PR ACTICAL IFRS APPLICATION GUIDDANCE FOR THE MINIING INDUSTRY Help is a click away.
VIEWPOINTS: Applying IFRSs in the e Mining Industry REVERSAL OF IMPA PAIRMENT LOSSE ES JULY 20 015
Viewpoints: Applying IFRSs in the Mining Industry Background g
is a series of non-authoritative accounting guidance
Under IFRS, at the end of each reporting period, to o the extent 1
that an entity has previously recorded an impairment loss (other than an impairment loss relate ted to goodwill), the enttity should assess whether there is any indication that the previo v ously recognized impairment loss may no longer exist or may ha ave decreased.
and support papers, dedicated to helping resourceconstrained junior mining companies.
If any such indication exists, the entity is required to estimate the recoverable amount of the asset or the cash-gen nerating unit (CGU). The recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is the higher of its fair value less costs of disposal (FVLCD) and d its value in use (VIU). If the recoverable amount exceeds the carrying am mount, then a previously recognized impairment loss is considere ed to have been reversed (either fully or in part). IAS 36 Impa airment of Assets ts requires an entity to recognize the rev eversal off the impairrment loss, except fo for goodwill for which an impairme ent loss cannot be reversed under any circumstances.
This series provides clear and concise application
Note that an impairment reversal is dictated by the specific s facts fa and circumstances and is not an accounting policy choice.
Issue
considerations, unique to this industry.
How do mining entities apply the requirements of IFR RS with respect to reversal of impairment?
1
DOWNLOAD THE FREE VIEWPOINTS SERIES FROM
www.cpacanada.ca/viewpointsmining DEVELOPED BY:
For more e details, please refe efer to Mining Industry y Ta Task Force c on IFRSs Vi Viewpoint — Commodity ty Prices and Impairment and Vi Viewp wpoint — Impairment of Ex xp ploration and Ev Evaluation Assets. ts
Mining Industry Task Force on IFRSs Ta International e Financial Reporting Standard rds (IFRSs) create e unique challenges for mineral resource rce companies. Financial reporting in the sector is atypical due to significant differences in charracteristics between mineral resource rce companies and other types of companies. The Charrtered Professional fe Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada)) and the Prospectors o & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) create ted the Mining Industry Task Force on IFRSs to share views on IFRS application issues of relevance to o mineral re resource companies. i Th task The t k force f views are provided in a series of papers that are available through rou fre ree download. These views are of particular interest to Chief Financial Officers, Contro rollers and Auditors. The views expre ressed in this series are re non-authoritative a and have not been formally endorsed by CPA Canada, PDAC or the organizations represented by the task force members rs.
Courtesy of Copper Mountain
FEBR UARY | 2016 | FÉVRIER
cover story
34-39
Copper Newmont optimizes its South American SART plant, Copper Mountain advances its cyclone detection capabilities and an Arizona researcher discusses her work on revegetation By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, Eavan Moore and Christopher Pollon
40 Safety vs. surveillance
45 Caribou ready for the run
There is technology today that can potentially improve safety by monitoring and responding to changes in workers’ vital signs. But does that mean that mines should employ it?
The mining team at Trevali’s Caribou mine is ramping up production at the New Brunswick operation with the expectation that zinc prices are set to bounce back
By Peter Braul
By Tom DiNardo
53 Preliminary program
February/Février 2016 | 5
CIM MAGAZINE FEBR UARY | 2016 | FÉVRIER
8 10 11
Editor’s letter President’s notes Chatter tools of the trade 12 The best in new technology Compiled by Kelsey Rolfe, Kate Sheridan and Katelyn Spidle
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developments 15 Miners cut dividends, shed workers and assets as commodity prices hit 2002 levels
17 19 25
By Kate Sheridan
Briefs BKT Tires expands into mining tire market By Ryan Bergen and Tom DiNardo
Two Supreme Court decisions allow indigenous groups to directly sue companies in aboriginal title cases By Christopher Pollon
columns 30 Because it’s 2016
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By Mafalda Arias
Understanding big data By Sean Dessureault
technology 50 Innovations in blasting technology are cutting the tangle of wires and blowing open a new path to safety and productivity By Katelyn Spidle
25 contenu francophone
technical abstracts 87 CIM Journal 88 Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly mining lore 90 West Virginia miners stood up to oppressive companies in the largest labour uprising in U.S. history By Correy Baldwin
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74 75
Programme préliminaire du congrès de l’ICM
Table des matières Lettre de l’éditeur | Mot du président l’actualité 76 Deux décisions de la Cour suprême permettent aux groupes autochtones de poursuivre directement les sociétés dans des affaires relatives aux titres ancestraux Par Chris Pollon
78 La version française intégrale du CIM Magazine est disponible en ligne : magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA
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article de fond Il existe aujourd’hui des technologies capables de renforcer la sécurité des employés en surveillant les changements se produisant au niveau de leurs signes vitaux et en y réagissant. Les mines doivent-elles pour autant les utiliser ? Par Peter Braul
profil de projet 84 L’équipe de la mine Caribou de Trevali augmente la production à son exploitation du Nouveau Brunswick dans la perspective d’un rebond du prix du zinc Par Tom DiNardo
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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 Subscriptions Included in CIM membership ($187); Non-members (Canada): $275/yr (AB, BC, MB, NT, NU, SK add $13.50 GST; NB, 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$325/yr; Single copy: $25.
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Finalist
Copyright©2016. All rights reserved. ISSN 1718-4177. Publications Mail No. 09786. Postage paid at CPA Saint-Laurent, QC. Dépôt légal: Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. The Institute, as a body, is not responsible for statements made or opinions advanced either in articles or in any discussion appearing in its publications.
Printed in Canada
8 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
Be st
Part of the spreader installation at Codelco’s Radomiro Tomic copper mine in Chile. Flickr/Codelco Layout and design by Clò Communications Inc. www.clocommunications.com
Ryan Bergen, Editor-in-chief editor@cim.org @Ryan_CIM_Mag
eth R. Wilson enn Aw 5K
s ard
he news that is coming across my desk has been pretty solemn lately, which is why I perked up when I saw a press release from minerals industry veteran Kurt Breede. Breede is on the hunt for financing, and he is ready to give his pitch “to anyone willing to listen.” Our first attempt to discuss his project was cut short. “I have to do some real work,” explained Breede from the floor of the AME BC Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver. Formally, he is vice-president of marketing at the geological and mining consultancy WGM, but when that is not keeping him too busy Breede has been refining his feature-length screenplay about the Klondike Gold Rush. “If anything it is a distraction from what is going on in the industry right now.” Now, after several redrafts, he is moving the project to the early development stage. According to the press release to promote the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for Klondike – The Shooting of Dan McGrew, “Hollywood has traditionally cast the mining industry as the villain in many films...My hope is to strike some balance by showcasing more truer-to-life episodes of Canada’s mining history, and the ways – both good and bad – it has touched people’s lives.” The movie is a fictional depiction of the real struggles of stampeders drawn to the promise of riches in the land of the midnight sun. The short-term goal is to raise $100,000 to produce a two to three minute trailer for the movie inspired by the works of Robert Service, the Bard of the Yukon. When we spoke in late January, two weeks into Breede’s crowdfunding efforts, 10 backers had together pledged just over $1,000. Yet, he remained upbeat. The Kickstarter campaign, he explained, was meant to wrap up just after the PDAC Convention in early March, giving him access to just the audience he needs. Moreover, he said he recently had the opportunity to share his idea with Robert Friedland. The mining mogul had not yet committed any funds to the project, but “we’re talking,” said Breede. I asked if he thought it was easier to raise money for a movie than for a mine these days. “That’s the $100,000 question.”
ia ed
Keeping busy
Editor-in-chief Ryan Bergen, rbergen@cim.org Executive editor Angela Hamlyn, ahamlyn@cim.org Managing editor Andrea Nichiporuk, anichiporuk@cim.org Section editor Tom DiNardo, tdinardo@cim.org Junior section editor Kelsey Rolfe, krolfe@cim.org Copy editor Marilena Lucci, mlucci@cim.org Web content editor Maria Olaguera, molaguera@cim.org Contributing editors Peter Braul, Eavan Moore, emoore@cim.org Editorial intern David Chen, dchen@cim.org Digitization technician Marie-Ève Lapierre, melapierre@cim.org Contributors Mafalda Arias, Correy Baldwin, Sean Dessureault, Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, Christopher Pollon, Kate Sheridan, Katelyn Spidle Editorial advisory board Alicia Ferdinand, Garth Kirkham, Vic Pakalnis, Steve Rusk, Nathan Stubina Translations Karen Rolland
adian Busines sM Can in
editor’s letter
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president’s notes
The challenge before us For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal. John F. Kennedy Though Kennedy was referring to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in his 1963 speech, I contend that these words still ring true today in the context of climate change. As we all know, the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Paris resulted in an unprecedented global willingness to act on our collective concerns. Much of the Paris Agreement actions are focused on the reduction of carbon emissions and adaptation to climate change. Engineers and geoscientists are equipped with the tools, knowledge and drive to solve such problems. I firmly believe that the mining industry is a key contributor to reaching these goals by finding ways to reduce energy consumption, mitigate mining’s environmental impacts and contribute to developing alternative energy sources. Underground mines, for example, can serve as storage facilities for carbon dioxide or other waste, and may also provide a geothermal energy source, especially those mines that lie deep below the surface. As well, the world has decided to move away from coal for energy generation and today the most feasible alternative is nuclear power. It is our task to supply the key component, uranium, in a secure and safe manner. Lithium, graphite, and rare earths are essential and irreplaceable to the “clean technology” economy. Therefore, exploring for and mining these strategic elements must now become a priority. The mining industry clearly has much to contribute to solving the climate change challenge. We do these things, as Kennedy said of sending a man to the moon, “not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
Garth Kirkham CIM President @GarthCIMPrez
10 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
chatter
CONNECT WITH US RE: “The cream of Devon County”
RE: “Tunnel vision” Hope to see many more of these to help optimize #mine planning and #scheduling.
C'est une très bonne nouvelle pour la Grande-Bretagne, je trouverais intéressant que l’on puisse rouvrir l’un des gisements français. [This is very good news for Great Britain; I will be interested to see if we can once again open any deposits in France.]
– Gideon Malherbe, @GideonM
Nice story about #queensu Mining Systems Lab’s spin-off technology called uGPS. – Joshua Marshall, @queensprofessor
– Damien Garcon
RE: McEwen Mining Innovation Lunch and Learn videos
We have been looking to supply a rotary trammel screen for this project, as there is a large amount of clay material that can be separated from the stone and used in other parts of the site. This is a large project and it is good news for that area of the UK and the industry in general.
Genomics is bringing benefits to sectors such as mining. Watch 2 great videos from @CIMorg. – Genome Canada, @GenomeCanada
RE: “Bidding on the future” How valuable are industry events? @thekounterpart won an hour of mentorship with the CEO of Hudbay
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{ 5 likes @cim_mag You're looking at Caterpillar’s new 794AC #mining truck, which can hold 320 tonnes of material and is about two storeys tall. #CATmining #Arizona
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Oops! A couple mistakes slipped into the Dec. ‘15/Jan.’16 CIM Corporate Member Directory: Outotec Canada’s corporate representative is Craig Sams not Craig Sames; and SRK Consulting’s contact details should have read 22nd Floor, 1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 3X2, www.na.srk.com. We regret the errors.
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tools of the trade
Courtesy of Metso
When conveyor belts are misaligned and wobble from side to side, maintenance staff may need to intervene and even shut down the belt until the problem is fixed. Richwood’s new ON-Track Return Belt tracking idler tries to solve the problem of misaligned conveyors before it even starts. The new idler curves along the inside of the returning belt, applies pressure evenly and keeps the belt aligned. This design avoids some of the issues presented by conventional training idlers. “We are controlling the track of the belt, not trying to train it after it misaligns,” said Kevin Maloy, Richwood’s COO. Training idlers often try to correct a misaligned belt’s path using edge guide rollers, which can wear on the belt. Richwood’s design does not use edge guide rollers, and has also eliminated moving pivots or swivels common to training idlers. With less stress on belts from edge guide rollers and with fewer moving parts to maintain, belts can be kept aligned and companies can limit downtime and long-term maintenance costs. “The belting will last much longer, and you don’t have people working around the conveyor unnecessarily trying to get it to track to centre,” Maloy said. – Kate Sheridan
The equalizer
Quicker cycle times “The most important thing for a job site is to load many trucks and quickly exchange those trucks,” said Arthur Milkowski, platform manager for Caterpillar’s new 6015B hydraulic shovel, at an Arizona press event in November. That is why the new 6015B shovel – based on CAT’s 5110B structure – includes several features geared towards reducing cycle time. The shovel is equipped with a CAT C27 ACERT engine, delivering 606 kilowatts of rated power and allowing for faster digging cycles. It also comes with an 8.1-cubicmetre standard bucket and a payload capacity of 14.6 tonnes, which enables the shovel to fill a CAT 773 truck in four passes, a 775 in five passes and a 777 in seven passes. CAT tested the shovels for roughly a year in semitropical and subarctic conditions, as well as the continental U.S. prior to releasing them. “Doing the full validations is why we’re confident about this machine,” Milkowski said. – Kelsey Rolfe 12 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
Courtesy of Caterpillar
Courtesy of Richwood
Keeping things on track
All rocks are not created equal, and they do not all end up the same size after an initial trip through the crusher. When Metso set out to develop a crusher that produces a more consistent result after the first circulation, it discovered that a steeper feed angle had a huge impact on how efficiently the machine was able to crush rock. Therefore, it increased the feed angle on its new NP13 to 50 degrees, up from 40 degrees in the previous NP1213 model. “Having a steeper feed angle allows for better penetration and more efficient crushing action,” said Vincent Schmitt, Metso’s product manager. To further improve the efficiency of the crushing action, the NP13’s blow bar can be customized with either manganese or chromium iron to suit the abrasiveness of the material to be crushed. Productivity is also enhanced, as the maximum available power on a single drive was increased to 315 kilowatts (kW) from 260 kW in the previous model. The NP13 is ideal for secondary and tertiary applications at 1.3 metres wide – 0.2 metres more compact than its predecessor. – Katelyn Spidle
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Eldorado writes down value of Greek assets
BKT Tires expands into mining tire market
Teck pilots LNG in haul trucks at Fording River
Supreme Court rulings allow indigenous groups to sue companies in title cases
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Developments Signs of the times Miners cut dividends, shed workers and assets as commodity prices hit 2002 levels Several major mining companies have taken drastic action to cope with the ongoing downturn, creating a parade of dividend suspensions, mine closures and production cuts in the news. PotashCorp announced in midJanuary it had suspended its Picadilly potash operation, cutting between 420 and 430 jobs. Two weeks earlier, Imperial Metals suspended production at its Huckleberry copper mine and laid off 100 workers, citing declining copper prices. Freeport-McMoRan shut down its Sierrita copper and molybdenum mine in December. Anglo American suspended its dividend and cut 85,000 jobs that same week, due in part to restructuring. Anglo American has shed about 70 per cent of its workforce over the last three years – including its December cuts – and has begun to sell off assets, promising in December to cut down to a core 20 operations from 55, which spokesperson James Wyatt-Tilby said would ensure the company could stay “resilient through the commodity price cycles.” He added that the decision to cut dividends was “one of a number of actions to further strengthen the balance sheet in the current price environment.” Anglo and Freeport were two of several companies that cut or suspended dividends in 2015, including Glencore, Vale and Teck. BHP Billiton may follow suit in 2016 if execu-
Courtesy of Freeport-McMoRan
By Kate Sheridan
Freeport-McMoRan’s Sierrita mine was just one of several sites closed in the past few months as miners felt the effects of the ongoing downturn.
tives follow the directives of Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs analysts, who have publicly urged the company to do so. (If the dividend is not cut by Feb. 23 when BHP Billiton releases its 2016 dividend determination it will be 28th consecutive year without dividend cuts, which is part of the company’s progressive dividend strategy.) Base metal prices have sagged in the past year – but in the last few months, rates for copper and zinc joined nickel prices below the average
global break-even point, said Patricia Mohr, Scotiabank’s vice-president of economics and a commodity market specialist. Break-even costs cover cash costs plus depreciation, interest, royalties and overhead costs. Prices are now around the 2002 level, just before the decade-long super cycle sparked by China’s industrial growth drove up prices for commodities. This downturn started about three years ago as the demand for base metals in China began to slow. “China is about 47 per cent of the world metal February/Février 2016 | 15
demand for base metals,” Mohr said. “Think about that for a minute.” Investors’ concerns over Chinese demand have pushed the prices lower, too, Mohr said. And while prices took a dive during the 2008-2009 U.S. recession, Mohr noted the current weakness in the commodities market is broader, extending to many types of commodities including iron ore and coking coal. “I think that has to do with very lackluster world economic conditions,” she said. “We’re now in the fifth year running of lackluster world economic growth.” As the downturn has persisted, companies have had to make tough choices – and they may need to make a few more difficult calls in the near future. “I think the realization has come that this wasn’t a temporary downturn, that it will take some time to pull out
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of, and that’s where I think we’re seeing a few more major decisions occurring,” said Liam Fitzgerald, PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ national mining leader. Fitzgerald highlighted Anglo American’s decision to reduce production and sell off assets to prepare itself for a longer downturn. (Barrick has also decided to sell off assets and focus on certain core operations.) “It will be interesting to see if other companies who are diversified producers, whether any of them take similar action – because that was relatively drastic,” he said. “We’re in a bust at the moment, and what makes it so painful is it comes after a boom,” said SRK mining corporate consultant Neal Rigby. High commodities prices may have initially made lower-grade ore economically feasible and more attractive, but now that higher cost per unit no longer makes sense. “What we’ve been seeing
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at the moment is some drastic action,” Rigby said. “It’s a little like trying to turn an oil tanker – it’s not easy.” If there is an upshot, it is that the Canadian dollar’s plummeting value relative to the U.S. dollar may have created more favourable economic conditions for Canadian miners, especially relative to their U.S. compatriots. Both Mohr and Fitzgerald noted that while operating costs may be in Canadian dollars, metals are priced in U.S. dollars. Therefore, Canadian companies are getting a boost from the foreign exchange rate. Companies have a bit longer to hang on until things pick up, analysts said. Zinc and lithium were highlighted as two good picks for investors in Scotiabank’s December 21 edition of its Commodities Price Index. Supplydemand balances for base metals may start to improve as early as 2017 or 2018, Mohr said. CIM
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Eldorado to write down value of Greek assets Eldorado Gold will write down the value of its Greek assets by between US$1.2 and US$1.6 billion, the company said in a 2016 preliminary report released at the end of January. The announcement came just a week after Greece’s top administrative court reversed a government decision to revoke Eldorado’s mining license in northern Greece. Despite the win, the company confirmed in the report it has put the Skouries project in the Halkidiki region on care and maintenance, affecting most of the site’s 688 employees. At a mid-January press event, Eldorado CEO Paul Wright indicated that he does not want to build projects through the courts, and said the company needs the support of the government. “I’m very reluctant to go back at it with a full work force until we can see
Courtesy of Eldorado
developments Despite a favourable ruling from Greece’s top administrative court in January, Eldorado said it will still put the Skouries mine on care and maintenance.
a clear path to completion,” Wright told reporters. “Simply having a council of state decision, which gives us access to the building permit, is not sufficient for us to just go back to Skouries and hire everybody back here.” Eldorado, however, has earmarked US$155 million for its Olympias project, also in Halkidiki. But along with announcing the closure of Skouries in mid-January, the company threatened to shutter Olympias by the end of
March and lay off another 500 people if it does not receive an outstanding installation permit from the government. The company also put its Perama Hill and Sapes projects in Thrace on care and maintenance, after waiting more than two years for an environmental approval and drilling permit. Greece’s environment and energy minister Panos Skourletis accused Eldorado of sending “blackmail ultimatums” in an interview with a local
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radio station, and stressed that the government wants investments in Halkidiki, but in accordance with Greek laws. Eldorado’s announcements and the court decision are the latest in a long series of clashes between the company and the Greek government. Though Eldorado was given the green light to develop in 2011, it has since faced a series of delays getting permits, beginning in 2012. Last year, the government revoked a key building permit for the Skouries project. The developments are also controversial within the region; many locals believe mining activity will harm the environ– David Chen ment and tourism.
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redpathmining.com
18 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
Two top executives of Samarco Mineração SA, the mining company responsible for what the Brazilian government is calling the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history, are taking leaves of absence. According to Samarco, chief executive Ricardo Vescovi and operations chief Kleber Terra are stepping aside to prepare their defence against criminal charges from the Brazilian federal police. Along with five other executives and engineers, they have been accused of environmental crimes relating to last year’s deadly failure of two tailings dams at Samarco’s open-pit iron ore mine in the southeastern Minas Gerais province. Formal charges have not yet been filed. Since the disaster there have been questions surrounding possibilities of mismanagement. The latest came from an unpublished government document obtained by Brazil’s TV Globo, which shows Samarco consultants warned the company about compromised safety at the dam in 2013. Samarco, its technical consulting firm Vogbr, and Brazilbased Vale SA have also been accused in the ongoing investigation. Samarco is a joint venture of Vale and Australia’s BHP Billiton, which each own 50 per cent stakes. The dam erupted on Nov. 5 and left at least 17 dead, two missing and hundreds homeless. It also released a flood of mud and mine waste into the River Doce, an 800-kilometrelong river that flows across two states and into the Atlantic Ocean. Initial estimations put the volume of the tailings spill at 60 million cubic metres, which was downgraded in January to 32 million cubic metres by Samarco’s satellite assessment. The Brazilian government is currently suing the company for 20 billion reais – the equivalent of around $7 billion – in damages from the catastrophe. A federal judge froze the Brazilian assets of BHP and Vale in December, noting that Samarco is estimated by the prosecution to have only enough funding to cover half the damages. Vale argued that because Samarco is an independent legal entity and a sizeable company, it alone should be responsible for the disaster and the ensuing fines and damages. But Judge Marcelo Aguiar Machado determined the two companies, as controllers of Samarco, could also be held accountable for the – D. Chen incident.
developments
Making tracks in mining BKT Tires expands into mining tire market By Ryan Bergen and Tom DiNardo
Courtesy of BKT Tires
The Indian manufacquality control testing – turer BKT Tires is making X ray, spherometer and a big push to gain more endurance – up to 57 ground in the global mininches. Giant tire ing tire market. The comdemand has declined pany, already an sharply since the plant established supplier for was conceived five years underground haulage ago so it does not have a equipment, is moving to second production line the open pit. Last fall the installed, but does have company, which is rampthe space if expansion is ing up a US$500 million required. modern manufacturing Another key to accessfacility for off-the-road ing the mining market, tires near the coast in said Das, is the shift away northwestern India, from working with passed an important milewholesalers to distribustone with the Caterpillar tors who understand certification of its 35-inch The Bhuj factory, where both small and giant tires are made, receives energy and steam clearly the requirements tires for use on 775 and from a 20-megawatt coal cogeneration plant on the site. and constraints that mine 777 haul trucks. operators have. Today duce better tires than the Chinese,” he The company said it currently has a BKT, through partnerships with OK said at a December press event in six per cent share of the mining market Tire, Kal Tire, Tiremax and Unimax, Mumbai. and would like to bring that up to 10 has distribution across Canada. “A The Bhuj plant made its first tire in per cent by 2017, supported by the servicing dealer is able to deliver topMarch 2012, currently turns out 150 strategic location of its new factory notch service to the mine site, focustonnes of a range of earthmover, indusnear Bhuj, in the Gujarat province. ing on those precise requirements of trial and agricultural tires daily, and has “Today [mining] is slow, but we the site be it higher efficiency, better the capacity to double that output, if know it is going to come back,” said economy or improved productivity.” necessary. Rajiv Poddar, BKT’s joint managing explained Das. For now, the maximum size the director, who led the drive to build the BKT, which generates most of its giant tire facility at the plant yields is new plant. According to Poddar, the revenue in the agricultural tire market, a 49-inch traction tread tire designed began making all-steel radials for the combination of state-of-the-art equipfor 90-tonne haul trucks. According mining sector in 2008 at one of its ment, proximity to a large port facility to Keshav Das, head of OTR Tire sales on the Arabian Sea, and low labour three pre-existing plants in India. In and technical services for Canada, the cost relative to its competitors making addition to the recent Caterpillar certi49-inch tires will be ready for field tires in Europe and Japan, gives the fication, Poddar said the company is trials in the first half of 2016. A 51company a competitive advantage. “We busy building relationships with other inch model is in development and the equipment manufacturers, including have a lower cost per tonne than plant has the ability to do complete Komatsu. CIM Michelin and Bridgestone and we pro-
No charges for Imperial Metals in Mount Polley tailings dam failure After British Columbia announced in December it will not charge Imperial Metals for the tailings dam failure at its Mount Polley mine, the company is pointing fingers at the government.
Imperial Metals’ vice-president of corporate affairs Steve Robertson said the water level was high at the tailings facility because the provincial government did not give the company permission to discharge water on time. He said the water was only slightly off drinking quality and found the delay to be “inexcusable.”
At the B.C. energy and mines ministry’s mid-December announcement, where it released a report on the results of a 16-month investigation, B.C.’s chief mines inspector Al Hoffman concluded the August 2014 disaster was ultimately caused by undetected weak glacial soils beneath the dam’s foundation. But he also laid blame on poor February/Février 2016 | 19
design and practices that left very little margin of risk, the latter of which Imperial Metals disputes. “The operation of both the tailings facility and the mine in general was done to the highest standard,” Robertson told CIM Magazine. “I don’t know what you can do about the water level if you don’t have a permit to discharge water from the site.” B.C. energy minister Bill Bennett said the report acknowledges that Mount Polley waited for a permit for a long time. But he found Imperial Metals’ narrative to be “a bit misleading.” “It’s a little rich for the company to say that one of the reasons we had the accident is because the government wouldn’t give them a discharge permit,” Bennett said. “You have to provide a lot of good information to the ministry of environment to get a water discharge permit. “My understanding is that the company did not meet the standards.”
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According to a B.C. environment ministry spokesperson, Mount Polley first asked to discharge water in 2009 and was approved in 2012. A subsequent request to release more water was submitted in July 2014. It was being processed when the failure occurred. The ministry said it will review its permitting process to improve regulatory integration as recommended by the chief mines inspector. The report also detailed 18 other recommended regulatory changes that Bennett said will reduce the risk of tailings dam failure in the future. These include requiring every mine with a tailings facility to each designate a safety manager and form an independent review board to provide additional scrutiny over dam designs and operations. Bennett also said he plans to expand the government’s compliance and enforcement reach through legislative
changes. He declined to get into details but said he hopes to get all the changes into the legislature by the spring session after the review of B.C.’s health and safety code for mines comes back – D. Chen to him in late January.
David Garofalo to replace Chuck Jeannes as Goldcorp CEO David Garofalo, former president and CEO of Hudbay Minerals, will be taking over at Goldcorp when current CEO Chuck Jeannes retires this April. Jeannes worked at junior miner Glamis Gold until it was taken over by Goldcorp in 2006 and then rose to Goldcorp’s top job in late 2008. “[Jeannes] has been a tireless champion of our industry and instrumental to Goldcorp’s growth during a critical period of the company’s development,” said Ian Telfer, Goldcorp’s chairman of the board in a press release. Recent
developments developments for the company include reaching commercial production at the Quebec-based Éléonore mine, which began last April. The mine was expected to produce 250,000 and 270,000 ounces of gold in 2015. In August, the company created a new joint venture by combining their Chilean copper and gold El Morro project with Teck’s neighbouring copper and molybdenum Relincho project. Construction costs for the new project, dubbed Project Corridor, were estimated at US$3.5 billion. “I have had the privilege of working with an exceptional group of leaders as we built the foundations for long-lasting success at Goldcorp, including two key new mines that will drive strong, low-cost production for many years,” Jeannes stated. Hudbay’s COO since 2012, Alan Hair, has filled Garofalo’s shoes as president and CEO since January 1. Garofalo, who is currently traveling and visiting Goldcorp mine sites, has been CEO of Hudbay since 2010. Previously, he served as CFO for Agnico Eagle. Hudbay’s copper production increased during Garofalo’s tenure thanks to the takeover of Norsemont Mining and its Peruvian copper project, Constancia, in 2011. The mine began commercial production in April 2015. “I am very proud of all we have been able to accomplish and I will miss the wonderful culture we have built at Hudbay,” Garafolo said in a press release issued by Hudbay. “I am confident in the company’s continued success under the leadership of Alan Hair and the very effective Hudbay team.” – Kate Sheridan
Industry associations commit to improving tailings management An independent review of MAC’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) tailings management guidelines recommends miners be subject to more stringent audits and assessments, among other changes. The report was tabled in December by an independent task force MAC
commissioned last March, following the release of a British Columbia government-commissioned investigation into the 2014 Mount Polley tailings breach. According to MAC spokeswoman Jessica Draker, the task force studied TSM’s protocol and guides to produce 29 recommendations. TSM, created in
2004, has six protocols – each with a set of indicators – that offer mining companies a framework to evaluate the performance of facility-level management systems. According to Draker, one recommendation would see MAC create new criteria for TSM’s tailings management rating scale, including more stringent
Department of Civil and Resource Engineering Assistant Professor – Mineral Resource Engineering Program The Department of Civil and Resource Engineering invites applications for an Assistant Professor in the general area of Mineral Resource Engineering. The appointment will be made at the rank of Assistant Professor (probationary tenure-track) with an anticipated starting date of July 1, 2016, or later. Established in 1818, Dalhousie University is a leading, research-intensive university offering more than 180 degree programs in 11 faculties. It is the largest university in Atlantic Canada and is located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia which boasts a youthful spirit, rich history and scenic waterfront. The Department of Civil and Resource Engineering at Dalhousie has broad research strengths in the environmental and materials area. Currently, the Department holds two NSERC Industrial Research Chairs and one Canada Research Chair. There are opportunities for the candidate to collaborate with these research areas and/or to develop new initiatives that support the candidate’s area of expertise in mineral resource engineering. The candidate will hold a Doctoral degree in mining, geological or civil engineering. Candidates must be registered professional engineers in Canada, or be eligible and committed to registration in Nova Scotia. The successful candidate is expected to have research strengths in one or more of the following areas: ore body and mine modelling, mine equipment and operations, mine planning and optimization, mining and the environment, mineral processing, mine operations, rock mechanics or geotechnics with a focus on the mining industry or other relevant areas. Applicants should have demonstrated potential to establish independent scholarly research. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, develop new graduate level courses, and support the Department’s initiatives. The applicant will be expected to establish a strong externally funded research program, supervise graduate student research, and foster collaborations with government, industry and with other members of Dalhousie’s research community. Prospective candidates should submit a single PDF file containing a letter of Application, a CV and a statement of teaching and research interests to: Chair of the Search Committee, Department of Civil and Resource Engineering – email: civil.office@dal.ca. Three letters of reference should be sent directly by referees to the same e-mail address. The review process will commence on May 1, 2016 and will continue until a candidate has been selected. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from qualified Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and all qualified candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community.
February/Février 2016 | 21
internal and external audits and assessments for companies with established tailings management systems. Another recommendation calls for a deadline to be set for all participating companies to achieve a more stringent baseline for their tailings management facilities. She also highlighted a recommendation which would create a separate indicator for company engagement with indigenous and other communities affected by tailings facility management. A fourth recommendation proposed developing guidance on independent review mechanisms and proper management of tailings facilities. Draker said MAC’s board was “very supportive” of the recommendations, and intends to incorporate all of them into the tailings management guide. To ensure the association sticks to its word, Draker said it will work with members of the independent task force, as well as consult civil society
and industry stakeholders, including its independent community advisory panel, comprised of indigenous groups, environmental NGOs, financial and labour organizations and others. It will also consult the Canadian Dam Association. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) announced in December it would also begin a global review of tailings storage facility standards and the management of individual health and safety risks among its member companies. The announcement came on the heels of the Samarco tailings dam failure in Brazil in November. “Our constant aim is to raise the performance standards of the industry by learning from past experiences and sharing best practice,” ICMM CEO Tom Butler wrote in an email. “While this review is timely, it is also part of our ongoing work to support members.”
ICMM’s review, which Butler projects will be completed by mid-2016, will focus on helping companies meet industry standards, identify health and safety risks at their mine sites and prevent catastrophes. The review will also evaluate member companies’ governance and emergency preparedness. Butler said it will draw upon the technical expertise of its members and experts, and added that ICMM will consult MAC’s task force report during its review. – Katelyn Spidle
Planetary Resources brings space metals within reach The next frontier in resource extraction – space mining – may be a lot closer than expected. The first ever 3D printed object from asteroid metals was unveiled in January at the 2016 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas by Planetary Resources, a hopeful asteroid miner.
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 this winter’s SME Annual Conference - Booth #1503, or PDAC Convention - Booth #342, to learn about the integrated mining solutions we offer for every stage of your mining project. North America +1 800 275-3281 miningsolutions@golder.com www.golder.com
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developments
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ta ne Pla of
For president and CEO Chris Lewicki, a former NASA aerospace engineer, the object symbolizes the expansion of the human economy beyond earth. “What we’re doing isn’t necessarily to change mining but to extend and continue it,” Lewicki said. “We’re combining the space and mining worlds into what we see as one of the biggest opportunities in resources that humanity has ever known.” The oddly-shaped object, meant to illustrate how source metals can be engineered into building material and what structures might look like if built without gravity constraints, is made of iron, nickel and cobalt extracted from Argentina’s Campo Del Cielo meteorite impact, estimated to have landed on earth more than four thousand years
ry
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ago. The metals used in the project were melted in a vacuum and turned into powder for 3D printing. Lewicki anticipates that we will see mining development on asteroids midway into the next decade. – D. Chen
Teck pilots LNG in haul trucks at Fording River Teck announced in December that it has begun a six-month pilot project at its Fording River steelmaking coal mine in southeastern British Columbia to test if liquefied natural gas (LNG) could work as an alternative fuel source. It is the first time a Canadian mining company will use LNG to fuel its haul trucks. Of the 50 haul trucks in operation at Fording River, six will be tested in the pilot. “The trucks are using a blend of LNG and diesel,” Teck spokesman Chris Stannell explained. “The trucks are installed with a conversion kit and
this allows us to use existing haul truck engines with a modification rather than an entirely new engine.” To prepare for the pilot, Teck partnered with energy company FortisBC to upgrade its operation’s truck maintenance shop, acquire engine conversion kits and install fuelling facilities. It also implemented a safety program – including new policies and emergency response planning – to ensure mine personnel are fully trained in the safe handling of LNG fuel. The bulk of the preparatory work began last June, and the pilot is expected to run until June 2016. The pilot is just one step that the company is taking to reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 450,000 tonnes by 2030. According to Stannell, Teck sees the potential to eliminate approximately 35,000 tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its transportation costs by more than $20 million by adopting an LNG-
From m dessign and detaailed ai engineering too installa nsta laation t on, F Fournie er is a leader inn field elds su such as mining ning and and indu dustriall equip e ipment, heavyy mach chinery ((dams dams ms), on-site te mach chiningg annd sludge dewaatering ng.
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February/Février 2016 | 23
ONE
gigajoule of LNG
Courtesy of Teck
LNG vs. DIESEL Energy content
=
of
27.7
litres of diesel
$2.38
The average cost of one gigajoule of LNG
$18.56
The average cost of 27.7 litres of wholesale diesel
diesel hybrid fuel system across its six coal mining operations. “We’re excited about the project,” Stannell said. “It will provide more information on the benefits of potential broader usage.” Two other Canadian mining companies are also making the move toward LNG fuel. Western Copper and Gold
plans to transport LNG from Fort Nelson, B.C. to be used for power generation at its Casino project in central Yukon. Stornoway Diamonds released a positive feasibility study in 2013, which examined the use of LNG to power its Renard project in Quebec. The LNG power plant project is cur-
rently under construction and expected to be operational this summer, and will have diesel generator sets to meet peak demand. Chieftain Metals is also considering powering its future Tulsequah Chief Project in northwestern B.C. with LNG-diesel hybrid generators. – K. Spidle
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developments
A new playing field Two Supreme Court decisions allow indigenous groups to directly sue companies in aboriginal title cases
In a significant legal precedent, two recent Supreme Court of Canada court decisions have cleared the way for Canada’s Indigenous Peoples to directly sue resource companies for damages over alleged violations of aboriginal title. Until now, native communities had no other option but to sue governments over such matters. The precedent is the result of two separate legal actions seeking damages against two Canadian Rio Tinto subsidiaries – Rio Tinto Alcan and the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) – one brought by First Nations groups in B.C. and the other through a class action by two Quebec Innu communities. On October 15, the Supreme Court rejected Rio Tinto’s attempts to have both damage cases thrown out of court; the miner argued the First Nations in question had to sue the government to prove their aboriginal title rights before they could sue the company. Though the court did not rule on the challenges, it upheld the appellate court rulings from the two provinces, allowing the First Nations groups to proceed with lawsuits seeking damages and operational changes from resource developments that were established decades before the Australia-based mining giant owned the Canadian assets in question. (Because of similarities in the cases, the Court released both decisions on the same day. The news of the lateOctober decisions was lost in the lead-up to the 2015 federal election, so the implications of the cases were underreported at the time.) What has changed with the precedent, said Ravina Bains, associate director of Aboriginal Policy Studies at the Fraser Institute, is that indigenous communities no longer need to prove aboriginal title before moving forward on a civil suit seeking dam-
Courtesy of Rio Tinto
By Christopher Pollon
The class action suit in Quebec against Rio Tinto concerns the Iron Ore Company of Canada’s existing mines, rail and port facilities, including its operations in Sept-Îles, QC.
ages against a private party. The result is that this opens up many projects, proposed or existing for decades, to legal action. “This provides another avenue for First Nations to prove aboriginal title and it also opens up a new area of litigation that was only previously brought against governments,” Bains said. In the past, an indigenous group could not launch a damages case against a private company before first proving aboriginal title, usually through complex, lengthy court cases involving governments – where the group had to demonstrate their ancestors exclusively used and occupied the land over time. In the B.C. case, the Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations of north-central B.C. are now free to sue over the impacts of a dam built on the Nechako River in 1952 by Alcan to power an aluminum smelter in Kiti-
mat. Rio Tinto acquired the dam when it purchased Alcan for $38 billion in 2007. “This opens the door to us not just having to deal with the government,” said Jackie Thomas, lands and resource manager for the Vanderhoof, B.C.-based Saik’uz First Nation, who confirmed they will not seek an out-of-court settlement. “It means we can deal with the company, including old proponents that were part of [causing] the cumulative effects on our landbase.” In their lawsuit, the two B.C. First Nations groups are calling for Rio Tinto to change the way they operate the dam – including providing “cold water releases” from the dam into the river to better protect its salmon stocks from rising water temperatures, droughts or other events that would alter the river. The damages also seek to address the impacts to salmon caused over the life of the dam. February/Février 2016 | 25
The Quebec case, brought by the Innu chiefs of Uashat mak Mani-utenam and Matimekush-Lac John, concerns the operations of the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), which Rio Tinto acquired in 2000 and now majority owns (Mitsubishi also owns a piece). According to James O’Reilly, the lawyer representing the Innu, the
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Quebec natives are seeking a declaration from the court that they have aboriginal title over the areas and natural resources where IOC activities are taking place, including existing mines, rail and port facilities, and that the creation of those projects has “interfered” with this title. If successful, the case could be devastating for
Rio Tinto: in addition to seeking $900 million in compensation, the Innu are seeking an injunction to halt Rio Tinto IOC projects on their territory – which is where all IOC activities take place. “Discussions with the company have never led anywhere to date, and a settlement out of court is very unlikely at this point,” said O’Reilly. The trial, which is now proceeding to Quebec Superior Court, could last up to seven years. Rio Tinto spokesman Bryan Tucker would not comment on the cases in progress, but insisted aboriginal relations are of vital importance to the company. He cited the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, where nearly a quarter of its employees are indigenous, and a 2010 agreement with the Haisla Nation of northwest B.C., which established a framework for the two organisations to work together over the next 30 years to maximise the benefits of Alcan operations at Kitimat. “We are committed to doing the right thing,” he said. Representatives from the Mining Association of Canada and the Mining Association of British Columbia declined to comment while the cases were ongoing. O’Reilly said the October cases made it “crystal clear” that First Nations can sue companies for violating their rights without suing the governments as defendants as well. And this fact, he said, does not necessarily spell doom for resource companies seeking to develop projects in Canada. “Whether you’re talking about a new or old project, failing to partner with First Nations when you’re on their land is the wrong way to go,” he said. “The answer is to seek consent upstream of project construction.” O’Reilly said this approach has already worked well in certain areas of the country, such as in Northern Quebec, where industry has signed significant impact and benefit agreements with the Quebec Cree, as well as the Innu. “I don’t think this will be all doom and gloom for industry.” CIM
February/FĂŠvrier 2016 | 27
Denise Johnson was named Caterpillar’s group president of resource industries in mid-January, making her the first woman to reach the company’s top ranks. Johnson was previously the vice-president of Caterpillar’s material handling division. McEwen Mining announced in January Colin Sutherland, the former CEO of Archipelago Resources and a CPA, had stepped into the role of president, with Rob McEwen remaining chairman and CEO. The company also announced in mid-December that Andrew Elinesky, previously McEwen’s vice-president, Argentina, was promoted to senior vice-president and CFO, and Andrew Iaboni was promoted to vice-president of finance from his previous position as corporate controller. Jim Gowans, formerly the co-president of Barrick Gold and CEO of De Beers Canada, was appointed Dominion Diamond’s chairman in January, replacing Dominion co-founder Robert Gannicott, following pressure from activist shareholders led by investment fund K2 & Associates. Dominion also added Josef Vejvoda of K2 to the board. Endress+Hauser announced three management changes in early January. Manfred Jagiella, managing director of Endress+Hauser Conducta, joined the company’s executive board and will be responsible for E+H’s analytical business. Andreas Mayr, managing director of Endress+Hauser GmbH+Co, will also join the board in June and will manage marketing, technology and communications. Company COO Michael Ziesemer will join the supervisory board in June.
PDAC holds international interest Despite the downturn in the mining industry, the PDAC’s annual trade show and convention will be back in the vast space it has grown to occupy at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre over the last couple of years. PDAC president Rod Thomas said he still expects a large turnout, in part due to the show’s international reputation. “The industry is going through some pretty bad times. We fully expect that the numbers will be down from last year,” he told CIM Magazine. “But one of the saving graces of the PDAC is the fact that we do have a tremendous international component to it. “The early indicator is that international registrations are tracking well.” The conference, slated to run from March 6 to 9, will be bringing back familiar sessions on capital markets, and the technical and aboriginal programs. The keynote session, titled “2026, the future of exploration and
development,” will feature remarks from Canada’s new minister of natural resources, James Carr. One highly anticipated event is the finale of Integra Gold’s Gold Rush Challenge on March 6. The crowdsourcing contest, announced last September, gave contestants access to 75 years of data with the hopes of uncovering new value in two dormant gold mine sites in Val-d’Or, Quebec. The top five finalists will face industry leaders in a Dragon’s Den-style finale for cash prizes worth up to $1 million. Brent Cook of Exploration Insights; Chantal Gosselin, a director at Silver Wheaton; Rob McEwen, chairman and CEO of McEwen Mining; Sean Roosen, CEO of Osisko Gold Royalties; and Randy Smallwood of Silver Wheaton will judge the finalists’ submissions. New to this year’s trade show is a display of Royal Ontario Museum’s Kirwin minerals collection. There will also be a Tesla Model S on display at the Investors Exchange to show off how many mined products are used in the – D. Chen popular electric car.
PDAC’s 2016 award winners
BILL DENNIS AWARD Robert Cudney, Stephen Roman and John Whitton of the Bruce Channel discovery team DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Patricia “Pat” Sheahan
Sybil Veenman, Barrick Gold’s former general counsel and an executive with over 20 years of mining industry experience, was appointed to Iamgold’s board of directors in December.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD Lucara Diamond Corp. SKOOKUM JIM AWARD Darrell Beaulieu, Denendeh Investments SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The Bjorkman family THAYER LINDSLEY AWARD Cukaru Peki discovery team VIOLA R. MACMILLAN AWARD Silver Wheaton Corp.
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Courtesy of PDAC
FROM THE WIRE
Courtesy of De Beers
developments
FROM THE WIRE Vancouver-based exploration company Silvercrest Metals appointed Michael Rapsch vice-president of corporate communications in December. Rapsch was previously with Silvercrest Mines, acquired in July by First Majestic Silver. Nautilus Minerals signed an offtake agreement with China-based Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group for the gold, copper and silver to be extracted from Nautilus’s Solwara 1 deposit in the Bismarck Sea, the deep-sea miner announced in mid-December. First delivery from the copper, gold, zinc and silver seafloor mine is expected in 2018.
Along with Snap Lake, De Beers announced in December it would close or scale back production on two Botswana diamond mines.
De Beers puts Snap Lake diamond mine on ice De Beers’ Snap Lake diamond mine in the Northwest Territories is going into care and maintenance, the company announced on Dec. 4. Decreasing prices for diamonds, the strength of the U.S. dollar making diamonds more expensive for foreign buyers, as well as less credit available for diamond cutters and polishers and weakened consumption patterns for luxury goods are some of the market forces that forced De Beers to consider closing Snap Lake, confirmed company spokesperson Tom Ormsby. Snap Lake is Canada’s only fully underground diamond mine and De Beers’ first diamond mine located outside of Africa. But it had not been profitable since it opened in 2008, and changes in the market made it less likely Snap Lake would become profitable within a manageable timeline – about three years, according to Ormsby – for the company. Snap Lake’s estimated mine life was approximately 20 years when it opened. The mine produced 1.2 million carats in 2014 and cost $2.2 billion to construct and operate as of Dec. 31, 2014, according to the company’s website.
Workers at Snap Lake have begun to prepare the mine for closure, though it could take up to nine months to suspend some operations. The company will reevaluate the market and their options for Snap Lake in late 2016. Up to 100 employees could be transferred to De Beers’ Gahcho Kué mine, also in the Northwest Territories. Over 400 employees have been laid off. The economic impact in the territory could be substantial: the company invested $1.5 billion in the local economy as part of the Snap Lake construction and operations, and was expected to spend another billion over the life of the mine. The company is evaluating the market forces that led them to mothball Snap Lake as part of a broader strategy, Ormsby said. Weeks after the company’s plans for Snap Lake became public it announced two diamond mines in Botswana, which De Beers and the government of Botswana jointly own, will also be closing or scaling back production, according to reports from the local media. “These are global conditions we’re responding to,” Ormsby said of the market. “Each one of our business units around the world has had to adjust to what has been lower sales and lower prices.” – K. Sheridan
Rio Tinto closed a US$4.4-billion deal in mid-December for the development of underground operations at its Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia, which is currently an open pit operation. The funding comes from international financial institutions, export credit agencies representing U.S., Canadian and Australian governments, and 15 commercial banks. Kaminak Gold’s Coffee project in Yukon received a positive feasibility study, the company announced in January. The study gave the open-pit, heapleach project a 10-year mine life with an average annual gold production of 184,000 ounces. The study, prepared by JDS Energy and Mining, pegs the construction and commissioning costs at $317 million. The project has an aftertax net present value of $455 million. Eight mining facilities – Agnico Eagle’s Goldex, Kittila and LaRonde mines; Iamgold’s Essakane, Rosebel and Westwood mines; First Quantum Minerals’ Cayeli mine; and Teck Resources’ Line Creek Operations – were given MAC’s 2015 TSM Leadership Award, the association announced in December. The awards recognize “outstanding performance” in the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative, and commitment to corporate responsibility. This is the first year the award honours mines operated outside of Canada. – Kelsey Rolfe
February/Février 2016 | 29
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Because it’s 2016 By Mafalda Arias
t is indisputable that Canada’s newly sworn-in prime minister Justin Trudeau’s terse response to a question regarding why he established gender parity in his cabinet – “because it’s 2015” – has received international attention. The United Nations noted that with this gender-equal cabinet, Canada now ranks fourth in the world in terms of the percentage of women in ministerial positions, tied with France and Liechtenstein. In this context, I cannot help but wonder about the future of women in the mining industry. What would happen if the industry achieved gender parity? Would perceptions regarding the industry change? Would the bottom line be affected in any way? Is the industry ready to make mining history in terms of gender parity as a social innovation? At a recent industry conference, volunteers at the Women in Mining BC (WIMBC) table experienced an unfortunate reminder that it is not yet 2016 in terms of gender equity in our industry. A man came up to our table as he headed towards the tradeshow floor and asked the women sitting there a couple of technical questions as he walked by. Given the hallway noise and the buzz of the conference, the seasoned professionals at the WIMBC table could not hear him and asked for clarification. His response alluded to why women should not be working in the industry. Needless to say, his answer shocked them. Although this was an unusual incident, it serves as a reminder of the continued resistance by some people against women in the mineral exploration and mining industry. Toxic attitudes, like the ones held by this man, are culturally embedded in our industry, learned from child-
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hood, in school and at universities. Of course, there are supportive men in the field who are knowledgeable about diversity, but comments like the one this man made are oppressive, and we have to call out these incidents for what they are and admit that there is a problem. Some men may not recognize the problem, but that is because they enjoy the privileges of being male and are oblivious to the ways they manifest themselves. Only by acknowledging, understanding and respecting all experiences, can we begin to see how the system oppresses women. The issue is a profound and multi-faceted one and cannot be solved through simple adjustment by those who are being negatively affected by the system. Therefore, we need to start having unpleasant conversations because that which is not discussed does not get resolved. Normalizing such seemingly unwitting comments perpetuates the existence of barriers for women in the industry. Unfortunately, not everybody has been exposed to diversity training and education to broach the meaningful conversations that need to take place in order to become allies of diversity and inclusion. Here are four things you can do to support women in the mining industry: 1. Listen. For most, it is uncomfortable to talk about incidents like the one described above. When men or women hear this kind of talk, their immediate response is to interrupt, jump to conclusions, question the situation or change the subject. However, not talking about it reinforces power imbalance, privilege and a lack of consequences. If you listen carefully and refrain from
judgment, you will be able to understand the source of women’s pain and frustration. 2. Talk about it. Acknowledge the feelings and what happened in the incident. If some men are tired of hearing about the issues faced by women in mining or the importance of diversity, imagine how tiring it is for women to continue to explain that we belong in mining. A good starting point for men to join in on the conversation is to acknowledge that they will never have the experience of a woman. 3. Ask questions, be curious and seek to understand. When you engage in a conversation, you should not assume that everything that is being said will make sense. It is fine to admit you do not know how another person feels or why they feel that way, but if you are curious and ask questions to gain understanding, it will lead to higher levels of empathy. 4. Educate yourself about diversity. It is important to listen and defer to women during conversations about gender diversity. Keep in mind that they themselves may not know all the facts about diversity. There is no lack of information on the subject and it is also important to take responsibility to educate yourself through reading books and articles on diversity. Let’s focus on a solution together, because it is 2016. CIM Mafalda Arias is president of Women in Mining BC and president of Mafalda Arias and Associates
Got an opinion on one of our columns? Send your comments to editor@cim.org.
30 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
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Plan to attend IMPC 2016, September 11-15, Québec, Canada The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is honoured to be hosting the XXVIII International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC) in Québec City, Québec, Canada. In September 2016, over 1,000 mineral processing experts, academics and industry professionals from more than 60 countries will gather to explore and discuss the important issues and trends currently shaping our industry and its future. Canada last hosted the IMPC in 1982 and is proud to do so again.
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Understanding big data By Sean Dessureault
nterest in big data, specifically the value of applying advanced analytics to the massive amount of data today’s operations produce, has soared in recent years. This interest is fueled by the growing number of equipment monitoring technologies offered by many vendors, each with their own custom database structure, servers to host the data and reporting systems. The result of this expansion has been that many mines possess large data assets: repositories of information, such as machine health data and work orders, that could provide new production management approaches, reveal new resources and lower safety and environmental risks. But before the disparate monitoring systems can be integrated and the pursuit of big data analytics begun, it is important to understand the state and type of data most relevant to analytics used in mines.
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Relational Data Mobile equipment monitoring data is generated both from operator input via an in-cab touch screen, as well as embedded systems that automatically monitor important parameters such as location and machine health. This data is then transmitted to an on-site server, wherein it is stored for analysis in a relational database. Other software, such as enterprise systems or computer maintenance management systems, have backend relational databases that process transactions such as payments or work order requests and fulfillments. Relational databases use tables that have interconnected relationships. For example, a truck haulage record is contained in a table that lists truck cycles: which shovel loaded a particular truck, the time it was loaded and the duration of the haul. A user may be interested in generating reports that list production based on shovel type. Those shovel details are contained in a related table for which there is a relationship, hence the expression relational database.
Ad hoc data exported from a mine planning system or spreadsheets that have safety data may also be loosely considered relational, where details of particular columns are found in other tables.
Process Data Process data is typically analog and control data collected in processing plants. These plants are highly instrumented and automated to the point where a single operator can often manipulate most settings in the plant to adjust to conditions or to modify the process output. There are several techniques to safely and efficiently extract data from these process control systems. The most common mechanism is through software known as process historians that scan the control network and record the analog values and set points for future reference. These historians have highly efficient algorithms that compress the analog signals, allowing for easy transmission of analog data. Recently this technology has been used to log mobile equipment’s analog data, such as engine exhaust temperature. If compressed, this information can be transmitted wirelessly so that a maintenance technician can monitor the machine as though it were a small plant. New features that have been added to some historians also allow for automated detection of events (such as the start and end of a period of zero weight on a conveyor belt) through pattern recognition algorithms.
Unstructured Data Unstructured data is information, including text or media files, that do not fit neatly into a structured database, like those above, and whose underlying technologies are web and mobile-based languages and approaches such as Javascript Object Notation (JSON) or document structures. Because computer programmers now change data elements so frequently, relational data modelling programmers are unable to continuously
alter the database structure to accommodate the changes. Large text and media files are also being stored in this unstructured format, without an immediate plan for use. As a result, databases need to accommodate this unstructured data. Since the volume of data that needs to be stored and processed is so large, a single processor is unable to cope. Therefore, the technology uses a stack of relatively recent technological developments, such as MapReduce, which is a mechanism where a large data set can be simplified and then processed through algorithms by distributing the calculations, hence reducing their complexity, across multiple processors in a set of ‘mapped’ servers. Although the mining industry has little unstructured data today, it is undoubtedly the future for numerous applications. Many of the new analytical tools being developed use this flexible form of data structure. The next generation of equipment monitoring technology will be developed on low-cost flexible platforms such as tablets and use low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, both of which make extensive use of unstructured data. Most of our current mining and cost data is in a relational format though, and our processing data is stored in semistructured databases and often only partially contextualized in historians. Yet, there is enormous untapped potential within our existing data structures today. Signal processing of analog data and the mining of relational data are technically within our grasp now. A practical, honest approach to integration using current techniques in both a relational and process environment can be applied immediately while we wait for the next generation of technology to roll out, and our work processes reengineered to accommodate these new capabilities. CIM Sean Dessureault is the president and CEO of Mining Information and Operations Management (MISOM) Technologies
February/Février 2016 | 33
Courtesy of Newmont Mining
Newmont Mining’s SART plant at its Yanacocha mine, originally installed in 2008, helped it recover 2.9 million lbs of copper concentrate from complex gold ores in 2015.
Yanacocha’s copper rush SART plant optimization unlocks the future for the Newmont mine By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco
few years ago, Newmont Mining’s team at Yanacocha gold mine in northern Peru looked into the future and saw copper – a lot of copper. As with many gold mining operations in the last decade, Yanacocha, which produced its first gold bar in 1993, was getting closer to exhausting much of its oxide ore deposit. Digging deeper would lead to complex gold ores with very high copper content by 2015 – which meant leach solutions with copper levels as high as 700 milligrams per litre. The problem is that copper binds with cyanide creating a cyanide-copper complex solution. “You might have one part per million (ppm) of gold and 100 or 1,000 ppm of copper in the ore,” said process engineer Mike Botz, president of Elbow Creek Engineering. “In the back end of the plant, where they take the gold out of solution to ultimately make the gold bars, it can really interfere with the process.” Preventing this requires adding more cyanide which leaves an excess cyanide-copper complex solution that may need to be treated chemically. This robs the process of valuable cyanide that would otherwise be recycled and reused. The expense of the lost cyanide, as well as the cost of chemicals to treat the solution, all equal higher operating costs. Yanacocha, a joint venture between Newmont and Minas Buenaventura, however, had a potential trump card to deal with the copper. The mine had already installed a US$9.9-mil-
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lion sulphidization-acidification-recycle-thickening (SART) plant in 2008. This technology is designed to remove the copper from the solution and regenerate the cyanide through the addition of sulphide to precipitate copper sulphide as a solid precipitate. Yanacocha had built the plant to recover copper from the leach solution and to limit the concentration of copper in solution discharged into the environment. The plant was being used intermittently when the mine encountered ores with high copper content. The SART plant was successful at removing the copper and silver from the pregnant leach solution prior to gold recovery, but the efficiency was inconsistent with lower levels of copper. In 2013, for instance, the plant removed 80 per cent of the silver but only 65 per cent of the copper. By 2015, the mine expected consistently higher copper contents and planned to operate the SART plant year-round. Newmont needed to ensure the SART plant was indeed a trump rather than a wild card and it needed to stabilize the copper recovery efficiency. In 2011, Newmont’s metallurgists Gilmar Guzman and Leoncio Sevilla were put in charge of verifying the SART plant’s performance – and determining what, if any, changes were needed to ensure it would be effective with the high copper ores. They brought in Elbow Creek’s Botz, who had helped design the original plant and has worked on most of the SART plants in the world.
copper SART plants In theory, SART plants are highly effective and can consistently remove more than 90 per cent of copper. And in fact, the process has been successfully tested in labs since the mid20th century. Performance in the field is a different matter. The SART plant at Yanacocha is an additional circuit added to its gold recovery plant. Its main components are reactor tanks and thickeners. Pregnant solution from the leach circuit with high levels of copper can be sent to the SART plant while clean solution from oxide ores are sent directly to the gold recovery process. The circuit consists of sulphidization and acidification where sulphuric acid and sodium hydrosulphide are injected along with recycled SART seed slurry to precipitate the copper as a copper sulphide. The solids are then removed from the solution in a thickener. Next, the cyanide in the acidic thickener overflow is neutralized with lime and calcium sulphate (or gypsum) is precipitated in a second thickener.
Preparing for the big copper rush In 2012, Guzman, Sevilla and Botz developed a process simulation mass balance model for the entire mill at Yanacocha, including the SART plant, to evaluate how it would operate when high-copper ores are processed. “We started by validating the model against actual operating performance,” said Botz. “If you can’t get the model to match reality, you can’t have faith going forward that it’s going to match.” Then between May 12 and 26, 2014, the plant processed 263,000 tonnes of high-copper ore with an average of 17,600 tonnes per day (t/d) fed to the mill. The copper grade ranged between 500 and 2,800 grams per tonne (g/t). Copper removal efficiency in the SART plant ranged between 56 and 99 per cent, with a median of about 95 per cent. “The main objective of the campaign was to show the SART plant could have high recovery,” said Sevilla. It certainly did, thanks to careful monitoring and the fact that they estimated the sulphide in the recycle seed and included this amount in the daily sulphide dosage. “If there’s an excess of sulphide in the recycled seed slurry, combined with what is being injected, that’s a variation,” said Botz. “If it’s under-dosed, there is lower copper removal. If it’s overdosed, there are different theories as to what happens, but what I see is there’s often also a decline in copper recovery.” There are currently no commercially available probes that can measure sulphide accurately. “Sulphide and cyanide are notorious with interfering with the analysis of one another,” said Botz. “All of it adds up to a fairly complicated control challenge.” During the campaign, they relied on sampling for maintaining reliable sulphide dosages. “They’d measure copper in the leach solution and then calculate how much sulphide should go in and set their flow controller for that,” said Botz. “The problem with that is that by the time they collect the samples and take it to the lab and analyze it and get the information to the control room, four or five hours have passed. Now they’re operating the plant as it should have been operating four or
five hours ago, so they’re always driving with their rear-view mirror and it works well sometimes and not at other times.” Late in 2014, they decided to add an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) probe in the reactor tank. “It helps,” said Botz. “It gives the operators another tool. Sulphide is a reductant. The ORP probe can measure the reduction potential and provide some empirical feedback. All an ORP can tell you is that it’s a reducing environment, but it can’t provide a concentration of sulphide in the solution.” Today, “the operator takes samples every four hours to verify the controls,” said Sevilla. “But the plant is completely instrumented and we can see everything on the control room screen in real time. This allows us to react very quickly if there are variations in the plant.” Throughout 2015 Yanacocha’s SART plant worked continuously, achieving an overall copper recovery efficiency of between 80 and 90 per cent, which amounted to 2.9 million lbs of copper concentrate with 10 per cent silver. While SART technology still needs work, and today it takes a relatively large amount of copper to justify the cost, Botz said he believes that in the future, as more gold mines explore highcopper deposits, they will consider SART as an option. For Yanacocha, however, had the campaign proven unsuccessful, it would have been disastrous. “We had no other option,” said Sevilla. “We would not have been able to produce the gold.” CIM
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February/Février 2016 | 35
Courtesy of Portage Technologies
All sorted out A new cyclone diagnostic system is keeping things moving at Copper Mountain By Eavan Moore
Last year Copper Mountain eliminated downstream incidents caused by plugging or roping cyclones using Portage Technologies’ cyclone detection system.
n 2014, Copper Mountain Mining Corporation decided it wanted to optimize its 35,000 tonne-per-day copper mine in British Columbia and exceed its nameplate capacity. Therefore, it began moving high tonnages of coarse material through its ball mills. However, this inevitably resulted in plugging and roping incidents with its cyclones at an average of three or four per week, causing downstream interruptions in the flotation circuit. “We ended up having events where a plugged cyclone would go undetected by mill operators between scheduled checks,” said then-mill superintendent and current mill manager Mike Westendorf. So when Portage Technologies enquired about using Copper Mountain as a testbed for a new cyclone detection system, Westendorf readily agreed. The Portage software analyzes each cyclone’s vibration frequencies in relation to process conditions and alerts operators when an anomaly develops. By helping to correct cyclone problems quickly, the system cut downstream incidents down to zero in 2015.
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Good (and bad) vibrations A cyclone classifies feed by the use of centrifugal force to accelerate the settling rate of particles. Cyclone flow patterns are subject to two opposing forces: differential force upward for the finer particles (overflow) upwards and centrifuging the coarser particles (underflow) out and down. “When a cyclone gets into trouble, it’s usually one of two ways,” said Michael Schaffer, president of Portage. “Either you plug it, which means material plugs the bottom so everything is forced out of the top. Or you get roping, which is when the internal air core collapses and material just goes up and down, about 50 per 36 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
cent each way. The cyclone becomes a T injection. In both of these situations, it means you’re sending much coarser material than you should be downstream.” Copper Mountain did, and still does, check the cyclones every two hours. But complications develop more rapidly than that. “The float operators would typically pick up on the issue in their circuit within 15 minutes or so,” said Westendorf. Isolating and fixing the offending cyclone took an average of 10 minutes. Portage calculated that if one of the 16 cyclones at Copper Mountain were plugged for ten minutes, enough coarse would be sent to the first rougher cell to remove 18 per cent of its capacity if it was not removed. In contrast, the Portage Cyclone Detection (PCD) system detects problems in seconds. Portage has a partnership with Emerson Process Management tools for the hardware, which consists of accelerometers attached to the top and bottom of each cyclone. The accelerometers provide output of vibration variables which are analysed and sent to Portage’s technology which then determines if an incident has occurred. “What that PCD server is doing is decoupling the frequencies into their components so that we can isolate the ones that are most relevant,” said Schaffer. The PCD software contains proprietary algorithms that interpret those frequencies using both physical parameters around the cyclone and process parameters like feed density and the number of open cyclones. If the cyclone is roping or plugging, the control room operator receives an alarm within five seconds specifying which problem has arisen and can close that cyclone. He can then request that maintenance looks into the problem. The full response time, with adjustments, lasts about a minute.
copper That low response time is very helpful, according to Schaffer. “A plugged or roped cyclone will kick up between 10 and 25 cubic metres of coarse in a 10-minute period,” he said. “It’s a linear relationship, so by getting it down to below a minute you’re already down to only two cubic metres of coarse.” The availability figures for Copper Mountain’s on-stream analyzer show what that can accomplish. In the two weeks before commissioning PCD, its availability at the rougher recovery assay point averaged 70 per cent. During the two weeks after commissioning, availability averaged 93 per cent. When first commissioned between August and December 2014, the system had only diagnostic capabilities. Portage then incorporated a control system that reduces the number of roping and plugging incidents. The Portage Pumpbox Control (PPC) code instantaneously responds to potentially problematic variations in the cyclone feed. As opposed to controlling the pumpbox based on level stability, the PPC allows the pumpbox level to float, absorbing disturbances.
A joint development project The PCD was the first technological solution Copper Mountain had considered, and it came about because Portage had already been working with Copper Mountain on other projects (see for example “Science in the art of flotation,” March/April 2015). “The only reason we considered this was because Portage provides a number of different solutions to site already,” Westendorf said. “It just made sense to let them tie it in. So essentially, it was a no-cost trial for us, and we only took on costs if we liked the system.” In exchange, the project provided Portage’s first opportunity to adjust its technology to real-life conditions. For example, the original sensor locations and sticking method evolved. “We had to come up with innovative ways of attaching the sensors to the cyclones to prevent them from getting knocked off or damaged,” said Schaffer. Ultimately, the sensors were threaded onto a pad welded onto the cyclone. It also took a bit of time to incorporate process parameters into the PCD algorithms. “So the operators got some false flags for a bit during startup,” said Westerndorf. “It only takes a couple before the operator starts ignoring the alarm.” But as the system became more accurate, acceptance grew – and one last incident at the end of 2014, which could have been prevented had the alarm been heeded, “really taught the operators to learn and respect the system.” In early 2015, Copper Mountain decided to buy the system. That year there were no further downstream incidents caused by plugging or roping cyclones.
there are two sensors to validate each other. Trading on Copper Mountain’s success, Portage is providing its PCD to other mines, including Escondida in Chile, for roughly US$10,000 per cyclone. “We are working with one of the major cyclone providers,” Schaffer added, “where they’ll be embedding this technology into their cyclones as an OEM offering and putting fittings on their cyclones to be able to take our sensors.” If plugging and roping detection seem like strangely limited uses for this technology – well, its proponents would agree. Portage is also expanding the technology to measure liner wear. Version two of the system should come out later in 2016. Meanwhile, Copper Mountain is currently trialing vibration monitoring to gauge its SAG mill load. “It’s often hard to find some higher-end technology that the operators actually appreciate,” remarked Mike Westendorf, mine manager at Copper Mountain. “And they actually really like this system.” “We’re just extremely thankful that Copper Mountain had confidence in us, took the time to understand what we were proposing to them, and were prepared to take the chance in testing the technology in their plant,” said Schaffer. “And fortunately it worked out well for both of us. That’s the way this industry is going to continue to move forward: by working together as a team to ensure that the technologies can work.” CIM
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Developing a market According to Schaffer, Portage is the first company to develop a vibration-based solution. Other technologies include acoustic sensors at the top of the cyclone and cameras or impact sensors at the bottom. In Schaffer’s view, the Portage solution excels at maintenance and accuracy; the former because there are no wear parts and the latter partly because
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February/Février 2016 | 37
Courtesy of Julie Neilson
Life goals Julie Neilson is trying to help copper miners improve their reclamation techniques By Christopher Pollon
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oil microbiologist Julie Neilson, an associate research professor in the Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science at the Univerity of Arizona (UA) in Tucson, spends her working days finding ways for plants to grow better on top of copper tailings and waste rock piles in water-deficient arid environments in her home state. The lessons from her work can be applied to Australia, Mongolia, Chile, Western Canada and many other desert-like environments where copper is mined and reclamation is an important public relations and health issue.
CIM: What path led you to getting your PhD and becoming a soil microbiologist? Neilson: I’m from Washington, D.C., originally; I did a general biology degree in Vermont and was most fascinated by microbiology. I joined the Peace Corps and worked in Jamaica with their Ministry of Agriculture for two and a half years, working with subsistence farmers. I was basically helping farmers who couldn’t afford fertilizer develop strategies to produce crops. That started my whole career of working in marginal terrestrial systems like deserts, and being fascinated by the capacity of soil microbes to make these marginal systems work.
CIM: What drove your interest in applying microbiology to mine site reclamation? Neilson: At UA in Tucson I started working with Raina Maier, a professor in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, who is the director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program and the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Mining at UA looking at restoration of legacy mine sites with arsenic and metal contamination issues. I ended up getting drawn into some of the projects related to mining. We have tons of mining legacy site issues here in Arizona because of low rainfall and other conditions, which means these areas do not have vegetated growth to help contain the contaminants on site. They become major dust and water erosion problems. Back to the 1800s, they hauled their mine tailings by ox carts to the stream edges, because they 38 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
needed water to process ore. So you have these highly contaminated, small tailings piles, located on the few perennial streams that exist in southern Arizona, so you get lead, zinc, copper and arsenic contamination in these water systems. You also get dust affecting communities. We’ve been working in this area of legacy mine contamination since 2005.
CIM: What sort of challenges are companies facing when they try to revegetate their active or recently closed copper mines in places like southern Arizona and Mexico? Neilson: Arid desert soils are naturally low in nitrogen, really low in organic carbon and it doesn’t rain. And most industries cannot afford to be irrigating hundreds of acres trying to get things to grow. Those are the constraining factors that we deal with that are unique to the Southwest, but it’s really common to huge areas of the world where copper is mined.
CIM: How have you been working with companies to deal with reclaiming areas in Arizona? Neilson: I’ve been spending a lot of my time working under a cooperative model with three major international mining companies with mines in this state, including Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper mine, ASARCO Mission mine complex (Grupo Mexico) and KGHM International’s Carlota mine. We do research as a group so everyone can see what the other is doing, so we can find solutions that are applicable across
copper
different companies. Unlike most company-hired consultants, we look at the below ground quality; what we say is, you can add fertilizers and amendments to your seed mixes and get plants to grow in the short term, but if you don’t get some kind of ecosystem development going on, you’re basically trying to get plants to grow in rock.
CIM: What factors determine whether plants ultimately grow above a waste rock or tailings pile? Neilson: We have come up with a list of bioindicators that ultimately predict whether plant growth will be successful. Indicators that appear most relevant include pH, soil electrical conductivity, which is a measure of your salt (which in arid soil is high and can be toxic to plants), nutrient status, where we look at nitrogen in the system and organic carbon, which you need to build up in the system over time to establish a reservoir of nutrients. We look at soil structure, including moisture holding capacity, and we measure the bacteria present. We also extract all the DNA from the system and try to get a fingerprint of the biological environment to reveal whether key plant growth promoting microbes are present.
CIM: Can you provide an example of how you have worked with a company trying to improve its revegetation efforts?
we know will survive in the system. So you can add these organisms that will fix nitrogen and carbon from the atmosphere into plant usable forms or cycle nitrogen, and this is a technology that many mines can probably afford to do in the future.
CIM: Are there any other technologies or approaches/processes that are coming in the near future that will help us to do a better job at reclamation? Neilson: What excites me is the concept of turning waste rock into a good capping material. This is a strategy currently being explored by some of the mines that I am working with. Mines [often have access] to good green waste and topsoil that they destroy in order to mine, and they have the heavy equipment to do things I cannot even conceive of doing, like incubating future cap material for their tailings pile that they’re just starting to build. Contrast that with what often happens now, which is to go off into the desert, blast a hole, and destroy a healthy ecosystem to get the capping material. Alternatively, they can mix different components that they already have on their property like waste rock with green waste and work toward making a capping material that they will use 20 years from now. The bioindicators that we are developing will give them tools to evaluate the quality of new cap materials. CIM
Neilson: ASARCO has several large tailings storage piles that are 500-600 acres in size that they are trying to revegetate. They have spent over $30 million on this project. It was seeded in 2009, and they used a 12-inch soil cap [desert soil scooped up from elsewhere] to put on top of the tailings prior to seeding. The first time I saw it, certain areas had vegetation doing really well, and in other areas it was horrible, even though it was all seeded with the same seed mix at the same time. So the only difference was that the capping material came from different places. The ASARCO environmental manager wanted to understand why there was the difference in plant growth at the different sites. The area that had used topsoil as a cap was the one that had 10-foot mesquite trees and all kinds of plant diversity, and the areas capped with deeper depth materials barely had grasses. We screened soil samples from different areas of the tailings pile, analysed them using all those bioindicators I mentioned, and found the only big differences were that there were more nutrients and significantly higher amounts of bacteria living in the well vegetated areas.
CIM: What is the potential for genetically engineering soil components like bacteria or fungi? Neilson: We don’t need to engineer the organisms, we just need to find the right ones. The microbes that can do the same nutrient cycling as the microbes in temperate areas exist in these harsh arid conditions, we just haven’t discovered them yet. Moving forward there’s a huge potential for mines to use strategies such as applying an inoculum of a bacteria or fungus that February/Février 2016 | 39
KNOW NO FEAR
How miners can collect the necessary data to prevent deaths
By Peter Braul Illustrations by David Chen
Big brother, since George Orwell introduced him in his novel 1984, has personified all that we ought to fear from a culture of surveillance. But, at a time when we have never been more monitored, increased data collection may be the key to the next level of workplace safety.
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escuing a colleague in an underground mining emergency is the last situation anyone wants to be in. In addition to the inherent danger presented by the smoke, heat, machines and the very rock surrounding you, the emotional stress can be overwhelming. But, thanks to some new technology being piloted at the International Mine Rescue Competition in Sudbury in August, the job may get just a bit easier. For the first time, participants will wear sensors made by Equivital, transmitting their vital stats – such as heart rate and breathing rate – in real time to team leaders, along with a host of other data sets including core temperature and location. The goal is to give the leaders continuous awareness of team members’ whereabouts and wellbeing, in order to prevent the rescuers from needing rescuing themselves. “It’s exciting,” said Sandra Dorman, director of the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) and an associate professor at Laurentian University. Dorman is one of the people behind this year’s mine rescue pilot project, and she is keen to point out that these are just the first steps. “The technology is just exploding right now.” Equivital, said Dorman, is unique because it is the first wearable biometric sensor that is intrinsically safe. It has one band that attaches around the ribcage and another that goes over one shoulder and, being designed for military use, it is rugged and safe for industrial use. Most recently available wearable technology, as these sensors are known, are developed for sports applications, so sensors that stand up to the technical standards and rigour of the mining world are new territory. “Many wearables have applications in the workplace even if February/Février 2016 | 41
the companies that are designing them don’t know that yet,” But these sensors do not answer all questions. For examshe said. ple, why did the driver hit the wall? Was he exhausted? While no mines are currently using devices like Equivital Dehydrated? Overheating? Maybe there was some sign earin day-to-day operations, proponents believe these could be lier in the day that, if it had been detected, might have raised the key to the next wave of safety improvements in the an alarm. And moreover, more information could help industry, especially now that safety culture is so ingrained. understand how events like this come to pass despite excel“We’ve bottomed out [of potential improvements to safety lent safety culture. culture],” said Dirk Claessens, vice-president of analytics at “There are a number of patterns which are very hard to IBM, who recognizes that past improvements have been explain with the current approach,” said Claessens. “We huge. But, he added, “The old pyramid paradigm, where for need data to really understand where these fatalities come every fatality you’ve got 10 serious accidents and 30 minor from, and we need to automate data collection as much as accidents and so on doesn’t exist anymore.” possible and gather as many data points as possible. If you To understand why the concan add near misses – which cept of wearable technology holds occur on an order of magnitude so much promise now, it is greater than fatalities themselves – important to put safety in conto the discussion, you really start text. The fatality rate in U.S. getting very rich data to look at.” metal mines over the last decade And patterns might begin to was about half of what it was in emerge. For example, we might the previous ten years, and more begin to know whether near than 90 per cent less than it was misses occur at a particular time in the 1930s. A higher degree of of day, say closer to the beginning automation and a commitment to or end of each shift, or even – R. Paquin installing a culture of safety have whether they are correlated to been the keys to these successes. weather conditions or other unexBut a closer look at the last few pected variables. years tells a more nuanced story. So what does the equipment While in some years there were a remarkably low number look like that could provide the data we lack? Typically there of fatalities in the United States (16 in 2011 and 2012, 17 are the sensors, a mobile device to receive what the sensors in 2009), in others there were still over 30 deaths. “What transmit and software that organizes the reams of data and people do not seem to get under control is fatalities,” said sends information to the correct people automatically. The Claessens. “When they occur, people are left scratching their sensors can take many different forms: the vest-like Equiviheads thinking ‘how is that possible?’” tal, smart watches, smart helmets such as those offered by He said he believes collecting reams of data on employees LifeBeam and smart goggles that monitor field of vision. And while at work will reveal new information and result in in these formats, sensors can now relay heart rate, skin temmajor breakthroughs in safety and productivity at the same perature, core temperature, air temperature, gas analysis of time. Workers who are not injured as they gain more expe- the surrounding air, location, energy expenditure, vibration rience are often more efficient, and training employees for exposure and basically any other biometric data you can the same position repeatedly is an unnecessary expense think of. Of course, the whole lot depends on wireless netmany would be happy to do away with. works being deployed across the entire mine site. Richard Paquin, a national representative for Unifor, IBM has developed what Claessens calls the “Guardian Canada’s largest private sector union, is wary of the privacy Angel” software solution, which integrates information from implications such data gathering entails. He points out that sensors made by Texas Instruments and LifeBeam. Using a the number of sensors in today’s mines already allows us to smartphone or tablet, the worker is connected to the netput together a fairly accurate picture of what happens during work and protected by a number of software shields. “It an incident. “We had a fatality here in Sudbury about four could be a shield against tripping, it could be a shield against months ago,” he recalled. “The worker was hit by the machine exhaustion or against high temperature and so on,” he was operating.” Using sensors in the Claessens said. A “shield” essentially defines what parameters tunnel walls, the vehicle the are acceptable and, if they are exceeded, alerts the worker worker was driving and on his that they need to respond to prompts from the system. A person, an investigation was trip/fall shield could use Texas Instruments accelerometer able to determine where he data, for example. If the worker moves suddenly towards the went, the speed at which he ground and is unable to respond properly, an alert is trigtraveled, when he hit the gered. “People in the neighbourhood will be alerted, the shift wall and approximately when supervisor will be alerted and the safety supervisor as well.” the operator was struck by his Claessens currently has several pilot projects running, the mobile equipment. most advanced being with an American steelmaker that he is
“I probably would object from the word ‘go.”
42 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
not yet able to name, which has decided to pursue implemen- showing whether this tation of the Guardian Angel system on a permanent basis. device can successfully Other wearables-focused partnerships are also moving for- prevent an event from ward, like one between Deloitte and Vancouver-based Van- happening by warning drico, an enterprise software company focused on industrial workers of an immiwearable solutions. Jess Sloss, Vandrico’s customer success nent event prior to lead, said within the next three months he hopes to have onset. much more information to share from ongoing trials in the A second major applicamining industry. John Wang, the leader of Deloitte Wearables tion, Howes noted, will be in (part of Deloitte Digital), said no off-the-shelf wearable devices “monitoring and alarming appeared suitable for their trials, so the partnership is using human workplace gas exposures such hobbyist technology to create mining-specific solutions. as blasting gases, diesel gases, low oxygen and smoke.” Despite wearable technology And Dorman said vibration being very new, the potential has measurement sensors could help been noticed by some of the most mine management teams underadvanced mining companies. stand when and where their Rick Howes, CEO of Dundee Preworkforce is at risk and where cious Metals (see “Underground control strategies could be impleachiever,” our Sept. 2014 profile mented. “For people that drive all of Chelopech), said that though day, and especially in mines, his company has so far only there’s a lot of vibration that implemented radio-frequency comes up your spine,” she said, identification (RFID) tracking, he noting that there is already an app – D. Claessens is well aware of the potential for for smartphones that people can further development. “Wearables use to monitor their exposure. will have particular application in Something similar, but miningdeep underground mines where specific, could help workers who heat and high seismic risks and potential rockbursts are a are forbidden from bringing smartphones on site. Continproblem,” he said. “Special clothing that will adapt to the ued exposure to high levels of vibration will result in injury environment to provide cooling or heating as needed will and inability to work, so if levels reach a certain intensity, also be needed in the future for these deep mines.” companies could reduce speed limits in trouble spots, or Heat stress is, in fact, a major focus of Dorman’s research prioritize smoothing road surfaces in order to safeguard the and, besides this health of employees. “This device makes safety a little more summer’s mine tangible,” Dorman said. rescue competiRob McEwen, who hosted Claessens at one of his eponytors, she is also mous company’s innovation seminars last year, said that while working with a he sees the potential for these technologies to improve safety, subgroup of Sud- he “can foresee pinch points” with respect to monitoring bury miners to employees’ biological data. “It’s certainly an area of interest, assess the suitabil- it’s just not an area we’ve applied much effort to yet.” ity of wearables Unifor’s Paquin is, more or less, the human embodiment for their daily of a pinch point in the widespread adoption of wearables. work. In these His primary concern, understandably, is the intimate nature preliminary stages, of the information collected by biometric sensors. “I probashe is hoping to bly would object from the word ‘go,’” he said. “When you’re evaluate the data dealing with medical stuff, it’s hard to manage because you the Equivital sen- don’t know who has access to what information. It becomes sor generates for a database of some sort that certain people can have access workers during a typical shift, and use this data to describe to that shouldn’t.” worker conditions with the aim to provide recommendations Paquin oversaw the implementation of RFID tags in Sudto reduce worker heat fatigue. “Heat stress can be really dan- bury operations, which also presented their fair share of congerous,” she said. “In early stages you could have cramping, cerns for the union. “Any time you introduce new systems or you might [eventually] pass out and technically you could new technology, nobody knows where the boundaries are,” die. In a mine rescue scenario you could be putting other he said, noting that RFID, while it does pose privacy concerns, people at risk because now you’re going to have to be res- is different than continuously monitoring an employee’s cued as well.” According to Dorman, the real potential for health. Health, and particularly medical information, he said, the research with Equivital, related to heat stress, will be in is strictly regulated and should not fall into the wrong hands.
“This is condition monitoring of your employees.”
February/Février 2016 | 43
And yet continuous monitoring is exactly where Claessens would like his technology to go. “This is condition monitoring of your employees,” he said. “We’ll be able to be predictive about what the condition of the employee is going to be half a day from now and prevent an incident from happening.” Dorman said convincing people that these devices are in their own best interest is critical. “It’s helpful for workers to see what the data actually looks like because a worker might have this perception that the people using data from these devices will know exactly what the worker is doing while wearing them,” she added. “That’s not true. When you look at somebody’s heart rate, for example, depending on the rhythm, it either goes up because the worker has become more active or maybe he or she is stressed. But you don’t know what they are doing that is causing the stress or what activity they are performing, you just know that his or her heart rate and breathing rate went up.” Also key to convincing employees that this new technology is good for them is an easy interface that gives them uncomplicated access to their own data. That is why IBM is partnering with Apple to develop user-friendly platforms. And in the future, perhaps it will require an approach known as “serious gaming,” where employees are rewarded in real time for completing tasks in a safe manner. This could be with money, or even just with a competitive video game-style points system.
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For now, Claessens is focused on putting together a winning pitch. “Number one, we need a couple of good projects and to publicize the hell out of them,” he said. “What we also need to do, just to make the case stronger is, since any safety process has a productivity flipside, to enrich the case by saying it will give us good insights into the productivity of the employees on site and that’s a financial benefit you’ll have straight away. “This is available and it can be deployed,” Claessens maintains. “It takes maybe six months to get your first plant up and running on the thing, and it costs you maybe a couple million, but not tens of millions of dollars.” CIM
CARIBOU READY for the RUN
project profile
Courtesy of Trevali Mining
BY TOM DINARDO
Trevali inherited extensive underground workings at the Caribou mine and has added another 3.5 kilometres of underground development.
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he timing of commercial production at Trevali Mining’s Caribou zinc mine, just as global supply has tightened, could give the project in northern New Brunswick a welcome boost.
The underground zinc-lead-silver-copper-gold mine has stalled and exchanged hands several times over the years, but Vancouver-based Trevali expects it will succeed this time due to the price and market fundamentals of zinc, the very cause of the mine’s demise under its previous owners. Although the commodity sat at around US$0.67/lb in mid-January, mine closures and stockpile depletions are expected to boost the commodity in short order. “The thesis for zinc is that it could move pretty fast as these closures and these shortages in the warehouses manifest,” said Steve Stakiw, vice-president of investor relations and communications. But that is not all that has seemed to work out for the company. When it acquired the mine and mill complex from Maple Minerals in November 2012, it came with a lot of the infrastructure already in place. Blue Note Mining, the last company to have operated the mine, had developed the property
in the mid-2000s and mined the deposit for just over a year before it was forced into receivership in late 2008 because of low commodity prices. It had mined about 500,000 tonnes. “We think we got a pretty good value,” said Stakiw, “given the amount of capital that had been put into that asset, both underground and into the mill complex, was extensive.”
The ugly duckling The Caribou mine was more of an afterthought for Trevali when it made the acquisition. What originally caught the company’s eye about the property was the mill. In early 2011, Trevali added Stratmat and Halfmile to its suite of projects, both of which are also located in the Bathurst area of New Brunswick. Trevali began conducting trial mining at Halfmile in 2012, but the mine did not have its own processing facility. So in November 2012, the company purchased the Caribou mine and mill complex for a market value at the time of about $24 million. Blue Note invested about $100 million during the time it owned the property to overhaul and modernize the processing plant and mine infrastructure. The mine originally began production from an open pit in 1970 under the Anaconda Minerals Company. This had included roughly 13 kilometres of underground development already complete, which Stakiw February/Février 2016 | 45
Project specs
Number of employees at the mine ~235 (including 90 underground contractors) Mine life 6 years Daily throughput 3,000 tonnes Net present value $106 million (post tax with a 5% discount rate) Commodity
Zinc
price assumptions (US$)
*Current price
Avg annual production
$1/lb
$.67/lb
93 million lbs
$1/lb
$.75/lb
32.5 million lbs
$3/lb
$1.97/lb
3.1 million lbs
$21/oz
$14/oz
730,000 ozs
$1200/oz
$1101/oz
1,500 ozs
Lead
Copper Silver Gold
Capex $36.3 million Measure and Indicated Resources 7,230,000 tonnes Underground contractor Alex MacIntyre & Associates Current active mining zones 5
Production costs $74.77/tonne milled Inferred Resources 3,600,000 tonnes Mining method Modified AVOCA Mining zones at full capacity 7–8 * 26/01/16
estimated as being worth $50 to $60 million. “It certainly made our job a lot easier,” he said. Since it acquired the mine, Trevali has invested around $50 million and to date has added 3.5 km of its own underground development. Since the mine had sat idle since 2008, the existing underground tunnels needed to be refurbished, which Trevali started in September 2014. “In general, 95 per cent of the tunnels were in good condition,” said Barbara Rose, Caribou’s chief mining engineer. But tunnels that intersected with the two major fault lines in the ore body had experienced some failures. So Trevali applied shotcrete to those tunnels in addition to the bolts and wire mesh in place. At this point, all tunnels tied to immediate production have been refurbished. By December, Trevali had ramped up to about 2,000 tonnes per day of production. During mine commissioning, Alex MacIntyre & Associates mining contractors are doing the underground work. “We wanted to financially de-risk the project during commissioning,” explained Trevali president Mark Cruise. By starting to mine with a fully trained and skilled workforce that came with its own fleet of mine equipment, Trevali was able to reduce the initial capital and training required. Once the mine reaches commercial production in the first quarter of 2016, the plan is for it to become fully owner-operated by mid-2016. At that point, Trevali will run its own fleet, which will include five scoop trams and seven 45tonne underground haul trucks. Trevali is using a modified version of an AVOCA longitudinal longhole retreat mining method at Caribou. According to Rose, miners typically have access to both sides of the mining front when employing the AVOCA method, blasting and mucking on one side while backfilling on the other. But 46 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
because Caribou does not have access to both ends, the underground miners are mucking on the same end that they are drilling, blasting and backfilling from. “The previous operators had run with a modified AVOCA method and so we just continued with that mining method,” explained Rose. “We’re turning around stopes in about 28 to 30 days.”
Fine grinding Because of the fine-grain nature of the ore, Blue Note installed three IsaMills in the Caribou milling complex in 2007. Cruise said he believes it was the first installation of the technology in North America. The IsaMill is a horizontal, high-speed stirred mill, with a high-power intensity of up to 300 kilowatts per cubic metre (kW/m3) (a ball mill usually runs at less than 40 kW/m3). This allows the IsaMill to process fine particles at a high throughput. It consists of eight rubber-lined discs to grind the feed slurry, which passes through holes in the discs. After the eight discs, the product reaches a separator. The particles that have been reduced to the correct size move on while those that are still too large recirculate to the slurry feed for another round of grinding. “It’s the key to unlocking the metallurgy and to boosting your recoveries given the fine-grain nature of the ore in the deposit,” said Stakiw. And when it comes to ultra-fine grinding mills, there is not much competition, said Cruise. “The largest zinc mines on the planet use [IsaMills],” he explained. In order to get a better handle on technology, Caribou mill workers traveled to the McArthur River zinc mine in Australia last February to learn the ins and outs of the IsaMill in what Cruise described as a “master’s course.” In addition, Glencore, which owns and markets the IsaMill technology, was able to
project profile provide an on-site technical expert to assist Trevali in starting with commissioning. The company has also added a former MacArthur River employee as its IsaMill operations specialist to optimize the stirred mills at Caribou for grind size and efficiency. As for the ramp up, Cruise said it went pretty smoothly. “The first month we were fighting it a bit but that’s pretty standard as the guys get familiar with it,” he said. Previously, mill operators needed three IsaMills to effectively grind down the zinc, but Trevali has gotten the same grind with two. “Obviously that’s a lot more efficient and cost effective on media, power consumption and all that stuff,” said Cruise. Additionally, it allows the Caribou mill to use the third mill as a backup during scheduled monthly maintenance, reducing production interruptions. In addition to the IsaMills, Trevali purchased a new SAG mill and refurbished the two ball mills for its 3,000 tonne-perday processing plant. Once the ore is fully ground, it goes through the flotation circuit and the concentrate is then trucked a half hour north of Bathurst to the port of Belledune, New Brunswick. Trevali has an offtake agreement with Glencore for all of the zinc and lead concentrate produced.
Price and production in zinc Current wisdom says that zinc is one of the few commodities that will soon rebound positively. As of mid-January, it is down almost half a dollar from US$1.1/lb where it stood last April. Stakiw points to the large amount of zinc that has been stockpiled in recent years to explain the drop. “Ultimately we need to see inventories draw down because we’re still sitting with high inventories, but they are coming down fairly rapidly,” he said. “The daily drawdown rates have been increasing from 1,000-2,000 tonnes a day from early last year to 3,0004,000 tonnes a day near year-end 2015.” There are also a couple of big mine closures, the impacts of which are only now starting to be felt, according to Stakiw. MMG’s Century mine in Australia, for example, delivered its final shipment of zinc concentrate in mid-December. And the Glencore cutbacks announced in the beginning of October means that it will scale down approximately a third of its global zinc production, he said. “Starting in the first quarter of 2016, we expect to see a lot of the concentrates that are normally delivered into warehouses to decrease , so drawdowns should start to increase because you’re not getting the restock to balance or offset those drawdowns,” said Stakiw. This will ultimately lead to a drive in price.
Employment opportunities Like many mines in Canada, Trevali has an Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IBA) with the local First Nations community. In the case of Caribou, it signed its IBA with nine Mi’gmag bands in 2011. The main highlight of the IBA is the opportunity to employ up to 20 per cent of the workforce with members of those First Nations. But more than the mere fact of employment, for Terry Richardson, Mi’gmag benefits manager at Trevali and a The processing plant has a nameplate capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day Courtesy of Trevali Mining
Tom DiNardo Tom DiNardo
Roots run deep The Caribou project has had many owners over the past half century
Courtesy of Trevali Mining
Tom DiNardo
Anaconda Minerals Company 1954-1987 East West Caribou Mining Ltd. 1987-1989 Breakwater Resources 1990-2005 Blue Note Minerals 2005-2009 Maple Minerals 2009-2012 Trevali Mining 2012-present
Clockwise from top: Mining at Caribou first began from an open pit in 1970; The Caribou deposit is volcanic-sediment-hosted massive sulphide; The Caribou deposit remains open at depth and drilling has found massive sulphides below the currently defined resource; The mine is employing contract miners as it trains local workers. 48 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
project profile member of one of the nine bands himself, it is experience that will end up paying dividends for First Nations employees in the future. “You’ve got people in careers that will probably never come back to the band looking for employment because they can go work elsewhere within the mining industry, so that’s huge for us,â€? said Richardson. Caribou is not quite at 20 per cent employment just yet, though. “We’re floating around 14 to 15 per cent, but we are getting there,â€? said Richardson. Nevertheless, this feels like a step forward for the local First Nations community. When Xstrata Zinc’s nearby Brunswick mine closed in 2013, not one of the employees working at the mine was a member of a First Nations, according to Richardson. “It’s ironic and it’s unfortunate, but at least now we’re seeing more involvement,â€? he said. In order to boost the ranks of First Nations employees at the mine, Trevali committed to a training-to-employment program as part of their IBA, in partnership with the Aboriginal Workforce Development Initiative and the New Brunswick Department of Post-Secondary Education. It consists of an underground mining training program, delivered by the New Brunswick Community College in Miramichi, and a mill operator training program, delivered by the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick in Bathurst. The training consists of essential skills training as well as instruction on occupational health and safety.
So far, 24 candidates have gone through the underground mining training program. Of those, Richardson estimated that about 19 are still working at the mine. “We had a turnover because obviously mining isn’t for everybody, but if you look at [those numbers], there has probably been around an 80 per cent retention, which is pretty good,� said Richardson. Similarly, about 90 per cent of those who went through the mill training program have stayed on. The application process includes an interview with Richardson as well as an aptitude test to make sure candidates have nine basic skills to perform the necessary tasks on the job, such as reading, writing, math and the ability to understand blueprints. The cost of the program, which Richardson estimates at around $6,000 per candidate, is being covered mostly by the province. Trevali does provide a training area on-site for the program to take place. Overall, Richardson sees Trevali’s relationship with the surrounding community as a resounding achievement. “The success we’ve had with our IBA is something we brag about amongst our Mi’gmag nations,� said Richardson. “We’ve started to say, ‘Look, here’s an example of how a company can come in and work with First Nations and it’s to the benefit of everybody: the company, the First Nation and the community’.� CIM
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February/FĂŠvrier 2016 | 49
BLASTING
| technology
Cutting the strings Automation is working its way into the mine and the latest advance in wireless blasting could clear the way for a step change in underground development
Courtesy of Austin Powder
By Katelyn Spidle
Last year, Austin Powder launched a new version of its E*Star wireless remote firing system.
he move toward wireless blasting has been less than explosive. When Austin Powder Company – an industrial explosives manufacturer – released the pilot version of its E*Star wireless electronic blasting machine in 2006, adoption was slow. For four years the E*Star remained in limited use before it began to eventually catch on. “As the use and applications of the remote part of the firing system started to widen and broaden, the need to be able to fire wirelessly became more and more of a customer request,” said Bryan Papillon, Austin Powder’s director of e-technology. Mining companies were increasingly looking for ways to enhance safety while also cutting costs. By eliminating the wire connecting the blast to the blasting machine, which is located nearer the blast site, and communicating with it remotely via radio instead, mine personnel could stay a greater and thus a safer distance from the blast, and companies could also save on the trouble and expense of single-use copper wiring.
T
February/Février 2016 | 50
Courtesy of MST Global
Initially, Austin Powder built a wireless firing system that possessed two-way radio communication capabilities with the blasting machine, but had minimal ability to display to the blaster in charge what state the blasting machine was in during the diagnostic and firing process. In 2015, the company introduced a completely new version of the E*Star Wireless Remote Firing system that automatically switches off the blasting machine after the blast is complete. This wireless remote firing system can also be configured to operate in conjunction with an underground mine’s leaky feeder radio communication system. “That sounds like a small feat now that it’s done, but that was a major challenge,” Papillon said. It took the company two years to complete the proper fault-proofing, testing and validation necessary to ensure that what they developed was in fact a safer system. With the challenge of remote blasting machines now solved, innovation is currently working its way into the blast hole. Microchip-equipped electronic detonators, with their impressive timing and precision, re-invented blasting when they were introduced 15 years ago. To initiate the blast though, a wired connection between the blasting machine and the detonator was still needed. However, in fall 2015, Orica – the largest global supplier of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining industry – announced that it had developed the world’s first commercially viable wireless through-the-rock blasting system. “We have had various remote blasting systems for our wired i-kon electronic blasting system for years, said Steve Piercey, underground blasting specialist at Orica. “This is taking it to the next level. There are no wires whatsoever to connect.” In sub-level caving, for example, there will be no requirement for miners to work near the brow to prepare the next blast. Normally, workers can spend considerable time hooking-up several kilometres of
MST Global adapted through-the-earth technology, initially designed as an emergency communication system, to simplify underground blasting.
51 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
wires to thousands of detonators in preparation for a blast manually. The resulting hook-up forms a spider-web-like network of wires leading from the blasting machine to the detonators inside the drill hole. According to David Proudfoot, senior electronic blasting system specialist at Orica, eliminating the wires from a blasting operation eliminates most of the problems miners experience. “Anytime you’ve made a blast you’ve created a certain amount of destabilization in the geology of the ground,” Proudfoot said. “If you could load up a series of blasts and fire them without putting people in harm’s way to go back in to reconnect the wires, then you’ve improved the safety of that operation. This could lead to changing the mining sequence of that operation.”
Connecting Through-The-Earth The concept of through-the-rock communication is well established. MST Global, a communications technology infrastructure and applications development company, pioneered the use of Through-The-Earth (TTE) technology 26 years ago with its PED Emergency Warning System. TTE is a one-way communication system that connects with devices underground by emitting ultra-low frequency radio wave signals that penetrate solid rock at depths of 800 to1000 metres. By installing a loop antenna either at the surface or underground, messages entered from a remote location on the surface are displayed as text messages on Caplamp receivers carried by miners underground. Initially developed as a messaging system to alert miners in the case of an emergency, TTE soon spread to other applications throughout the mine, like remote equipment control. It was not long before MST Global figured out how to use TTE for remote blasting. In 1995, the company installed the first BlastPED for use in underground environments. Messages sent from a computer at the surface were transmitted through an RS 232 connection to a PED Modulator equipped with emergency message buttons. Traveling through a hard wire or fibre optic link to a PED ULF transmission headend, the message would connect to the PED loop antenna – which can be installed either above or below ground – before being transmitted via ultra-low frequency signals through the earth to the BlastPED device. “It really simplified the whole process of how you can blast underground,” said Mike Foletti, general manager of business development at MST Global. With a 99 per cent success rate, Foletti said that BlastPED quickly became the standard method for blasting in underground Australian hard rock mines. In 1998, Stillwater Mining approached MST Global to help it develop a wireless blasting system at its platinum mine in south-central Montana, next to Yellowstone National Park. The topography around the mine meant that it was not viable to actually lay a loop
Courtesy of Orica
The wireless primer developed by Orica, shown here both assembled and in parts, combines an antenna, communication electronics, electronic detonator and a booster.
antenna on the surface or underground. To get around this problem, MST Global adapted the BlastPED for use on leaky feeder communication systems. “They had an existing leaky feeder system in place that they maintained because it supported their communications, so instead of using a PED receiver device that picked up a signal from a loop antenna, we basically picked up the signal from the leaky feeder which provided the communications for the blast initiation,” Foletti explained.
Cutting the cord As it turned out, having a detonator without wires was not too difficult to conceive of. Initiating a blast without a wired connection proved to be the biggest challenge. “There was a period where our thoughts were running fast but the technology wasn’t there,” Proudfoot said. After nine years of development – which required the collaboration of about 200 people spread across the globe – Orica is almost ready to roll out a commercial version of the fully wireless blasting system. The 19-inch-long cylindrical device is two inches in diameter, which is smaller than the initial prototype but still larger than what Piercey imagines it will be once the technology is further developed. Using electromagnetic induction, the wireless, through-therock initiation system contains a three-axis antenna, battery
and electronics, as well as a specially modified i-kon II detonator with unique connection terminals that are enclosed in a special booster. Delay times are assigned with an encoder that connects via an optical communications port, and the unit can be held in place using a tether lock at the end. The units can “sleep” in the loaded hole for up to six months before they are called upon to do their job in the blast sequence. Initiating requires a unique ultra-low frequency wavelength by which the surface personnel will communicate with the wireless, through-the-rock initiation system through as much as 1,000 metres of solid rock, all communications are 64-bit encrypted. Piercey asserted that the wireless, through-the-rock blasting system is as revolutionary as the cell phone, which began bulky and expensive but has since been refined. “A smaller unit will be a true enabler in the quest for automated development drilling and blasting,” he said. While he is tremendously excited about the company’s technology, Piercey concedes that it might be a while before it becomes the new norm for electronic blasting. There are many day-to-day blasting operations for which this technology is not suited. Yet, at the same time, it opens the door to re-imagine what the day-to-day might look like in the future, explained Piercey. “It gets really exciting when you think about mining methods and extraction sequences and start to ask ‘are there different ways we can do things?’’’ CIM February/Février 2016 | 52
Leading Excellence
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM PROGRAMME PRÉLIMINAIRE
L,excellence au premier plan MAY 1–4, 2016 | 1 AU 4 MAI 2016 VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE VANCOUVER, BC
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WELCOME TO • BIENVENUE À
Destination BC/Alex Strohl
Vancouver
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A new age of mining has arrived. Join more than 6,000 mining industry professionals at the upcoming “Leading Excellence” CIM Convention. Happening in Vancouver from May 1 to 4, this year’s conference centers around mine operational excellence, employment, innovation, leadership and management. In addition to a comprehensive Technical Program central to mining excellence, the conference’s supporting sessions serve to engage and give a voice to the full range of technical, business and corporate social responsibility attendees, as well as foster cross-disciplinary collaboration to encourage growth, diversification and career opportunities. This includes an examination of the operational excellence culture, standards of excellence, innovation and new ideas, the mining footprint, sustainable organizations, diversity and inclusion, 3D modelling for resource estimation, 3D targeting in GIS, geochemistry and rock mechanics. Management and Finance Day will be tackling the topic of “mining in crisis” along with risk assessments within feasibility studies and questioning how effective your CSR dollar expenditures are. With CIM’s international portfolio growing strategically, the South American stream will be of interest to all in attendance, as well. The CIM EXPO, Canada’s mining marketplace, will be celebrating its 33rd anniversary at the convention. It will host nearly 500 exhibiting companies, featuring the latest in mining equipment, tools, technologies and services. We also want you to experience one of Canada’s greatest cities and get to know the other talented people in your industry. Countless networking opportunities will be offered throughout the three days including receptions, events and social gatherings. We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver! TOM BRODDY
GARTH KIRKHAM
Convention General Chair
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CIM President, 2015-2016
convention.cim.org
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE COMITÉ ORGANISATEUR
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L’industrie minière entre dans une nouvelle ère. Venez rejoindre plus de 6 000 professionnels de l’industrie à l’occasion du congrès de l’ICM 2016, qui portera sur le thème L’excellence au premier plan.
Cette année, le congrès aura lieu du 1er au 4 mai à Vancouver, en ColombieBritannique, et portera notamment sur l’excellence opérationnelle dans l’exploitation minière, l’emploi, l’innovation, le leadership et la gestion. Le programme technique rigoureux du congrès est essentiel à l’excellence dans l’industrie minière, et sera accompagné de sessions de soutien qui visent à impliquer et à donner la parole à tout un éventail d’acteurs des sphères technique, économique et de la responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE). Ces sessions visent également à encourager la collaboration interdisciplinaire afin de promouvoir la croissance, la diversification et les perspectives de carrière. Elles porteront notamment sur l’étude de la culture de l’excellence opérationnelle, les normes d’excellence, l’innovation et les nouvelles idées, l’empreinte écologique de l’exploitation minière, les organisations durables, la diversité et l’inclusion, la modélisation géologique 3D pour l’estimation des ressources, le ciblage 3D dans les SIG, la géochimie et la mécanique des roches. La journée dédiée à la gestion et aux finances portera sur le thème L’industrie minière en crise ainsi que sur les évaluations des risques dans les études de faisabilité et la remise en question du bien-fondé de nos dépenses en matière de RSE. Le portefeuille international de l’ICM se développe de manière stratégique, aussi le thème consacré à l’Amérique du Sud présentera également un grand intérêt pour tous les participants.
CIM President | Président de l’ICM Garth Kirkham CIM Executive Director | Directeur exécutif de l’ICM Jean Vavrek Convention General Chair | Président général du congrès Tom Broddy Plenary Chair | Président de la séance plénière Colin Joudrie Sponsorship | Commanditaires Jean Vavrek, Garth Kirkham Technical Program | Programme technique Michael Hitch TECHNICAL PROGRAM TRACK CHAIRS | PRÉSIDENTS DES THÈMES TECHNIQUES : Excellence in Operations | Excellence opérationnelle Bish Chanda, Zoltan Lukacs Standards of Excellence | Normes d’excellence Jean Vavrek
L’Expo! de l’ICM, le marché canadien de l’exploitation minière, célèbrera son 33e anniversaire. Cet événement accueillera près de 500 sociétés exposantes qui présenteront les tous derniers équipements, outils, technologies et services du secteur minier.
Rock Mechanics | Mécanique des roches Martin Grenon
Venez découvrir l’une des villes les plus extraordinaires du Canada et rencontrer les autres talents de votre secteur. Durant les trois jours du congrès, vous aurez d’innombrables occasions d’établir des contacts, notamment lors des réceptions, des événements et des programmes sociaux.
The Mining Footprint | Empreinte écologique de l’exploitation minière David Forrester
Nous avons hâte de vous voir à Vancouver !
Geology & Exploration | Géologie et exploration Jason Dunning
Sustainable Organizations | Organisations durables Yvonne de Boer, Sahar Pakzad Innovation & New Ideas | Innovation et nouvelles idées John Davidson, Jerome LaMarre Management & Finance Day | Journée dédiée à la gestion et aux finances Jessie Liu-Ernsting, Benjamin Burkholder Student Program | Programme étudiant Robert Tadashi, Megan Gent Workshops | Ateliers Chuck Edwards, David Forrester
TOM BRODDY
Président général du congrès
GARTH KIRKHAM
Président de l’ICM, 2015-2016
CIM EXPO | L’EXPO de l’ICM Martin Bell (Sales and Trade Show Manager / Directeur des ventes et expositions commerciales) Nadia Bakka (Trade Show and Marketing Coordinator / Coordonnatrice des salons commerciaux et du marketing) Convention Coordinator | Coordonnatrice du congrès Chantal Murphy Registration and Customer Care Coordinator | Coordonnatrice des inscriptions et du service aux congressistes Carol Lee Director of Conventions and Trade Shows | Directrice des congrès et des salons commerciaux Lise Bujold
Riccardo Cellere
WORKSHOPS | ATELIERS
Full workshop descriptions are available on the convention website.
SUNDAY, MAY 1 | DIMANCHE 1ER MAI
Vous trouverez une description complète des ateliers sur le site Internet du congrès. Les ateliers sont dispensés en anglais.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MINING DISCLOSURE STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE ISSUES WITH NI 43-101 This course will go through examples of NI 43-101 compliance issues raised by the Canadian securities regulators, recent updates to international reporting codes for exploration, mineral resources and mineral reserves, and some considerations for Canadian mining and exploration companies when filing documents with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. FACILITATORS: GREG GOSSON, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OF GEOLOGY AND COMPLIANCE, AMEC; STELLA SEARSTON, PRINCIPAL GEOLOGIST, AMEC TIME: 8:00-16:30
OVERVIEW OF MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATION AND SIMULATION A significant risk to proper valuation of a mining project is associated with data collection, geological interpretation and mineral resource modelling methodology. This workshop is an overview of resource estimation from data collection to mineral resource estimation and simulation, and validation. Different estimation and conditional simulation methodologies will be presented. Challenges of geometallurgical modelling will be discussed. FACILITATOR: GEORGES VERLY, CHIEF GEOSTATISTICIAN, AMEC FOSTER WHEELER TIME: 8:00-16:30
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operating and closure costs, permitting and approvals as well as inspection, audits and reviews.
ANTI-CORRUPTION TOOLS & RESOURCES FOR CORPORATE RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS With an estimated one trillion dollars per year paid in bribes, global corruption is big business. Corruption in Canada continues to be a key focus with amendments to the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA), convictions under the CFPOA, numerous relevant investigations under the CFPOA and new regulations on revenue transparency in the extractive industry. FACILITATORS: JOSEPH RINGWALD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SCOZINC MINING LTD.; PETER DENT, PARTNER, DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP; MARTIN MUELLER, CHIEF COMPLIANCE COUNSEL, NEXEN INC. TIME: 8:00-16:30
STATE OF PRACTICE IN WATER, TAILINGS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT This workshop will explore core business functions to improve the state of practice in tailings, waste and water management. Core themes will include management and systems, design objectives, risk management, communication and engagement, management of technology, technology selection, design for closure, capital,
FACILITATOR: RICK SIWIK, PRESIDENT, SIWIK CONSULTING INC. TIME: 8:00-17:00
WHAT IS POTASH AND WHY SHOULD YOU EXPLORE FOR IT? Food production needs to more than double by 2050 in order to feed the world’s growing population. Potash and other fertilizers will be major components in increasing farm productivity in the future. Nearly 95 per cent of commercially produced potassium is used in agriculture. The remaining 5 per cent is used for industrial purposes and common household products including soaps and detergents. Exploration techniques used in potash exploration are very similar to those used in petroleum exploration. Understanding how to use these tools effectually is necessary to minimize the expense and increase the success of a potash exploration strategy. FACILITATORS: TABETHA STIRRETT, NORTH RIM; MARK ARUNDELL, IMEX CONSULTING; ROGER EDGECOMBE, RPS ENERGY CANADA LTD TIME: 9:00-16:30
Stand Out in a Crowd
Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities Onsite
Something for everyone’s budget!
Online
Call to discuss the many advertising options. JANET JEFFERY NEAL YOUNG jjeffery@dvtail.com nyoung@dvtail.com 905.707.3529 905.707.3525
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THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATION — CSR’S ROLE IN BUILDING TRUST WITH MEDIA This highly interactive workshop will discuss the role media plays in building public trust and how CSR professionals can effectively tell their stories. Participants will work through a series of activities and on-camera interviews to help them think like journalists and identify what news can help improve the organization’s reputation, build trust and lower the cost of doing business. Gain insight into how your communication style and the type of media you choose can be complementary, and learn how to choose and develop the most appropriate media relations strategies, build skills to clearly and effectively receive and transmit information, ideas, thoughts, and identify and close trust gaps that exist between the organization, stakeholders and the media. FACILITATOR: ROBERT SIMPSON, PRESIDENT OF PR ASSOCIATES TIME: 8:30-16:00
GLOBAL RISK MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT — MITIGATION STRATEGIES CONCERNING EXPROPRIATION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LIABILITY ISSUES Natural resource companies reach across national and geopolitical boundaries. Protection of foreign investment from risks such as expropriation is a concern especially in countries with less sophisticated political structures or a history of political instability. Tools for mitigating risk, such as political risk insurance or financing through international organizations like the World Bank, utilizing “gateway” countries, bi-lateral investment treaties, strategic alliances and partnerships can provide leverage and security to investors to withstand risks such as expropriation and regulatory changes as well as pressures for demands for bribes from government actors. FACILITATORS: JOHN HEILBRUNN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES; KEITH MINTY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HUNTER BAY MINERALS PLC.; ALAN FRANKLIN, JD LLM CONSULTANT AND PROFESSOR, ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY TIME: 8:30-16:30
MANAGING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR OPERATIONS: FROM ASSESSMENT TO IMPLEMENTATION International standards, such as the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 4 on Community Health, Safety & Security, have been developed to recognize community health as a major risk for large-scale development projects. However, implementing and managing community health risk and impact assessments, monitoring programs, management plans and investment initiatives can be a serious challenge for corporate directors, operations managers and staff due to gaps in knowledge and best practice. FACILITATOR: JANIS SHANDRO, MONKEY FOREST CONSULTING TIME: 8:30-16:30
MINING 101 — AN INTRODUCTION TO MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING Mining 101 is an introduction to mining and mineral processing using basic concepts and many relevant and current examples. It consists of five parts: • • • • •
the activities of a mining company geological concepts mineral resources estimation and reporting open pit and underground mining mineral processing
FACILITATOR: GEORGE MCISAAC, GEOLOGY & MINING EVALUATION CONSULTING, G-MEC TIME: 8:30-12:30
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WEATHERING THE PERFECT STORM — HOW TO LEAD A MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE Captains of industry always keep a watchful eye on economic forecasts. But what happens when market volatility collides with a shortage of skilled labor and a pending wave of retirements? Are you prepared? Right now the perfect storm is brewing in the Canadian mining industry labor force. While many Canadian workers put off retirement during the recession, a major shift is currently underway. According to MiHR, about 40 per cent of people working in the industry were between the ages of 45 and 64 in 2011, and very likely to retire within the next decade or two.
Riccardo Cellere
Add in Gen Xers and you have three distinct employee groups, each bringing a unique set of core values, characteristics, learning styles and experience levels. And, let’s not forget Gen Zers who are joining the workforce shortly. This creates leadership challenges never before seen. How you leverage the strengths of these three employee groups could mean the difference between smooth sailing and rough seas ahead. FACILITATOR: KIM HUGGINS, SENIOR PRINCIPAL, CLG TIME: 13:00-16:30
Conference an nd Trade Show October 16-18, 2016 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT BY MAY 30, 2016
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS MEMO 2016 is organized by the Surface Mining (SMS), the Underground Mining (UMS), and the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability (MER) Societies of CIM and members of the CIM Sudbury Branch in collaboration with CIM National.
Technical Program Topics: Increasing Productivity & Reducing Costs Health, Safety & the Environment Risk Management Human Resources & Partnership Development Asset Management & Reliability Strategic Planning in a Volatile Economy Projects & Case Studies Innovations in Mining Processes
General Co-Chairss:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION before submitting an abstract: The format of the conference allows for a 20-minute presentation and a 5-minute Q&A. Abstracts of a maximum of 200 words must be submitted online by May 30, 2016. Presenters must register and pay the author registration fee on or before September 15, 2016, in order to guarantee their place in the program schedule.
Jo-Anne Boucher, General Managgger, BESTECH TTrang TTran VValade, l d DiDirector, Tran-Valade Director SStrategic Straategici IInnovations, Innovations BESTECH convention.cim.org
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Riccardo Cellere
STUDENT PROGRAM | PROGRAMME ÉTUDIANT
The CIM 2016 Convention in Vancouver is the ultimate professional networking opportunity. Student registration gives you the same access as a full delegate package: complete technical program; CIM Plenary; free online access to the papers and presentations after the conference; the CIM EXPO; CIM Opening Reception; Monday lunch at the CIM EXPO; CIM Student-Industry Luncheon; and Joy Global Gala. Le congrès de l’ICM 2016, qui se tiendra à Vancouver, est l’occasion idéale de tisser des liens avec des professionnels de l’industrie minière. En vous inscrivant en tant qu’étudiant, vous aurez accès aux mêmes activités offertes aux délégués, à savoir le programme technique complet ; la séance plénière de l’ICM ; l’accès complet et gratuit à tous les articles et à toutes les présentations après le congrès ; l’EXPO de l’ICM ; la réception inaugurale de l’ICM ; le déjeuner du lundi à l’EXPO de l’ICM ; le déjeuner étudiantsindustrie de l’ICM le mardi ; et le gala de Joy Global
MONDAY, MAY 2 AND TUESDAY, MAY 3 | LUNDI 2 ET MARDI 3 MAI STUDENT POSTER COMPETITION | CONCOURS D’AFFICHES DES ÉTUDIANTS Showcase your talents to leading mining industry professionals. Put your best foot forward and submit an abstract online before March 1, 2016, on topics ranging from geology and mining to processing and sustainability. And there is more!
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Envoyez votre résumé en ligne au plus tard le 1er mars 2016 et profitez de cette occasion parfaite pour présenter vos talents aux professionnels les plus renommés de l’industrie minière sur un large éventail de thèmes, de la géologie et des mines au traitement et à la durabilité. Et ce n’est pas tout ! 10:00-17:00 | AT THE CIM EXPO | À L’EXPO DE L’ICM
TUESDAY, MAY 3 | MARDI 3 MAI STUDENT-INDUSTRY LUNCHEON | DÉJEUNER ÉTUDIANTS-INDUSTRIE The Student-Industry Luncheon seats students next to mining professionals, affording you the opportunity to make that all-important contact that can propel your career. Practice your networking skills by engaging with future employers and potential mentors in this select and professional networking environment. Prizes will be awarded to poster competition winners. Le déjeuner étudiants-industrie est l’occasion idéale pour les étudiants de rencontrer des professionnels de l’industrie minière et d’établir des contacts importants qui pourraient donner à votre carrière un coup de pouce indispensable. Élargissez votre réseau de connaissances et engagez la conversation avec de futurs employeurs et des conseillers potentiels dans cet environnement professionnel et privilégié de mise en réseau. Les prix du concours d’affiches seront remis aux candidats retenus. 12:00-14:00 | ROOM 211 | SALLE 211
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All photos Riccardo Cellere
SOCIAL PROGRAM | PROGRAMME SOCIAL
A myriad of social activities has been planned to maximize your networking opportunities and make your convention memorable. Reserve your tickets early!
Une myriade d’activités sociales a été prévue afin d’optimiser vos chances d’établir des contacts et de rendre ce congrès inoubliable. Réservez vos billets dès que possible !
SUNDAY, MAY 1 | DIMANCHE 1ER MAI
MONDAY, MAY 2 | LUNDI 2 MAI
OPENING CEREMONY AND WELCOME RECEPTION | CÉRÉMONIE D’OUVERTURE ET RÉCEPTION DE BIENVENUE
CIM AWARDS GALA | GALA DE REMISE DES PRIX DE L’ICM
Year after year, participants gather at the opening reception of the CIM Convention for an evening of guest speakers and live entertainment. You will be treated to a drink and finger foods on the CIM EXPO floor as you meet old colleagues and friends while discovering exhibitor innovations. Chaque année, les participants au congrès de l’ICM se réunissent à l’occasion de la cérémonie d’ouverture animée par des conférenciers invités pour une soirée mémorable comprenant une série de divertissements. Venez prendre un verre, déguster des bouchées variées sur les buffets situés à l’étage de l’EXPO de l’ICM. Vous reverrez vos vieux amis et collègues durant cette soirée de découvertes auprès des exposants. 16:30-20:00 | CEREMONY IN BALLROOM A PRIOR TO RECEPTION AT THE CIM EXPO / CÉRÉMONIE DANS LA SALLE DE BAL A AVANT LA RÉCEPTION À L’EXPO | INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION FEE / INCLUS DANS LES FRAIS D’INSCRIPTION
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The CIM Awards Gala celebrates the leaders of the Canadian mining industry. This evening, hosted by CIM and Caterpillar and its Canadian dealers, features a sumptuous dinner, a silent auction held by the CIM Foundation, great company and mind blowing magic by one of the most highly acclaimed magical entertainers in Canada, Ryan Joyce. Le gala de remise des prix de l’ICM met à l’honneur les chefs de file de l’industrie minière canadienne. Cette prestigieuse soirée, commanditée par l’ICM et Caterpillar et ses dépositaires canadiens, comprend un dîner somptueux et un spectacle de magie inégalée d’un des plus grands magiciens au pays, Ryan Joyce. 18:00 (RECEPTION / RÉCEPTION); 19:00 (GALA) | BALLROOM BC | $175
Gala sponsor / Commanditaire du gala
convention.cim.org
Reception sponsor / Commanditaire de la réception
CIM CONVENTION | 2016 | CONGRÈS DE L’ICM
MONDAY, MAY 2 & TUESDAY, MAY 3 | LUNDI 2 ET MARDI 3 MAI NETWORKING AT THE CIM EXPO | ÉTENDEZ VOTRE RÉSEAU DE CONNAISSANCES À L’EXPO DE L’ICM Lunch and cocktail receptions at the CIM EXPO will take place from 12:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 17:00. Lunch and one drink ticket per day are included with each delegate registration. Les déjeuners et cocktails auront lieu à l’étage de l’EXPO de l’ICM de 12 h à 14 h et de 15 h 30 à 17h. Votre inscription au congrès vous donne droit au déjeuner et à une consommation par jour. Sponsored by Commandité par
TUESDAY, MAY 3 | MARDI 3 MAI
jusqu’au petit matin. C’est là qu’on se dit « À l’an prochain. » À ne manquer sous aucun prétexte ! 20:00-24:00 | BALLROOM BC | INCLUDED IN THE DELEGATE AND EXHIBITOR REGISTRATIONS / INCLUS DANS LES FRAIS D’INSCRIPTION DES DÉLÉGUÉS ET DES EXPOSANTS Sponsored by Commandité par
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 | MERCREDI 4 MAI CLOSING LUNCH | DÉJEUNER DE CLÔTURE The Closing Lunch is your last networking opportunity of the Convention. CIM and its Management and Economics Society are pleased to present the most up-to-date views on strategic issues around cost and financing in the mining industry. In addition, attendees will have the pleasure of hearing a keynote speaker whose message will lead straight into “leading excellence”.
Get ready for an evening of non-stop entertainment. The Joy Global Gala features live music, delectable finger foods and refreshments. This event allows acquaintances and peers to bid each other farewell until next year, and closes the social program with a bang – literally!
Le déjeuner de clôture est votre dernière opportunité de réseautage du congrès. L’ICM et la société de la gestion et de l’économie sont heureux de vous présenter les points de vue les plus récents sur les enjeux stratégiques concernant les coûts et le financement au sein de l’industrie minière. En outre, les participants auront le plaisir d’assister à la présentation du conférencier d’honneur dont le message principal se veut en lien avec l’excellence au premier plan.
Préparez-vous à une soirée de divertissement ininterrompu. Le gala de Joy Global sera animé par des musiciens, un savoureux buffet et une ambiance de fête
12:00-13:45 | ROOM 211 | DAY PROGRAM AND LUNCH / PROGRAMME DE LA JOURNÉE ET DÉJEUNER: $400 | LUNCH ONLY FOR REGISTERED CONVENTION DELEGATES / DÉJEUNER SEULEMENT POUR LES DÉLÉGUÉS INSCRITS AU CONGRÈS: $75
JOY GLOBAL GALA | GALA DE JOY GLOBAL
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FREE FOR CONVENTION DELEGATES | GRATUIT POUR LES DÉLÉGUES DU CONGRÈS Full-paying delegates to the CIM Convention benefit from all of the following: Reduced fee for all convention workshops Delegate tote bag including all convention materials Access to the technical presentations, including Management & Finance Day (lunch is extra) Access to all technical program proceedings postconvention Access to the CIM EXPO Access to WiFi in all public spaces of the convention Internet access stations in the CIM EXPO Mobile device charging station Finger foods and refreshments at the CIM EXPO during the opening reception Refreshments at the CIM EXPO during Monday and Tuesday cocktail receptions Lunch at the CIM EXPO on Monday and Tuesday Access to the Joy Global Gala
Les délégués ayant payé le plein tarif pour participer au congrès de l’ICM bénéficient des avantages suivants : Tarif réduit pour tous les ateliers pendant le congrès Un sac fourre-tout par délégué incluant toute la documentation du congrès Accès aux présentations techniques, dont Journée dédiée à la gestion et aux finances (déjeuner non compris) Accès à tous les comptes rendus des présentations techniques après le congrès Accès à l’EXPO de l’ICM Connexion WiFi dans les aires publiques du congrès Accès à l’Internet dans la salle de l’EXPO de l’ICM Station de charge pour vos appareils portables Hors-d’œuvre et consommations à l’EXPO de l’ICM lors de la cérémonie d’inauguration Consommations à l’EXPO de l’ICM lors des cocktails des lundi et mardi Déjeuners à l’EXPO de l’ICM les lundi et mardi Accès au gala de Joy Global
MAY 1-3 Meet one-on-one with over 450 exhibitors at Canada’s mining marketplace. See who’s exhibiting:
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Riccardo Cellere
CIM CONVENTION | 2016 | CONGRÈS DE L’ICM
SUNDAY, MAY 1 TO TUESDAY, MAY 3 | LE DIMANCHE 1ER MAI AU MARDI 3 MAI
The CIM EXPO, Canada’s premier mining show, features nearly 450 companies showcasing the latest in mining equipment, tools, technology and products. Do you have an interesting story to share, or an innovative product or service that you want the industry to know about? Stop by the CIM Magazine Lounge to chat with one of our editors or a member of our advertising sales team. Lunch and cocktail receptions will be held in the CIM EXPO on Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3, at 12:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 17:00. Lunch and one drink ticket are included with delegate registration. Check out our exhibitors’ list online and in the preliminary CIM EXPO Guide in the next issue of CIM Magazine.
L’EXPO de l’ICM, le plus grand salon commercial de l’industrie minière au Canada, permet à près de 450 entreprises de présenter leurs produits, équipements, outils, technologies et services les plus récents destinés au secteur minier. Vous avez une histoire intéressante à partager, un produit ou un service innovant que vous souhaitez faire connaître à l’industrie ? Venez rencontrer nos rédacteurs ou les représentants de notre équipe commerciale au salon du CIM Magazine et discuter avec eux. Les déjeuners et cocktails auront lieu à l’EXPO de l’ICM les lundi 2 et mardi 3 mai, de 12h à 14h et de 15h30 à 17h. Votre inscription au congrès vous donne droit au déjeuner et à une consommation par jour. Vous trouverez la liste de nos exposants en ligne ainsi que dans le guide préliminaire de l’EXPO de l’ICM qui sera publié dans la prochaine édition du CIM Magazine.
MONDAY, MAY 2 AND TUESDAY, MAY 3 | LUNDI 2 ET MARDI 3 MAI Whether you are just starting your career or looking to make a change, representatives from national and international companies looking to hire will be available for discussions. Come prepared with your résumés and make sure you stand out in the crowd.
Riccardo Cellere
CIM EXPO RECRUITERS | RECRUTEMENT À L’EXPO Vous commencez à peine votre carrière ou souhaitez vous réorienter ? Distribuez votre curriculum vitae aux représentants de sociétés nationales et internationales qui ont l’intention d’embaucher. Préparez-vous à les rencontrer et démarquez-vous des autres candidats présents.
convention.cim.org
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EXCELLENCE IN OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE OPÉRATIONNELLE
STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE NORMES D’EXCELLENCE
ROCK MECHANICS MÉCANIQUE DES ROCHES
PLENARY SESSION Standards of Excellence in Forming Innovation Eco-System Normes d’excellence dans la formation innovatrice de l’écosystème
Rock Mechanics 1 Mécanique des roches 1
Excellence in Operations Excellence opérationnelle
Fostering Operational Excellence: Canadian Leadership in International Mining Standards Favoriser l'excellence opérationnelle : leadership canadien dans les normes internationales d'exploitation minière
Rock Mechanics 2 Mécanique des roches 2
Integrated Operations Activités intégrées
Underground Methods and Equipment Méthodes et équipements pour l’exploitation souterraine
Rock Mechanics 3 Mécanique des roches 3
Excellence in Equipment Management Excellence en matière de gestion de l’équipement
Technology and Efficiency in Mining Technologie et efficacité dans l’exploitation minière
Rock Mechanics 4 Mécanique des roches 4
AM
PM
Excellence in Safe Operations Excellence en matière d’exploitation en toute sécurité
AM Maintaining a Competitive Edge Through Operational Excellence Préserver un avantage concurrentiel grâce à l’excellence opérationnelle
PM
MANAGEMENT & FINANCE DAY | JOURNÉE GESTION ET FINANCES
PM
Moving Toward a Culture of Operational Excellence Évoluer vers une culture de l’excellence opérationnelle
Mining in Crisis L’industrie minière en crise
Rock Mechanics 5 Mécanique des roches 5
Is Your Project Feasible? Votre projet est-il réalisable?
Can We Afford CSR? How Can We Not? Avons-nous les moyens d’assumer la RSE ? Pouvons-nous réellement nous en passer ? Panel Discussion Discussion entre experts
VISIT CONVENTION.CIM.ORG REGULARLY FOR TECHNICAL PROGRAM UPDATES.
Riccardo Cellere
AM
Riccardo Cellere
MONDAY, MAY 2 | LE LUNDI 2 MAI TUESDAY, MAY 3 | LE MARDI 3 MAI WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 | LE MERCREDI 4 MAI
TECHNICAL PROGRAM
PROGRAMME TECHNIQUE GEOLOGY & EXPLORATION GÉOLOGIE ET EXPLORATION
THE MINING FOOTPRINT EMPREINTE ÉCOLOGIQUE DE L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE
SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATIONS ORGANISATIONS DURABLES
INNOVATION & NEW IDEAS INNOVATION ET NOUVELLES IDÉES
From the Core Barrel to Database: Data Collection Du tube carottier à la base de données : la collecte de données
Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue (by invitation only) Session de dialogue multilatérale (sur invitation)
Human Resources Ressources humaines
4th Industrial Revolution La 4e révolution industrielle
Advances in Lithogeochemistry & QAQC Progrès dans le domaine de la lithogéochimie et des AQ/CQ
Permitting Attribution de permis
Ethics I Éthique 1
New Ideas in Mineral Processing Nouvelles idées dans le domaine de la minéralurgie
3D Targeting in GIS Ciblage 3D dans les SIG
Mine Closure Standards Normes relatives à la fermeture des mines
Ethics II Éthique 2
Mining Innovation Concepts Concepts d’innovation minière
3D Geology & Structure Modelling for Mineral Resources & Reserves Modélisation géologique et des structures 3D pour les ressources et réserves minérales
Tailings & Water Management Gestion des résidus et de l’eau
Shared Value and Sustainability Valeur partagée et durabilité
Innovations in Energy Innovations dans le domaine de l’énergie
Energy Management Gestion de l’énergie
Communities: Diversity and Inclusion I Communautés : diversité et inclusion I
Mining Methods & Technology Méthodes et technologies minières
Societal Impact Incidence sociale
Communities: Diversity and Inclusion II Communautés : diversité et inclusion II
Genomics in Mining Le rôle de la génomique dans l’exploitation minière
Riccardo Cellere
The Real World of Innovation: Implementing New Technologies and Techniques in Geoscience La réalité de l’innovation : mise en œuvre de nouvelles techniques et technologies dans le domaine des sciences de la Terre
VISITEZ CONVENTION.CIM.ORG POUR DES MISES À JOUR RÉGULIÈRES DU PROGRAMME TECHNIQUE
Riccardo Cellere
SÉANCE PLÉNIÈRE
TECHNICAL PROGRAM | PROGRAMME TECHNIQUE PLENARY | PLÉNIÈRE MONDAY MAY 2 | 9:00-11:30 | BALLROOM BC
LUNDI 2 MAI | 9:00-11:30 | BALLROOM BC
L,excellence au premier plan
Leading excellence The Plenary Session is intended to bring focus to and initiate a dialogue around the conference theme of “Leading Excellence.” Leaders from all aspects of mining and some from unexpected tangential sectors are brought together in these thought-provoking discussions. This year’s edition will feature moderated conversations between leaders of different views on a number of industry subjects.
La séance plénière du congrès de l’ICM 2016 vise à polariser l’attention et à axer le dialogue sur le thème de la conférence, L’excellence au premier plan. Des chefs de file de diverses disciplines du secteur minier et d’autres secteurs sans rapport avec l’industrie minière sont réunis dans le cadre de ces discussions stimulantes.
MODERATOR | MODÉRATEUR COLIN JOUDRIE is Vice-President Business Development and General Manager Hydromet with Teck Resources. His responsibilities include directing and supporting all of Teck’s business development activities in metallurgical coal, copper, zinc, energy and all other mined commodities of interest, business acquisitions and strategic evaluations. Joudrie joined Teck (Cominco Ltd.) in 1991 and worked as an exploration geologist and business development specialist. After completing an MBA he re-joined Teck in 2002 to work on product and technology business development initiatives focusing on the Trail Zn-Pb smelter and its more than 20 distinct products. Joudrie joined Teck’s Corporate development team in 2006, working on strategic investments, acquisitions and divestitures. In 2009 he assumed his current role in support of improving Teck’s overall business. Joudrie is active in the Queen’s Alumni communities and is a member of CIM, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, and the Mining Association of British Columbia.
CONFIRMED PANELISTS | PANÉLISTES CONFIRMÉS
PHILLIPS S. BAKER, Jr. President & CEO / Président et chef de la direction, Hecla Mining Company
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COLIN JOUDRIE est vice-président à la prospection commerciale et directeur général du CESL chez Teck Resources. Ses responsabilités consistent à diriger et à soutenir toutes les activités de prospection commerciale de Teck dans les domaines du charbon métallurgique, du cuivre, du zinc et de l'énergie ainsi que toutes les autres marchandises exploitées présentant un intérêt, les acquisitions d'entreprises et les évaluations stratégiques. M. Joudrie a rejoint Teck (à l'époque Cominco Ltd.) en 1991 et a travaillé comme géologue prospecteur et spécialiste de la prospection commerciale. Après avoir obtenu sa maîtrise en administration des affaires, il a réintégré la société Teck en 2002 pour travailler dans le cadre d'initiatives de prospection commerciale pour les produits et la technologie, et s'est particulièrement intéressé à la fonderie de zinc et plomb (Zn-Pb) de Trail et ses plus de 20 produits distincts. En 2006, M. Joudrie a rejoint l'équipe de développement de l'entreprise et a orienté ses activités sur les investissements stratégiques, les acquisitions et les désinvestissements. Depuis 2009, il occupe son poste actuel chez Teck, qui consiste à améliorer l'ensemble des activités de la société.
RANDY SMALLWOOD President & CEO / Président et chef de la direction, Silver Wheaton
convention.cim.org
DON LINDSAY President & CEO / Président et chef de la direction, Teck Resources Limited
CIM CONVENTION | 2016 | CONGRÈS DE L’ICM
Riccardo Cellere
MANAGEMENT & FINANCE DAY | JOURNÉE GESTION ET FINANCES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 | MERCREDI 4 MAI 12:00-13:30 The eighth annual Management & Finance Day, organized by the CIM Management and Economics Society, will feature expert speakers sharing their experiences and insights around key topics driving the industry.
CIM CLOSING LUNCH WITH MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE DAY INVITED SPEAKER
La huitième édition de la journée gestion et finances est organisée par la société de la gestion et de l’économie de l’ICM. Y participeront des experts et des conférenciers dynamiques qui partageront leurs expériences et perceptions quant à des sujets intéressants qui font évoluer l’industrie.
CAN WE AFFORD CSR? HOW CAN WE NOT?
13:45-15:25 Chair: Monica Ospina, O Trade and Market Access
Is your CSR money being spent well? David Brown
New dimensions of CSR Craig Ford
8:20
Presentation of ESRS dialogue session
OPENING REMARKS BY JESSIE LIU-ERNSTING AND BENJAMIN BURKHOLDER
Joe Ringwald
15:40-16:30 8:30-10:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
MINING IN CRISIS
Moderator: Sean Waller, President and Director, Candente Copper Corp.
Chair: Jane Spooner, Vice-President, Micon International Limited
Speakers and audience participation
Access to mining capital in the short term Gord Bogden
16:30
The long-term view
CLOSING REMARKS BY JESSIE LIU-ERNSTING AND BENJAMIN BURKHOLDER
Sean Waller
10:30-12:00
16:45
IS YOUR PROJECT FEASIBLE? Chair: Chris Haubrich, Investment Banking, Mining & Metals, National Bank Financial
Do you actually have a feasibility study? Philip Morkel
Banker’s perspective on feasibility Warren Flannery
MEET & GREET NETWORKING RECEPTION
Included for convention delegates OR one-day program including lunch, $400 Inclus dans les frais d’inscription des délégués au congrès OU programme d’une journée, déjeuner compris, à 400 $
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AIR TRAVEL INFORMATION | TRANSPORT AÉRIEN We have appointed Air Canada as the official airline for the CIM 2016 Convention. For online reservations, go to www.aircanada.com and enter the convention code DK6EU9K1 in the search engine. Air Canada est le transporteur aérien officiel du congrès de l’ICM 2016. Pour vos réservations en ligne, rendez-vous sur le site Internet d’Air Canada et saisissez le code promotionnel du congrès DK6EU9K1 dans le moteur de recherche.
REGISTRATION | INSCRIPTION Registration to the CIM Convention includes access to the Management & Finance Day. L’inscription au congrès de l’ICM comprend l’accès à la Journée gestion et finances. CIM NATIONAL MEMBERS MEMBRES NATIONAUX DE L’ICM
BEFORE MARCH 25 AVANT LE 25 MARS
AS OF MARCH 25 À PARTIR DU 25 MARS
Business class Delegate (access to VIP lounge) Délégué(e) Classe affaires (accès au salon VIP)
$850
$950
Delegate | Délégué(e)
$700
$850
Presenter and session chair Conférencier/-ière et président(e) de séance
$650
$750
Student, unemployed, retired and Life member Étudiant(e), personne sans emploi, retraitée et membre de vie
$80
$100
BEFORE MARCH 25 AVANT LE 25 MARS
AS OF MARCH 25 À PARTIR DU 25 MARS
Business class Delegate (access to VIP lounge) Délégué(e) en classe affaires (accès au salon VIP)
$1050
$1150
Delegate | Délégué(e)
$900
$1050
Presenter and session chair Conférencier/-ière et président(e) de séance
$800
$900
Student | Étudiant(e)
$150
$200
Unemployed, retired Personne sans emploi et retraitée
$150
$200
Management & Finance Day only Journée gestion et finances seulement
$400
$400
Visitor to the CIM Expo only Visiteur à l’Expo de l’ICM seulement
$40
$40
Free Gratuit
Free Gratuit
Exhibitor staff, first six registrants by 100 sq. ft. Free Personnel exposant, six premiers inscrits Gratuit par 100 pieds carrés
Free Gratuit
NON-CIM MEMBERS (fee includes one-year membership to CIM)
NON-MEMBRES DE L’ICM (Les frais incluent une année d’adhésion à l’ICM)
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION | HÉBERGEMENT Conference Direct is the official housing bureau for the CIM Convention. The online one-stop reservation tool makes it seamless for you to reserve your room at the group rate. Space is limited so reserve early! Visit convention.cim.org, click on the Vancouver drop down menu, then on Hotel Reservations and proceed. Details on piracy housing agencies, group reservations and wait lists are available on that web page. Conference Direct est le seul service officiel de réservation de chambres d’hôtel pour le congrès. Ce service centralisé vous permettra de réserver votre chambre au tarif de groupe. Le nombre de chambres est limité, aussi pensez à réserver dès que possible ! Rendezvous sur notre page Hébergement et réservations dans la rubrique Vancouver. Vous y trouverez des informations relatives aux agences de réservations, aux réservations de groupes et aux listes d’attente.
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OTHER CATEGORIES AUTRES CATÉGORIES
VIP visitor to the CIM Expo only Visiteur VIP à l’Expo de l’ICM seulement
One-day pass, guest registration and more information available online. Les informations concernant les laissez-passer d’une journée, l’inscription des invités et d’autres renseignements sont disponibles en ligne.
convention.cim.org
CIM CONVENTION | 2016 | CONGRÈS DE L’ICM
DAILY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Saturday, April 30 8:00-10:00 10:00-16:00 13:00-17:00
Tuesday, May 3
CIM Executive Meeting CIM Council Meeting Registration
7:30-8:30
Sunday, May 1 8:00-16:30 8:00-20:00 9:00-11:00 11:00-12:00 15:00-20:00 15:00-20:00 16:30-20:00 17:00-20:00
Workshops Registration CIM Officers Meeting, Orientation Session CIM Annual General Meeting Business Class Lounge Presenters’ Preparation Room Opening Ceremony and Welcome Reception The CIM EXPO/Student Posters
Monday, May 2 7:00-9:00 8:00-9:00 7:30-17:00 7:30-17:00 7:30-17:00 9:00-11:30 10:00-17:00 12:00-14:00 14:00-16:05
15:30-17:00 18:00-19:00 19:00-23:00
CEO and Plenary Speakers’ Breakfast Meeting for Monday’s Presenters and Session Chairs Registration Presenters’ Preparation Room Business Class Lounge Plenary Session: Leading Excellence The CIM EXPO/Student Posters Lunch at the CIM EXPO Technical Program • Excellence in Operations • Standards of Excellence • Rock Mechanics • Geology & Exploration • The Mining Footprint • Sustainable Organizations • Innovation & New Ideas Networking Cocktail Reception at the CIM EXPO CIM Awards Gala Reception CIM Awards Gala
7:30-17:00 7:30-17:00 7:30-17:00 8:30-16:05
10:00-17:00 12:00-14:00 12:00-14:00 15:30-17:00 20:00-00:00
Meeting for Tuesday’s Presenters and Session Chairs Registration Presenters’ Preparation Room Business Class Lounge Technical Program • Excellence in Operations • Standards of Excellence • Rock Mechanics • Geology & Exploration • The Mining Footprint • Sustainable Organizations • Innovation & New Ideas The CIM EXPO/Student Posters Lunch at the CIM EXPO Student-Industry Luncheon Networking Cocktail Reception at the CIM EXPO Joy Global Gala
Wednesday, May 4 7:30-8:30 7:30-14:00 7:30-14:00 7:30-14:00 8:30-12:10
12:00-13:30 13:45-16:45 16:45-18:00
convention.cim.org
Meeting for Wednesday’s Presenters and Session Chairs Registration Presenters’ Preparation Room Business Class Lounge Technical Program • Excellence in Operations • Rock Mechanics • Geology & Exploration • The Mining Footprint • Sustainable Organizations • Innovation & New Ideas • Management & Finance Day Closing Lunch Technical Program: Management & Finance Day Management & Finance Day Meet & Greet Reception
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HORAIRE QUOTIDIEN DES ACTIVITÉS Samedi 30 avril 8h-10h 10h-16h 13h-17h
Mardi 3 mai
Réunion du comité exécutif de l’ICM Réunion du conseil d’administration de l’ICM Inscription
Dimanche 1er mai 8h-16h30 8h-20h 9h-11h 11h-12h 15h-20h 15h-20h 16h30-20h 17h-20h
Ateliers Inscription Réunion des membres de la direction, séance d’orientation Assemblée générale annuelle de l’ICM Salon VIP pour les délégués en classe affaires Salle de préparation des présentateurs Cérémonie d’ouverture et réception de bienvenue Ouverture de l’EXPO de l’ICM/ Concours d’affiches des étudiants
Lundi 2 mai 7h-9h
8h-9h 7h30-17h 7h30-17h 7h30-17h 9h-11h30 10h-17h 12h-14h 14h-16h05
15h30-17h 18h-19h 19h-23h
Petit-déjeuner des chefs de direction et des conférenciers de la séance plénière Rencontre avec les présentateurs et les présidents de la séance du lundi Inscription Salle de préparation des présentateurs Salon VIP pour les délégués en classe affaires Séance plénière sur le thème L’excellence au premier plan L’EXPO de l’ICM/Concours d’affiches des étudiants Déjeuner à l’EXPO de l’ICM Programme technique • Excellence opérationnelle • Normes d’excellence • Mécanique des roches • Géologie et exploration • Empreinte écologique de l’exploitation minière • Organisations durables • Innovation et nouvelles idées Cocktail-réseautage à l’EXPO de l’ICM Réception précédant le gala de remise des prix de l’ICM Gala de remise des prix de l’ICM
72 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
7h30-8h30 7h30-17h 7h30-17h 7h30-17h 8h30-16h05
10h-17h 12h-14h 12h-14h 15h30-17h 20h-minuit
Rencontre avec les présentateurs et les présidents de la séance du mardi Inscription Salle de préparation des présentateurs Salon VIP pour les délégués en classe affaires Programme technique • Excellence opérationnelle • Normes d’excellence • Mécanique des roches • Géologie et exploration • Empreinte écologique de l’exploitation minière • Organisations durables • Innovation et nouvelles idées L’EXPO de l’ICM/Concours d’affiches des étudiants Déjeuner à l’EXPO de l’ICM Déjeuner étudiants-industrie Cocktail-réseautage à l’EXPO de l’ICM Gala de Joy Global
Mercredi 4 mai 7h30-8h30
Rencontre avec les présentateurs et les présidents de la séance du mercredi 7h30-14h Inscription 7h30-14h Salle de préparation des présentateurs 7h30-14h Salon VIP pour les délégués en classe affaires 8h30-12h10 Programme technique • Excellence opérationnelle • Mécanique des roches • Géologie et exploration • Empreinte écologique de l’exploitation minière • Organisations durables • Innovation et nouvelles idées • Journée gestion et finances 12h-13h30 Déjeuner de clôture 13h45-16h45 Programme technique : Journée gestion et finances 16h45–18 Réception à l’intention des participants à la journée gestion et finances
convention.cim.org
CIM CONVENTION | 2016 | CONGRÈS DE L’ICM
SPONSORS | COMMANDITAIRES PLATINUM | PLATINE
DIAMOND | DIAMANT
GOLD | OR
SILVER | ARGENT
COPPER | CUIVRE
FRIEND | AMI
À LA CARTE
convention.cim.org
February/Février 2016 | 73
SECTION francophone 78 Sécurité ou surveillance ?
Il existe aujourd'hui des technologies capables de renforcer la sécurité des employés en surveillant les changements se produisant au niveau de leurs signes vitaux et en y réagissant. Les mines doivent-elles pour autant les utiliser ? Par Peter Braul
75 Lettre de l’éditeur 75 Mot du président
76
Deux décisions de la Cour suprême permettent aux groupes autochtones de poursuivre directement les sociétés dans des affaires relatives aux titres ancestraux
84 Profil de projet :
Par Christopher Pollon
La mine Caribou prête à tourner L’équipe de la mine Caribou de Trevali augmente la production à son exploitation du NouveauBrunswick dans la perspective d’un rebond du prix du zinc Par Tom DiNardo
La version française intégrale du CIM Magazine est disponible en ligne : magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA
lettre de l’éditeur
Restons actif Les nouvelles arrivant à mon bureau ces derniers temps sont relativement sombres, aussi le communiqué de presse du vétéran de l’industrie minière Kurt Breede m’a réconforté. M. Breede est à la recherche d’un financement, et il est prêt à exposer son projet à « qui veut bien l’entendre. » Notre première tentative de débattre de ce projet n’a pas abouti. « Je dois mener un travail concret, » expliquait M. Breede lors de l’AME BC Mineral Exploration Roundup 2016, qui s’est tenue à Vancouver. Officiellement, il est vice-président du marketing de la société d’experts-conseils en géologie et exploitation minière Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited (WGM) ; mais lorsque la société n’occupe pas tout son temps, M. Breede peaufine son scénario pour un long métrage dédié à la ruée vers l’or du Klondike. « Il s’agit plutôt d’un passe-temps pour échapper à la dure réalité qui affecte l’industrie en ce moment. » Aujourd’hui, après plusieurs remaniements, il passe à l’étape de développement de son projet. Comme il l’expliquait dans un communiqué de presse publié en vue de promouvoir une campagne de financement collectif pour son film intitulé Klondike – The Shooting of Dan McGrew, « Hollywood présente généralement l’industrie minière comme le coupable dans la plupart de ses films...J’espère pouvoir rétablir l’image qu’a le public de ce secteur en montrant des épisodes de l’histoire minière au Canada plus proches de la réalité, et la façon, bonne ou mauvaise, dont elle a affecté la vie des gens. » Le film est une description fictive des difficultés réelles qu’ont rencontré les personnes ayant pris part à la ruée vers l’or, attirées par des promesses de richesses sur les terres du soleil de minuit. L’objectif à court terme de M. Breede est de récolter 100 000 $ afin de produire une bande-annonce de deux ou trois minutes pour son long métrage inspiré de l’œuvre de Robert Service, le poète du Yukon. Lors de notre entretien fin janvier, deux semaines après le lancement de la campagne de financement collectif, dix bailleurs de fonds s’étaient engagés à verser à peine plus de 1 000 $. Mais M. Breede restait optimiste. La campagne de lancement de son projet, expliquait-il, devrait prendre fin juste après le congrès de la PDAC qui se tiendra début mars, l’exposant exactement au public dont il a besoin. En outre, indiquait-il, il a récemment eu l’occasion de présenter son idée à Robert Friedland. Ce nabab du secteur minier ne s’est pas encore engagé à verser des fonds pour le projet, mais « des discussions sont en cours », déclarait M. Breede. Je lui ai demandé si, de nos jours, il était plus simple de récolter des fonds pour réaliser un film que pour développer une mine. « C’est la question à 100 000 $ », m’a-t-il répondu.
Ryan Bergen, Rédacteur en chef editor@cim.org, @Ryan_CIM_Mag
mot du président
Notre défi pour l’avenir Car en dernière analyse, notre lien commun fondamental, c’est le fait que nous habitons tous sur cette planète. Nous respirons tous le même air. Nous chérissons tous l’avenir de nos enfants. Et nous sommes tous mortels. John F. Kennedy Dans ce discours de 1963, M. Kennedy faisait référence à la non prolifération des armes nucléaires, mais ces paroles restent d’actualité dans le contexte du changement climatique que nous connaissons. Comme nous le savons tous, la conférence des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques, qui s’est tenue à Paris récemment, s’est traduite par une volonté d’agir inégalée du monde entier face à nos préoccupations collectives. La plupart des actions adoptées dans le cadre de l’accord de Paris portent sur la réduction des émissions de dioxyde de carbone (CO2) et l’adaptation au changement climatique. Les ingénieurs et les géoscientifiques disposent des outils, des connaissances et du dynamisme nécessaires pour résoudre ces problèmes. Je suis convaincu que l’industrie minière peut contribuer à la réalisation de ces objectifs en trouvant des moyens de réduire sa consommation énergétique, en atténuant les impacts de l’exploitation minière sur l’environnement et en contribuant au développement de sources d’énergie de substitution. Les mines souterraines pourraient, par exemple, servir d’installations d’entreposage du dioxyde de carbone ou d’autres déchets, et peuvent également fournir une source d’énergie géothermique, notamment les mines très profondes. Par ailleurs, le monde a décidé de progressivement renoncer au charbon pour la production d’énergie et à l’heure actuelle, l’énergie nucléaire représente l’option de remplacement la plus viable. Il nous incombe d’extraire l’uranium, le principal élément dont dépend cette énergie, en toute sécurité. Dans une économie reposant sur les « technologies propres », le lithium, le graphite et les terres rares sont des éléments essentiels et irremplaçables. Ainsi, l’exploration et l’extraction de ces éléments stratégiques doivent désormais constituer une priorité. L’industrie minière a indéniablement beaucoup à offrir pour résoudre le problème du changement climatique. Comme le disait M. Kennedy en parlant de l’intention d’envoyer un homme sur la lune, nous choisissons [d’accomplir certaines choses] non pas « parce [qu’elles sont faciles], mais justement parce [qu’elles sont difficiles] ; car ce but servira à organiser et à donner le meilleur de nos énergies et de notre savoir-faire, parce que c’est le défi que nous sommes prêts à relever, celui que nous refusons de remettre à plus tard, celui que nous avons la ferme intention de gagner. »
Garth Kirkham CIM President @GarthCIMPrez February/Février 2016 | 75
L’actualité Un nouveau terrain de jeu Deux décisions de la Cour suprême permettent aux groupes autochtones de poursuivre directement les sociétés dans des affaires relatives aux titres ancestraux Par Christopher Pollon
Dans le cadre d’un précédent jurisprudentiel important, deux récentes décisions de la Cour suprême du Canada donnent désormais la possibilité aux peuples autochtones du Canada de directement poursuivre des sociétés spécialisées dans les ressources pour des dommages et intérêts en cas de violations de leurs titres ancestraux. Jusqu’à présent, les collectivités autochtones n’avaient d’autre choix que de poursuivre les gouvernements dans ce genre de procédures. Ce précédent est le fruit de deux actions en justice distinctes demandant des dommages et intérêts à deux filiales canadiennes de Rio Tinto (Rio Tinto Alcan et la compagnie minière IOC), l’une émanant de groupes de Premières Nations en Colombie-Britannique (C.B.) et l’autre d’une action collective engagée par deux communautés innues du Québec. Le 15 octobre dernier, la Cour suprême du Canada a rejeté les arguments de la compagnie minière IOC qui voulait contester la poursuite ; la société minière prétendait que les Premières Nations concernées devaient poursuivre le gouvernement pour établir leurs droits relatifs aux titres ancestraux avant de pouvoir intenter un procès à la société. Si la cour n’a pas statué sur la récusation, elle a cependant soutenu les jugements rendus par les cours d’appel des deux provinces, et a autorisé les Premières Nations à lancer leurs poursuites en justice et à réclamer des dommages et intérêts ainsi que des changements opérationnels au niveau du développement des ressources qui avaient été établis des décennies avant que le géant minier australien ne devienne propriétaire des actifs canadiens en question. 76 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
Au vu des similarités entre les deux cas, la cour a rendu ses décisions le même jour. La décision prise fin octobre a été perdue dans la course contre la montre pour les élections fédérales de 2015, aussi les répercussions de ces deux affaires n’ont pas fait l’objet d’une grande couverture médiatique. D’après Ravina Bains, directrice associée au Centre for Aboriginal Policy Studies (le centre d’études sur la politique autochtone) de l’institut Fraser, ce précédent a entraîné un changement dans le sens où les communautés autochtones ne sont désormais plus tenues d’établir leur titre ancestral avant de pouvoir intenter une action civile contre des sociétés privés. Ceci leur permet d’engager des poursuites judiciaires pour des projets proposés ou qui existent depuis des décennies. « Il s’agit d’un autre moyen pour les Premières Nations d’établir leur titre ancestral, et cela ouvre également une nouvelle voie pour les contentieux qui étaient jusqu’à présent uniquement introduits devant les gouvernements », indiquait Mme Bains. Auparavant, un groupe autochtone ne pouvait intenter de poursuite contre une société privée avant d’avoir pu établir son titre ancestral, procédure qui passait par de longues et complexes actions en justice impliquant les gouvernements (et durant lesquelles le groupe devait prouver que ses ancêtres utilisaient et occupaient ces terres à titre exclusif sur une période définie). Dans l’affaire de la Colombie-Britannique, les Premières Nations Saik’uz et Stellat’en du centre-nord de la province sont maintenant libres d’intenter un procès quant aux impacts du barrage construit sur la rivière Nechako en 1952 par Alcan afin d’alimenter une usine d’aluminium à Kitimat. Rio Tinto est
devenue propriétaire du barrage lorsqu’elle a acheté Alcan pour la somme de 38 milliards $ en 2007. « Ceci nous permet de ne plus avoir à traiter uniquement avec le gouvernement », expliquait Jackie Thomas, membre de la Première Nation Saik’uz de C.-B. et gestionnaire des terres et des ressources de Vanderhoof, qui a confirmé qu’elle ne demanderait pas de règlement extrajudiciaire. « Ceci signifie que nous pouvons directement traiter avec la société, et notamment avec les personnes qui étaient à l’époque en partie [responsables] des effets cumulatifs du problème sur nos territoires. » Dans leur procès, les deux groupes de Premières Nations de C.-B. exigent de Rio Tinto qu’elle change sa manière d’exploiter le barrage, notamment en ce qui concerne ses « déversements d’eau froide » dans la rivière afin de pouvoir mieux protéger ses stocks de saumon de l’élévation des températures de l’eau, des sécheresses ou d’autres phénomènes qui pourraient modifier l’environnement de la rivière. Les dommages et intérêts demandés visent aussi à couvrir les répercussions sur les saumons, depuis la construction du barrage et pour toute sa durée de vie. L’affaire du Québec, lancée par les chefs innus des communautés Uashat mak Mani-Utenam et Matimékush-LacJohn, porte sur les activités de la compagnie minière IOC, que Rio Tinto a acheté en 2000 et dont elle est maintenant l’actionnaire majoritaire (Mitsubishi est également actionnaire d’une partie de la société). D’après James O’Reilly, l’avocat représentant les Innus, les autochtones du Québec souhaitent obtenir une déclaration de la cour confirmant qu’ils sont en possession du titre ancestral relatif aux terres et aux ressources naturelles
affectées par les activités d’IOC, notamment par des mines existantes, des installations ferroviaires et portuaires ainsi que par la création de projets qui ont « eu des répercussions » sur ce titre. S’ils obtiennent gain de cause, cette affaire pourrait être une véritable catastrophe pour Rio Tinto ; en effet, en plus de demander 900 millions $ en compensation, les Innus enjoignent Rio Tinto IOC de mettre un terme aux projets occupant leur territoire, autrement dit l’intégralité des activités d’IOC. « Les discussions avec la société n’ont jusqu’à présent jamais abouti, et un règlement à l’amiable est très peu probable au point où nous en sommes », indiquait M. O’Reilly. Le procès, qui est maintenant passé entre les mains de la cour supérieure du Québec, pourrait durer jusqu’à sept ans. Bryan Tucker, porte-parole de Rio Tinto, n’a pas souhaité commenter les affaires en cours, mais a bien précisé que les relations de la société avec les autoch-
tones étaient de la plus haute importance. Il a notamment évoqué la mine de diamant Diavik dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest (T.N.-O.), dont pratiquement un quart des employés sont des autochtones, ainsi qu’une entente conclue avec la nation Haisla du nord de la C.-B., qui a établi un cadre pour les deux organisations encourageant leur collaboration au cours des 30 années à venir afin d’exploiter au mieux les activités d’Alcan à Kitimat.« Nous nous engageons à faire ce qu’il faut », déclarait-il. Des représentants de l’association minière du Canada (AMC) et de la Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC, l’association minière de Colombie-Britannique) n’ont pas souhaité commenter pendant que les affaires sont en cours. Comme l’expliquait M. O’Reilly, les affaires d’octobre montrent bien qu’aucun doute ne subsiste quant à la possibilité qu’ont désormais les Premières
Nations d’engager des poursuites contre les sociétés enfreignant leurs droits sans avoir à intenter un procès aux gouvernements en tant que défendeurs. Ceci ne vient pas pour autant sonner le glas pour les sociétés spécialisées dans les ressources qui cherchent à développer des projets au Canada. « Qu’il s’agisse d’un projet ancien ou nouveau, refuser de faire équipe avec les Premières Nations lorsque vous occupez leurs terres n’est assurément pas la bonne marche à suivre », indiquait-il. « Mieux vaut toujours obtenir leur consentement avant la construction d’un projet. » D’après M. O’Reilly, cette approche est déjà bien établie dans certaines régions du pays, par exemple dans le nord du Québec où l’industrie a signé d’importantes ententes sur les impacts et les avantages (EIA) avec les Cris du Québec ainsi que les Innus. « Il n’y a pas de raison que cela soit synonyme de morosité et de marasme pour l’industrie. » ICM
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SOIS SANS CRAINTE Comment recueillir les donnĂŠes dont nous avons besoin pour ĂŠviter des accidents mortels Par Peter Braul Illustrations par David Chen
ici ci
Big brother, le personnage de fiction du roman 1984 de George Orwell, personnifie tout ce que nous devons redouter d’une culture de la surveillance. Pourtant, à l’heure où la surveillance n’a jamais été aussi intense, la solution pour atteindre le niveau supérieur de sécurité sur le lieu de travail pourrait bien résider dans des efforts accrus de collecte de données.
P
orter secours à un collègue coincé dans une situation critique au fin fond d’une mine souterraine est la dernière chose que n’importe qui peut souhaiter. Outre les dangers inhérents à la fumée, à la chaleur, aux machines et aux masses rocheuses qui nous entourent dans cet environnement, le stress émotionnel peut rapidement devenir accablant. Cependant, grâce à une nouvelle technologie testée à l’occasion de l’International Mine Rescue Competition (la compétition internationale de sauvetage minier) qui s’est tenue à Sudbury en août dernier, porter secours à un collègue pourrait ne plus être aussi dangereux. Pour la première fois, les participants à ce projet seront équipés de capteurs fabriqués par la société Equivital, lesquels transmettront aux chefs d’équipe leurs statistiques vitales (telles que le rythme cardiaque et respiratoire) en temps réel, ainsi que toute une série de données, dont la température centrale et leur emplacement dans la mine. L’objectif est que les chefs d’équipe soient constamment informés des déplacements et du bien-être des membres de l’équipe afin d’éviter d’avoir à envoyer des équipes de sauvetage pour les secourir. « C’est très intéressant », déclarait Sandra Dorman, directrice du centre de recherche sur la santé et la sécurité au travail (CRSST) et professeure agrégée à l’université Laurentienne. Mme Dorman est l’une des personnes à l’origine de ce projet pilote dédié au sauvetage minier, et elle souhaitait préciser qu’il n’en est qu’à ses débuts. « La technologie commence à peine à exploser. » La technologie développée par Equivital, expliquait Mme Dorman, est unique du fait qu’il s’agit du premier capteur biométrique « prêt-àporter » offrant une sécurité intrinsèque. Une bande s’attache autour de la cage thoracique et l’autre se fixe par-dessus l’épaule ; ce système étant conçu pour un usage militaire, il est solide et adapté à une utiliFebruary/Février 2016 | 79
sation dans l’industrie. Les technologies prêt-à-porter (comme reprises est une dépense inutile dont beaucoup aimerait se on appelle ces capteurs) les plus récentes ont été développées passer. pour des applications dans le domaine du sport, aussi la fabRichard Paquin, représentant national auprès d’Unifor, le rication de capteurs répondant aux normes techniques et à la plus grand syndicat du secteur privé au Canada, se méfie des rigueur du monde minier est un territoire encore inexploré. répercussions en termes de vie privée que la collecte de ces « La plupart des appareils prêt-à-porter trouvent des applica- données implique. Il fait remarquer que le nombre de capteurs tions sur le lieu de travail même si les sociétés qui les fab- déjà installés dans les mines actuellement nous permet de riquent ne le savent pas encore », expliquait-elle. tracer un portrait relativement précis de ce qui se produit lors À ce jour, aucune mine n’utilise des dispositifs tels que d’un accident. « Un accident mortel a eu lieu à Sudbury il y a ceux proposés par Equivital dans ses activités quotidiennes. environ 4 mois », se souvenait-il. « L’employé a été percuté Pourtant, d’après les adeptes, cette technologie pourrait bien par la machine qu’il conduisait. » Grâce aux capteurs installés être la solution à la prochaine vague d’améliorations en sur les parois du tunnel, le véhicule qu’utilisait l’employé et matière de sécurité dans l’indusl’employé lui-même, une enquête a trie, maintenant que la culture de permis de déterminer ses déplacela sécurité est si enracinée. « Nous ments, la vitesse à laquelle il se avons touché le fond [en matière déplaçait, le moment auquel il a d’améliorations potentielles à la heurté la paroi et à peu de chose culture de la sécurité] », expliquait près, le moment auquel son Dirk Claessens, vice-président de équipement mobile l’a percuté. la section Analytique chez IBM, Mais ces capteurs n’expliquent qui reconnaît que les améliorapas tout, par exemple la raison tions les plus récentes ont été pour laquelle l’employé a heurté la impressionnantes. Mais, ajoutaitparoi ; était-il épuisé, déshydraté, – R. Paquin il, « l’ancien paradigme de la pyraavait-il trop chaud ? Peut-être mide n’existe plus, celui dans avait-il montré un signe plus tôt lequel pour chaque accident mordans la journée qui, si on l’avait tel, on comptait 10 accidents détecté, aurait sonné l’alarme. En graves et 30 incidents moins graves, et ainsi de suite. » outre, davantage d’informations pourraient permettre de Pour mieux comprendre la raison pour laquelle le concept mieux comprendre la façon dont ce genre d’événements se de la technologie prêt-à-porter est très prometteur, il convient produisent malgré une excellente culture de la sécurité. de remettre la sécurité dans son contexte. Au cours de la « Un certain nombre de modèles sont très difficiles à explidernière décennie, on comptait environ 50 % d’accidents mor- quer avec l’approche que nous utilisons actuellement », inditels en moins dans les mines métallifères américaines que quait M. Claessens. « Nous avons besoin de données pour durant les dix années précédentes, et 90 % de moins que dans bien comprendre l’origine de ces accidents et nous devons les années 1930. Le degré supérieur d’automatisation et l’en- automatiser au maximum la collecte de données et recueillir gagement envers l’instauration d’une culture de la sécurité ont autant de points de données que possible. Si l’on peut ajouter été essentiels à ces accomplissements. à la discussion les accidents évités de justesse (qui se proMais si l’on explore les dernières années plus en profondeur, duisent plus souvent que les accidents en tant que tels), on l’histoire est plus nuancée. Certaines années, le nombre d’acci- commence vraiment à disposer de données précieuses. » dents mortels aux États-Unis était remarquablement faible (16 D’autres modèles font aussi leur apparition. Par exemple, nous en 2011 et 2012, 17 en 2009) ; pour d’autres années, on en pourrions commencer à comprendre si les accidents évités de comptait plus de 30. « Ce que l’on ne parvient pas à maîtriser, justesse se produisent à un moment spécifique de la journée, semble-t-il, est le nombre d’accidents mortels », expliquait notamment vers le début ou la fin de chaque poste, ou même M. Claessens. « Lorsque des accidents se produisent, nous cher- s’ils sont associés à certaines conditions météorologiques ou chons tous à comprendre comment cela est possible. » autres variables inattendues. Selon lui, la collecte d’une masse de données sur les À quoi ressemble donc cet équipement qui pourrait nous employés alors qu’ils sont au travail révélera de nouvelles infor- fournir les données qui nous font défaut ? En général, il s’agit mations et entraînera parallèlement de capteurs, d’un dispositif mobile qui reçoit ce que les capd’importantes percées en teurs lui transmettent, et d’un logiciel qui organise les masses matière de sécurité et de pro- de données et envoie automatiquement les informations ductivité. Les employés recueillies aux personnes concernées. Les capteurs peuvent qui ne se blessent pas à revêtir différentes formes, par exemple le gilet Equivital, des mesure qu’ils acquièrent montres intelligentes, des casques intelligents tels que ceux de l’expérience se mon- proposés par LifeBeam ou encore des lunettes de protection trent souvent plus perfor- intelligentes qui surveillent le champ de vision. Sous ces mants, et la formation des diverses formes, les capteurs peuvent maintenant transmettre employés au même poste à plusieurs le rythme cardiaque, la température cutanée et centrale, la
“Je m’y opposerais très probablement dès le début”
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température de l’air, une analyse de la concentration de gaz fiques à l’industrie dans l’air ambiant, l’emplacement, les dépenses énergétiques, minière. l’exposition aux vibrations et essentiellement toute autre donBien que cette technée biométrique que l’on peut envisager. Bien entendu, tout nologie soit très ceci dépend du déploiement de réseaux sans fil dans l’inté- récente, son potentiel a gralité du site minier. été remarqué par cerIBM a développé ce que M. Claessens qualifie de solution taines des sociétés logicielle « ange gardien », laquelle intègre les informations minières les plus émide capteurs fabriqués par Texas Instruments et LifeBeam. À nentes. Comme l’expliquait l’aide d’un téléphone intelligent ou d’une tablette, l’employé Rick Howes, président et chef de se connecte au réseau et sa protection par logiciels est assurée. la direction de Dundee Precious Metals « Il pourrait s’agir d’une protection contre les chutes, la fatigue (consultez notre profil de projet de septembre 2014 intitulé ou les températures élevées, et Un maître sous terre consacré à la ainsi de suite », indiquait mine Chelopech), si sa société n’a M. Claessens. Essentiellement, le jusqu’à présent mis en place que le « bouclier de protection » définit système de suivi basé sur l’identiles paramètres qui sont acceptafication par radiofréquence bles et, si l’employé sort de ce (RFID), il est bien conscient du cadre, il est prévenu et doit réponpotentiel de cette technologie pour dre aux messages envoyés par le un développement plus poussé. système. Une protection contre les « Les technologies prêt-à-porter chutes pourrait par exemple trouveront une application spéciutiliser les données de l’acfique dans les mines très pro– D. Claessens céléromètre de Texas Instruments. fondes, où la chaleur, les risques Si l’employé tombe soudain au sol sismiques élevés et les coups de et ne répond pas rapidement, une charge possibles représentent un alerte est lancée. « Les employés grand problème », indiquait-il. « À se trouvant à proximité seront prévenus, le chef d’équipe sera l’avenir, nous aurons également besoin de vêtements spécialerté, de même que le surveillant de la sécurité. » aux qui peuvent s’adapter à l’environnement afin de fournir M. Claessens dirige actuellement plusieurs projets pilotes, chaleur ou fraîcheur en fonction des besoins dans ces mines le plus avancé étant un projet qu’il mène avec un aciériste profondes. » américain (qu’il ne peut nommer à ce jour), lequel a décidé Le stress thermique constitue effectivement l’un des prinde poursuivre la mise en œuvre du système « ange gardien » cipaux domaines de recherche de Mme Dorman ; en plus de de manière permanente. D’autres partenariats axés sur les collaborer avec les participants à la compétition de sauvetage technologies prêt-à-porter font également leur chemin, minier de cet été, elle travaille également avec un sousnotamment celui entre Deloitte et Vandrico, une société de groupe de mineurs de Sudbury en vue d’évaluer la pertiVancouver spécial- nence des technologies prêt-à-porter pour leurs tâches isée dans les logi- quotidiennes. Durant ces étapes préliminaires, elle espère ciels d’entreprise pouvoir évaluer les données que le capteur Equivital génère axée sur les solu- pendant un poste classique, et les utiliser pour décrire les tions industrielles conditions dans lesquelles les employés travaillent dans l’obde technologies jectif de fournir des recommandations pour réduire leur prêt-à-porter. Jess fatigue due à la chaleur. « Le stress thermique peut se révéler Sloss, responsable très dangereux », déclarait-elle. « Au début, on peut ressentir de la satisfaction des crampes, on peut [finir par] s’évanouir et techniquede la clientèle chez ment, la mort fait partie du scénario. Dans le cas du sauveVandrico, espère tage minier, on peut mettre la vie d’autres personnes en disposer d’ici trois danger car il faut maintenant porter secours à la personne mois de bien plus en péril. » D’après Mme Dorman, le véritable intérêt de la d’informations à recherche avec Equivital en matière de stress thermique conpartager après les sistera à démontrer si ce dispositif permet d’éviter un acciessais en cours dans l’industrie minière. John Wang, directeur dent en prévenant les employés d’un événement imminent de la section prêt-à-porter numérique de Deloitte (qui fait avant qu’il ne survienne. Une autre application importante, faisait remarquer partie de Deloitte Digital), expliquait qu’aucun dispositif prêtà-porter disponible dans le commerce n’était adapté aux M. Howes, consistera à « surveiller et lancer l’alarme en cas essais de la société, aussi le partenariat se sert actuellement d’expositions aux gaz provenant des explosions, du diesel, de d’une technologie amateur pour générer des solutions spéci- la faible teneur en oxygène et de la fumée. »
“Il s’agit d’un contrôle de l’état de santé de vos employés”
February/Février 2016 | 81
Mme Dorman ajoutait que les capteurs de mesure des vibrations pourraient aider les équipes de direction des mines à comprendre à quel moment et à quel endroit leurs employés sont les plus à risque et dans quelle circonstances des stratégies de contrôle peuvent être mises en œuvre. « Les personnes qui conduisent toute la journée, particulièrement dans les mines, sont soumises à d’intenses vibrations qui remontent le long de leur colonne vertébrale », indiquait-elle, ajoutant qu’il existe déjà une application pour téléphone portable dont elles peuvent se servir pour contrôler leur exposition. Une application similaire, mais adaptée à l’environnement minier, pourrait aider les employés qui n’ont pas le droit d’amener leurs téléphones portables sur le site. Une exposition continue à des niveaux élevés de vibrations pourraient se traduire par une blessure et une incapacité à travailler ; ainsi, si ces niveaux atteignent une certaine intensité, les sociétés pourraient commencer par réduire leurs limitations de vitesse dans les points névralgiques et donner la priorité à un nivellement de la surface des routes afin de préserver la santé de leurs employés. « Ce dispositif donne à la sécurité un aspect légèrement plus concret », expliquait Mme Dorman. Rob McEwen, qui a accueilli M. Claessens l’année dernière à l’occasion de l’un des séminaires de sa société du même nom sur l’innovation, déclarait que si ces technologies ont le potentiel d’améliorer la sécurité, il prévoit des « pierres d’achoppement » concernant le contrôle des données biologiques des employés. « C’est un domaine certes fort intéressant, mais pour lequel nous n’avons pas encore déployé suffisamment d’efforts. » M. Paquin d’Unifor constitue plus ou moins l’incarnation humaine de la pierre d’achoppement dans l’adoption généralisée des technologies prêt-à-porter. Sa préoccupation première, ce que l’on peut facilement comprendre, concerne la nature privée des informations recueillies par les capteurs biométriques. « Je m’y opposerais très probablement dès le début », déclarait-il. « Lorsqu’il s’agit de données médicales, il est difficile de gérer car on ne sait pas qui a accès à quelles informations. Elles sont intégrées à une sorte de base de données à laquelle ont accès certaines personnes qui ne devraient pas y avoir accès. » M. Paquin a surveillé la mise en œuvre des étiquettes RFID dans l’exploitation de Sudbury, laquelle a également soulevé nombre de préoccupations au sein du syndicat. « À chaque fois que l’on introduit de nouveaux systèmes ou une technologie innovante, personne n’en connaît les limites », indiquaitil, précisant que la RFID, si elle soulève des questions de confidentialité, est bien différente d’une surveillance continue de la santé d’un employé. La santé, et particulièrement tout
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renseignement d’ordre médical, sont réglementés de manière très stricte et ne doivent pas tomber entre les mains de n’importe qui. Pourtant, la surveillance continue est exactement l’aboutissement que recherche M. Claessens avec sa technologie. « Il s’agit d’un contrôle de l’état de santé de vos employés », indiquait-il. « Nous serons en possession de données “ prophétiques ” nous donnant l’état de santé de nos employés dans la demi-journée qui vient et serons en mesure d’éviter un accident voué à se produire. » Mme Dorman expliquait qu’il est primordial de bien faire comprendre à tous qu’il est dans leur intérêt d’utiliser ces dispositifs. « Il est très utile pour les employés de voir ce à quoi ressemble les données, car un employé peut avoir le sentiment que les personnes qui utilisent les données fournies par ces dispositifs connaîtront exactement les tenants et les aboutissants », ajoutait-elle. « Ce qui est faux. Prenons par exemple la fréquence cardiaque d’une personne ; en fonction du rythme, elle peut augmenter car l’employé est plus actif, ou peut-être parce qu’il est stressé. Mais on ne sait pas pour autant ce qu’il fait et ce qui est responsable du stress engendré ou encore quelle activité il est en train d’effectuer ; tout ce que l’on sait est que son rythme cardiaque, tout comme son rythme respiratoire, a augmenté. » Pour convaincre les employés que cette nouvelle technologie est en leur faveur, il faudra s’assurer que l’interface soit simple et leur donne un accès facile à leurs propres données. C’est la raison pour laquelle IBM a fait équipe avec Apple en vue de développer des plateformes conviviales. À l’avenir, il faudra peut-être adopter une approche de type « jeu sérieux » où les employés seront récompensés en temps réel à chaque fois qu’ils effectuent une tâche en toute sécurité. Cette récompense pourrait prendre la forme d’argent, ou d’un système de points à caractère compétitif de type jeu vidéo. Pour le moment, M. Claessens concentre ses efforts sur le développement d’une technologie convaincante. « En premier lieu, nous devons disposer de quelques bons projets et les faire connaître à grand renfort de publicité », indiquait-il. « Toute procédure visant à garantir la sécurité des employés a un impact positif sur la productivité ; ainsi, il nous faudra également, pour étayer notre hypothèse, insister sur le fait que cette technologie nous offre d’importantes informations quant à la productivité des employés sur le site, ce qui représente un avantage financier immédiat. » « Cette technologie existe et elle peut être déployée », maintient M. Claessens. « Il faut compter environ six mois pour mettre sur pied la première usine et deux ou trois millions de dollars, pas des dizaines. » ICM
An Introduction to Cutoff Grade: Theory and Practice in Open Pit and Underground Mines (with a new section on blending optimization strategy) Cut-off grades are essential in determining the economic feasibility and mine life of a project. The fundamentals of cut-off grade calculation, first established by Ken Lane forty years ago, are revisited. In this course it is shown how direct and indirect costs, opportunity costs imposed by operational constraints, and other factors, such as political risk, legal, environmental and regulatory requirements, must be taken into account. Mathematical equations are developed and graphical analytical methods are displayed, which can be used to solve most cut-off grade estimation problems. It is shown how minimum cut-off grades are estimated and how they must be modified to take into account constraints imposed by mine or mill capacity, or by limits on sales volumes. Multiple practical examples are given, illustrating the role of cut-off grades in mine planning, in allocating material to different processes, in optimizing mill operating conditions, and in poly-metallic deposits.
INSTRUCTOR Jean-Michel Rendu, JMR Consultants, USA • DATE September 21-23, 2016 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Geostatistical Mineral Resource Estimation and Meeting the New Regulatory Environment: Step by Step from Sampling to Grade Control This course is designed according to the latest regulations on public reporting of Mineral Resources. It aims at showing how state-of-the-art statistical and geostatistical techniques help answering the requirements of those regulations in an objective and reproducible manner. A particular emphasis is put on understanding sampling and estimation errors and how to assign levels estimation confidence through the application of resource classification fundamentals. In addition to a solid introduction to mining geostatistics this course provides a comprehensive overview of industry’s best practices in the broader field of Mineral Resource estimation.
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 26-30, 2016 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Optimization and Risk Management in Strategic Mine Planning: Unearthing Material Value in Mining Complexes Growing volatility and uncertainty in global metal markets highlight the need to focus on new technologies that can unveil significant value and reliability to the performance of mining operations. This three-day course explores the foundations of strategic mine planning and stresses the new generation of applied technologies related to: (a) simultaneous optimization of integrated mining and processing operations, and (b) orebody risk management with new stochastic mine planning optimization developments.
INSTRUCTORS Roussos Dimitrakopoulos and Ryan Goodfellow, McGill University, Canada; and Brian Lambert, Minemax, USA • DATE September 7-9, 2016 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Quantitative Mineral Resource Assessments: An Integrated Approach to Planning for Exploration Risk Reduction Learn about exploration risk analysis for strategic planning. Understand how to demonstrate how operational mineral deposit models can reduce uncertainties; make estimates of the number of undiscovered deposits; and integrate the information and examine the economic possibilities. INSTRUCTOR Don Singer, USA • DATE September 12-14, 2016 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada
PAR TOM DINARDO
Tom DiNardo
LA MINE CARIBOU prête à tourner Le gisement Caribou demeure ouvert en profondeur et le forage a révélé la présence de sulfures massifs en-dessous des ressources actuellement définies.
Alors que l’offre à l’échelle mondiale se resserre, le calendrier de la production commerciale à la mine de zinc Caribou de Trevali Mining pourrait donner le dynamisme nécessaire à ce projet du nord du NouveauBrunswick. Au fil des ans, la mine souterraine de zinc, plomb, argent, cuivre et or a connu plusieurs périodes d’interruption et est passée entre les mains de diverses sociétés. Cette fois-ci pourtant, Trevali, une société basée à Vancouver, est convaincue que l’exploitation va remonter la pente étant donné le prix et les indicateurs de base du marché du zinc, en partie responsables du déclin de la mine durant ses années sous la direction d’autres propriétaires. Cette marchandise se vendait à environ 0,67 $ US/livre à la mi-janvier, mais la fermeture de plusieurs mines et la déplétion des stocks devraient rapidement stimuler les ventes. « La thèse émise pour le zinc est que les ventes pourraient rapidement augmenter à mesure que la fermeture des mines et les pénuries dans les entrepôts se font sentir », indiquait Steve Stakiw, vice-président des relations avec les investisseurs et des communications dans l’entreprise chez Trevali. Mais ce n’est pas la seule raison pour laquelle la société semble être sur la voie ascendante. Lorsqu’elle a racheté le complexe minier et l’usine de concentration à Maple Minerals en novembre 2012, une grande partie de l’infrastructure était déjà en place. Blue Note Mining, la dernière société à avoir exploité la mine, avait développé la propriété au milieu des années 2000 et exploité le gisement pendant à peine plus d’un an avant d’être contrainte à la mise sous séquestre vers la fin de l’année 2008 en raison du prix trop bas des marchandises. Elle avait extrait environ 500 000 tonnes de matériaux. « Si l’on tient compte du capital important investi dans cet actif, autant pour la mine souterraine que pour l’usine de concentration », déclarait M. Stakiw, « nous en avons tiré un bon prix. »
A
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Le vilain petit canard Trevali n’était pas entièrement sûre de sa décision lorsqu’elle a acquis la mine Caribou. C’est l’usine de concentration qui a attiré son attention sur la propriété. Début 2011, Trevali a ajouté Stratmat et Halfmile à sa liste de projets, lesquels sont tous deux situés à proximité de Bathurst au Nouveau-Brunswick. Trevali a commencé ses essais d’extraction minière sur le site de Halfmile en 2012, mais la mine ne disposait pas de sa propre installation de traitement. Ainsi, en novembre 2012, la société a acheté le complexe minier et l’usine de concentration Caribou pour une valeur marchande d’environ 24 millions $ à l’époque. Lorsqu’elle était propriétaire de l’exploitation, Blue Note avait investi environ 100 millions $ dans la remise en état et la modernisation de l’usine de traitement et de l’infrastructure de la mine. La production a commencé en 1970 à la mine à ciel ouvert, alors qu’elle était détenue par la société Anaconda Minerals. La société avait procédé à des aménagements souterrains sur environ 13 kilomètres, développement que M. Stakiw estimait à 50 ou 60 millions $. « Ceci nous a indéniablement facilité la tâche », reconnaissait-il. Depuis l’achat de la mine par Trevali, la société a investi environ 50 millions $ et, à ce jour, a poursuivi les aménagements souterrains sur 3,5 kilomètres. La mine étant restée inexploitée depuis 2008, les tunnels souterrains existants ont dû être remis en état, travaux que Trevali a commencé en 2014. « De manière générale, 95 % des tunnels étaient en bon état », expliquait Barbara Rose, ingénieure des mines en chef de Caribou. Cependant, certaines parties des tunnels ayant croisé les deux principales lignes de faille dans le corps minéralisé s’étaient affaissées. Ainsi, Trevali a rajouté du béton projeté dans ces tunnels en plus des boulons et du grillage métallique déjà en place. À ce
stade, tous les tunnels dont dépend la production ont été remis en état. Au mois de décembre, Trevali était parvenue à porter la production à environ 2 000 tonnes par jour. Pour la phase de mise en service de la mine, ce sont les entrepreneurs miniers Alex MacIntyre & Associates qui sont en charge des travaux souterrains. « Nous souhaitions éliminer les risques financiers inhérents au projet durant cette phase », expliquait Mark Cruise, président de Trevali. L’exploitation de la mine a commencé avec une main-d’œuvre totalement formée et qualifiée qui possédait son propre parc d’équipement minier, ce qui a permis à Trevali de réduire le capital initial ainsi que les besoins en formation. Une fois que la mine atteindra le stade de production commerciale au cours du premier trimestre 2016, il est prévu qu’elle soit entièrement exploitée par les propriétaires d’ici le début du second semestre 2016. À ce moment-là, Trevali disposera de son propre parc de véhicules, dont cinq bennes à godet et sept camions de transport souterrains de 45 tonnes. Pour le site de Caribou, Trevali se sert d’une version modifiée de la méthode AVOCA d’exploitation rabattante à longs trous par retrait longitudinal. D’après Mme Rose, les mineurs ont généralement accès aux deux extrémités de l’extraction minière lorsqu’ils emploient la méthode AVOCA, un côté pour l’abattage à l’explosif et le marinage, et l’autre pour le remblai. Cependant, les mineurs de fond à Caribou n’ont pas accès aux deux extrémités, aussi le marinage a lieu du même côté que le forage, l’abattage à l’explosif et le remblai. « Les exploitants précédents utilisaient une méthode AVOCA modifiée, aussi nous avons décidé de poursuivre avec cette méthode d’extraction minière », expliquait Mme Rose. « Il nous faut [du forage au remblayage] entre 30 et 45 jours pour creuser les chambres. »
Broyage fin Étant donné la nature à grains fins du minerai, Blue Note a installé trois broyeurs IsaMill dans l’installation de broyage de Caribou en 2007. D’après M. Cruise, il s’agit de la première installation dotée de cette technologie en Amérique du Nord.
Gracieuseté de Trevali Mining
L'exploitation minière à Caribou a commencé en 1970 dans une mine à ciel ouvert.
L’IsaMill est un broyeur agitateur horizontal à grande vitesse et à forte intensité pouvant atteindre jusqu’à 300 kilowattheures par mètre cube (kWh/m3) ; à titre de comparaison, un broyeur à boulets fonctionne généralement à moins de 40 kWh/m3. Ceci permet au broyeur IsaMill de traiter de fines particules à grande capacité. Il est équipé de huit disques revêtus d’une membrane en caoutchouc pour broyer les schlamms de l’alimentation, qui s’écoulent au travers de trous dans les disques. Après avoir traversé les huit disques, le produit broyé atteint un séparateur. Les particules qui ont été réduites à la bonne taille poursuivent leur chemin ; celles qui sont encore trop grosses sont renvoyées dans le circuit d’alimentation pour être rebroyées. « Ce procédé est indispensable à la métallurgie ainsi que pour augmenter les récupérations étant donné la nature fine des grains du minerai dans le gisement », indiquait M. Stakiw. Dans le domaine des broyeurs de particules ultrafines, la concurrence n’est pas énorme, ajoutait M. Cruise. Il expliquait que « les plus grandes mines de zinc de la planète utilisent des broyeurs [IsaMill]. » Afin de mieux saisir la technologie, les employés préposés aux broyeurs de Caribou se sont rendus en février dernier à la mine de zinc de McArthur River, en Australie, afin de découvrir les tenants et les aboutissants du broyeur IsaMill dans le cadre de ce que M. Cruise qualifiait de « leçon de maître. » En outre, Glencore, qui est propriétaire de la technologie IsaMill et la commercialise, a pu déléguer un expert technique sur place pour aider Trevali à la phase de mise en service. La société a également embauché un ancien employé de MacArthur River au poste de spécialiste du fonctionnement de l’IsaMill afin d’optimiser l’utilisation des broyeurs agitateurs sur le site de Caribou en termes de taille et d’efficacité du broyage. En ce qui concerne l’augmentation de la production, M. Cruise indiquait que tout s’est relativement bien passé. « Nous avons un peu souffert le premier mois, mais c’est souvent le cas jusqu’à ce que l’équipe s’habitue au rythme », expliquait-il. Jusqu’ici, les préposés aux broyeurs avaient besoin de trois broyeurs IsaMill pour broyer le zinc à la bonne taille, mais February/Février 2016 | 85
il n’en a fallu que deux à Trevali pour obtenir le broyage souhaité. « De toute évidence, leur efficacité et rentabilité sont bien supérieures en termes de corps broyants, de consommation énergétique et d’autres facteurs », indiquait M. Cruise. En outre, le troisième broyeur peut servir de broyeur de secours à Caribou durant l’entretien mensuel, ce qui réduit les interruptions de la production. En plus des broyeurs IsaMill, Trevali a acheté un nouveau broyeur semi-autogène (broyeur SAG) et a rénové les deux broyeurs à boulets pour son usine de traitement, dont la capacité atteint les 3 000 tonnes par jour. Une fois le minerai totalement broyé, il est envoyé dans le circuit de flottation et le concentré est ensuite transporté par camion au nord de Bathurst jusqu’au port de Belledune, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Trevali a signé un accord d’écoulement de la production avec Glencore pour l’intégralité du concentré de zinc et de plomb produit.
Le zinc : prix et production À l’heure actuelle, il est admis que le zinc est l’une des rares marchandises dont l’avenir s’annonce prometteur. À la mi-janvier, son prix avait baissé d’environ 0,5 $ US/livre par rapport à son prix en avril dernier, qui se situait à 1,1 $ US/livre. Pour expliquer ce déclin, M. Stakiw cite la grande quantité de zinc qui a été stockée ces dernières années. « Nous allons voir nos stocks s’épuiser ; ils sont encore bien fournis, mais se vident assez rapidement », indiquait-il. « De 1 000/2 000 tonnes par jour en début d’année l’an dernier, le taux quotidien de diminution des stocks a atteint 3 000/4 000 tonnes par jour vers la fin de l’année 2015. » Quelques grandes mines ont également fermé leurs portes, et l’impact de ces fermetures commence à peine à se faire sentir, indiquait M. Stakiw. La mine Century de MMG en Australie, par exemple, a expédié sa dernière cargaison de concentré de zinc à la mi-décembre. Par ailleurs, les compressions de personnel que Glencore a annoncées début octobre impliquent que la société compte réduire environ un tiers de sa production mondiale de zinc, ajoutait-il. « À compter du premier trimestre 2016, on s’attend à une baisse de la quantité de concentrés normalement livrée aux entrepôts ; les réductions vont donc commencer à augmenter car il ne sera pas possible de réapprovisionner pour rééquilibrer ou compenser ces dernières », indiquait M. Stakiw. Ceci finira par avoir un impact sur le prix.
Perspectives d’emploi Comme de nombreuses exploitations minières au Canada, Trevali a conclu une entente sur les impacts et les avantages (EIA) avec la collectivité locale des Premières Nations. Dans le cas de Caribou, une EIA a été signée avec neuf Premières Nations Mi’gmag en 2011. Le principal élément de cette EIA porte sur les perspectives d’embauche d’un maximum de 20 % de la main-d’œuvre auprès des membres de ces Premières Nations. Pour Terry Richardson, directeur des avantages sociaux pour les membres de la communauté Mi’gmag chez Trevali et lui-même membre de l’une des neuf Premières Nations, au-delà de la simple embauche, c’est l’expérience qui finira par porter ses fruits 86 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
pour les employés issus des Premières Nations à l’avenir. « Certaines personnes faisant carrière dans le secteur minier n’auront plus jamais à chercher un emploi auprès de l’administration locale car elles pourront aller travailler ailleurs pour cette industrie ; c’est une grande victoire pour nous », déclarait M. Richardson. Caribou n’a cependant pas encore atteint la barre des 20 %. « Nous tournons autour de 14 à 15 %, mais nous y arrivons », indiquait M. Richardson. Ceci constitue néanmoins un grand pas en avant pour la communauté locale des Premières Nations. Comme le rappelait M. Richardson, lorsque la mine Brunswick de Xstrata Zinc à proximité a fermé ses portes en 2013, aucun des employés travaillant à la mine n’était membre des Premières Nations. « C’est l’ironie du sort, et c’est bien triste, mais au moins nous observons aujourd’hui un engagement plus marqué », indiquait-il. Afin d’augmenter le nombre d’employés issus des Premières Nations à la mine, Trevali s’est engagée à mener un programme de formation à l’emploi dans le cadre de son EIA en partenariat avec l’initiative sur la participation des autochtones au marché du travail (IPAMT) et le ministère de l’enseignement supérieur du Nouveau-Brunswick. Il s’agit d’un programme de formation à l’exploitation minière souterraine, qui sera proposé par le New Brunswick Community College à Miramichi, ainsi que d’un programme de formation à l’exploitation d’une usine de concentration, proposé par le Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick à Bathurst. La formation consiste à enseigner des compétences fondamentales ainsi qu’à dispenser des connaissances en matière de santé et sécurité au travail. Jusqu’ici, 24 candidats ont suivi le programme de formation sur l’exploitation minière souterraine. Sur ces candidats, M. Richardson estime qu’environ 19 travaillent encore à la mine. « Il y a eu du roulement au niveau du personnel car, de toute évidence, l’exploitation minière n’est pas faite pour tout le monde ; mais si vous prenez [ces chiffres], le maintien de l’effectif avoisine 80 %, ce qui est très satisfaisant. » De même, environ 90 % des personnes qui ont suivi le programme de formation à l’exploitation d’une usine de concentration occupent encore leur poste. Le processus de dépôt de candidature comprend un entretien avec M. Richardson ainsi qu’une épreuve d’aptitudes pour s’assurer que les candidats possèdent neuf compétences fondamentales pour mener les diverses tâches nécessaires à ce métier, dont la lecture, l’écriture, les mathématiques et la capacité à comprendre des plans. Le coût du programme, selon M. Richardson, s’élève à environ 6 000 $ par candidat, et il est couvert en majeure partie par la province. Trevali fournit les salles de formation sur place pour le programme. Globalement, M. Richardson considère la relation de Trevali avec la communauté voisine comme un grand accomplissement. « Le succès que nous avons eu avec notre EIA est un sujet dont nous nous vantons au sein de nos nations Mi’gmag », déclarait-il. « Nous avons commencé à dire qu’il s’agit d’un parfait exemple de la façon dont une société minière peut s’intégrer et collaborer avec les Premières Nations et ce, au profit de tous, de la société, de la Première Nation et de la communauté. » ICM
technical abstracts
CIM Journal Abstracts from CIM Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1.
Mudrush risk evaluation J. Jakubec, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; R. Clayton, GHD, Perth, Western Australia; and A. R. Guest, AGTCcc (formerly with De Beers), Johannesburg, South Africa
The potential for mudrushes is a potential hazard that should be evaluated during cave mining studies. Mudrushes are a phenomenon that can have very different origins, but produce the same results: injury, loss of life, damage to property, excess dilution, production delays, or mine closure. Although mudrushes are more common in cave mines than other mines, any mining activity that enables the accumulation of fine particles and water is susceptible to mudflow. This paper describes the process developed by the authors during the past decade to evaluate the risk of mudrushes, specifically in caving and sublevel caving mines.
Effect of diesel oxidation catalysts on nitrogen dioxide production from diesel mining equipment J. Stachulak, MIRARCO Mining Innovation, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; M. Gangal, Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and C. Allen, Vale Ontario Operations, Copper Cliff, Ontario, Canada
Most underground diesel equipment is equipped with diesel oxidization catalysts (DOCs) to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. DOCs do not alter nitrogen oxides concentrations but can promote the oxidization of nitric oxide (NO) to the more toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Vale and CanmetMINING have been researching how to reduce worker exposure to diesel emissions by testing mining equipment DOCs. Results indicate a > 77% decrease in carbon monoxide concentration but a 46–315% increase in NO2 concentration for 8-mode test cycles. It is recommended that DOCs that increase NO2 emissions be evaluated regarding their continued use in underground operations.
Strategic risk assessment and management of Indigenous issues in the extractive sector K. Ramji, Donovan & Company Barristers and Solicitors, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The development curve in the extractive sector has become longer, steeper, and riskier due to increased social, legal, and political risks from various stakeholders. Indigenous peoples are a unique stakeholder because their growing legal rights to lands and resources can often determine a project’s outcome. A project will only be successful if it is able to obtain the legal permits, withstand any judicial reviews, and gain and maintain the social license to operate. Stakeholder identification, management, and engagement are key risk-mitigation tools required to successfully convert risks into opportunities.
Mining industry-Aboriginal engagement pursuant to new Ontario Mining Act rules: A preliminary examination of potential impacts K. Webb, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and M. Hohn, Akashic Communications, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
This paper reviews the evolving Ontario mining regime for mining industry-Aboriginal engagement and its apparent alignment with court decisions, domestic law, emerging international norms, mining industry rules, and mining firm-Aboriginal agreements, drawing on publicly available commentary from government officials, the private sector, and Indigenous communities. This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the potential implications of the new regime, especially for the mining industry and Aboriginal communities and, on that basis, discusses possible future developments.
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technical abstracts
Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly Papers in CMQ, Vol. 54, No. 1.
Metallurgical studies with the HIPPO diffractometer at LANSCE H.M. Reiche, Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA; J.S. Carpenter, Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA; F. Stein, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany; T. Tomida, Steel Research Laboratories, Technical Research & Development Bureau, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, 1-8 Fuso-cho, Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan; S.C. Vogel, Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
Solidification analysis of Al–5 wt-%Cu alloy using in situ neutron diffraction F. D’Elia, C. Ravindran, Centre for Near-Net-Shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada; and D. Sediako, R. Donaberger, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, ON, Canada
Investigation of solidification behaviour of Mg–6Al and Mg–9Al alloys using in situ neutron diffraction A. Elsayed, Centre for Near-Net-Shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada; D. Sediako, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River, ON, Canada; and C. Ravindran, Centre for Near-Net-Shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Neutron diffraction investigation of phase compositions in as received and modified Zr–2·5Nb pressure tube materials A.I. Fluke, R.W.L. Fong, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada; and R. Flacau, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, National Research Council Canada, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada
In situ neutron diffraction analysis of stress-free d-spacing during solution heat treatment of modified 319 Al alloy engine blocks A. Lombardi, Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; D. Sediako, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, National Research Council Canada, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada; C. Ravindran, Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and R. MacKay, Nemak Canada Corporation, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Neutron imaging of hydrogen in iron and steel A. Griesche, E. Dabah, and T. Kannengiesser, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Department Component Safety, Berlin, Germany
Interdiffusion of Fe and Mg layers during annealing and deuterium absorption H. Fritzsche, S. Bilodeau, R. Flacau, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, AECL, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada; P. Jain, J. Huot, Institut de Recherche sur l’Hydrogène, Université du Quebec à Trois-Rivière, Québec, Québec, Canada; and W.P. Kalisvaart, D. Mitlin, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
In-situ neutron powder diffraction on TiF3 catalysed magnesium for hydrogen storage applications R. Flacau, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada; X. Tan, M. Danaie, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; H. Fritzsche, Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada; and D. Mitlin, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Mining Lore The Battle of Blair Mountain By Correy Baldwin
ining in the early 1900s was still, by all accounts, an state imposed martial law on the county to calm things down. ugly occupation, and negotiating for better working This resulted in mass arrests of miners, though it only seemed conditions and pay remained a fraught endeavour. to harden their resolve. Miners were increasingly turning to the United Mine Workers The Baldwin-Felts agency, meanwhile, sought revenge on of America (UMWA) for support, but the relationship between Hatfield for the deaths of the Felts brothers, especially after mine owners and the union was largely Hatfield was acquitted for their deaths. antagonistic, and often marked by violence. Finally they saw their chance. Hatfield In West Virginia between 1920 and 1921, was to appear in court on August 1, this violence reached such heights that 1921, along with his friend Ed Chamtoday it is commonly referred to as the West bers, charged with dynamiting a coal Virginia coal wars, culminating in the Battle tipple. Baldwin-Felts agents were waitof Blair Mountain. ing for the two men as they climbed the The UMWA began gaining a foothold in courthouse steps. The agents opened the coal fields of West Virginia in the spring fire and gunned them down – an act for of 1920, with scores of miners signing up which they were later acquitted. despite fears of losing their jobs. Mining For the miners, the assassination was companies pushed back, often hiring the the final straw, and they began arming notorious Baldwin-Felts agency for the dirtthemselves for whatever came next. A ier work. Baldwin-Felts was a detective week later thousands of miners gathagency that had branched out from invesered for a rally in the capital of tigative work into private security. Their Charleston. When the governor agents were hired to spy on union members rejected their demands, the miners and to put down strikes, but to the miners decided to march south to Mingo they were nothing more than hired thugs. County to free their imprisoned comW.H. Blizzard, left, with an “aide-de-camp.” The events leading up to Blair Mountain rades, end martial law and enforce the Blizzard commanded the army of miners in the August 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain. began in Matewan, in the southwest county legitimacy of the union. of Mingo. On May 19, 1920, the Stone On August 24, some 10,000 armed Mountain Coal Company brought in 12 Baldwin-Felts agents, men began their march, passing through neighbouring Logan including Albert and Lee Felts, brothers of the agency’s owner, County along the way. But their path was blocked. A Logan Thomas Felts, to evict some miners and their families from County sheriff named Don Chafin was waiting for them, havcompany housing. This they did, forcing the miners out at ing organized a 2,000-strong armed force of his own and posigunpoint, beginning with a woman and her children who were tioned them on Blair Mountain, directly in the miners’ path. home alone. It was here, along the valley and slopes of Blair Mountain, Needless to say, this did not go over well with the miners, that the largest labour uprising in U.S. history came to a head. nor with Matewan’s hot-headed police chief Sid Hatfield and For five days the miners fought hard against superior firethe town’s mayor Cabell Testerman, both former miners them- power, with Chafin going so far as to hire planes to drop selves and sympathetic to the miners’ struggle. Hatfield con- bombs on them. Finally the federal government sent in the fronted the agents as they were preparing to leave town and army to end the uprising, and the miners stood down – many attempted to arrest them. The confrontation grew heated, and hiding their guns in the woods as they retreated, some of as it did, armed miners positioned themselves around the which are still being found today. The estimate of the total agents. Then gunfire broke out. By the time it was over, seven number killed varies from 16 to 100, though it is clear most of agents were dead, including Albert and Lee Felts, along with the deaths were of miners. two miners and Mayor Testerman. Nearly 1,000 miners were charged with everything from Hatfield instantly became a hero for challenging the agents, murder to treason. The battle was a major defeat for the and the event galvanized the miners to push for workers’ UMWA, which lost tens of thousands of memberships over the rights and to have the mine owners recognize the legitimacy of subsequent years, and the region itself failed to unionize until the union. After a year of increasing tensions and violent 1935. But after Blair Mountain, the lines had been drawn, both encounters between mine owners and their employees, the sides knew how far the other was willing to go. CIM Courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives
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90 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 11, No. 1
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