zn et 61 % du Cr étaient solubilisés à partir de la boue alors que les pertes d’azote et de phosphore étaient seulement de 56 % et de 51 %, respectivement, en utilisant les thiomicroorganismes. Les métaux lourds qui restaient dans la boue biolixiviée se trouvaient principalement dans la fraction résiduelle, assurant la disposition sécuritaire comme engrais de la boue biolixiviée.

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One of o the major incentives in developing an electric Track-O MINID DOZER was to take human away from the high risk work envirronments where operators’ health and safety and continuous operation a are paramount. Operators prefer the Track-O MINIDOZER becaause it has a great ease of oper p ation, is very qquiet and isfum meless. This electric unit provides lower operating and mainntenance costs and has a great autonomy of 8 to 10 hours. Workkforce safety and productivity is optimized as the MINIDOZER is ideeal to operate under low belt conveyor system, confined and har h d to access areas and low profile tunnels.

BELLEDUNE PORT AUTHORITY Situated on the Bay of Chaleur in northeastern New Brunswick, the port facilities are located in a rural area with no congestion. Belledune has an artificial harbor equipped with a breakwater, 4 terminals and 6 berths. The port has multi-type cargo facilities, including one of the most modern roll on- roll off and general cargo terminals in Atlantic Canada. Approximately 2 million metric tonnes of bulk, breakbulk and project cargo flow through the port every year. Since 2009 over $80 million in infrastructure improvements were made, including a new roll on-roll off/barge terminal, 27 acres of storage adjacent to the terminals and a new Modular Component Fabrication Facility. The Fabrication Facility has a 19.8 meter clear height and is equipped with two 20 tonne overhead cranes, 20 welding stations and is located along a straight 1.6km route from the port terminals. This industrial zoned site provides unlimited possibilities for fabrication, metal working, assembly, and storage allowing you to save time and money at eastern Canada’s mining port. www.portofbelledune.ca

FREEPORT-MCMORAN Freeport-McMoRan is a leading international natural resources company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Copper, gold, molybdenum, cobalt, oil and natural gas are the resources that surround us in our daily lives. At Freeport-McMoRan, our strength lies not only in our diverse portfolio of these vital natural resources, but also in our more than 36,000 employees who bring them to the world. We have deep respect for our people and those in the places we do business. Respect inspires responsibility. Responsibility drives performance. It’s the FreeportMcMoRan way—and it’s the way we live up to our values. Whether you’re a geologist or a drill mechanic, a recent graduate or industry veteran, when you join our team, you contribute something meaningful. Explore current opportunities throughout our mine locations in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico at FMJobs.com 118 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

professional directory | innovation showcase | ad index SANDVIK Sandvik DD422i is a development drill rig offering industry-leading levels of safety, productivity and automation, making it the first of the company’s Next Generation underground hard rock drill rigs. As mines go deeper over the next 25 years, mine managers will face numerous challenges to ensure they can mine safely and cost-effectively. Our Next Generation range of underground drill rigs, spearheaded by Sandvik DD422i development jumbo, has been designed to meet these challenges. To deliver the industry’s highest levels of drilling performance and safety, Sandvik DD422i would offer the widest range of automated features on the market, including new drilling and boom control systems, full face drilling automation and drill rig navigation and industry-leading drill planning, analysis and optimization systems. With the new Sandvik DD422i, Sandvik Mining will be able to offer all machines online and connected, optimized fleet management and secured total productivity, readiness for teleoperated drilling functions, and timely service backups, both on-site and remotely.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE CIM MAGAZINE’S 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Names to Know 2015 – the personalities defining the future of our industry

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119

Professional Directory KBL Environmental

May/Mai 2015 | 119

Stratoni, Greece By Peter Braul

STAY “pension,” the Greek equivalent of a bed and breakfast (except

Zoe Koulouris

You won’t find chain hotels in Stratoni. Opt instead for a

sometimes without the breakfast). Unlike in Canada, these are usually purpose-built to house tourists, and a family will commonly earn a solid chunk of their income booking rooms. Musses Pension (~$40/night) features good clean rooms, ever-important air conditioning, Wi-Fi that works most of the time, and is a short walk both to the

Learn the Greek alphabet if you can. Many words are easily recognizable once you crack the code, and reading local signs (however slowly) makes you feel smart.

Next door Pension Karvounoskala (~$70/night) offers similar amenities but is a step up in terms of landscaping, with palm trees in the yard and a view of the sea. Being a bit closer to the water, here you’re soothed to sleep by the sound of waves.

centre of town to the north and a secluded beach to the south. The building is a bit hard to find as it is

EAT GaryTube

PLACES TO

about 100 metres off the main road. Look for it next to a small farm with a single black horse and a safe of Muscovy ducks.

TIP

Many Greeks don’t eat much during the day; they save up room to gorge on mezes (the Greek version of tapas) later in the evening. Canadians may find this eating schedule uncomfortable, and locals are unlikely to realize when you’re about to

faint in the middle of a meeting. Be prepared and bring snacks to get you through the day. In the morning, hit the local bakery and stock up on spanakopita: a highly portable snack that’s easy to keep on hand during

120 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

long days. Spinach and cheese are far from the only offerings. There are all manner of pastries stuffed with fruits, cheese and meat so it is best to ask what’s inside or you might be surprised with ketchup instead of strawberry jam. If you’re lucky and your Greek colleagues stop for lunch, you’ll probably be in for a souvlaki: fresh pita bread stuffed with all the usual fixings you’d find in Canada plus fries. For supper, head to a taverna such as Stratoni’s Apaggio (on the road beside the beach) for mezes.

wine made from a unique Greek grape variety that has a refreshing acidity and pairs well with all the grilled fish likely to be on order as well.

It’s best to order as a group and taste a bit of everything: fried zucchini, grilled octopus, steamed dandelion, mussels and local sausages should get you started. If drinking aniseinfused ouzo isn’t for you, order a bottle of Assyrtiko, a white

Zoe Koulouris

WHERE TO

n the shores of the Aegean Sea in northeastern Greece, Stratoni is home to Hellas Gold’s headquarters, from which operations are based for its Olympias, Skouries and Stratoni projects. A good number of the company’s employees live in the picturesque town of 1,200 where not much can be said to be “happening,” though it is unlikely you would want that to change. Not many mining towns are this pleasant to visit.

Zoe Koulouris

momo

TRAVEL

World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations

EXPLORE

The ancient city of Stagira, where Aristotle was born, is a 15-minute drive inland. It is considered the most important historic site in Chalkidiki, the region where Stratoni is located. Excavation began here in the 1960s and, like most Greek historic sites, continues today, with evidence of the country’s rich history borne out in the uncovered stone. You’ll want to give

TIP Greeks consider summer to be over after August, so beaches and their tourist infrastructure can feel a bit deserted as September rolls around. But if you like to avoid crowds, the weather stays hotter than most of the Canadian summer and the Aegean doesn’t cool off quickly.

yourself at least a few hours to soak this place in and let your imagination piece together what life was like here several millennia ago. Don’t let the elements upset your idyll; be sure to bring proper footwear, snacks and water. Many of the important artefacts that have been found are preserved at the Archaeological Museum of Polygyros, which is another hour west and also worth the trip. If you have a few days, the most interesting of Chalkidiki’s three large peninsulas is Athos, governed as an autonomous monastic state and home to 20 monasteries. To get to the monasteries, where you can spend the night, board a ferry from Ierissos just 20 minutes from Stratoni, or Ouranoupoli a little further down the road. Unfortu-

TIP A LITTLE If you are working for Hellas Gold or parent company Eldorado Gold, don’t wear your company colours while traveling to Ierissos, where resentment towards mining lingers. nately the destination is off-limits to half of potential visitors: access is restricted to men and you need the proper parts and permits. Contact the Pilgrims’ Bureau in Thessaloniki before-

HISTORY

Mining in the area surrounding the town dates back to well over 2,000 years ago, and settlements have always primarily served the mine workers. The Stratoni we know today was settled in the 19th century, but suffered extensive damage from an earthquake in 1932 and was almost entirely reconstructed.

The only place to withdraw euros is the ATM next to the mining company’s offices, and many businesses only accept cash. hand to get your paperwork in order. If, for obvious reasons, you don’t stand a pilgrim’s chance of

TIP

visiting, play it safe and enjoy the view of the often snowcapped Mount Athos from a nearby beach. Peter Braul

WHERE TO

May/Mai 2015 | 121

Quebec’s Gold Rush By Correy Baldwin

122 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 3

Courtesy of Andrée Roy

n an ordinary Sunday morning in landowners maintained control over their the southern area of present-day land, and Chaussegros de Léry held on to Quebec in 1846, 20-year-old his 25 per cent royalty. Clothilde Gilbert was sent out to the fields And then one day everything changed. by her father to find one of their horses so In 1863, two brothers named Joseph and they could ride to mass. Clothilde was Féréol Poulin, and a man named Rodrigue crossing the shallow, sandy river later known Narcisse – all farmers from Saint-Françoisas the Gilbert River when she noticed a shiny, de-Beauce – panned 72 ounces of gold in yellow rock about the size of a pigeon egg. It just two hours at a site on the Chaudière turned out to be a 2.5-ounce gold nugget. River, which also ran through Chaussegros Looking back years later, Clothilde de Léry’s land. said, “I never thought that such a pebble Just like that, gold fever spiked again. would make so much noise afterwards.” People came to the area from across the And a lot of noise it made. United States and Europe, and nearby Clothilde Gilbert found a 2.5-ounce gold nugget in Five decades before thousands con- 1846 in today’s Gilbert River, which kicked off a Saint-François-de-Beauce became a boomverged on the Klondike, the region of gold rush to the area. town that would eventually be known as Beauce in today’s province of Quebec the “Eldorado of Canada.” A railway line became the site of Canada’s first gold rush, producing two of the was even built through the town and connected the region to largest nuggets ever found in the country. the industrial and transportation hubs further north, which This was also a period of change for local mining law. At the brought more eager gold-seekers. time of Clothilde’s discovery, some land tenure in the Province In 1866, two of Canada’s largest gold nuggets were discovof Canada was still under the seigneurial system originally estab- ered on the Gilbert River: a 52-ounce nugget found by Robert lished in New France in 1627, in which the king granted large Kilgour and a 46-ounce nugget found by Archibald McDonald. tracts of land to members of the bourgeoisie, important families In 1877, 10 years after Canadian Confederation, the Boissonor former military officers. These proprietors would then grant neau brothers located a 42-ounce nugget. In total, an estimated parcels of land to tenant families. Clothilde’s family was one of 1.5 to three tons of gold came out of the Beauce region during these tenants, living on the Rigaud Vaudreuil seigneury under the gold rush, half of it from the Gilbert River. Charles-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry. Business was booming, and yet resentment over high royalChaussegros de Léry took an immediate interest in ties remained. The Poulin brothers famously avoided paying Clothilde’s discovery, securing exclusive and perpetual licence to royalties on $7,550 worth of gold by smuggling it out of the all mining on his vast property, which covered about 143 square jurisdiction in tea cups. Legal disputes began piling up over kilometres. Under the agreement, he was granted 25 per cent of mineral rights, which were still controlled by the Chaussegros all mining revenue on top of a 10 per cent royalty to the state. de Léry family. Although that did not leave much for individual local miners Then in 1880, the recently formed province of Quebec – mainly untrained labourers who obtained rights to pan sec- passed its Mining Act, which provided much-needed regulation tions of the rivers on Chaussegros de Léry’s land – they found and gave the province control over all subsurface mineral rights. creative ways around the heavy royalties. Technically, the royal- But even so, concessions were made to landowners who had ties only applied to revenue from smelted gold, so many sold obtained mineral rights prior to the act coming into force, and a their gold unrefined. Others went so far as to challenge the Superior Court ruling in 1883 upheld the Chaussegros de Léry terms of Chaussegros de Léry’s licence in court. family’s mineral rights. This decision meant that royalties in the Meanwhile, Chaussegros de Léry made an early attempt to Beauce would remain high, and with the easy gold already gone exploit the resources on his property. In 1847 he leased his and other regions opening up, investors and miners simply rights to the Chaudière Mining Company, a subsidiary of the went elsewhere. Hudson’s Bay Company, and the first gold company in the Even though changes to mining law in Quebec came too late Province of Canada. Despite early optimism, mining activity in for miners in the Beauce to fully develop subsurface resources, the area remained relatively small and stifled by both the heavy they succeeded in opening up other regions in the province to royalties and relatively minimal profits. exploration such as Abitibi-Témiscamingue and RouynIn 1854 the seigneurial system was abolished, opening the Noranda. A new chapter for mining activity in Canada had door to a democratization of land ownership. However, the large begun. CIM

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