CIM Magazine June-July 2017 by CIM-ICM Publications

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JUNE/JULY | JUIN/JUILLET | 2017

cover story

Names to Know 2017 This cast of characters is shaping the mining industry and pushing it in new directions By Joel Barde, Sahar Fatima, Herb Mathisen, Kelsey Rolfe and Kylie Williams

48 Less is more

52 No time for waste

Rio Tintoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smelter modernization project has its Kitimat operation turning out a lot more aluminum without a big increase to its environmental footprint

Recent advances in scanning technology have bolstered the case for ore sorting in mine operations

61 Conference of Metallurgists 2017 Preliminary program

By Andrew Topf

By Kylie Williams

June/July â&#x20AC;˘ Juin/Juillet 2017 | 5

CIM MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY | JUIN/JUILLET 2017

in each issue

8 10 12

Editor’s letter President’s notes Chatter

tools of the trade

The best in new technology Compiled by Elle Crosby

developments

Goldcorp partners with junior miners in new greenfields exploration strategy By Kylie Williams

Federal government’s carbon pricing plan a mixture of carbon levy and cap-and-trade systems

mining lore

By Elle Crosby

Potash project partnership may become Canada’s first on-reserve mine

The dark labour history of Scottish coal miners By Cecilia Keating

By Joel Barde

contenu francophone

column

65 66

The cure for “go fever” By Roy Slack

metallurgy and materials science

FLSmidth tackles chalcopyrite processing with new rapid oxidative leach process By Cecilia Keating

UBC’s Maria Holuszko is researching processing techniques to extract metals from e-waste By Peter Braul

Changing landscape

CIM Convention attendees, optimistic for the year ahead, consider how to manage the industry’s rapid change By CIM Magazine staff

6 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Lettre de l’éditeur | Mot du président

article de fond

Saskatchewan Research Council develops process to recover and separate REEs from uranium deposits By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

Table des matières

Les noms à connaître Ces personnalités façonnent l'industrie minière et la propulsent vers de nouveaux horizons Par Joel Barde, Sahar Fatima, Herb Mathisen, Kelsey Rolfe et Kylie Williams

Une industrie en pleine évolution Optimistes pour l'année à venir, les participants au congrès de l'ICM envisagent la façon de gérer au mieux le changement rapide que connaît l'industrie Par l’equipe du CIM Magazine

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

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editor’s letter

In the know s far as heists go, the job is pretty straightforward: break into a mining company’s loosely secured network; collect and extract emails between executives, employee records and financial information; then show it to the CEO, threatening to make it public if the ransom is not paid. Success! Move on to the next company, and this time raise the price. The chance of getting caught is slim; the few federal officers assigned to cybercrime are much more concerned with protecting vital public infrastructure. At the recent CIM Convention in Montreal, Rob Labbé, Teck Resources’ director of information security, sketched out this scenario, which has victimized a number of miners over the last few years, noting that the cost has increased from $50,000 to $500,000. He went on to add that the risks of such attacks only grow as mines expand their use of automation. “People are the firewall. A driver will not drive off of a cliff. A plant operator knows the feel and sound of the plant. Sensors do not think. We need to pull apart the new tools and find the vulnerabilities.”

This issue’s cover Barrick Gold’s chief innovation officer Michelle Ash

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Luigi D’Astolfo/Image Photographique Internationale

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Finalist

The presentation was compelling and so is the solution he proposed, which is something we explore with Labbé in our profile of him for our annual “Names to know” feature. In this installment we highlight people who have left an impression on us, the editorial team at CIM Magazine, for the work they are doing to push the industry forward or, in the case of Regina Lopez, the Philippines’ recently ousted environment secretary, hold it back. Many of those featured are navigating the difficult intersection of new ideas and established thinking, where big expectations run up against world-weary doubts and where collisions are frequent. By laying out the challenges these 10 people have taken on, we aim to capture where the industry is at this moment, and to add some texture to these stories as they continue to develop. This is always a fun piece to put together. I hope you enjoy it.

Editor-in-chief Ryan Bergen, rbergen@cim.org Executive editor Angela Hamlyn, ahamlyn@cim.org Managing editor Andrea Nichiporuk, anichiporuk@cim.org Section editors Tom DiNardo, tdinardo@cim.org; Kelsey Rolfe, krolfe@cim.org Copy editor Marilena Lucci, mlucci@cim.org Web content editor Maria Olaguera, molaguera@cim.org Contributing editor Eavan Moore, emoore@cim.org Editorial intern Elle Crosby, ecrosby@cim.org Digitization technician Marie-Ève Lapierre, melapierre@cim.org Contributors Joel Barde, Peter Braul, Sahar Fatima, Cecilia Keating, Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, Herb Mathisen, Roy Slack, Andrew Topf, Kylie Williams Editorial advisory board Alicia Ferdinand, Mohammad Babaei Khorzhoughi, Vic Pakalnis, Steve Rusk, Nathan Stubina Translations Karen Rolland, CNW 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

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

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 Online version included in CIM Membership ($187/yr). Print version for institutions or agencies – Canada: $275/yr (AB, BC, MB, NT, NU, SK, YT add 5% GST; ON add 13% HST; QC add 5% GST + 9.975% PST; NB, NL, NS, PE add 15% HST). Print version for institutions or agencies – USA/International: US$325/yr. Online access to single copy: $50. Layout and design by Clò Communications Inc. www.clocommunications.com Copyright©2017. 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.

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Printed in Canada 8 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

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president’s notes

CIM, mining and Canada’s 150th

“Let’s raise a toast and honour the contribution mining has made to the continued growth of Canada.”

This year we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and as we do, we should also commemorate the role mining has played in the great history of this country. In 1898, not long after Confederation in 1867, CIM was founded by an Act of Parliament consolidating various provincial mining associations, the first of which was created 22 years earlier. So CIM and its predecessors date back nearly to the beginning of this country. This reflects how integral mining has been to the development and growth of Canada. In 2015 mining contributed about 3.5 per cent to the Canadian gross domestic product, was the largest private sector employer of Indigenous Peoples and employed about 380,000 people directly and at least twice that number indirectly, which is why CIM is so important. CIM was created by mining individuals seeking both a professional network and a vehicle for the communication of ideas and interests of the industry. Currently, CIM is a thriving organization composed of corporate, individual and student members and has branches across the country as well as societies that specialize in the various technical, financial and social aspects of the industry. Today, Canada produces over 60 minerals and metals and is among the top five global producers of 13 of those commodities. This could not have been achieved without notable entrepreneurs making a significant contribution for over a century, including Noah Timmins, who created the Hollinger gold mine in the early 1900s, which operated for over 50 years and was one of a number of successful enterprises for him; Thayer Lindsay, who developed the Falconbridge company, for many years an iconic Canadian name; the Keevil father-son duo who built Teck into a diversified coal and base metal producer in the latter half of the 20th century; and Peter Munk and Bob Smith, who led Barrick from a junior in the 1980s to become one of the largest gold mining companies in the world. So, as we celebrate our 150th anniversary, let’s raise a toast and honour the contribution mining has made to the continued growth of Canada.

Kenneth (Ken) G. Thomas CIM President @CIMPrez

10 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

chatter RE: MISSING THE RUSH (FEB ‘17)

An over-financialized industry addicted to “the thrill of the short-term rush.” – Louis V. Galdieri, @lvgaldieri

RYAN BERGEN @Ryan_CIM_Mag

ANGELA HAMLYN @AngelaH_CIM

RE: MILLENNIALS IN MINING (MARCH/APRIL ‘17)

These millennials will eat everyone’s lunch! – Le Nguyen ANDREA NICHIPORUK @Andrea_CIM_Mag

RE: THE CARBON CONUNDRUM (MAY ‘17)

Thanks for the great overview. Indeed, the recommendations of the FSB Taskforce for climate risk disclosure to investors will change the game. Internal pricing of carbon is a necessary first step. – Stephanie Hamilton

TOM DiNARDO @Tom_CIM_Mag

KELSEY ROLFE @kelseyarolfe

RE: HARD ROCK REVOLUTION ON THE HORIZON (MAY ‘17)

Thanks for sharing. I think this is one of the ways forward for the industry but as the article highlights the challenge will be acceptance by the industry. There will be arguments about speed and versatility but the benefits of accuracy - 10 to 20% less waste from reduced overbreak in development; less ground support because you are not hitting the ground hard with explosives. I look forward to seeing one of these machines in action, hopefully not too far in future. – Dave McGowan

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

MARIA OLAGUERA @Maria_CIM_Mag

FACEBOOK facebook.com/CIMMag/ facebook.com/CIM.ICM/

LINKEDIN linkedin.com/groups/40506/ 29 likes

Silvana Costa was the first woman photographed for the CIM Magazine cover back in 2004 – we caught up with her at #cimtl17

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Quiet on the set! Everyone is buzzing about CIM Magazine’s new site. Experience it for yourself at magazine.cim.org

INSTAGRAM instagram.com/cim_mag

YOUTUBE CIM Magazine was at CIM 2017 in May to gather story ideas and launch our new website. Follow us on Instagram @cim_mag to see more from the conference, other field adventures and the mining news you should be following. See page 55 for our CIM 2017 recap.

ERRATUM In the story “Remembering Westray” (May ’17, pg. 25) we stated that the public inquiry that followed the disaster was “marred by accusations of gross negligence”, when we should have said the public inquiry included accusations of gross negligence at the site. We regret the error. 12 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

youtube.com/canadianinstituteofmining

LET’S TALK Want to sing our praises or read us the riot act? Email your comments to editor@cim.org and you could be featured on these pages.

Courtesy of Brokk

Courtesy of Fastec

tools of the trade

A rough and ready robot Blasting in high-def One of the most effective ways to measure blast performance is to record it. Fastec Imaging’s TS5 high-speed camera is a handheld option for accurately capturing the precise firing times of blast holes and the nature of rock movement. The TS5 comes in four models, all of which record over 3,200 frames per second (fps) at its highest resolution and more than 29,000 fps at lower resolutions. With these kinds of millisecond timescales, the TS5 can facilitate the audit and review process by allowing expert analysis of detonator timings, fragmentation, venting and flyrock. While highspeed cameras require more setup than cell phone cameras, Tim Brandt, Fastec Imaging’s product manager, said “novice users are pretty easily brought up to speed” and the quality of the pictures make the learning adjustment worthwhile. The TS5 can be operated manually or through a computer, tablet or smartphone, and it has USB and SD ports that allow users to easily transfer images as well as built-in storage that holds up to two terabytes of photos and videos.

When pushed too hard in severe conditions, some demolition robots can become overworked and shut down. The Brokk 500, the newest remote-controlled demolition robot from Brokk, does the tough physical work for miners by effectively crushing rock while also maintaining control over the output of its motor to ensure it is working efficiently. The Brokk 500 produces 1,086 foot-pounds (1,472 joules) per blow of the 685-kilogram Atlas Copco SB 702 hydraulic breaker, giving it 40 per cent more demolition power than its predecessor, the Brokk 400. The three-part arm system is also longer than that of the Brokk 400, extending to 7.4 metres vertically and seven metres horizontally. Despite this, at 5,200 kilograms it is only about 100 kgs heavier than the previous model, and the two machines are the same width. The Brokk 500’s potency is attributed to the Brokk SmartPower electrical system. “SmartPower can take more power out of the motor than its nominal rating and knows when to do so because it’s always monitoring the motor,” said Peter Bigwood, vice-president of sales and marketing at Brokk. Additionally, the robot boasts 70 per cent fewer wires than the Brokk 400 and operators can perform maintenance on it without having to lift the covers of the machine, making servicing it much simpler.

Timing is everything

Courtesy of Orica

Using too many explosives at a mine can cause damage to rock structures, unwanted caveins and increases in support costs. Orica’s i-kon III Electronic Blasting System, which will be launched in progressive phases starting in July, will increase efficiency and versatility, allowing more controlled blast outcomes. Because timing is so critical to effective blast design, this new system improves rock fragmentation and vibration control through sub-millisecond blast design performed with its SHOTPlus software. The i-kon III maximizes production by remotely pairing up to six blasts, firing up to 21,000 detonators at the same time. Additionally, the system’s bimetallic shell cuts the risk of malfunction due to corrosion of the detonator shell and blunts the effect of shocks from surrounding charges. “The use of a bimetallic detonator shell ensures that the detonator can withstand the harsh corrosive environments that are common in a borehole” said Thomas Boos, Orica’s global product manager of electronic blasting systems. The system is suited for both open pit and underground operations. Compiled by Elle Crosby 14 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

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Settlement reached between Northern Dynasty Minerals and EPA over Pebble project

British Columbia NDP and Greens form minority government, toppling Liberals

Federal government’s carbon pricing plan a mixture of levy and cap-and-trade systems

Potash project partnership may become Canada’s first on-reserve mine

Developments Goldcorp’s golden project pipeline Goldcorp partners with junior miners in new greenfields exploration strategy When Goldcorp invested in Triumph Gold in March, the location of the junior miner’s Freegold Mountain was one of its appealing features. The project is located near the Coffee project south of Dawson City, Yukon, which Goldcorp picked up when it acquired Kaminak Gold last year. “This gives us some exploration leverage in what we believe to be a very prospective but early-stage exploration district,” said Paul Harbidge, a geologist and Goldcorp’s new senior vicepresident of exploration. With the 19.9-per-cent investment from Goldcorp, Triumph will start its 2017 summer drill program in June at Freegold Mountain, where it has already identified more than 20 mineralized zones at the Revenue and Nucleus porphyry deposits since it acquired the project in 2006. Triumph has an initial 13,000 metres planned around four new exploration targets. The stake in Triumph is just one example of Goldcorp’s new greenfields exploration strategy of partnering with juniors to grow its gold reserves through exploration partnerships, something company president and CEO David Garofalo discussed during his keynote address to the annual AME Roundup conference in Vancouver in January. “We’re good at mining, but the exploration game is an entirely different risk profile and 16 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Courtesy of Triumph Gold

By Kylie Williams

Sampling trenches criss-cross the Nucleus gold deposit on Triumph Gold’s Freegold Mountain in Yukon Territory. Goldcorp partnered with Triumph to explore the property in March 2017 by investing $6,272,640 in the company.

set of skills,” he said. “Our partnerships with juniors who conduct that exploration are invaluable to us. It feeds our pipeline.” The directive falls within the company’s 20/20/20 Strategy, announced in January. Over the next five years, Goldcorp plans to increase production, drive down all-in sustaining costs and grow gold reserves, all by 20 per cent. Harbidge is in charge of increasing prospectivity at existing exploration camps and searching for new opportunities. “We have a portfolio of 164 targets and a budget of $100 million for

brownfields exploration,” said Harbidge, “while our greenfields strategy is to look at companies in the right geological jurisdictions who have the right technical teams with the ability to make discoveries that meet Goldcorp’s criteria.” Goldcorp is currently investing in junior companies located in areas with large, multi-deposit mineral potential and has prioritized North and South America for geological and logistical reasons. But projects in the Goldcorp pipeline are assessed beyond their address. The company is looking to

developments

Barrick experiences short-lived strike at Veladero A strike at Barrick Gold’s Veladero mine in Argentina ended after a day of negotiations between the company and the AOMA union, which represents Veladero workers. The union initiated an “unplanned work stoppage,” on May 28, Barrick announced early the next day. Hours later, the company issued another press release declaring the end of the strike. Barrick began a formal dialogue process with union leadership as of press time. Barrick said the brief stoppage will not affect the timeline for repairs to the heap leach valley that the San Juan provincial government requires before the mine can resume full operations after the most recent cyanide leak on March 28. The company still expects leaching activities to resume in the second half of June, pending approval from San Juan’s regulatory and judicial authorities. The short-lived strike came just ten days after four law firms announced they are filing class-action lawsuits against Barrick for comments about Veladero that they say misled investors. Barrick “made materially false and misleading statements regarding the

partner with Goldcorp because of the favourable terms that were achieved and the familiarity they have with the three jurisdictions that we are working in,” he said. Since receiving funding from Goldcorp in January, Auryn initiated fieldwork for a 25,000-metre drill program at the Committee Bay project in Nunavut, with further plans for drilling at its Homestake project in B.C. and at the company’s Peruvian projects later in the year. Junior explorers like Auryn and Triumph recognize that Harbidge and his technical team are looking for projects, people and properties that meet a longer list of criteria.

“Goldcorp is not like an investor looking to make a quick return and flip the stock,” said John Anderson, Triumph’s chairman. “They know that finding and developing a mine takes time and they are investing in opportunities with the ability to grow through exploration into district scale potential.” Anderson said he appreciates that the company “shares ideas with us, rather than directing us in our activities.” Goldcorp is relying on exploration success to meet the target of increasing gold reserves to 50 million ounces in 2021, up from 42.8 million ounces in June 2016. CIM

company’s business, operational and compliance policies,” according to the most recent lawsuit filed by Pomerantz LLP on May 19 in the Southern District court of New York state. The Argentinian mine has had three cyanide spills in 18 months. Most recently, there was a “rupture” in a pipe carrying goldbearing solution on the leach pad on March 28. The union strike at Veladero added to Barrick's recent challenges with the As a result, the govern- mine. ment of San Juan restricted the addition of cyanide to the also increased the all-in sustaining cost mine’s heap leach facility. estimate to between US$890 per ounce Days after the spill, Barrick said in a and US$990 per ounce. release that “we do not anticipate a That day, Barrick’s stock dropped material impact to Veladero’s 2017 pro- 10.8 per cent to $22.91 on the Toronto duction guidance,” and kept it set at Stock Exchange, its worst one-day perbetween 770,000 ounces and 830,000 formance in six months. ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining Barrick is also facing lawsuits from cost (AISC) of US$840 per ounce to the National Minister of Environment US$940 per ounce. of Argentina and from locals in provinThen on April 24 the company cut cial courts. Both cases want to see its annual outlook for the mine in its Veladero’s activities suspended or terfirst-quarter earnings release to an minated. expected 630,000 to 730,000 ounces of Barrick is the world’s largest progold, which included its reduced output ducer of gold by output, and Veladero take after selling 50 per cent of Veladero is its third-largest producing mine. to China’s Shandong Gold Group. It – Elle Crosby June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 17

Courtesy of Barrick Gold

“invest in people as much as properties,” said Garofalo. Another example of Goldcorp’s approach is the investment the company made in Auryn Resources in January. Harbidge was impressed by the company’s portfolio of projects in favorable geological jurisdictions, including Nunavut, British Columbia, and Peru. “But what also attracted me to them was their technical team and their exploration methodology,” said Harbidge. “The way they were undertaking their work was exactly how I like to undertake it. I felt they were a very competent team.” Auryn’s executive chairman, Ivan Bebek, felt the same way. “We chose to

Courtesy of Northern Dynasty Minerals

FROM THE WIRE Imperial Metals became the sole owner of its Huckleberry mine on April 28 after purchasing the remaining 50 per cent interest, which was held by a Japanese group comprised of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd. and Furukawa Co. Ltd., for $2 million. The copper mine in west-central B.C. has been on care and maintenance since last August. De Beers announced on May 4 plans for a research project to deliver carbonneutral mining within a decade. The company is investigating the potential to store carbon through the mineralization of kimberlite tailings at its diamond mines, and assessment studies are underway at the Venetia mine in South Africa and De Beers Canada’s Gahcho Kue. Project lead Evelyn Mervine said each mine has the potential to offset 10 times its annual emissions using its on-site tailings. Kimberlite’s carbon storage characteristics are also found in rocks mined for other commodities, like nickel and platinum. Lundin Gold announced a financing package of US$400 to $450 million from Orion Mine Finance Group and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities on May 30. The funding will be used to start construction on the mine support facilities at its Fruta Del Norte (FDN) project in Ecuador. The package allows Orion and Blackstone the right to purchase 50 per cent of FDN production, up to a maximum of 2.5 million ounces. Lundin also updated its expected first gold production at FDN to the fourth quarter of 2019, up from the first quarter of 2020. Cementation Canada announced its partnership with Nortech Holdings Ltd. of Happy Valley Goose Bay on May 17. The new company, Nortech-Cementation Canada Labrador LP, is a majority Inuit-owned partnership focused on underground development opportunities in the Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador.

18 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

The EPA used the Clean Water Act to block Pebble’s development in February 2014, citing the potential of irreversible harm to Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery and wildlife.

Settlement reached between Northern Dynasty Minerals and EPA over Pebble project After a decade in limbo due to legal disputes and local opposition, the controversial Pebble copper-gold project in southwestern Alaska is a couple of steps closer to being built. After six months of mediation, Pebble Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached a settlement agreement on May 12 over the EPA’s pre-emptive regulatory action to block Pebble from constructing its eponymous mine. The settlement stipulates that Northern Dynasty will withdraw its lawsuits and the agency will not take action to block development of the mine until a final environmental impact study (EIS) for the project has been conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mediation between Pebble and the EPA began during the Obama administration, but was not resolved until after President Donald Trump was sworn in. “They had a completely different outlook,” Ron Thiessen, Northern Dynasty’s president and CEO told CIM Magazine.

“It was refreshing, and we knew we could get something we wanted with them.” EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, who sued the EPA 14 times during his tenure as Oklahoma Attorney General, helped move the settlement process along, Thiessen said. The settlement comes one month after Pebble was granted a longawaited land-use permit from Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources, allowing it to proceed with reclamation and monitoring activities over the next 12 months. The permit came with conditions, including an unprecedented $2-million backstop for exploration clean-up. “We’ve never said we’re not going to have a footprint, but we have to mitigate every foot that we impair,” said Thiessen. First Nations groups are skeptical. “There is no deal Pebble could strike with the EPA that wouldn’t hurt the region,” Alannah Hurley, member of United Tribes of Bristol Bay, told Alaska Dispatch News. In February 2014, the EPA blocked Pebble from moving forward with its mine under the Clean Water Act before an official proposal for the mine had been submitted, citing the potential of irreversible harm to Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery and wildlife.

developments Northern Dynasty filed lawsuits against the EPA later that year, claiming the agency manipulated scientific results because an EIS conducted by a third party was not used in their determination, and that some of its staff should have been considered in conflict of interest because they helped Alaskan tribes protesting the mine draft letters to the government. – E. Crosby

British Columbia NDP and Greens form minority government, toppling Liberals British Columbia’s Green Party will help the NDP form a minority government, party leaders Andrew Weaver and John Horgan announced in late May. The May 9 election saw B.C.’s ruling Liberals reduced to a minority win with 43 seats, one shy of a majority government. The NDP took 41 and the Greens three, their best showing in provincial history, giving them the balance of power in the legislature. At a joint press conference on May 30 where the two parties ratified their co-operation plan, Weaver explained that he supported the NDP because they were a “partner” in restoring the province’s “climate leadership” and helping to position B.C. in the “21st century economy.” Throughout the campaign both the NDP and Green parties voiced their opposition to Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion, which will increase the capacity of the current pipeline running from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, B.C. to 890,000 barrels per day, up from 300,000 currently. The agreement pledges to “immediately employ every tool available to the new government to stop the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline.” Because the pipeline is under federal jurisdiction, however, there is little the B.C. government will be able to do. The NDP can delay it by denying the project essential permits, but Kinder Morgan and the federal government

could sue the provincial government if they believe it is infringing on federal jurisdiction. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed his support for Trans Mountain after the announcement from the NDP and Greens. “Regardless of a change in government, in British Columbia or anywhere, the facts and evidence do not change,” Trudeau said at a press conference held jointly with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Rome on May 30. “The decision we took on the Trans Mountain pipeline was based on facts [and] evidence, on what is in the best interest of Canadians,” Trudeau said. Kinder Morgan Canada shares debuted on the Toronto Stock Exchange the same day, dropping as low as $15.75 but hitting $16.24 at close. They had been priced at $17 in their initial public offering, which itself was a decrease from the $19 to $21 target Houston-based Kinder Morgan had originally planned. Christy Clark, incumbent premier and supporter of the Trans Mountain expansion, said during a press conference on May 30 that after reviewing legal precedent and consulting her caucus, she had a “duty to meet the house and to test its confidence. I intend to do that in very short order.” The B.C. legislature has been recalled for June 22, at which time the coalition of opposition members are expected to vote to not support the Liberals’ agenda. When asked if she would step down, Clark said she was “happy to take on any jobs that the voters give me,” including the leader of the opposition “should the government fail the test of confidence, which seems likely.” The co-operation agreement also calls for the B.C. carbon tax to increase by $5 per tonne in April of 2018, three years earlier than the NDP had promised in their campaign but in accordance with the Green Party’s timeline. The carbon tax, which is currently $23 per tonne, will increase each year to reach $50 per tonne by 2022 to meet the federal government’s carbon pric– E. Crosby ing backstop.

FROM THE WIRE Edie Thome took over as president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC) on June 19, after Gavin Dirom stepped down in mid-February. Thome has experience in government relations and working with stakeholders, First Nations and land owners on projects in the resource sector with B.C. Hydro. Dirom led the association since 2008. TMAC Resources achieved commercial production at its Doris mine and mill complex on May 15, after operating at an average of over 60 per cent of its 1,000 tonnes-per-day name plate capacity over a 45-day period. TMAC plans to use the profits from Doris to fund the development of its Madrid and Boston deposits. K+S Potash Canada opened its new Bethune mine in Saskatchewan on May 2 after a five-year construction phase. Bethune is expected to produce its first tonne of marketable potash in June and reach its targeted two million tonne-per-year production capacity by the end of 2017. Bethune is the first new potash operation in Saskatchewan in over 40 years. Sylvain Guerard was appointed McEwen Mining’s new senior vice-president of exploration, the company announced on April 17. Guerard has over 25 years of experience in mineral exploration and most recently worked at Kinross in the same role. Eldorado Gold will acquire Quebec miner Integra Gold in a deal worth $590 million, both companies announced on May 14. Eldorado will acquire all the shares of Integra it does not already own, and Integra’s shareholders will receive $1.21 per share, which they can collect as cash, shares in Eldorado or both. Integra’s Val-d’Or projects will be Eldorado’s first Canadian operations. Read our full article online at magazine.cim.org

– Compiled by Elle Crosby

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 19

Federal government releases carbon pricing scheme Canadian government’s “backstop” carbon pricing plan a mixture of carbon levy and cap-and-trade systems By Elle Crosby

The federal government’s “backstop” carbon pricing plan for provinces and territories that do not adopt their own will include both carbon levy and capand-trade elements, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced at a May 18 news conference in Ottawa. “We think the provinces are best positioned to [implement carbon pricing], but we have designed a federal option that we believe is smart,” said McKenna. The first part of the plan will be a levy on fossil fuels, which will charge the producers or distributors of the fuel, McKenna said. The second component,

an “output-based pricing system,” will charge companies in industries for every tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) they emit that exceeds the industry’s emissions-intensity standard, or have them purchase “offset credits” from the government. Companies that emit less than the limit will earn surplus credits that they can save for another year or sell to another participant. Mining operations that emit over 50 kilotonnes (kt) will be in the outputbased system, and smaller mines can either opt in to the system or have a carbon levy passed onto them by fuel suppliers.

McKenna emphasized that the backstop plan would be revenue neutral for the federal government, meaning each provincial or territorial government will receive the revenues they produce. Currently 80 per cent of Canadians live in provinces or territories with some form of carbon pricing. British Columbia introduced a carbon levy in 2008, and Quebec has had its cap-andtrade system in place since 2013. Both Ontario and Alberta’s carbon pricing plans went into effect on January 1. All provinces and territories except for Saskatchewan and Manitoba signed

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developments stages of the plan when the levy is lower. “The government has failed in delivering on the complementary pieces,” she said. Duncan said the government needs to disclose how much carbon emissions would be cut by the measures, and cut fossil fuel subsidies to industry.

Andrew Scheer, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, opposes the carbon tax entirely and has called it “a terrible idea that could not come at a worse time.” Environment and Climate Change Canada is seeking feedback on the proposed plan until June 30. CIM

Courtesy of Vale

onto the federal government’s PanCanadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change in December. The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) expressed its support for a national price on carbon in 2016, but it recommended seven principles to help ensure that it does not adversely affect the economy. MAC recommended revenues generated through carbon pricing should be invested into the development of lower emission technologies and used to level the playing field for trade-exposed industries that are emission intensive. “The purpose is to reduce emissions, but there are better and worse ways to do that, and ensuring that emission-intensive trade-exposed sectors are protected is crucial,” said Brendan Marshall, MAC’s vice-president of economic and northern affairs. The federal government’s “floor price” – the most basic plan a province or territory must implement – will start at $10 per tonne of CO2 in 2018, increasing by $10 each year to $50 per tonne in 2022. The overall approach will be reviewed in 2022 to ensure that it is effective and that Canada is on track to achieve its long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The output-based system will not go into effect until a year after the legislation has passed, “in order to establish the emissions intensity-based standards for the sectors covered by the system,” Mark Johnson, spokesman for Environment Canada, wrote in an email. “We cannot develop regulations until the legislation is passed and we know the jurisdictions in which the system will apply.” How the output-based system will compare facilities and distribute credits is still uncertain, and these missing details are particularly significant for mines in remote locations, Marshall said. “Mines that operate in the north have different profiles and factors that they need to address,” he said. The plan drew flack from NDP MP and environment and climate change critic Linda Duncan, who pointed out that a carbon tax is not enough to effect real change, especially in the early

Vale’s Birchtree mine was supposed to be placed on care and maintenance in 2012, but the employees kept the mine running with a $100-million challenge to cut costs.

Vale announces planned closure of Manitoba mine Vale announced on May 16 it will close the Birchtree mine in Thompson, Manitoba, placing the mine on care and maintenance on October 1. The company cited weak nickel prices, declining ore grades and production issues as reasons for the closure. Birchtree has 150 employees at the mine and indirectly employs around 50 others in the community. The mine opened in 1966, closed down from 1989-99 and then reopened in 2000. It was supposed to be placed on care and maintenance in 2012 but the employees participated in a challenge to cut $100 million in operations costs and keep the mine running. Despite these efforts, cash flow from the mine has been negative in five out of the last six quarters and the forecast

is for that trend to continue and worsen. On the day of Vale’s announcement, nickel was trading at US$9,000 per tonne on the London Metals Exchange; at a high point in May 2014 it was at about US$19,800 per tonne. The news comes on the heels of Vale’s announcement in March that it will close its Stobie mine in Sudbury, Ontario by the end of the year. Stobie was in operation for over 100 years and currently employs around 230 people. Additionally, Vale’s Thompson Smelter and Thompson Refinery are set to close in 2018, which will affect 500 employees. The United Steelworkers Canada (USW), whose local branch 6166 represents Vale’s Manitoba employees, hoped to find work for them at the mines in Thompson, but USW Local 6166 President Les Ellsworth admitted the task will now be more difficult. June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 21

Ellsworth told CIM Magazine he has promised workers that no unionized employees will be laid off while there are still contractors employed at Vale’s Thompson locations. He said the union will ask Vale to reshuffle workers to the company’s other operations in the area, and to provide training programs as needed.

22 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Even with this pledge, Ellsworth said the closure will be hard on the community. “Regardless if there are layoffs or not, these positions are lost, and that’s a big loss to Thompson.” Vale employs 1,500 people in a town of 13,756 and is currently investing $120 million into its other mining oper– E. Crosby ations in Thompson.

Nunavut review board rejects Agnico’s hovercraft project Agnico Eagle is devoting a lot of its energy to the development of its Nunavut projects, but that work will have to get done without the support of hovercrafts, at least for now. The Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) determined that the miner’s pilot project to use crafts “should be modified or abandoned.” The review board’s decision, published in mid-April, cited concerns from various stakeholders, including the Kivalliq Inuit Association, on the potential impacts of the project on local wildlife. The NIRB recommended that Agnico conduct more research into the effects of the hovercrafts and consult with the local community to address their concerns. Dale Coffin, corporate director of communications and public affairs at Agnico, told CIM Magazine the company plans to “sit down and discuss [the project] with stakeholders to mitigate their concerns” before moving forward. There is no timeline for consultation but Coffin said it will happen in the near future. The pilot project proposed testing two three-tonne hovercrafts, one to transport personnel from Agnico’s Meadowbank and Amaruq camps to nearby drill sites on its Amaruq property, and the other to transport equipment and fuel. The project would have also tested the hovercrafts for use in search and rescue missions. “We want to test the viability of the craft in that type of climate and terrain,” said Coffin. The hovercrafts would provide yearround access to land in all weather conditions and is a safer form of transportation, according to Coffin. It would also represent a cost savings for the gold producer. Transporting personnel in a helicopter, for example, costs $1,200 per person per trip whereas it only costs about $45 per person in a hovercraft. Agnico is focusing on the growth of its Nunavut operations in the coming

Courtesy of Agnico Eagle

developments end of its life, scheduled for 2018, the Amaruq satellite operation is planned for start-up in 2019. The company is also developing its Meliadine project, about 290 kilometres southeast of Meadowbank, for start-up in 2019. – Tom DiNardo

Proposed environmental assessment process “sidelines” miners, industry association says

Agnico’s pilot project proposed testing two three-tonne hovercrafts, like the one above, to transport personnel, equipment and fuel.

years, said Coffin, making up 80 per cent of its three-year overall growth plan to produce two million ounces of

gold per year by 2020. Although the Meadowbank gold mine 110 kilometres north of Baker Lake is nearing the

A new environmental assessment process for major projects recommended in an expert panel’s report released in April would be “horrendous,” said a Mining Association of Canada (MAC) executive. Justyna Laurie-Lean, vice-president of environment and regulatory affairs at MAC, said that while the panel, launched by the federal Liberals in August 2016, raised good ideas on

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how to fix a sometimes-inefficient system that can lack transparency, “the process that they’ve proposed would be essentially unworkable.” “It’s kind of all dancing, all singing […] and the role of the project proponent is completely sidelined,” LaurieLean said. “So we are concerned if the government goes ahead with that kind of design, it would mean essentially that people would stop investing in Canada.” The four-person panel, which included Teck Resources’ past senior vice-president of sustainability and external affairs Doug Horswill and was chaired by former federal environment commissioner Johanne Gélinas, travelled across the country hearing from the public, indigenous groups and stakeholders to suggest ideas for a new system that would regain the public’s trust in how major projects are reviewed for their potential environmental impact.

Its report recommended that an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal be responsible for environmental assessments and any resulting dispute resolution. Appeals of decisions made by this body should be heard by Cabinet, the report said. It also emphasized the involvement of indigenous peoples throughout the process. “Nobody in this country is against economic development. They just want to see things done differently,” panel chair Gélinas said at the International Association of Impact Assessment Conference in Montreal when the report was released. The panel is part of the Liberals’ vow to address the previous Conservative government’s controversial changes to environmental assessment law in 2012. Those changes greatly reduced the number of environmental reviews and delegated some assessments to the National Energy Board (NEB) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission,

which some feel lack independence and neutrality, according to the report. Separate reviews around the NEB, the Fisheries Act and the Navigation Protection Act are also underway. “Together these reviews will build new environmental assessment processes that are robust, fair and transparent, and earn the public trust,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna said at the same Montreal conference in April. “Our goal is to provide regulatory certainty to business, respect the rights of indigenous peoples and engage communities, and to protect our environment for generations to come.” But the panel’s recommendations will not do enough to meet that goal, in MAC’s view. The association, which sat on the multi-interest advisory committee offering feedback throughout the review, sent McKenna a letter outlining its concerns, including what it called a disregard for the role provinces

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developments play in the process, a consensus-driven model that MAC said will not differentiate between rights-holders and anyone else not directly impacted by a project and an overly complex process without set timelines. But the association did say ideas such as a greater use of regional and strategic assessments are worth exploring. Those would reduce the current burden on project proponents under the 2012 act to assess the cumulative impact of their project while accounting for all the other activity in the region, Laurie-Lean said. Toban Morrison, a spokesperson for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, said the government is currently reviewing all feedback following the report’s release, including submissions from organizations, meetings with Indigenous Peoples and more than 1,000 online comments from the public comment forum that closed May 5.

“A summary of what we heard will be made available online in the coming weeks,” Morrison said. – Sahar Fatima

Northern B.C. contractor says Pretium Resources owes it millions A northern British Columbia construction company is suing the owners of the new Brucejack mine and its contractor over a multimillion-dollar unpaid bill. Bear Creek Contracting alleges that Vancouver-based Pretium Resources and its contractor, Rokstad Power GP, owe it $14.5 million for building a series of power transmission line foundations. Bear Creek began construction on the project – which is located 100 kilometres north of Terrace, B.C. – in April 2016. In its statement of claim, the contractor alleges that the initial con-

struction plans it was provided with were “incomplete” and “misleading.” It says it devoted more resources to the project at the behest of Pretium, who wanted to accelerate the pace of construction. “Pretium and Rokstad provided assurances to Bear Creek, both express and implied, that monetary compensation and extension of time would be provided to Bear Creek in recognition of the challenging and changing nature of the project,” reads Bear Creek’s statement of claim, which was filed in B.C. Supreme Court. Pretium, meanwhile, is insisting that the unresolved bill is not its concern. “This is a billing dispute between the transmission line contractor, Rokstad Power, and their sub-contractor, Bear Creek. We remain hopeful that the matter can be settled soon,” wrote Troy Shultz, a manager of investor relations for Pretium, in an e-mail to CIM Magazine.

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Rokstad did not respond to CIM Magazine’s request for comment. According to Tanner Elton, a Bear Creek representative, officials from

Pretium directed Bear Creek to double down on the project in order to finish it before winter 2017 so the miner could avoid another construction season.

Despite the massive scale of the construction, Elton said that Bear Creek did not draw up contracts for the additional resources and manpower it used on the project. “But there are all kinds of legal precedents where if you ask someone to do something – and they do it – you pay for it,” said Tanner, who is a trained lawyer. A lot of these kinds of deals, he added, “get done on hand shakes.” Bear Creek, he explained, trusted Pretium, which made it clear that they would be “looked after.” Bear Creek has also registered a lien against the mine’s mineral claims at the B.C. Gold Commissioner’s office and registered a certificate of pending litigation against the mine with the Land Titles Office. With the power transmission line project complete, the Brucejack mine is fully electrified and nearing completion, with commissioning underway as – Joel Barde of May 1.

Standards group publishes guidance for electric vehicles underground A new guideline from the Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Group (GMSG) outlines the “recommended practice” for using battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in underground mines. Published in late April in partnership with the Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC), the document provides guidance on charging philosophy, mine design, BEV design, energy storage systems, charging systems and performance standards. There has been a notable lack of standardization among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the development of BEV technology, said GMSG managing director Heather Ednie. The goal of the guideline, she said, is to “streamline [development] so people can work toward the same general focus.” The document is also meant to help mining companies select BEVs for their 26 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

operation as well as design and plan their operations around BEV technology. “It’s through mine design that you can really get the benefit from battery electric vehicles,” said Ednie. For example, designing an operation with downhill haulage ramps would take advantage of the regenerative braking capabilities of BEVs, which can increase their range, cut down on necessary battery size and lower energy consumption. “The reality is that underground mining is perhaps the best application of battery electric in existence,” said David Sanguinetti, innovation

manager for underground mining at CMIC and project manager for this guideline. BEVs do not emit the same toxic diesel particulate matter that diesel engines do. This not only eliminates a health and safety concern but also reduces ventilation demand, which is usually the largest electricity draw in an underground mine, according to Sanguinetti. “It’s a massive win-win.” The guideline was created in collaboration with over one hundred volunteers from a wide range of sectors, including OEMs, operators, consultants and charging manufacturers.

Battery-powered electric vehicles have been gaining popularity in the industry. Kirkland Lake Gold successfully implemented them at the Macassa and South Mine Complex in 2012, and about one third of the site’s equipment fleet is now electric. Glencore, to deal with ventilation challenges at its new Onaping Depth deposit in Sudbury, Ontario, designed the site around a planned all-electric mining vehicle fleet. And Goldcorp announced in September it would partner with Sandvik and MacLean Engineering to design the Borden Lake project in Chapleau, Ontario – T. DiNardo as an all-electric mine.

Indigenous industry Potash project partnership between Encanto and Muskowekwan First Nation may become Canada’s first on-reserve mine The Muskowekwan First Nation became the fourth indigenous group to successfully implement federal legislation that allows for on-reserve resource development in late March, paving the way for the Nation to build Canada’s first on-reserve mine. The First Nation plans to develop a $3.5-billion potash project in southwestern Saskatchewan, in partnership with Vancouver-based junior miner Encanto Potash Corp. The First Nations Commercial Industrial Development Act (FNCIDA) fills in a regulatory gap that had inhibited major investment, including mining projects, on First Nations land. The gap stems from the fact that First Nations fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, which lacks regulatory systems to govern major resource and development projects. FNCIDA effectively transposes provincial regulations onto specified reserve land. The legislation, which was pushed for by a handful of First Nations with resource development projects in the works, was introduced in 2005. First Nations who are interested in implementing FNCIDA are required to engage in an “exploratory period” – 28 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Courtesy of Encanto Potash Corp

By Joel Barde

(Left to right) Muskowekwan Chief Reginald Bellerose and Encanto CEO and president Stavros Daskos pose with Bobby Cameron, Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. Daskos says Bellerose has been “integral” to the success the company is having developing its potash project on the Muskowekwan’s territory.

during which they consult with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the project proponent, and the provincial government – to determine if the legislation would fit their needs and if the province is willing to administer and regulate the project.

The First Nation must then pass a band council resolution requesting the legislation, beginning a process in which regulations are developed and negotiated between all three parties, which are responsible for their own legal fees.

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The Muskowekwan began the FNCIDA process in 2013. “In order to have protection for people and land, these regulations need to be in place,” explained Alison Auramenko, director of economic development for the Muskowekwan. Lawyers for the Nation, she explained, went through the laws one by one, and in the end “mirrored” the provincial legislation. “We wanted a level playing field,” she said. “We didn’t want to be left behind.” From an investor perspective, the regulation lends credibility to the project. “It means we have total security on our investment,” explained Encanto Potash Corp CEO Stavros Daskos. It ensures that the Muskowekwan “cannot decide to fence off the property and prevent us from getting in. This project is going to survive all of us. And you need a legal framework that is going to protect people’s investment.” In April, Encanto announced it had closed a $70-million deal with the investment bank Taylor-DeJongh to finance Encanto’s development phase activities. The money will be used to sustain the company as it goes forward with engineering plans, raising capital and assembling a management team. When asked if he thought there is a connection between concluding FNCIDA and the cash injection, Daskos said “of course it helped,” but added that “it’s not the only factor.” Current relations between the miner and the Muskowekwan are good and, according to Daskos, Chief Reginald Bellerose has been an “integral” part of the project’s success. In 2010, Bellerose accompanied Daskos on a trip to India to meet with officials from state-run investment firms. That trip resulted in two new 20-year agreements to sell a total of seven million tonnes of potash annually. The project is expected to employ around 1,800 people during its construction phase and have a 50-year mine life. Encanto has not yet set indigenous employment quotas. That, according to Auramenko, may be negotiated later. “It’s understood that one of the main pillars of the project is to get First Nations employed,” she said. 30 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

According to Neil Burnett, a policy director for INAC who is responsible for FNCIDA, the Nation’s successful adoption of the legislation is a “good example of how provincial and federal government and First Nations can work together to advance First Nations economic opportunities.” The proposed project, he said, “clearly demonstrates that First Nations are a viable business partner for large-scale commercial and industrial development.” Two of the three other First Nations to successfully implement FNCIDA are doing so to develop resource projects, explained Burnett. Alberta’s Fort McKay First Nation hopes to develop an oil sands project once oil prices pick up and Ontario’s Fort William First Nation used it to develop an on-reserve sawmill. B.C.’s Squamish First Nation used the legislation to develop a condominium project. In British Columbia and Yukon Territory, many First Nations lack treaties and have battled to profit from resource development projects that they say lie in their traditional territory. Over the past 20 years, revenuesharing agreements have become increasingly common between miners and First Nations, but large scale, indigenous-run mining projects have remained elusive. The Muskowekwan made a $3-million placement in Encanto and have a minority share in the company. So while they may not be in the driver’s seat, they still stand to reap financial benefits. The First Nation will have the ability to level royalties and are developing a framework with the First Nation Tax Commission and federal government to collect property taxes. INAC, however, retains significant power over the First Nation and will collect the royalties and lease fees on behalf of the Muskowekwan for the time being. The money collected, said Auramenko, will be used to fund capital development projects and educational initiatives surrounding language and cultural revitalization. The potential benefits, she said, are huge. “If [Muskowekwan First Nation] can get their own source revenues, then they can set their own priorities.” CIM

B.C. mining industry sees growth in 2016, PwC reports After a tough 2015, British Columbia’s mining industry saw positive changes last year, according to PwC’s annual report on the sector, with the price of commodities like coal and copper increasing and operations’ cash flow on the rise. Gross mining revenues increased 13 per cent to $8.7 billion, and net revenues grew by $0.9 billion. Exploration and development spending, however, was down to $102 million from $320 million in 2015, but the report noted this was largely due to the advance of Pretium Resources’ Brucejack project from exploration to construction. The report also said payments to government and direct mining employment had both increased, signalling that the industry is coming out of an economic downturn. PwC attributed much of the growth to metallurgical coal’s “strong performance” last year, which prompted several mines to re-open. – E. Crosby GROSS MINING REVENUES

$8.2M $7.7M $8.7M 2014 2015 2016

MINERS’ NET INCOME

$1,418M

$0.715M $0.288M 2014

2015

2016

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS

$2.575M UP FROM $1.660M IN 2015

SAFETY column

The cure for “go fever” By Roy Slack

wo key parts of a strong safety system are process and culture. Process is the rules, regulations, procedures and all of the other things you need to be compliant. This element of safety is critical and if the right processes are not in place or are not being followed, people get hurt. Stated another way, process is about systems. Luckily, systems are easy. Culture, on the other hand, is about people, and people are…complicated. Safety culture can be defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that define an organization. While it may be simple to develop the outline, the challenge is to turn those goals and values into shared attitudes and practices. In mining, the people at the face are the ones exposed to the greatest risks. Senior leadership in any organization is very important in instilling a strong safety culture. As president of Cementation Canada, I see my own role in safety leadership as similar to being a hockey parent. Your employees are like your sons and daughters on a team. You watch them on the ice, you are very proud of their effort and you are thrilled to see them score. Most importantly, though, you want to see them finish the game safe and have fun. You feel proud of their accomplishments, and although you were not out there with them, you like to think you played a small part along the way in establishing values and helping them to play safe and hard. Many of us as leaders in the mining industry are not on the ice; we are not working at the face. With that in mind it is clear to me that frontline supervisors have the greatest impact on the

safety culture of the workplaces that our most at-risk employees work in. This perception was validated during a safety culture survey within our organization. But that does not mean management is off the hook. In that same survey, one miner noted that “whatever safety culture we end up with onsite, senior management is letting it happen.” Safety leadership is about turning those values we all espouse into attitudes and practices at the face.

being unprepared and is recognized as a fatal risk. It has become part of our culture through both storytelling and the recognition that it is very applicable to what we do. But recognition that this is an issue in our line of work is not enough. Even though the concept that this is a risk is ingrained in our culture, we cannot properly deal with the risk without processes in place to mitigate that risk. At this year’s CIM Convention in Mon-

“Starting the work before you are properly prepared to do it safely can have dire consequences.”

Traditionally in mine contracting, the focus has been on starting the work as soon as possible, because we want to finish as soon as possible. There is nothing complicated about that. However, starting the work before you are properly prepared to do it safely can have dire consequences. I often give a safety share about the Apollo 1 tragedy where three astronauts lost their lives during a training exercise. The investigation of the incident coined the phrase “go fever,” which refers to a desire to push forward, and take chances when marginal or substandard conditions exist. It was found to be rampant at NASA and was fostered by the macho “go hard or go home” attitude of both the astronauts and management. Within our organization the term “go fever” has become synonymous with

treal our general manager of health and safety, Steve Wrixon, gave a presentation on pre-development and pre-sinking audits, the processes we have implemented as a company to deal with “go fever.” Combining a culture of hazard recognition with the process of hazard mitigation is a winning combination when it comes to safety. Process gives you the tools to work safely while culture fosters in each of us the desire to. We need both focused processes and a strong safety culture to protect our people and make our work places safe. CIM Roy Slack is the president of Cementation Canada, which was recognized as one of Canada’s Safest Employers of 2016 at last year’s Canadian Occupational Safety Awards gala, hosted by Canadian Occupational Safety and Thompson Reuters. Roy is also CIM Incoming President-Elect.

Send comments to editor@cim.org June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 31

Courtesy of FLSmidth

A fresh approach to sulfide ores FLSmidth tackles chalcopyrite processing with new rapid oxidative leach process By Cecilia Keating Sally Rocks, senior research and development chemist on the FLSmidth ROL process team, worked with chemical engineers, geologists and mineral processing engineers to perfect the technology.

he copper mining industry is reaching a turning point. Surface oxide deposits are depleting and copper miners are turning their attention to untapped sulfide ores found deeper underground. However, sulfides require more expensive processing techniques since they are not responsive to standard technologies that are used in oxide heap leaching. To make the transition from oxides to sulfides as seamless and economical as possible, it benefits copper miners to invest in copper sulfide extraction processes that integrate and maximize production from existing solvent-extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) infrastructure, according to Gary Roy, director for FLSmidth’s rapid oxidative leach (ROL) process. “Oxide ores around the world have been leached out to a certain extent and the copper pregnant leach solution (PLS) grade coming out of the heaps is being reduced. Mines have this big infrastructure with an SX/EW to produce cathode, but they’re struggling to maintain production rates,” said Roy. “They have this big infrastructure sitting there that’s not fully utilised.”

A smelting workaround The traditional route for extracting copper from sulfide ores is smelting. Yet there is a growing case for leaching sulfides from lower grade ore bodies and especially for those ore bodies containing problematic elements like arsenic, which make smelting less economical. Smelting is increasingly expensive because, in general, smelters require a content of more than 25 per cent copper. Given the falling content and quality of global copper reserves, this figure is becoming harder to meet, and copper producers must ship more concentrate to smelters to yield the same amount of copper or pay an additional treatment cost to blend their low-quality concentrates with other higher copper-content concentrate. This is in addition to the costs the miners are charged for refining and transporting the concentrate to an offsite, often distant, smelting facility. 32 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

On top of this, most smelters will not treat concentrates with high levels of arsenic. Of the few that do, they impose high penalties on miners. An increasing share of the remaining global copper deposits are laced with arsenic and this too provides an imperative for miners to consider alternative technologies. These were all reasons why a team of FLSmidth engineers spent five years researching leach technologies that economically process copper sulfides. The result, the ROL process, was patented in 2015 and is being vetted by several clients this year at the Danish engineering firm’s Salt Lake City pilot plant. The main challenge the research team faced was to find a way to economically leach chalcopyrite and enargite, a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral. Chalcopyrite has historically been a challenge to hydrometallurgical engineers because it resists leaching under atmospheric conditions. One reason for its refractor behaviour is the elemental sulfur layer that forms on the surface of the chalcopyrite particles when they are leached, bringing the copper dissolution process to a halt. The search for a commercially viable, hydrometallurgical technology to extract copper from chalcopyrite and enargite has so far been fruitless. Attempts dating back to the 1970s have involved energy-intensive ultra-fine grinding, catalysts, high temperatures and high pressures. While many approaches were technically successful, they were too expensive to roll out.

Fresh mineral surfaces Sally Rocks, senior research and development chemist on the FLSmidth ROL process team, is working closely with a team of chemical engineers, geologists and mineral processing engineers to perfect the technology. The first step in the discovery process was a comprehensive review of decades of research on copper sulfide leaching. In doing so, the team detected a pattern that suggested that sur-

face abrasion alone could have a significant impact on a mineral’s leaching behaviour. Their initial test involved simply adding a small amount of ceramic grinding media to a leach reactor containing chalcopyrite concentrate mixed with acid, water and ferric sulfate. “Much to our happiness, it ended up improving the copper leach rate dramatically,” Rocks said. The vessel was scarred in the process but remains in the lab as a memento to their achievement. “[The experiment] actually wore away some of the glass,” she explained, “but the destruction of that reactor was worth it for what we learned.” The leach rate improved because a freshly-exposed mineral surface – like the abraded chalcopyrite in the experiment – has all kinds of broken bonds and is therefore more reactive. “People have really underestimated the reactivity of fresh mineral surfaces,” Rocks said. Surface abrasion is therefore at the heart of the ROL process. The primary leach vessels are linked to a satellite reactor called a stirred media reactor (SMRt), and the leaching materials circulate between the two. Grinding media in the SMRt reactor can also gently scrub the passivating sulfur layer from the chalcopyrite and exposes fresh and highly-reactive surfaces for leaching. The material then goes back into the leach tank to undergo the chemistry. When the particles start building up an offending passivating layer from insoluble reaction products, such as sulfur, gypsum and silicates, they may go back through the SMRt reactor. The amount of time it takes for the passivating layer to build up depends on the mineralogy. For the majority of chalcopyrite concentrates, an initial SMRt reactor contact is required and a second contact approximately two hours into the leach is often beneficial. Additional transits through the SMRt reactor after the second hour are not necessary. The entire process leaches 98 per cent of copper from chalcopyrite concentrates in less than six hours and can tackle materials laced with arsenic in as little as nine hours. Compared to ultra-fine grinding mills, SMRt reactors function on less than one tenth the energy, and over the years, the FLSmidth researchers have calculated the exact amount of energy needed to gently scrub off the passivating layer. As a result, the ROL process team anticipates that miners using the technology will lower their energy consumption per mass of copper produced. Rocks and her team also discovered that doping the chalcopyrite with a small amount of copper sulfate prior to leaching sped up the process dramatically, “supercharging” the leach. This pre-treatment step is a key element of the ROL process. Implemented on an industrial scale, this “activation” pretreatment step is flexible and has shown much success with residence times less than 30 minutes and takes place in a tank and/or a mill. “Any acidic leach process will include an acidulation step prior to the leach, and all the pre-treatment requires

Courtesy of FLSmidth

metallurgy & materials science

is some additional chemistry in this acidulation step,” Rocks explained.

The value proposition Roy, who also serves as ROL process line manager, said the process is best suited to sites “transitioning from heap leach operations to concentrators,” and mines “that can’t get a good grade, or that have a lot of penalty elements, like arsenic.” The ROL technology can be integrated with existing SX/EW and equipment and helps miners maintain copper cathode production on site. Mines can avoid the steep cost of shipping all of their concentrate to smelters by sending only higher purity concentrates. Moreover, while FLSmidth can install an entirely new leach plant – agitators, pumps, motors, tanks and all – they are also able to retrofit existing leach infrastructure by adding SMRt reactors. Roy added that the “flexible” technology caters to the “fluctuating” nature of copper production. It gives mines the opportunity to divert their minerals to the ROL on “bad days,” so they do not have to dilute good concentrate headed to the smelters. Unlike some leach processes, the technology can also be scaled down economically to accommodate smaller operations. While Roy could not give specific figures on how much value can be saved, he said he believes the technology has the potential to help miners save on capital expenditure, given that the ROL process makes use of existing SX/EW assets and does not require any extra pressure leach vessels; it functions at atmospheric temperatures and 80 to 90 C. They can also save on operating expenses as the technology does not require upfront ultra-fine grinding or any catalyst recovery, regeneration or recycling unit operations. Moreover, as high-grade resources deplete and miners turn increasingly to arsenic-laden ore bodies, the technology’s capacity to process the problematic element is another of its key selling points. In Chile, where more than 20 per cent of global copper deposits are based, half of the mines are now contending with arsenic. “Arsenic levels in concentrates have been increasing dramatically, and it’s not going to get better,” said Roy. The ROL process will also mitigate the accidental release of the poisonous element into the environment, given that arsenic-laden concentrate will no longer have to be transported over long distances to smelters. CIM June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 33

Courtesy of the Saskatchewan Research Council

A Saskatchewan Research Council employee oversees the rare earth solvent extraction process.

Heavy lifting Saskatchewan Research Council develops process to recover and separate rare earth elements from uranium deposits By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

or the last three years, the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has been working on a new technology that could put the province’s uranium deposits on the map as a significant source of rare earth elements (REEs). There is nothing rare about the use of REEs. They are used in everyday technology like cell phones and television screens, as well as specialized equipment such as X-ray machines and magnetic resonance imagery. They are also used in wind turbines and next generation rechargeable batteries and hybrid cars, as well as fighter jets, satellites and rockets. Despite society’s reliance on REEs, there are very few companies outside of China that mine them. China produces 85 to 95 per cent of the world’s supply of REEs. For years, no one batted an eye at the risk of depending on just one world supplier until the fall of 2010 when China introduced an embargo on shipments to the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Although it lifted the embargo within ten days, then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared the crisis a “wake-up call,” adding

34 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

that “being so dependent on only one source, disruption could occur for natural disaster reasons or other kinds of events.”

Uranium to the rescue “In the last few years, we’ve focused on uranium deposits especially in Saskatchewan because there are REEs associated with uranium deposits,” said Bryan Schreiner, manager of the minerals unit at SRC. “Generally speaking, the higher the uranium grades, the higher the REEs as well.” Saskatchewan has the world’s richest uranium deposits. Uranium is primarily associated with REEs that have higher atomic weights (the average weight of an element, based on the weight of one hydrogen atom taken as a unit). Dubbed heavy REEs (HREEs), these elements, which include gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, erbium and ytterbium, have superior energy and magnetic properties compared to “light” REEs (LREEs). Although also used in everyday electronics, HREEs are deemed critical for nuclear and green technologies as well as the defence and aerospace industries. The demand for

metallurgy & materials science HREEs is estimated to be around double the supply. About 85 per cent of the REEs found in uranium deposits are HREEs.

Developing the solution Once SRC had confirmed the high percentage of HREEs in uranium solvent extraction raffinate – the solution left over after uranium has been recovered at the mill – its hydrometallurgists Jack Zhang and Baodong Zhao set out to develop the needed REE recovery and separation technology. The first step was reviewing existing technology and selecting the best one for treating uranium raffinate. SRC researchers chose the solvent extraction (SX) method for REE separation, first developed and commercialized in China in the 1980s. Next, they had to adapt that technology to address the specific REE separation challenges posed by uranium raffinate, which contains high levels of dissolved iron and aluminum. “The concentration of these impurities may be ten times that of the rare earth concentration,” said Zhao. With such high impurity ratios, conventional SX technologies would not be able to produce high-purity HREE products; they concluded a pre-step to reduce the impurity ratio was needed. “We used the neutralization method to remove both iron and aluminum,” said Zhao. Their lab tests showed that about 20 per cent of aluminum and more than 99 per cent of iron can be removed with pH adjustment. In the lab, researchers were able to recover up to 90 per cent of REEs from the treated raffinate using neutralization. Then they started working on fine tuning the SX technology to separate the individual REEs. “By the third year of our research, we were sure this would work well and it was just a matter of scaling it up,” said Zhang. SRC’s rare earth processing plant, completed in 2017, uses a typical industrial mixer-settler system with hydrochloric acid as the scrubbing and stripping agent. It combines more than 100 extraction, scrubbing and stripping cells. Because there are so many different REEs with similar chemical properties, the process requires hundreds of stages to separate and recover each one. It is a process that begins by segregating the REEs into two groups (LREEs and HREEs), which are then put through further solvent extraction stages optimized for each element to eventually produce individual high-purity HREEs. With two pilot plant tests, SRC validated that the technology it had developed for its plant was capable of producing individual REEs with a purity of more than 99 per cent.

Once this technology is developed and proven, a full-scale plant can be built. REE concentrates could then be shipped to a centralized separation plant. “It is a future that will likely be a reality within a decade,” said Schreiner.

The new landscape The rare earth market is projected to reach US$11 billion by 2020, according to an April 2017 report by Research and Markets. China is not just the major producer, it is also a major end-user and the defence, aerospace and renewable energy industries continue to increase their consumption of REEs. SRC’s technology has the potential to improve the security of supply for those industries and position the Canadian economy for a good piece of the REE pie. It can also provide a new revenue stream to mining companies from a product that would otherwise be lost. The benefits and potential are substantial. There is just one catch, and it is a familiar one. “The mining industry is typically reluctant to change their proven processes so we will put a lot of effort into developing a very convincing process to persuade them to adopt it,” said Schreiner. “Over the next while, our target is to demonstrate something fairly concrete to the industry. The mining industry needs to see a well-defined and operable scenario otherwise they’re not going to take a risk.” CIM

Next steps With the solution for REE separation under its belt, SRC is now zeroing in on a cost-effective and efficient technology that uranium operations can use at uranium mills to produce a high-purity REE concentrate. “The high ratio between impurities and REEs in the leaching solution is a common issue for most Canadian deposits so when we develop this technology, it will be able to be used not only for REE recovery from uranium raffinate but also for REE recovery from primary deposits,” said Zhao. June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 35

Courtesy of Maria Holuszko

A gold mine of garbage UBC’s Maria Holuszko is researching processing techniques to extract metals from e-waste By Peter Braul

fter spending several decades working on mineral processing solutions for the coal mining industry, Maria Holuszko, a professor at the University of British Columbia, is focusing increasingly on finding value in waste. She is a proponent of urban mining – extracting mineral value from consumer waste streams – and is now applying her expertise in mineral processing to the growing resource created by obsolete electronic gadgets, also known as e-waste. At the Urban Mining Innovation Centre, part of the university’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, Holuszko hopes to simultaneously improve the economics of recovery from discarded objects and the ecological impact their disposal has in the long term.

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CIM: Your background is in much more conventional mining – in coal specifically. What draws you to urban mining now? Holuszko: When you get older you get this perspective that you’d like to contribute to something bigger. It worries me that we create so much waste and we don’t do much about it. Sometimes when I talk to my students, I tell them I’m not worried that we’re not going to find any new ore deposits – I’m more concerned about how we are going to deal with the waste that we create. I’m optimistic that mining will do well, but our treatment of waste can drastically improve. I’m still involved with coal but the switch for me has been the transition to recycling and reprocessing of indus-

metallurgy & materials science

“I’m treating the waste as an ore body in the way I think about how we process it.”

trial waste. The fact that I’ve worked with coal and mineral processing has helped me to understand how we can actually address those situations. My contribution to research is now focused on the recovery of waste, even for coal mining.

CIM: What does a background in mining bring to the recycling sphere? Holuszko: I’m treating the waste as an ore body in the way I think about how we process it. For example, in mining we reduce the size of the ore gradually, and for each size there’s a different technology involved. If I apply this to recycling, specifically cellphones, in order to access the gold (which is typically a gold plated layer on some part of the phone) we need to reduce the size of the particles we are treating. The principles of mineral processing have allowed me to understand how to make the process more efficient and automated. One thing we strive to do is to avoid manual labour because some of the metals in waste, like mercury and lead, are toxic. If we look at this waste stream as a big mine, we move to a more automated and less hazardous environment for the workers.

CIM: How is urban mining different than recycling? Holuszko: I see recycling as the first step: collecting, dismantling and sorting things. It’s a bit old school, the way we talk about recycling, because we don’t really think about how to do a good job of extraction of each stream coming out of the process. Urban mining is concentrated also on integrated engineering – finding ways we can recover metals that before we didn’t pay much attention to and thinking about this from the very beginning. This type of engineering is also integrated with social and economic values. We don’t want to be those researchers sitting in a lab working on something that turns out not to be useable in the end because it’s uneconomical or some other reason. With electronic waste, the stream is growing exponentially and we are looking to extract the value from this waste stream in a smarter way than conventional recycling.

CIM: Most urban mining is concentrated on ewaste. How big of a waste stream is that now? Holuszko: It’s about 40 million tonnes a year globally, and in Canada in 2014 we had about 700,000 tonnes. It’s projected we’ll hit 50 million tonnes a year globally by 2018, but this is projected based on the life expectancy of electronic equipment. It’s huge and it’s growing – I’m sure you’ve had

many cell phones in your life, and the trend towards replacing them is only increasing. But this data is only from sales. In urban mining there’s a need for statistical modeling so that we can improve how we project waste streams. There’s no tracking really (after a device is sold), so we still need to work on improving data collection and management as well.

CIM: Are there any manufacturers designing products to be more easily mined? Holuszko: In Europe there are already some countries where manufacturers consult with processing experts so that devices can be more easily dismantled. Finland and Sweden are already quite advanced in that area. Some of our collaborators at the Finnish Innovation Fund are working with bigger companies like Nokia and Outotec. I think there’s a lot of discussion going on about it here, but I am not aware of any major projects at an industrial scale in North America.

CIM: What are the most important parts of the ewaste stream, from your processing perspective? Holuszko: It probably wouldn’t surprise you that, because we’re from mining, we focus on where the gold is. In circuit boards and coatings on circuit boards, we find the easiest low-hanging fruit of high-concentration precious metals. The thing is these are also the most complicated systems. There are a lot of plastic resins and new materials to make cell phones do what they do. So circuit boards are very exciting because they are challenging from a processing point of view and they are also the most valuable. At the same time we are looking at what we can do with fiberglass, plastic and resin type of materials. It doesn’t present us with great value but from an environmental point of view, finding a use for this kind of thing is [key] because it closes the loop so that we don’t have to worry about disposing of them anywhere.

CIM: What sorts of mineral processing innovations are making a big impact in urban mining right now? Holuszko: There is a lot to be learned from all different disciplines. Some of the work that one of my students that I cosupervise has done is showing great potential. She worked on a selective oxidation process that basically peels gold off the electronic circuit boards prior to further processing. It uses ammonium persulfate so it is much safer than other traditionally used reagents, but it has only been used on a lab scale. In one way we are lucky because in conventional mineral processing, it takes a really long time to extract the minerals that carry metals in order to obtain precious metals from the original rock. In urban mining we start with pure metals that are part of something else, so the process can be shorter but we need to characterize all the materials and innovate the processes to make the extraction economical and environmentally sustainable. CIM June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 37

DariuszSankowski/Pixabay

CIM MAGAZINE presents

This cast of characters is shaping the mining industry and pushing it in new directions

The disrupter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICHELLE ASH Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick Gold The innovator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALUN PRICE JONES Technical director at Cementation Canada The hypemaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GEORGE SALAMIS Executive chairman at Integra Gold The millennial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOHAMMAD BABAEI Senior technical analyst of digital operations at Teck Resources The patient player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN MCCONNELL CEO of Victoria Gold Corp. The CSR champion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RICHARD YOUNG President and CEO of Teranga Gold The renegade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REGINA LOPEZ Ousted acting secretary of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources The cybersecurity expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROB LABBÃ&#x2030; Director of Information Security at Teck Resources The northern correspondent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DOMINIQUE GIRARD Vice-president of Nunavut operations at Agnico Eagle The fixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DUNCAN MIDDLEMISS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines

MICHELLE ASH Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick Gold

ichelle Ash admits she may have some “anarchistic tendencies.” When she got her start in mining in 1993 as a blasting engineer in Western Australia, she was thrilled by, in her words, “seeing my creations blow up and move mountains.” A couple decades later, her new role as Barrick’s Chief Innovation Officer has her blowing up something else: the industry’s standard operating procedures. Ash is the first person to hold her title at Barrick — it was a job she was hand-selected for — and may be the first of its kind in the industry. But, she said, the Chief Innovation Officer position is just one of the latest examples of how Barrick has pushed to make innovation a priority for years. “The company recognizes that if we continue to do the same things the same way, we will always get what we’ve always got,” she said, “and that the industry fundamentally needs to change the way we go about doing things because the competition’s getting stronger.” When naming the position, Ash recalled, Barrick considered “chief digital officer” but ultimately discarded it because “we were thinking that innovation includes digital transformation, but also some technical, financial and other aspects.” For Ash, the role could not be a better fit; she has degrees in engineering, psychology and an MBA. Barrick’s big-picture thinking is evidenced in Ash’s mandate, which has five components: mineral cartography, or finding and understanding ore bodies more completely; automating the extraction process and more cheaply and efficiently processing ore; developing relationships with communities, governments and other companies; creating new

IPI photography

“The industry fundamentally needs to change the way we go about doing things because the competition’s getting stronger.”

The

DISRUPTER

revenue streams from existing assets; and integrating “not only our business, but also up into our suppliers’ business,” Ash said. She highlighted Barrick Technologies and Autec, two spinoff businesses, as one example of the work the company is doing. “We’ve got a lot of intellectual property, and especially processing technologies,” she said. “It’s not in our interest to keep that entirely in-house because it doesn’t get the same development that it does if other people are using it.” Barrick will take some of those technologies to other companies to help advance them further. Ash has also spoken with people in industries like retail, medicine and transportation about everything from integrating supply chains to moving cargo via Elon Musk’s high-speed Hyperloop transport concept in order to identify ideas Barrick could adapt to its own needs. The company is currently piloting a smart watch program adapted from the aviation industry that monitors employees’ sleep patterns and considers its potential impact on job performance. “We’ve got to get our head around being collaborative with those things,” she said, “and not locking them up.”

– Kelsey Rolfe

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 39

The

r Courtesy of Alun Price Jones

INNOVATOR

hen Alun Price Jones submitted a description of the Injection Hoisting System his company had created to the “Shark Tank”-style Disrupt Mining contest at the 2017 PDAC convention, he did not anticipate the interest and response that would follow. “The sponsors were trying to highlight innovation in mining,” explained Price Jones, who was pleasantly surprised to hear a week later that his pitch had made it to the final round. “Then, low and behold, we were awarded joint first prize at the event.” Cementation Canada split the $1 million prize with Kore Geosystems Inc. It also won several cash prizes from individual judges and took home the $50,000 People’s Choice Award. The Injection Hoisting System incorporates several existing technologies to move ore from deep mine excavations to the surface using a continuous, slurry-filled pipeline loop. The individual elements in the system are not original ideas, but, used in combination, the pump-driven system forms a patented new methodology for moving material from deep mine development to the surface. “We realised there was a means of moving material other than with hoists or fleets of trucks,” said Price Jones, who has overseen research and development at Cementation since he transferred to the Canadian arm of the company in 2002. Switching a mine from traditional truck transport to an injec-

40 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

“We realised there was a means of moving material other than with hoists or fleets of trucks.”

ALUN PRICE JONES Technical director at Cementation Canada

tion hoisting system would reduce capital and operating costs, he explained. With fewer trucks underground, less energy would need to be spent on ventilation, cutting costs through increased energy efficiency. Price Jones, a civil engineer by training, was inspired by practices used in the deep drilling sector. He has experience with oilfield-type drill rigs from a previous role in the UK investigating deep geological nuclear containment repositories, and realised it was possible to assemble the same equipment for injection hoisting “in a way that’s never been done before.” Although systems already exist to transport rock slurry through pipelines, “The particular challenge was to raise rock material through a significant vertical height through a pipeline system,” he said. The solution is to use high-pressure, hydraulically-driven piston pumps to inject the crushed rock slurry into the continuous flow system. Cementation Canada started looking at the problem about four years ago and submitted the initial patent application in 2015. After winning the Disrupt Mining contest at PDAC, Cementation Canada has been contacted by several mining companies interested in the system and plans are underway to identify a site to install a demonstration system to prove the methodology at a larger scale.

– Kylie Williams

“By introducing technology into everything [companies] do, mining all of a sudden becomes cool and sexy again.”

GEORGE SALAMIS Executive chairman at Integra Gold industry is tough,” he said. “By introducing technology into everything [companies] do, mining all of a sudden becomes cool and sexy again.”

– Sahar Fatima

Courtesy of Integra Gold

eorge Salamis was working as a geologist in the 1990s when the need for a major digital disruption in the mining industry became crystal clear to him. Salamis and others had created a device – sort of a precursor to smartphones, he explained – that would allow geologists to capture core logging and field mapping data digitally and immediately, so it was instantly shareable and interactive. But when he tried to promote its use across various projects, he hit a wall. “I remember very clearly trying to test this concept around the world and just getting so much pushback,” said Salamis, the soon-to-be former executive chairman of Integra Gold. Teams given these handheld units ended up using them to hold up windows or as bookends. “To me, the amount of inertia that we faced, the resistance to change in the mining business back then, was shocking and revealing.” But the need to think outside the box has motivated Salamis throughout his career, he said, leading right up to two recent crowdsourcing initiatives he and the rest of the Integra team pushed to spur digital innovation in the mining industry. The first, in 2014, was Integra’s Gold Rush Challenge, in which the company opened up its 6-terabyte database on a recently acquired mine to gather ideas for where to find its next major ore body, which lead to machine learning and the use of virtual reality imaging coming together for the first time in the mining exploration world. The second was the Disrupt Mining event at PDAC 2017, a “Shark Tank”-style competition in collaboration with Goldcorp that saw winner Cementation Canada score $650,000 and an offer to make a deal with Goldcorp for its Injection Hoisting System. In May, Integra announced a $625 million friendly takeover by Eldorado, meaning Salamis will be out of a job as of closing in July. But he said he and the team have made strong connections in the tech industry and will continue “pushing to break down the old barriers of mining to keep putting technology front and centre.” While it will not be under the Integra banner, Salamis said they will capitalize on the hundreds of ideas they received through the two crowdsourcing initiatives and solicit investment to actually get some of those ideas off the ground. And the time is ripe as the mining industry is now much more receptive to change, Salamis said. “Bringing new brain power and a younger generation of thinkers into an industry that’s regarded as an old

The

HYPEMASTER

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 41

MOHAMMAD BABAEI

JOHN MCCONNELL

Senior technical analyst of digital operations at Teck Resources

CEO of Victoria Gold Corp.

hree years ago John McConnell’s Victoria Gold had $20 million in hand to develop its Eagle gold project and he was adamant it was not going to panic and jump at the first deal to come its way. That patience appears to be paying off. In January, the company announced a US$220-million (about C$290 million) loan mandate from French bank BNP Paribas. That followed an April 2016 investment of $24 million from U.S. billionaire Thomas Kaplan’s Electrum group. McConnell said the company needs between $40 and $60 million more to cover the project’s construction – estimated at about $370 million. McConnell credited a number of factors for the Eagle project’s recent good fortunes. It is fully permitted and the project has year-round access – roughly 85 kilometres by road from Mayo, Yukon. And Goldcorp’s recent $520million purchase of the Coffee project last year brought added attention to Yukon. A stronger Canadian gold price, due to the exchange rate, has also improved the project’s economics. In September 2016, the company updated the Eagle project’s 2012 feasibility study, converting hundreds of thousands of ounces of resources to reserves and updating the mine plan. “Here’s a project that will produce over 200,000 ounces of gold per year in a safe jurisdiction with a cash cost of less than US$600 per ounce,” said McConnell. “There’s just no other project out there like that.” If he sounds optimistic, there is good reason. Though construction will start this July, McConnell will be busy trying to secure the rest of the project’s financing. McConnell, who was part of the team that built the Snap Lake diamond mine in the N.W.T., admitted he is excited. If all goes well, Victoria Gold will celebrate its first gold pour at Eagle in late 2018. The project has Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.7 million ounces of gold and an expected 10year mine life.

Ali Yaghini

– Kylie Williams

The

MILLENNIAL

42 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Courtesy of Victoria Gold Corp.

ohammad Babaei is passionate about developing and implementing innovative, digital technologies for the mining industry and has achieved quite a lot for someone who is still a couple of years away from turning 30. As a consultant and researcher, he has completed a doctorate in mining engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), published several scientific papers, received numerous awards and taught students much older than himself as a seasonal instructor at UBC. Now, he has landed his “dream” job. Babaei’s role as senior technical analyst of digital operations at Teck Resources combines his love for technology and data with operational knowledge of mine engineering. It involves traveling to Teck’s operations around the world to see where innovation and technology can be applied to improve productivity and unlock value. “We should always be looking for innovative ideas and technologies,” said Babaei. “There are many small day-to-day improvements we can make to fill the gaps and move toward best practices and cost reductions.” One such improvement is the diggability assessment index Babaei developed for Teck as part of his PhD, completed in March 2017. By connecting instrumentation to rope shovels to collect data about the physical properties of the materials and muck pile conditions, Teck was able to reduce the amount of explosives used at one mine site by 4 million kilograms, or about 10 per cent. “Teck’s approach to innovation is to engage experts from a wide range of backgrounds across the company, in an effort to develop innovative ideas and technologies that will continue to advance how we operate,” said Babaei. Babaei said he believes the mining industry should nurture young talent and recognize potential leaders of the future. Mining is undergoing a digital transformation, he said, and needs to engage employees who can convert a vision of mining ten years in the future into reality. “That’s my goal, to help the industry be prepared and successful in its digital transformation,” said Babaei. “As a data scientist and expert in mining technologies, I want to be the guy who brings the technology and lead the innovation.”

The

PATIENT PLAYER

– Herb Mathisen

Courtesy of Teranga Gold

“You have to earn the trust of all of your stakeholders otherwise you won’t be successful, particularly in new mining frontiers.”

The

CSR CHAMPION

r W

hen Teranga Gold completed its initial public offering (IPO) in late 2010, Sabodala was a remarkably different operation than it is today. “The previous group who had built the Sabodala mine in Senegal placed a smaller focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs,” recalled Richard Young, who took over as CEO of Teranga in September 2012. “In fact they had two individuals working in their CSR group. Today we have roughly 50.” During his time as an executive at Barrick, Young said he saw firsthand “the economic benefits that a world-class discovery could have for a company’s stakeholders, including the communities in which it worked.” It is an ethos he has worked hard to install at Teranga, especially given the company’s unique position in Senegal where Sabodala is the country’s first commercial gold mine. “You have to earn the trust of all of your stakeholders otherwise you won’t be successful, particularly in new mining frontiers,” Young said. “At the time of the IPO, we believed having a strong social license would allow us to run the operation and be successful, and that’s exactly what turned out to be the case.” He started from the top, installing people at the executive level who shared his vision of responsible mining, and worked to “get alignment” with the operations team on a CSR strategy. Seven years later, Teranga earned PDAC’s Environmental and Social Responsibility Award for its work in Senegal at the March awards gala, making Young a two-time winner.

RICHARD YOUNG President and CEO of Teranga Gold

At Sabodala, the company has myriad mining and metallurgy training programs to help its Senegalese workforce advance within the company, an onboarding program to help employees adapt to the workplace culture and offers 11 months of maternity leave – far more than Senegal’s threemonth legal minimum requirement – to attract and retain women, which make up about 10 per cent of its employees. Teranga also makes a point of hiring locally, with plans to continue to reduce the number of expats at the mine. The company’s workforce is currently more than 90 per cent Senegalese. Teranga is an active participant in the community surrounding the mine. Its social fund invests in agriculture, food security, youth education and training, and sustainable economic activities, which its local stakeholders have identified as priority areas. The company has purchased tractors and grain mills to help develop more efficient farming practices, started market gardens that allow local women to harvest what they need and sell what they do not, and is trying to reinvigorate the cotton industry in Senegal to help get artisanal miners back to their original trade – all initiatives that should outlast Sabodala’s current 12-year mine life. The company has gotten started on similar programs in Burkina Faso, where it is developing the Banfora gold project. “The opportunity to create infrastructure, social services and an economic base that improves everyone’s life in the region in which you operate is something that is very fulfilling,” Young said. “It’s very gratifying to know that we’re on the right track.”

– Kelsey Rolfe

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 43

“We planned many things… What a waste. Everyone would have benefited from the management and care of the environment.”

REGINA LOPEZ Ousted acting secretary of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources

The

Presidential Communications Operations Office/Wikimedia Commons

RENEGADE

er crusade against mining in the Philippines may have been short-lived, but the shock waves caused by now-ousted acting environment secretary Regina Lopez have not died down. The well-known environmental activist appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2016 caused an uproar in the country’s mining industry after, within 10 months of her tenure, she ordered operations be shut down at 28 of the Philippines’ 41 metallic mines, cancelled 75 contracts and banned open-pit mining. But the orders proved too radical as a panel of lawmakers, tasked with reviewing Duterte’s appointments, voted in May to reject Lopez. “We planned many things,” Lopez told media after the vote against her confirmation, according to the New York Times. “What a waste. Everyone would have benefited from the management and care of the environment.” Nineteen of the mines singled out by Lopez in February over risks of contamination to watersheds produced 49 per cent of the Philippines’ total nickel production in 2016, according to a special report in Scotiabank’s commodity price index published in March. Since Indonesia banned exports of unprocessed nickel in 2014, the Philippines has been the largest global supplier of nickel. No mine has been closed yet; companies appealed the closures to Duterte, a process that stays the orders and allows mines to continue operating until a decision is made, according to Ronald Recidoro, vicepresident of legal and policy for the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines. Lopez’s successor, ex-military chief Roy Cimatu, has signalled a softer stance on the industry, “which is a very marked departure from what Lopez had been saying,” Recidoro said. “But we don’t know whether that positivity will translate into repeals or reversals of previous orders,” he said. “[Cimatu] really does not have a background in environmental protection or in natural resource development so he’s really still on a very steep learning curve.” The Chamber was highly critical of Lopez while she was in office. “Very few people appreciate what we do and what we contribute to the economy. It does not help that our supposed champion […] paints the mining industry as environmental rapists that just take what they want and leave nothing but suffering and destruction in their wake,” read a recent scathing public statement. Lopez did enjoy the ardent support of various environmental groups and advocates who had pushed for her confirmation. Now, they are urging Cimatu not to reverse her bold positions.

– Sahar Fatima

44 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

The

CYBERSECURITY EXPERT

Courtesy of Rob Labbé

“We could all spend a quarter million dollars on the effort, but we would all get fundamentally the same document.”

ROB LABBÉ Director of Information Security at Teck Resources

uring a six-year stint as a cybersecurity expert at Microsoft, Rob Labbé noticed a trend – mining companies were particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks, and hackers were taking advantage. Today, he is working hard to change that. Cybersecurity in the industry, he recalled, “was at a really immature state” when he took over as Teck Resources’ director of information security in 2014. While at Teck, he has led an effort to form an industrywide coalition that aims to increase security through cooperation and coordination. The non-profit organization – known as the Mining and Metals Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC) – will pool resources, enable confidential sharing and collaboration, and work with other security organizations to prevent damaging cyberattacks. Labbé described ISAC as a sort of “combined defence.” It allows companies to share threat and vulnerability information as well as develop and manage contingency plans. Membership will be $25,000 a year, and the ISAC will develop security measures that will be shared with its mem-

bers. For example, the group will work on “security, maturity and resiliency frameworks,” which set out ways to avoid cyberattacks. This effort alone can cost a company around $250,000. “We could all spend a quarter million dollars on the effort, but we would all get fundamentally the same document.” Mining, explained Labbé, is late to the party when it comes to developing an ISAC. Other industries have “long realized” that “the only way we can compete against cybercriminals and take care of cybersecurity is to work together as an industry.” Some 30 industries now boast ISACs, the first of which was developed by the financial services industry. But Labbé said miners are waking up to the threat of cyberattacks. Currently, six companies, including Teck, are testing the data sharing and monitoring technology. As of July 10, the coalition will be open to other mining companies that wish to join. Labbé said he hopes they will. “Without sharing we all lose,” he said. “I would love to see 80 to 90 per cent of the industry participating in the next three to five years.”

– Joel Barde

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 45

“Our objective in the long-run is to have our mines managed by Inuit” DOMINIQUE GIRARD Vice-president of Nunavut operations at Agnico Eagle

Courtesy of Agnico Eagle

n 2017 alone, Agnico Eagle plans to spend $360 million developing its Meliadine gold project near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and another $73 million on Amaruq, a deposit 55 kilometres north of its Meadowbank operation – also in Nunavut – that will feed the mine’s mill for at least six years. A lot has to happen at once to ensure both these mines are in production by Q3 2019. There is permitting, construction, community relations, training, HR and ongoing production and closure-as-you-go at Meadowbank. Since mid-2015, it has been Dominique Girard’s job as vice-president of Nunavut operations to make sure all of that runs smoothly.

The metallurgist by trade has been with the company for 17 years, starting as an intern at the LaRonde mine in Quebec before being part of commissioning and start-up at the Kittila mine in Finland. In 2010, he came to Nunavut as general manager of the Meadowbank mine and moved to the corporate office a few years later. “I’m back in Nunavut because we saw that more and more activities were coming and we needed a full-time person to oversee that,” he said. Though the company lost money on Meadowbank for years, Girard – echoing his CEO Sean Boyd – insists that was just the first chapter of Agnico’s Nunavut story. “We developed our skillsets and the way to operate in the middle of extreme conditions,” said Girard. For instance, early on the company struggled with turnover and absenteeism among its Inuit workforce. But Girard said that since 2013 every new hire in the mine department at Meadowbank has been made locally. All the while, the mine is developing more and more skilled workers. Today, more than 25 per cent of all apprentices in the territory are employed at Meadowbank, he noted. “Our objective in the long-run is to have our mines managed by Inuit,” he said. “We need to be realistic. That’s going to take time. That’s going to take a few generations, but this is what we’re heading for.” And Agnico’s Nunavut ambitions may give them that opportunity, as the company hopes to operate there for decades. The investments it has made thus far – in infrastructure and in training people – are now giving it a competitive advantage.

– Herb Mathisen

The

NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT

46 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

The

r FIXER

CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines

ine years ago Duncan Middlemiss joined St. Andrew Goldfields as vice-president of operations. He ascended to the role of CEO in 2013, and by the time the company was sold to Kirkland Lake Gold in 2016, it was profitable and producing 140,000 ounces of gold annually. It was a dramatic turnaround that helped cement Middlemiss’s reputation as a “fixer.” Working closely with his team, he dramatically increased production, helped raise money and developed an overarching plan for the company. His latest challenge began last August when he was named CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines. The Canadian-focused company has three major assets in northern Ontario and Quebec, one of which – the Eagle River Complex – is currently operational. Since taking over, Wesdome has already showed impressive success, dropping its operating costs while increasing its revenue and production. “It starts with a team,” he explained. “You have to get in there and understand the team dynamics and optimize them.” And according to Middlemiss, his extensive experience working in both mines and in management helps. “I’m able to understand the resources they require.” First quarter 2017 financial results show that the company has increased its total revenue over last year’s results (to $20.1 million, up from $13.3 million) and dropped its operating costs (to $1,056 an ounce, down from $1,766). The success, according to Middlemiss, boils down to one factor – investment in exploration, which is leading to highergrade ore. “We’re understanding the ore bodies a lot better,” he said.

Middlemiss is optimistic about Wesdome’s Kiena Complex. Located in Val d’Or, Quebec, the formerly operational mine is fully permitted, and boasts a 930-metre shaft and a 2,000tonne-per-day mill. “Everything is there. The only thing it lacks is minable reserves,” said Middlemiss, adding that the company is investing in a new ramp that will lead to more drilling. A self-described “gold bug,” he said he feels that the current state of world affairs – countries printing money at an unprecedented rate, rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty – will lead to a rise in the price of the yellow metal. “If you don’t have a belief in the long-term value of currencies, you have to believe in hard assets such as gold.”

– Joel Barde

Courtesy of Duncan Middlemiss

DUNCAN MIDDLEMISS

“It starts with a team… You have to get in there and understand the team dynamics and optimize them.”

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 47

LESS IS MORE

project profile

The smelter in Kitimat, British Columbia put the town on the map in the 1950s, and after a major upgrade, the operation is turning out even more aluminum while keeping its environmental impact in check. By Kylie Williams

n 2011, Rio Tinto announced plans to modernize the 60-year-old Kitimat Aluminum Smelter in north-central British Columbia. Four years and $ 6 billion later, construction of the new smelter was complete. The plant has been operating at full capacity since late 2016, producing some of the lowest-carbon footprint, highest-purity aluminum in the world. Aluminum smelting is an energy-intensive process requiring enormous amounts of reliable and inexpensive electricity, usually generated by hydro- or coal-fired power plants. Despite the energy required to produce it, aluminum is ubiquitous in modern life. The lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal is used for everything from building materials to drink packaging, household utensils to electronics. Its main use is in transportation, as a lightweight material for aerospace and automotive panels, increasingly replacing heavier steel components to lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the life of a vehicle. Rio Tinto dramatically cut emissions and increased annual production by almost 50 per cent at the Kitimat smelter by replacing old technology with new, while continuing to rely on the reliable hydroelectricity available in the region and the skilled workforce already in place.

Good bones

The smelter and nearby town of Kitimat were carved out of the rugged B.C. wilderness in the early 1950s by what was, at the time, the largest private sector construction project ever undertaken in Canada. The Kitimat-Kemano project created the Nechako reservoir, excavated a 16-km tunnel through the Coast mountain range and built a hydroelectric power station at Kemano. An 80-km transmission line was also constructed to deliver 1,000 megawatt (MW) capacity to the newly constructed smelter at Kitimat. Since then the fundamental process of producing aluminum has changed very little. First, bauxite ore mined from The modernized Kitimat Smelter Rio Tinto/Dwight Magee

June/July â&#x20AC;˘ Juin/Juillet 2017 | 49

Kylie Williams Rio Tinto/Dwight Magee

Kylie Williams

Clockwise from left: aluminum ingots ready for export; liquid aluminum at over 900 C; Kitimat wharf

the equatorial regions of Australia, China, Brazil, and Guinea is refined to alumina powder (Al2O3). Alumina, once delivered to a smelter, is then dissolved in a molten fluoride-containing electrolyte at about 960 C and reduced to aluminum metal by electrolysis. This electrolytic reaction takes place in a series of connected reduction cells, also known as “pots,” containing carbon anodes and cathodes. Rio Tinto purchased the Kitimat smelter, together with the complex reservoir system and powerhouse at Kemano, from Alcan in 2007 and completed the modernization project by early 2016, despite challenging commodity market conditions in the years between. Now at full capacity, the smelter’s 384 pots produce three tonnes of aluminum each per day, or about 420,000 tonnes in total per year. But why modernize a 60year-old plant in a remote location rather than starting fresh somewhere else?

LocationJ location

“A primary, competitive advantage for the business is our self-generated power originating from the Nechako Reservoir,” explained Gareth Manderson, BC Works general manager at Rio Tinto. “We’re able to produce hydropower with zero CO2 50 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

emissions, and, coupled with the advances in smelting technology through Rio Tinto’s research and development here in Canada, we can produce one of the lowest greenhouse gas signature aluminums in the world.” Manderson added several other reasons Rio Tinto had chosen to modernize the Kitimat smelter, rather than relocate. “We’ve been here for 60 years and we’ve got a great group of people who know how to make aluminum,” said Manderson. In addition, the smelter is on the Douglas Channel, a deep, year-round ice-free port with easy access to southeast Asian and United States markets as well as for deliveries of alumina from Rio Tinto’s operations in Australia. But building a new smelter alongside a still-operating smelter, which was handled by Bechtel Canada, required intense coordination. Aside from managing production, safety and the extra workers onsite, the new smelter is nestled between two salmon-bearing streams requiring protection and bordered on the remaining sides by marshlands, mountains and the ocean. “We shut part of the smelter down, and then put the new smelter on the existing land that included the old production area,” said Manderson, “Now we’re going through and dismantling the old smelter.”

project profile

Rio Tinto/Dwight Magee

Better for the environment

Laure Kline began working on Potlines 1 and 2, the oldest on site at 64 years, as the first female superintendent in the Reduction plant.

WhatJ s new under the hood The Kitimat smelter now employs AP40 smelter technology. AP40 is named for Aluminium Pechiney, the proprietary French research company now owned by Rio Tinto that first developed the technology, and the 40 means that over 400,000 amps are flowing through the pots. “The process of making molten metal is very similar in the new plant as in the old plant,” explained Laure Kline (Massardier), business improvement blackbelt with Rio Tinto at BC Works. “We still need carbon, electricity, alumina and an electrolytic bath. All this happens in pots.” Kline is a chemical engineer by training and witnessed the modernization from start to finish during her five years working at the Kitimat smelter. Shortly before the old pots were shut down, Kline became one of the first to transition to the new technology as part of the reduction reaction pilot team. “The main difference with the new technology is that we now prebake the carbon before it goes in the pot,” said Kline. With the old Soderberg technology, the carbon sources were baked above the pots and manually added. As the carbon was burning to make the aluminum, it was necessary to keep refilling from the top. “Now, every pot is covered,” said Kline, “The anodes are baked in a furnace equipped with a fume treatment centre.” The giant carbon anode blocks weigh over a tonne each and are lowered into the hooded pots to set the reduction reaction in progress. Fluoride emissions from the pots are captured with ‘fresh’ alumina and reused in the pots. The used anodes are also fully recycled on site. “In terms of health and environment, it’s like night and day,” said Kline of the new Reduction area. “The work environment is much cleaner in terms of gas and dust emissions.” Energy efficiency has skyrocketed with the new system, too. The old pots used 18.5 to 20 kilowatt hours of energy to make one tonne of aluminum (kWh/t), and the AP40 pots use around 13 kWh/t for the same amount. “These are some of the best numbers in the business,” said Kline, explaining that the team is trying to “squeeze the pots” to become the most productive smelter in the world.

Each tonne of aluminum produced at the Kitimat smelter creates about two tonnes of GHG. At the other end of the scale, the GHG emissions at some smelters in China often range from 17 to 20 tonnes of GHG per tonne of aluminum by using old smelting technology together with coal-fired power stations. “From a GHG perspective, we’ve reduced CO2 emissions by 36 per cent,” said Manderson. “Our process is about 30 per cent more efficient on energy than the previous one. We emit less CO2 to manufacture the same tonne of aluminum.” In addition to the CO2 reductions, the plant has reduced particulate emissions by 80 per cent and significantly reduced fluoride emissions through more efficient capture and recycling. By pre-baking the anodes and capturing and treating those fumes, there has been a 98 per cent reduction in the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that come from the carbon source. While the 50 per cent overall reduction in the smelter’s environmental footprint has been welcomed by Kitimat residents, the sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions have caused some residents to raise concerns with the media over the impact on people with asthma. “Sulphur comes from the raw materials in our process, so when we increase production by 50 per cent, we potentially impact SO2 emissions,” said Kline. Knowing that increased SO2 emissions were a possibility, Rio Tinto brought in expert consultants on SO2 effects to model the SO2 emissions and evaluate the potential impact to the environment. In response, the company built its gas and fume treatment centres as tall stacks to disperse the heated and diluted SO2 gas high into the atmosphere. A comprehensive environmental program sampling air, water, vegetation and soil at sites across the Kitimat Valley is monitoring dispersion around the plant today. Air quality data for monitoring sites around Kitimat is presented on the BC Air Quality website.

Forging ahead

The number of workers on site, which swelled to over 4,000 at the height of construction in 2014, has leveled out at around 1,000 operations personnel. Manderson said the next step is to optimize operations and productivity and is canvassing employees for innovative ideas. “We’re streamlining processes through discussions with employees,” said Manderson. “If you think about having 1,000 people chipping away at doing something just a little bit better each week, or month, or each shift, that’s a lot of improvement over time.” The decision to breathe new life into an old smelter paid off. The next challenge is to stabilize the process and still be the best in ten or fifteen years. “Having state of the art technology doesn’t automatically make you the best,” said Kline. “It sets you up for success, but what makes it work is the people and how they operate it.” CIM June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 51

No time for waste Faster sensors have upped the potential for ore sorting in mine operations

Courtesy of Scantech

By Andrew Topf

Scanning times have dropped significantly, allowing mines using ore sorting to more accurately assess the grade of the feed heading to the mill.

52 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

hen commodity prices were high, miners could afford minor inefficiencies in their operations. But now, as the low-hanging fruit of high-grade deposits is mostly picked and companies are forced to mine deeper at more remote locations and lower grades, they are looking for ways to become more efficient. A good place to start is the mill, typically a mine’s largest consumer of water and energy. Reducing the waste rock going into the mill can reduce a mine’s water and energy requirements, while improving its economics. That is why ore sorting technology is gaining a lot of attention. The potential of scanners that enable the operation to determine ore composition and grade before it hits the grinding mill or flotation circuit is huge. Recently the biggest advancement in ore sorting has to do with speed. Sorters can now achieve faster results, allowing smaller groups of rocks to be sorted; the smaller the rock grouping (or “packet”), the better the grade recovery. Over the last 18 months, conveyor-scanning times have dropped from two minutes to around 30 seconds without sacrificing much accuracy, according to Brent Hilscher, principal process engineer with Sacre-Davey, a Vancouver-based engineering and project management consultancy. “If you can sort five-tonne packets of ore rather than 20-tonne packets, you can create a highergrade product and a lower-grade reject and your grade recovery curve is shifted,” explained Hilscher. While accuracy and speed are trade-offs, Hilscher said operations can afford to reduce their accuracy by a couple of percentage points in order to scan a smaller packet. “If you’ve got 99 per cent accuracy, but you have a two-minute long packet size, it might be worth getting that packet size down to one minute at 98 per cent, or 20 seconds at 95 per cent accuracy.”

S U R FA C E M I N I N G

| technology

The approach can be divided into categories: particle sorting, where individual rock particles are scanned, and bulk sorting, where a group of crushed rocks is sorted and run through a sensor or group of sensors. If lower-grade ore can be diverted out of the mix before it is sent to the mill and that capacity replaced with ore identified as higher grade, the lift to revenue can be substantial. “If you can reduce your milling times by half, and then double your metal production because you found enough ore to replace it that has a tremendous impact on the economics,” explained Hilscher. “So that’s normally how it ends up being justified. It is based on additional tonnage.” Indeed an ore sorting system can result in more cost savings down the processing chain. Henry Kurth, vice-president of sales in North America and minerals consultant with Scantech International, said diverting waste ore can save between $7 and $10 a tonne because not processing that material avoids using grinding media, reagents, electricity and water needed to pump the slurry as well as having to dispose of the waste it would have generated.

Shovels versus conveyors Ore sorting and sensing technology come in shovel and conveyor systems. Vancouver’s MineSense offers both options, employing Xray fluorescent sensing (HS-XRF), which scans the material over 20 times per second, allowing it to measure and report ore grades for a range of metals including nickel, copper, copper-gold, iron, manganese and other bulk minerals. MineSense describes its flagship ShovelSense product as “a real-time mineral telemetry and decision support system for surface or underground applications.” Sensors fitted onto shovel dippers, hydraulic loaders or underground scoops measure ore quality as material is being scooped into the bucket. Founder and CTO Andrew Bamber said the sensing technology shares DNA with XRF assay analysis or field geochemistry using hand-held devices. “Imagine that technology being put on steroids in a number of dimensions,” he said, including size, range, speed and accuracy required of the shovel application. A visual signal tells the machine operator whether to dump the bucket into a truck headed to the mill for processing or into a waste truck. The measured grade can then be transmitted via Wi-Fi or 3G to ore control or mine planning systems. Bamber said most of the time the sensors confirm the quality of the material and loading continues as normal. “It’s in those 20 per cent to 30 per cent of cases that the material is

Courtesy of MineSense

Economic rationale

not to specification that the sensors would intervene.” MineSense’s shovel-mounted technology lets operators He estimated that MineSense can increase margins by 25 per measure ore quality as it is being scooped and alerts them if the cent on average, depending on facore is not up to specification. tors like the cut-off grade and stripping ratio. Australia-based Scantech offers a range of analyzers that measure the quality of the material on a conveyor belt in realtime – usually over 30-second to two-minute intervals. The analyzer, which fits around the belt, uses Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) technology to inspect a packet of crushed ore, up to half a metre deep. A radiation source fires hundreds of millions of neutrons per second at the ore packet, which are then absorbed by elements in the rock. The ore gives off gamma rays, whose energy is measured by the analyzer, thus identifying the elements in the packet and giving an average grade for each. The data is then transmitted to a control room, which sends a signal to a diverter that either moves the higher-grade ore to the mill, or diverts it to a waste stream. According to Kurth, PGNAA is unique in that it penetrates through the full depth, whereas other scanning technologies measure parts of the surface with only a little penetration. The data it gives can be used to assist the plant operation further down the line. For example, the identification of silica could help the plan operator control the mill feed, since harder material takes longer to break down. Eijkelkamp SonicSampDrill also offers conveyor-based ore sorting. It uses a laser scanning technique known as LIBS for bulk sorting minerals like copper. The Dutch company says its LIBS In-Line Grade Scanner can also be used in secondary applications, like identifying rare earth elements in tailings or finding arsenic in gold or copper ores. Finland-based IMA Engineering has a Fast Conveyor Analyzer (FCA) that it says gives real-time analysis at the crusher, which is used to mix different ores to get targeted grades in the mill feed. The FCA analyzer employs X-ray fluorescence technology. Shovel and conveyor-based systems each have their pros and cons. For shovel-based sorting, the packet size is limited June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 53

by the size of the shovel. Ideally each shovel would load two trucks, one for ore and one for waste, but for operations, that could mean expanding the truck fleet – an expensive option. The advantage of shovel-based sorting is that it happens earlier in the mining operation than conveyor-based sorting, allowing for maximum heterogeneity of the broken rock. “The lion’s share of the value created in a MineSense application is something that other sorting solutions can’t do, and that is to recover ore from waste, in situ,” said Bamber. “By instrumenting the shovel and making it intelligent to the grade of material loaded, shovels operating in a waste bench can be used to recognize ore grade material that’s actually included in that waste bench, but hasn’t been recognized by the modelling or planning process, recover that and get it to the mill feed stream. Competing ore sorting solutions do not address that.” The earlier in the operation that sorting can occur, the greater the grade recovery curve because it avoids blending. The curve is also enhanced by smaller packets, which increases scanning accuracy.

Each operation is different Ore sorting is not a one-size-fits all solution. The kind of sorting and sensing technology required depends on the particular needs of the mine and its grades.

Hilscher said for bulk ore sorting, the degree of mill grade improvement is limited because unlike particle sorting, there is still a lot of waste rock blended into the ore. An increase in the mill grade of between 20 and 30 per cent is a reasonable expectation. The decision on whether to go with bulk or particle sorting depends on the grades. If the deposit is low grade, bulk sorting makes sense because the mine can afford to discard some metal if it means raising the average grade going to the mill. For a mid-grade deposit, bulk sorting could be too costly, because too much metal will be sent to the waste pile. And a high-grade operation can skip the sorting altogether. Then there is the amount of material that has been mined versus the mill feed rate. To keep the mill running at capacity, for every tonne that is diverted, another tonne needs to be added to the feed. This can be a problem for mines that cannot keep up with the mill. “There are a lot of operations where the mine is the bottleneck,” said Kurth, adding that an operation’s ore-sorting strategy should be flexible, allowing for adjustments to the cut-off grade. “Every site will have a different strategy to deal with the mine versus mill capacity since the grade variability will be different at every site, so it’s not a cookie cutter approach.” CIM

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 answer 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; Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada; and Guy Desharnais, SGS Canada Inc., Canada • DATE October 10-13, 2017 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Strategic Mine Planning with New Digital Technologies, Risk Management and Mineral Value Chains At the time of a continuing rebound of metal markets, learn how the application of new digital technologies that can add substantial value to strategic mine planning and asset valuation. The new technologies and related tools integrate technical risk management while capitalizing on the synergies amongst the elements of mineral value chains through their simultaneous optimization – from mines to products to markets.

INSTRUCTORS Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada and Ryan Goodfellow, McGill University, Canada • DATE September 13-15, 2017 • LOCATION Montreal, Quebec, Canada

54 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

All images by Luigi D’Astolfo

Changing landscape CIM Convention attendees, optimistic for the year ahead, consider how to manage the industry’s rapid change By CIM Magazine staff

After a year of improved commodity prices and cautious optimism, attendees of the CIM Convention – hosted at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal from April 30 to May 3 – were ready to consider the industry’s future. CIM welcomed nearly 6,000 industry professionals from 52 countries to talk about the challenges the sector is currently facing, and the radical innovations that could permanently change it, under the conference theme “New State of Mine.” The schedule included an impressive 11 technical session streams, the EXPO trade show, a busy social calendar and a riveting plenary discussion.

Ripe for disruption Grey skies and rain hustled convention attendees inside to the opening Plenary Session on May 1, but an invigorating discussion on the challenges and implications of innovation kept them there. Renaud Adams, CEO of Richmont Mines; Michelle Ash, Barrick Gold’s Chief Innovation Officer; Gerald Sanders, NASA’s lead for in-situ resource utilization; ArcelorMittal Mining president Pierre Lapointe; and Daniella Dimitrov, a mining executive and corporate director of Excellon Resources, agreed that it is not if but when fundamental changes will come to the mining industry, and the only thing miners can control is how they adapt to make the most of those innovations. “We need incremental improvements and big innovations to improve mining operations,” said Carol Plummer, the ple-

nary’s moderator and vice-president of project development for southern business at Agnico Eagle, in her opening remarks. Big innovations were on the minds of many of the panelists. Ash, the first person to hold the title of Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick (read our profile of Ash on pg. 39), highlighted the potential of technologies like solar energy and batteries for powering mine sites, artificial intelligence and robotics to transform the industry. She said Barrick is speaking with representatives of other industries, including the medical sector, retail and aerospace, to see how innovations in those fields could be applied to mining. Sanders noted that there is a growing realization among space agencies that “it’s important to use resources in space, to make space exploration more affordable,” and that is just one of several factors making space mining more feasible in the future. June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 55

Clockwise from top: SCRAP, a band that uses recycled materials for instruments, led attendees into the EXPO opening; Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium; A harpist from Le Cirque Carpe Diem performed for the CIM Awards Gala; CIM Magazine beer social; Mentor-mentee reception; Attendees get down and boogie at the annual Joy Global Gala 56 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

He said there are common challenges between space and terrestrial mining and an opportunity to share technologies and solutions. Meanwhile, Adams urged attendees to consider how mining “fundamentals” like bulk-handling and grinding circuits can be modified to improve performance, at a time when the average deposit grade is declining and mining companies need to invest more work into accessing the ore. But challenges to wide-scale adoption of transformative processes and technologies still exist, and the most notable one, Lapointe noted, is the industry’s reluctance to invest in them. “I’m pretty sure we’re not benefitting from 100 per cent of what we have,” he said. “We’re getting probably 40 to 50 per cent of what the benefit should be.” Dimitrov agreed, pointing to a report from the World Economic Forum that named the mining sector one of the most ripe for disruption, with around $425 billion in value waiting to be unlocked by adopting new technology. “We’re an industry that is known as resistant to change,” she said. Ash also pointed out that stakeholders, including employees, need to understand the changes that are coming. “Our job is to prepare our people, our organizations, and our communities for this accelerating rate of change.”

Reach for the stars The convention’s forward-thinking technical sessions brought out more than 1,000 delegates to consider a wide range of issues, including solving common operational challenges and discussing how to mine on the moon. The sessions were organized into 11 streams: Leading for Safety; Operational Excellence and Development; Geology and Exploration; Rock Mechanics and Underground Mining; Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Best Practices; Environment and Sustainability Development; Innovation: Present and Future; Diversity and Inclusion; Franco-Mine; Management and Finance Day; and the Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium. The latter session, focusing on space mining technologies, applications and challenges, was regularly packed with attendees and boasted expert presenters and session chairs from NASA, Deltion Innovations and Concordia University. Plan to be at CIM 2018 in Vancouver from May 6 to 9! CIM

Everyone’s talking about #CIMTL17 I love that @NASA is speaking at the #cimtl17 plenary this year Says a lot about the #futureofmining and the direction the – Carly Leonida @MM_Ed_Carly industry is going Awww yeeea we’re talking about space mining this plenary is lit – Kelsey Rolfe @kelseyarolfe #CIMTL17 .@PwypCanada’s Claire Woodside speaking on the increasing pressure for more social, environmental disclosure in #mining, – Mining Shared Value @ewb_msv today at #CIMTL17 .@TeckResources Mohammad Babaei talks about evolution of #digability @ mines to save $$ & up productivity #digitaltransformation #cimtl17 – Kylie Williams @resourceswriter

Best talk so far - Flow Partners speaking my kind of language! #LeanMining #cimtl17 I hope everyone listening was taking the – Karen Chovan @KChovanEIS message to It wasn’t quite a repeat of Coachella, but @joyglobalinc knows – Nick Larson @NRWL how to throw a good party #CIMTL17 Attending the #CIMTL17 Komatsu JoyGlobal Event w/ Mary-Carmen of @MCVServices & Laurel of @GBReports #mining #minex – Lana Eagle @lanaeagle2

That’s a wrap on #CIMTL17. Thanks @CIMorg for putting together such a great conference and for inviting me to present! – Alison Cox @alisonecox

Congratulations to John Starkey on winning the CIM Fellowship Award and CIM Distinguished Lecturer Award at #CIMTL17 last – Starkey & Associates @SAGDesignTest week in Montreal.

Lunch

Awards Gala

EXPO More than 450 exhibitors demonstrated the newest technologies, services and products at the 2017 EXPO.

Jonathan Hykawy, the president of Stormcrow Capital, gave the closing luncheon talk about the future of electric vehicles and the commodities those vehicles require.

Attendees of the annual CIM Awards Gala, sponsored by Caterpillar and its Canadian dealers, were treated to performances by Le Cirque Carpe Diem and the Human Flag Duo, pictured. June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 57

CIM DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL Awarded to an individual for exceptional service to the Institute and industry. Faramarz (Ferri) Hassani is the current holder of the Webster Chair in Mining Engineering and a mining engineering professor at McGill University, where he has taught since 1983. His focus has been on rock mechanics, mines and energy and mine backfill. He is the co-founder and chairman of the Canadian Mining Innovation Council. VALE MEDAL FOR MERITORIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINING Presented to an individual for his or her distinctive contributions to the mining and metallurgical industry. Stephen Hardcastle is the managing director of BBE Consulting Canada and a world-renowned mine ventilation expert. His focus has been mine ventilation optimization, energy efficiency, the introduction of alternative (green) technologies and deep mining, always considering the health and safety of underground workers.

Catharine Shaw from Golder Associates, the first-ever winner of the Diversity and Inclusion Award, was one of many winners at the CIM Awards Gala.

CIM AWARD WINNERS On May 1 industry leaders attended the CIM Awards Gala, sponsored by Caterpillar and its Canadian dealers, to recognize excellence in mining and fete their peers’ accomplishments. Here are this year’s award winners: CIM FELLOWSHIP Handed out for outstanding continuous contributions to the mining, metallurgical and petroleum industries. Peter Calder, Tad Crowie, James Hatley, Pierre Julien, Garth Kirkham, John Starkey

CIM DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS Chosen on the basis of their accomplishments in scientific, technical, management or educational activities related to the minerals industry. The recipients present their lectures at CIM branch and student chapter meetings across the country. Peter Calder, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University. Lecture: Investigation of a complex rock slope displacement at Brenda Mines Guy Desharnais, technical manager of geological services at SGS Canada Inc. Lecture: Sample selection done right: You can’t afford to do it wrong Cameron Harris, president and principal: smelting at Canadian Engineering Associates Ltd. Lecture: The mining industry: So we’ve survived…What now? Michael Samis, associate partner at Ernst & Young LLP. Lecture: Managing capital risk exposure by design John Starkey, president at Starkey & Associates Inc. Lecture: Comminution circuits Martin Wacker, principal engineer at Cameco Corporation. Lecture: Development of the Cigar Lake jet boring mining method 58 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

A.O. DUFRESNE EXPLORATION ACHIEVEMENT Given in recognition of exceptional achievement or distinguished contribution to mining exploration in Canada. Dean McDonald is the senior vice-president of exploration at Hecla Mining, where he and his team have added 300 million ounces of silver reserves in the past 10 years, the highest reserves in the company’s 125-year history. He has also been involved in discoveries at Miramar’s Hope Bay project and Committee Bay Resources’ Three Bluffs deposit. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARD Recognizes exceptional contributions toward improving diversity and inclusion within the mining industry. Catharine Shaw is the mining client program manager at Golder Associates. She is the founder and current director of the non-profit organization Women in Mining Canada, and in 2010 established the Greater Toronto Area CIM Branch. BARLOW MEDAL FOR BEST GEOLOGICAL PAPER Awarded to the best geological paper published in CIM publications during the preceding year. Johann Stiefenhofer is the principal MRM - De Beers at Anglo American and has a PhD in geology and an MSc (Eng.) in mining engineering with a focus on geostatics. Malcolm Thurston is the head of geosciences and mineral resource management for De Beers and has a PhD in geostatics. David Rose, Ingrid Chinn and Johan Ferreira were also co-authors. DISTRICT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS Recognizes one member from each of the Western, Central and Eastern districts for significant contribution to the mineral industry and CIM. Central District: Betty Yi-Shin Lin, manager and global backfill specialist at Hatch Eastern District: Johanne Voyer, senior director of scientific research and experimental development at Deloitte

MEL W. BARTLEY OUTSTANDING BRANCH AWARD Given to the CIM branch demonstrating the most progress in reaching the aims and objectives of the Institute.

Regional Agnico Eagle – Mine Lapa Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, a Glencore Company –

CIM Val d’Or Branch

Fraser Mine

CIM COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD Recognizes a CIM member who has fully given his or her time and devotion to several aspects of community service and support in the minerals industry. Hans Brasch is a retired industry professional who continues to learn about new technology and challenges in mining. He has created heritage shows, promoted mining in videos featured in Canada and Europe, and documented mining culture from past to present in nine books. ROBERT ELVER MINERAL ECONOMICS AWARD Presented to a member of the Institute who made significant contribution in mineral economics over the course of the previous year. Gordon J. Bogden is the chairman of Black Loon Group, a private investment company. He has worked as a geophysicist and a mining investment banker. He has taken on corporate board positions since 2012 and engaged in board leadership, strategic development and corporate responsibility initiatives. CIM-BEDFORD CANADIAN YOUNG MINING LEADERS AWARD Celebrates the bright future of leadership in the mining industry by recognizing the exceptional achievement and potential of young Canadian leaders. Chris Buncic, president and CEO of Ascendant Resources Daniel Janusauskas, strategic mine engineer at Detour Gold Kyle Leadbeater, superintendent of dry end production at K+S Potash Canada Jeremy Teeuwsen, manager of operational excellence at Sherritt International HATCH-CIM MINING & MINERALS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT SAFETY AWARD Assesses each of the candidates’ safety performances in their respective projects and recognizes the team(s) that best met or exceeded the criteria. De Beers Canada – Gahcho Kué Project JOHN T. RYAN TROPHIES Awarded to mines that experience the lowest reportable injury frequency per 200,000 hours worked in each category. The respective categories include national trophies for coal, metal and select mines, and regional trophies for four different metal mine regions and two select mine regions. National: Goldcorp – Eleonore Mine (Metals) Mosaic – Potash Belle Plaine (Select) De Beers Canada – Victor Mine (Select) Vale – Voisey’s Bay (Select) Teck Coal Limited – Greenhills Operations (Coal)

Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada – Bernic Lake New Gold – New Afton Mine Syncrude Canada – Mildred Lake & Aurora Mines Tata Steel Minerals Canada – DSO Project

MCPARLAND MEMORIAL AWARD Granted for outstanding performance in the minerals industry. Liezl van Wyk is the technical services manager for Diavik and a business partner for the copper and diamonds group at Rio Tinto. She has a B.Eng in electric and electronic engineering and worked in the power utility industry before joining Rio Tinto. JULIAN BOLDY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY SERVICE AWARD Recognizes an individual’s exceptional service to the Geological Society of CIM. Hendrik Falck is a mineral deposits geologist at the Northwest Territories Geological Survey and the president of Geoscientists Canada. He has worked as a geologist in Yellowknife since 1990, including as a bulk-sample geologist and plant manager at Kennecott Canada during the assessment of the Diavik diamond mine kimberlites. MINING ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Established to recognize outstanding achievement or contribution in the field of mining engineering. Previously known as the Underground Mining Society Award. Duncan Middlemiss is the president and CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines. He has been recognized as a successful production engineer, corporate leader and team builder, and is a selfdescribed “fixer” who has turned around distressed operations at Kirkland Lake Gold and St. Andrew Goldfields. SELWYN BLAYLOCK MEDAL Given to an individual for distinguished service to Canada through exceptional achievement in the field of mining, metallurgy or geology. John R. Goode is the principal of J.R. Goode and Associates, a metallurgical consultancy that has undertaken gold, uranium, rare earth and other projects for Barrick, Placer, Iamgold, Avalon, Crystallex, Serra Verde, NRCan and others. TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE MINING (TSM) AWARDS Acknowledges companies, facilities and individuals that have implemented projects and initiatives to expand and promote sustainable development within the mining sector. The two categories for this award are environmental excellence and community engagement. Environmental Excellence: Ekati, Dominion Diamond Community Engagement: Voisey’s Bay, Vale

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 59

THANK YOU SPONSORS | MERCI À NOS COMMANDITAIRES PLATINUM | PLATINE

DIAMOND | DIAMANT

GOLD | OR

SILVER | ARGENT ®

COPPER | CUIVRE

FRIEND | AMI

MEDIA | MÉDIAS

THE PROSPECTOR RESOURCE INVESTMENT NEWS

60 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

ver the past three years, more than 40 volunteers have worked towards assembling an international group of speakers to present their latest findings in the field of metallurgy. In recent months, a second wave of volunteers has come on board to help review 200+ papers, ensuring that our published proceedings meet the high standards you’ve come to expect from COM. This year, we are hosting the 7th World Gold Conference and the 4th Nickel-Cobalt Conference. A joint venture between CIM, AusIMM and SAIMM, World Gold covers all aspects of technical innovation relating to the gold industry. Nickel-Cobalt, co-sponsored with TMS, brings together internationally recognized scientists, engineers and plant operators to share and discuss the most recent developments in the processing of these metals. Additionally, MetSoc technical sections are hosting the following sessions: Processing for Performance, Advances in Materials Manufacturing (III), Corrosion and Environmental Degradation of Materials

and Energy and Eco-Efficiency in Mining and Processing. To top everything off there will also be special sessions on General Hydrometallurgy and Pyrometallurgy. We also have two one-day special symposia planned: Women of Innovation – a panel populated by influential women from academia, industry and government which aims to celebrate women innovators and to motivate women to choose a career path in STEM disciplines; and Enabling Innovation in Metallurgy where MetSoc has partnered with Canada Mining Innovation Council on a symposium devoted entirely to exploring the reasons behind the decline in innovation in the Canadian mining industry and opportunities where innovation can be significantly enhanced. If you’re looking to enrich your conference experience, sign up for one of our short courses or industrial tours. And don’t forget to stop by the trade show to meet our exhibitors. I look forward to seeing you in Vancouver this August. James Budac, Sherritt International Corporation COM 2017 Chair, Incoming MetSoc President

WORLD GOLD CONFERENCE CO-ORGANIZERS

NICKEL-COBALT CONFERENCE CO-SPONSOR

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

COM 2017 PREMIUM SPONSORS

COM 2017 À LA CARTE SPONSORS

web.cim.org/com2017

PLENARY&kEYNotES W coM 2017 PLENARY What/who is preventing you from innovating (and other excuses)? Nathan Stubina Managing Director, McEwen Mining

W coM SYMPoSiA Advanced Measuring techniques and technologies in Mineral Processing KEYNOTE HYDROLYSIS OF METALLIC IONS IN MINERAL PROCESSING CIRCUITS AND ITS EFFECT ON FLOTATION

Janusz Laskowski Professor emeritus, University of British Columbia, N.B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Advances in Materials Manufacturing iii KEYNOTE LINEAR FRICTION WELDING OF STAINLESS STEEL TO ZIRCONIUM ALLOY

KEYNOTE INTEGRATED MINING AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS DESIGN FOR ECO-EFFICIENCY

Laurie Reemeyer Principal Consultant, Resourceful Paths

Light Metal Alloys: Processing for Performance KEYNOTE DELINEATING THE EFFECT OF COMPOSITION ON THE PRECIPITATION HARDENING BEHAVIOUR OF 6000 SERIES AL ALLOYS – A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Shahrzad Esmaeili Professor, University of Waterloo

KEYNOTE A COMPARISON OF EMBODIED AND PROCESS ENERGY AND CO2 FOR DIFFERENT PROCESSES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A MAJOR AUTOMOTIVE POWER TRAIN COMPONENT

Mark Jolly Professor, Cranfield University

W NickEL-coBALt coNfERENcE

daolun chen Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University

Hydrometallurgy

KEYNOTE CORROSION RESISTANCE OF LINEAR FRICTION STIR WELDED HDPC AM60B LAP JOINTS

Alison Lewis Dean, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Cape Town

Joseph Mcdermid Professor, McMaster University KEYNOTE ADVANCED MICROALLOYED STEELS FOR SUSTAINABLE PIPELINES

Hani Henein Professor at the Department of Chemicals & Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

corrosion and Environmental degradation of materials KEYNOTE OVERVIEW OF FUNDAMENTAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF PIPELINE CORROSION

frank cheng Professor, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary KEYNOTE STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING: HISTORY, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Sergei A. Shipilov Senior R&D Staff Member, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Energy and Eco-Efﬁciency KEYNOTE ENERGY USE, CONSERVATION, AND ECOEFFICIENCY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PRIMARY COPPER INDUSTRY

krishna Parameswaran President, tfgMM Strategic Consulting

web.cim.org/com2017

KEYNOTE TBA

Pyrometallurgy KEYNOTE NORTHAM PLATINUM - OPERATIONAL UPDATE

Rodney t. Jones Senior Technical Specialist, Mintek

KEYNOTE THE POTENTIAL OF POLYMETALLIC SEA NODULES TO SUPPLY ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIETALLY ATTRACTIVE METALS

keith calder CEO & Director, Deep Green Resources

W WoRLd GoLd coNfERENcE KEYNOTE AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO EARLYSTAGE PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AT NUEVAUNIÓN

Simon Hille Vice-President Metallurgy & Process, Goldcorp Inc., and timothy Watson Senior Vice-President, Teck PANEL A REVIEW OF GOLD INNOVATION OVER THE LAST DECADE AND WHAT SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OVER THE NEXT DECADE

Engin Özberk (Moderator), Advisor, Mitacs

SYMPoSiA StREAMS

• Advanced Measuring Techniques and Technologies in Mineral Processing • Advances in Materials Manufacturing III • Corrosion and Environmental Degradation of Materials • Enabling Innovation in Metallurgy • Energy and Eco-Efficiency in Mining and Processing • General Hydrometallurgy • General Pyrometallurgy • Light Metal Alloys: Processing for Performance • Nickel Cobalt 4th International Conference • Women of Innovation • World Gold 7th International Conference

BEYoNd THE tEcHNicAL tALkS Participate in one of our short courses or industrial tours. You are not required to be a full conference delegate to attend the short courses. courses • Introduction to Hydrometallurgy – 2 days • Energy in Mining and Metallurgy – 1.5 days • Gold Processing – 2 days • Materials Selection and Equipment Reliability for the Mining Industry – 1 day tours • Sea to Sky Sightseeing Tour (Britannia Museum and Sky Gondola) – 1 day • Vancouver City Laboratories Tour (AuTec and CESL) – 1 day • Sherritt Ni-Co Refinery & Pilot Plant Tour – 2 days

SPEciAL 1-dAY SYMPoSiA

Women of innovation 2017 Between May 2016 and April 2017, the Women of Innovation book project organizers conducted in-depth interviews with female engineers who are leading innovators in Canada. Join us as we highlight their achievements and reflect on how they have changed the face of engineering. Amanda kalhous General Motors Canada; colleen Legzdins Past CTO and Director, Axine Water Technologies; Barbara Paldus Finesse Solutions Incorporated; Genanne Beck Retired, Public Works and Government Services Canada; catherine Harwood Government of Yukon; Margaret kuzyk Retired, Correctional Service Canada; Valérie orsat McGill University; denise Pothier Stantec Consulting Ltd.; carolyn Ren University of Waterloo; Jeanette Southwood Engineers Canada; Stephanie Willerth University of Victoria; Ruby Heap University of Ottawa; claire deschênes Université Laval; Monique frize Carleton University; Jennifer thivierge University of Ottawa; toni Schmader University of British Columbia

Enabling innovation in Metallurgy Invited speakers and panelists will discuss a historical review of innovation in the Canadian metallurgical industry, developing teams of innovators and collaboration and innovation. Speakers to date include: Nathan Stubina McEwen Mining (Moderator) Boyd davis Kingston Process Metallurgy; Simon Hille GoldCorp; V. i. Lakshmanan Process Research Ortech Inc., Elicia Maine Simon Fraser University; Jorge Niosi Université du Québec à Montréal; chris twigge-Molecey HATCH; Michael flynn CMIC; Rodney t. Jones Mintek; Sam Marcuson Lassonde Institute of Mining

web.cim.org/com2017

HAVE fUN @ coM StUdENt PRoGRAM AT A GLANcE

Sunday • Student Fun Night Monday • Poster Competition with cash prizes

• Student Special Presentation: “Career paths: Where will your engineering degree take you?” • Student-Industry Mixer

Did you know that MetSoc student members enrolled at a Canadian University who have to travel more than 500 km to get to the conference could be eligible for travel funding? Check out our website for further information.

EXHiBitiNG @ coM

NoticE to MEMBERS The Annual General Meeting of the members of the Metallurgy and Materials Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum will be held in Vancouver on Monday, August 28 at 8 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

AVIS DE CONVOCATION L’Assemblée générale annuelle des members de la société de la métallurgie et des matériaux de l’Institut canadien des mines, de la métallurgie et du pétrole aura lieu le lundi 28 août à 8 h à l’hôtel Hyatt Regency à Vancouver.

web.cim.org/com2017

Sunday

Welcome Reception All delegates are welcome.

Monday Historical Metallurgy Lunch featuring the fathi Habashi Lecture John Marsden, president of Metallurgium will speak on “A Brief History of Cyanide – Nature’s Wonder Reagent.” Pyromet Historical Metallurgy Pub Night Join us at our informal pub night with a metallurgy talk by Sam Marcuson, Marcuson & Associates.

tuesday Hydrometallurgy Section Luncheon This annual technical luncheon features speaker Michael Collins of Sherritt International, who will discuss the “Development of Autoclave Technology.” MetSoc Awards Banquet & Reception sponsored by Mintrex. We honour our outstanding members with the MetSoc Awards. Banquet emceed by Suhana Meharchand, CBC News Network anchor.

Wednesday

Enabling Metallurgy Luncheon The Enabling Innovation symposium will offer a lunch with an invited speaker. Women of innovation Luncheon Join us for the Women of Innovation symposium lunch with invited speaker Elizabeth Cannon, University of Calgary.

SECTION francophone 65 Table des matières 66 Lettre de l’éditeur | Mot du président article de fond

67 Les noms à connaître

Ces personnalités façonnent l’industrie minière et la propulsent vers de nouveaux horizons

77 Une industrie en pleine évolution

Optimistes pour l’année à venir, les participants au congrès de l’ICM envisagent la façon de gérer au mieux le changement rapide que connaît l’industrie Par l’equipe du CIM Magazine

Par Joel Barde, Sahar Fatima, Herb Mathisen, Kelsey Rolfe et Kylie Williams

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

lettre de l’éditeur

mot du président

Être dans le coup Lorsqu’il s’agit d’un vol, le processus est assez simple : pénétrer le réseau plus ou moins bien sécurisé d’une société minière, collecter et extraire les courriels échangés entre les dirigeants, les dossiers d’employés et les renseignements financiers, puis les montrer au chef de la direction, en menaçant de les rendre publics si une rançon n’est pas payée. Le tour est joué ! Vous passez à la société suivante et cette fois-ci, vous faites grimper le montant de la rançon. Le risque de se faire prendre est mince : les quelques agents fédéraux affectés aux cybercrimes se préoccupent beaucoup plus de la protection de l’infrastructure publique essentielle. Lors du dernier congrès de l’ICM qui s’est tenu à Montréal, Rob Labbé, directeur de la sécurité de l’information à Teck Resources, a donné les grandes lignes de ce scénario qui a fait un certain nombre de victimes parmi les sociétés minières au cours des dernières années, soulignant que la somme était passée de 50 000 $ à 500 000 $. Il a ajouté que les risques de telles attaques ne font que s’accroître alors que les sociétés minières ont davantage recours à l’automatisation. « Les personnes agissent comme pare-feu. Un conducteur ne va pas tomber en bas d’une falaise. Un opérateur connaît la sensation et le bruit que produit l’usine. Les capteurs ne peuvent penser. Nous devons démonter les nouveaux outils et trouver les vulnérabilités. » La présentation était tout aussi intéressante que la solution proposée, sujet que nous explorons avec M. Labbé dans son profil que nous avons dressé pour notre rubrique annuelle Les noms à connaître. Dans cette série, nous mettons en vedette des personnes qui nous ont marquées au sein de l’équipe éditoriale du CIM Magazine, en raison des efforts qu’elles déploient pour faire progresser l’industrie ou, dans le cas de Gina Lopez, la secrétaire à l’environnement des Philippines récemment limogée, pour la freiner. Bon nombre de ces personnes se retrouvent dans une situation délicate, soit à l’intersection de nouvelles idées et de la façon de penser établie, où de grandes attentes se heurtent à des doutes teintés de désabusement et où les collisions sont fréquentes. En décrivant les défis que ces dix personnes ont décidé de relever, nous cherchons à obtenir une image actuelle de l’industrie et à donner corps à ces histoires alors qu’elles continuent à évoluer. Il s’agit d’une rubrique qui est toujours plaisante à préparer et j’espère qu’elle vous plaira.

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

L’ICM, l’exploitation minière et les 150 ans du Canada Cette année marque le 150e anniversaire du Canada. Alors que nous célébrons cet événement, levons donc notre verre au rôle qu’a joué l’industrie minière dans la grande histoire de notre pays. En 1898, peu de temps après la formation de l’État fédéral en 1867, l’institut canadien des mines, de la métallurgie et du pétrole (ICM) était fondé en vertu d’une loi du Parlement réunissant plusieurs associations minières provinciales, dont la première avait été créée 22 ans auparavant. Ainsi, la naissance de l’ICM et de ses prédécesseurs remontent à peu près à la naissance du pays, ce qui montre bien l’importance de l’industrie minière dans le développement et la croissance du Canada. En 2015, le secteur minier contribuait à hauteur de 3,5 % au produit intérieur brut (PIB) canadien, était le plus gros employeur d’Autochtones du secteur privé et faisait travailler directement quelque 380 000 personnes. Pourquoi l’ICM est-il si important, me demanderez-vous ? L’ICM a été créé par des personnes travaillant dans le secteur minier souhaitant développer un réseau de professionnels et créer un moteur de communication des idées et des intérêts de l’industrie. L’ICM est aujourd’hui une organisation florissante constituée de membres corporatifs, individuels et étudiants, de sections réparties dans tout le pays ainsi que de sociétés techniques qui se spécialisent dans les divers aspects techniques, financiers et sociaux de l’industrie. Le Canada produit aujourd’hui plus de 60 minéraux et métaux, et fait partie des cinq plus gros producteurs à l’échelle mondiale de 13 de ces minéraux et métaux. Cette renommée n’aurait été envisageable sans la contribution précieuse d’entrepreneurs notables depuis plus d’un siècle. Pour n’en nommer que quelques-uns, citons Noah Timmins, qui a créé la mine d’or Hollinger au début des années 1900, laquelle a été exploitée pendant plus de 50 ans et faisait partie de l’une de ses nombreuses entreprises fructueuses ; Thayer Lindsay, qui a développé la société Falconbridge, un nom emblématique pour le Canada pendant de nombreuses années ; les père et fils Keevil, qui ont contribué à l’évolution de Teck en un producteur diversifié de charbon et de métaux communs durant la deuxième moitié du XXe siècle ; ou encore Peter Munk et Bob Smith, qui ont joué un grand rôle dans la prospérité de Barrick, petite société minière dans les années 1980 devenue l’une des plus grandes sociétés d’exploitation aurifère au monde. Ainsi, alors que nous célébrons les 150 ans de notre pays, faisons-nous entendre et mettons à l’honneur la contribution de l’industrie minière à la croissance continue du Canada.

Kenneth (Ken) G. Thomas Président de l’ICM @CIMPrez

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CIM MAGAZINE presente

DariuszSankowski/Pixabay

NOMS À

CONNAÎTRE Ces personnalités façonnent l’industrie minière et la propulsent vers de nouveaux horizons

La perturbatrice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICHELLE ASH Directrice de l’innovation chez Barrick Gold L’innovateur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALUN PRICE JONES Directeur technique chez Cementation Canada Le maître de la promotion médiatique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GEORGE SALAMIS Président du conseil chez Integra Gold Le millénnial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOHAMMAD BABAEI Analyste technique principal des activités numériques chez Teck Resources Le joueur patient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN MCCONNELL Chef de la direction chez Victoria Gold Corp Le champion en matière de RSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RICHARD YOUNG Président et chef de la direction chez Teranga Gold La rebelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REGINA LOPEZ La ministre de l’environnement des Philippines démise de ses fonctions L’expert en cybersécurité . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROB LABBÉ Directeur de la sécurité de l’information chez Teck Resources Le correspondant du Nord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DOMINIQUE GIRARD Vice-président de l’exploitation Nunavut chez Agnico Eagle L’entremetteur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DUNCAN MIDDLEMISS PAR ORDRE D’APPARITION

Chef de la direction chez Wesdome Gold Mines

IPI photography

« L’industrie doit fondamentalement changer la façon dont elle fait les choses, car la concurrence se renforce. »

MICHELLE ASH Directrice de l’innovation chez Barrick Gold

ichelle Ash admet qu’elle a peut-être des « tendances anarchistes. » Lorsqu’elle a fait ses débuts dans l’industrie minière en 1993 en tant qu’ingénieure d’abattage à l’explosif dans l’ouest de l’Australie, elle était emballée de « voir mes créations exploser et déplacer des montagnes. » Quelques décennies plus tard, son nouveau rôle de directrice de l’innovation à Barrick l’a amenée à faire exploser autre chose : les procédures opérationnelles normalisées de l’industrie. Mme Ash est la première personne à détenir ce titre à Barrick – elle a été sélectionnée avec le plus grand soin pour occuper cet emploi – et pourrait bien être la première de son genre dans l’industrie. Elle a expliqué que, toutefois, le poste de directrice de l’innovation n’est qu’un autre récent exemple illustrant comment Barrick a mis de l’avant l’innovation pour en faire une priorité depuis des années. « La société reconnaît que si nous continuons à faire les mêmes choses de la même façon, nous aurons toujours ce que nous avons toujours eu, a-t-elle poursuivi, et l’industrie doit fondamentalement changer la façon dont elle fait les choses, car la concurrence se renforce. » Mme Ash se souvient que Barrick avait songé à lui donner le titre de « directrice des activités numériques », mais a finalement rejeté cette idée, car « nous étions d’avis que l’innovation englobe la transformation numérique, mais aussi d’autres aspects, notamment techniques et financiers. » Pour Mme Ash, ce rôle ne pouvait mieux lui convenir ; elle possède des diplômes en génie, en psychologie ainsi qu’un MBA. La réflexion globale de Barrick se reflète dans le mandat de Mme Ash, qui comprend cinq volets : la cartographie des minerais, soit trouver et comprendre de façon plus complète le corps minéralisé ; l’automatisation du processus d’extraction et le traitement plus économique et efficace des minerais ; l’établissement de relations avec les collectivités, les gouvernements et d’autres entreprises ; la création de nouveaux flux de rentrées à partir des actifs existants ; et l’intégration « non seulement de nos activités, mais aussi celle de nos fournisseurs », a expliqué Mme Ash. 68 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

PERTURBATRICE

Elle a mentionné Barrick Technologies et Autec, deux entreprises dérivées, pour mettre en lumière les efforts de la société. « Nous détenons beaucoup de propriété intellectuelle, et surtout des technologies de traitement », a-t-elle déclaré. « Nous n’avons aucun intérêt à tout garder à l’interne, car nous ne pouvons pas obtenir le même développement que lorsque d’autres personnes se servent de ces technologies. » Barrick propose ses technologies à d’autres entreprises pour aider à les faire progresser davantage. Afin de repérer des idées que Barrick pourrait adapter à ses propres besoins, Mme Ash a discuté avec des personnes œuvrant dans les secteurs de la vente au détail, de la médecine et du transport sur divers sujets, notamment l’intégration des chaînes d’approvisionnement et le transport à grande vitesse de marchandises au moyen du concept Hyperloop d’Elon Musk. À l’heure actuelle, la société pilote un programme de surveillance intelligente adapté de l’industrie aéronautique qui observe les habitudes de sommeil des employés pour ensuite en évaluer les conséquences possibles sur leur rendement au travail. « Nous devons accepter d’être collaboratifs à propos de ces éléments, et de ne pas les tenir isolés », a-t-elle affirmé.

– Kelsey Rolfe

Avec l’aimable autorisation d’Alun Price Jones

L’ INNOVATEUR

orsqu’Alun Price Jones a envoyé la description du système d’injection pour le levage qu’avait créé sa société à Disrupt Mining, un concours s’inscrivant dans le style de l’émission de télévision américaine Shark Tank qui se tenait durant la conférence de la Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC, l’association canadienne des prospecteurs et entrepreneurs), il ne s’attendait pas à ce qu’elle suscite un tel intérêt et une telle réponse. « Les commanditaires essayaient de mettre en avant l’importance de l’innovation dans l’exploitation minière », expliquait M. Price Jones, qui était ravi d’entendre la semaine suivante que sa présentation l’avait catapulté avec les finalistes. « Et voilà que nous avons reçu le premier prix conjoint à l’événement. » Cementation Canada a partagé le prix d’une valeur de 1 million $ avec Kore Geosystems Inc. La société a également remporté plusieurs prix en espèces octroyés par différents juges, ainsi que le prix du public d’une valeur de 50 000 $. Le système d’injection pour le levage réunit plusieurs technologies existantes permettant de transporter jusqu’à la surface le minerai provenant d’excavations de mines profondes à l’aide d’un pipeline en boucle continue rempli de boue de minerai. Tous les éléments composant le système ne sont pas nouveaux, mais en les utilisant conjointement, le système entraîné par une pompe forme une nouvelle méthodologie brevetée pour déplacer jusqu’à la surface les matériaux extraits lors de l’aménagement d’une mine profonde. « Nous avons compris que nous pouvions déplacer les matériaux avec d’autres engins que des treuils d’extraction minière ou des flottes de camions », indiquait M. Price Jones, qui était chargé des travaux de recherche et développement à Cementation depuis son transfert dans la filiale canadienne de la société en 2002. En remplaçant le système traditionnel

ALUN PRICE JONES Directeur technique chez Cementation Canada

de transport par camion dans une mine par un système d’injection pour le levage, indiquait-il, on pouvait réduire les coûts d’investissements et d’exploitation. En envoyant moins de camions sous terre, on réduira la consommation d’électricité nécessaire à l’aérage, ce qui permettra de réduire les coûts grâce à une amélioration du rendement énergétique. M. Price Jones, ingénieur civil de formation, s’est inspiré de pratiques adoptées dans le secteur du forage profond. C’est dans le cadre d’un poste qu’il occupait au Royaume-Uni portant sur l’étude des dépôts profonds de confinement de déchets nucléaires situés dans une formation géologique qu’il a approfondi son expérience des engins de forage identiques à ceux que l’on utilise dans les champs pétrolifères ; il a alors compris qu’il était possible d’assembler le même équipement pour l’injection pour le levage « d’une manière encore jamais expérimentée. » S’il existe des systèmes de canalisation pour transporter les boues formées par les roches, « il est particulièrement complexe d’envoyer des matières rocheuses vers la surface par le biais d’un tel système de canalisation », déclarait-il. La solution consiste à utiliser des pompes à pistons à haute pression et à entraînement hydraulique pour injecter la boue de roches broyées dans le système à écoulement continu. Cementation Canada a commencé à se pencher sur ce problème il y a environ 4 ans, et a soumis la première demande de brevet en 2015. Après avoir remporté le concours Disrupt Mining à la conférence de la PDAC, Cementation Canada a été contactée par plusieurs sociétés minières intéressées par ce système, et elle prévoit d’installer un système de démonstration dans un site qu’elle identifiera afin de prouver le bien-fondé de cette méthodologie à plus grande échelle.

– Kylie Williams

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 69

GEORGE SALAMIS Président du conseil chez Integra Gold

70 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

l’entremise des deux initiatives d’externalisation ouverte et demanderont des investissements afin que ces idées voient vraiment le jour. Et le moment est venu alors que l’industrie minière est maintenant beaucoup plus réceptive au changement, a soutenu M. Salamis. « Il est difficile d’attirer de nouvelles ressources intellectuelles et une génération plus jeune de penseurs dans une industrie qui est considérée comme étant traditionnelle », at-il conclu. « En introduisant la technologie dans toutes les activités des sociétés, l’industrie minière redevient tout d’un coup sexy et branchée. »

– Sahar Fatima

Avec l’aimable autorisation de Integra Gold

ans les années 1990, alors que George Salamis travaille comme géologue, il devient apparent pour lui qu’une perturbation numérique majeure au sein de l’industrie minière est nécessaire. M. Salamis explique que lui et d’autres personnes ont créé un appareil, un précurseur du téléphone intelligent en quelque sorte, qui aurait permis aux géologues de recueillir de façon numérique et immédiate des données de diagraphie de carottes et de cartographie de terrain, afin que ces données soient interactives et puissent être partagées instantanément. Mais lorsqu’il tente de promouvoir son utilisation au sein de divers projets, il se heurte à un mur. « Je me souviens très bien d’avoir tenté de mettre à l’essai ce concept partout dans le monde et d’avoir rencontré beaucoup de résistance », a affirmé M. Salamis, sur le point alors d’être l’ancien président du conseil d’Integra Gold. Les membres des équipes ayant reçu ces unités portatives avaient fini par s’en servir pour garder des fenêtres ouvertes ou comme appuis-livres. « Pour moi, la quantité d’inertie à laquelle nous avons fait face et la résistance au changement dans l’exploitation minière qui existait à cette époque avaient été frappantes et révélatrices. » Mais, selon M. Salamis, le besoin de sortir des sentiers battus l’a motivé tout au long de sa carrière, menant directement à deux récents projets d’externalisation ouverte que lui et le reste de l’équipe d’Integra ont mis de l’avant afin d’encourager l’innovation numérique dans l’industrie minière. En 2014, Integra lance son premier projet, le Défi Ruée vers l’or, dans le cadre duquel elle rend publique sa base de données de 6 téraoctets sur une mine récemment acquise afin de recueillir des idées sur l’emplacement de son prochain gisement d’importance, ce qui s’est traduit par l’arrivée de l’apprentissage machine et de l’utilisation de l’imagerie fondée sur la réalité virtuelle dans le monde de l’exploration minière. Le second projet est l’événement Disrupt Mining de l’Association canadienne des prospecteurs et des entrepreneurs 2017, une compétition du type « Dans l’œil du dragon », en collaboration avec Goldcorp, où le gagnant, Cementation Canada, a remporté 650 000 $ et reçu une offre pour négocier avec Goldcorp relativement à sa technologie de levage par injection. En mai, Integra a annoncé une prise de contrôle amicale par Eldorado pour une somme de 625 millions $, signifiant que M. Salamis se retrouvera sans emploi à la conclusion de cette transaction en juillet. Mais il a affirmé que son équipe et lui avaient établi de solides liens avec l’industrie technologique et qu’ils allaient « poursuivre leurs efforts pour faire tomber les anciennes barrières du secteur minier afin de continuer à mettre la technologie au premier plan. » Même s’ils ne travailleront plus sous la bannière d’Integra, ils vont miser sur les centaines d’idées reçues par

MAÎTRE DE LA PROMOTION MÉDIATIQUE Le

MOHAMMAD BABAEI

JOHN MCCONNELL

Analyste technique principal des activités numériques chez Teck Resources

Chef de la direction chez Victoria Gold Corp

Ali Yaghini

MILLÉNNIAL

l y a trois ans, John McConnell, dirigeant de la société Victoria Gold, disposait de 20 millions $ pour développer son projet aurifère Eagle ; il maintenait catégoriquement qu’il n’allait pas paniquer ni saisir la première occasion qui se présenterait. Il semblerait que sa patience ait porté ses fruits. En janvier, la société annonçait un mandat de prêt de 220 millions $ US (environ 290 millions $) octroyé par la banque française BNP Paribas, peu de temps après que le groupe Electrum du milliardaire américain Thomas Kaplan ait investi en avril 2016 la somme de 24 millions $. D’après M. McConnell, la société a besoin de 40 à 60 millions $ supplémentaires pour couvrir le coût de la construction du projet, estimé à 370 millions $ environ. M. McConnell attribuait les récentes bonnes fortunes du projet Eagle à plusieurs facteurs. Le projet a obtenu tous les permis nécessaires, et son accès est possible tout au long de l’année par une route le reliant à Mayo, dans le Yukon, à environ 85 kilomètres. Par ailleurs, l’acquisition l’année dernière par Goldcorp du projet Coffee pour la somme de 520 millions $ a attiré l’attention sur le territoire du Yukon. La reprise du prix de l’or au Canada en raison du taux de change a également joué en faveur du projet sur le plan économique. En septembre 2016, la société a mis à jour l’étude de faisabilité de 2012 du projet Eagle ; les centaines de milliers d’onces de ressources ont été converties en réserves, et le plan de mine a été actualisé. « Ce projet produira plus de 200 000 onces d’or par an dans un territoire minier sûr, avec un coût décaissé de moins de 600 $ US l’once », indiquait M. McConnell. « Il n’existe tout simplement aucun autre projet semblable à celui-ci. » M. McConnell a toutes les raisons d’être optimiste. La construction commencera au mois de juillet, mais il a du pain sur la planche jusque là pour garantir le reste du financement du projet. M. McConnell, qui faisait partie de l’équipe ayant dirigé la construction de la mine de diamants Snap Lake dans les Territoires du Nord-ouest (T.N.-O.), reconnaît être très enthousiaste. Si tout se passe bien, Victoria Gold célèbrera sa première coulée d’or à Eagle d’ici la fin de l’année 2018. Le projet affiche des réserves prouvées et probables de 2,7 millions d’onces d’or et une durée de vie de la mine estimée à 10 ans. Avec l’aimable autorisation de Victoria Gold Corp.

ohammad Babaei s’investit avec passion dans la conception et la mise en œuvre de technologies numériques innovantes pour l’industrie minière et a déjà accompli beaucoup de choses pour une personne qui est encore à quelques années d’avoir 30 ans. En qualité de conseiller et de chercheur, il a obtenu un doctorat en génie minier à l’Université de Colombie-Britannique (UBC), a publié plusieurs articles scientifiques et reçu de nombreux prix. À titre de chargé de cours à l’UBC, il a enseigné à des étudiants beaucoup plus âgés que lui. Aujourd’hui, il a déniché son emploi de rêve. Le rôle de M. Babaei en tant qu’analyste technique principal des activités numériques à Teck Resources allie sa passion pour la technologie et les données à ses connaissances opérationnelles en génie minier. Il voyage partout dans le monde où Teck exerce ses activités afin d’évaluer à quel endroit l’innovation et la technologie peuvent améliorer la productivité et dégager de la valeur. « Nous devrions toujours être à la recherche d’idées et de technologies innovantes », a déclaré M. Babaei. « Il y a beaucoup de petites améliorations que nous pouvons apporter au quotidien pour combler les lacunes et nous orienter vers des pratiques exemplaires et des réductions de coûts. » Une de ces améliorations est l’indice d’évaluation du potentiel de creusage que M. Babaei a mis au point pour Teck dans le cadre de son doctorat, qu’il a obtenu en mars 2017. En installant des instruments sur des pelles à câbles afin de collecter des données sur les propriétés physiques des matériaux et l’état des tas de matériaux de déblai, Teck a réduit de 4 millions de kilogrammes la quantité d’explosifs utilisés à un site minier, soit environ 10 %. « L’approche de Teck envers l’innovation consiste à faire appel à des experts de milieux très variés à l’échelle de l’entreprise, dans un effort visant à mettre au point des idées et technologies innovatrices qui continueront à faire progresser notre façon de fonctionner », a soutenu M. Babaei. M. Babaei a affirmé qu’il croit que l’industrie minière devrait encourager les jeunes personnes talentueuses et reconnaître les futurs chefs de file potentiels. Selon lui, l’industrie minière est en train de vivre une transformation numérique et doit inciter la participation des employés qui peuvent concrétiser sa vision sur un horizon de 10 ans. « Mon objectif consiste à aider l’industrie à être prête à vivre sa transformation numérique et à la réussir », a conclu M. Babaei. « En tant que scientifique des données et expert des technologies minières, je veux être celui qui fournit la technologie et mène l’innova– Kylie Williams tion. »

JOUEUR PATIENT

– Herb Mathisen

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 71

Avec l’aimable autorisation de Teranga Gold

CHAMPION EN MATIÈRE DE RSE

RICHARD YOUNG Président et chef de la direction chez Teranga Gold

orsque Teranga Gold a terminé son premier appel public à l’épargne (PAPE) à la fin de 2010, l’exploitation de la mine de Sabodala était remarquablement différente qu’elle ne l’est aujourd’hui. « Le groupe précédent qui a bâti la mine de Sabodala au Sénégal était moins axé sur les programmes de responsabilité sociale d’entreprise (RSE) », se souvient Richard Young, qui a accédé au poste de chef de la direction de Teranga en septembre 2012. « En fait, il y avait deux personnes qui travaillaient au sein du groupe de RSE. Aujourd’hui, il y en a environ 50. » Pendant qu’il occupait un poste de dirigeant à Barrick Gold, M. Young a soutenu qu’il a été à même de constater « les retombées économiques qu’une découverte de calibre mondiale pouvait avoir sur les parties prenantes d’une entreprise, y compris sur les collectivités dans lesquelles elles travaillaient. » Il a travaillé fort pour instaurer cette philosophie à Teranga, particulièrement en raison de la position unique de la société au Sénégal où Sabodala représente la première mine aurifère commerciale du pays. « Vous devez gagner la confiance de toutes les parties prenantes, sinon vous ne connaîtrez pas de succès, spécialement en qui a trait aux nouvelles frontières dans l’industrie minière », a affirmé M. Young. « Au moment du PAPE, nous croyions que le fait de détenir un solide permis social nous permettrait de gérer les activités, et de connaître du succès, et c’est exactement ce qui s’est passé. » Il s’est d’abord tourné vers les échelons supérieurs de l’entreprise, où il a mis en poste des cadres ayant la même vision sur l’exploitation minière responsable, et a travaillé à « obtenir une harmonisation » avec l’équipe de l’exploitation à l’égard d’une stratégie de RSE. Sept ans plus tard, lors de la cérémonie annuelle de remise des prix de l’Association canadienne des prospecteurs et des entrepreneurs, Teranga a reçu un prix pour la responsabilité environnementale et sociale en raison de son travail au Sénégal. Il s’agissait d’un deuxième prix pour M. Young. 72 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

À Sabodala, la société propose une panoplie de programmes de formation dans le secteur des mines et de la métallurgie afin d’aider sa main-d’œuvre sénégalaise à progresser au sein de l’entreprise. Elle offre également un programme d’intégration pour aider les employés à s’adapter à la culture du milieu de travail ainsi qu’un congé de maternité de 11 mois – bien plus que l’exigence minimale réglementaire du Sénégal qui est de 3 mois – afin d’attirer les femmes, qui représentent 10 % de ses employés. En outre, Teranga se fait un devoir d’embaucher des personnes locales et prévoit continuer à réduire le nombre d’expatriés travaillant à la mine. À l’heure actuelle, la main-d’œuvre de la société est 90 % sénégalaise. Teranga participe activement au sein de la collectivité avoisinant la mine. Par l’entremise de son fonds social, elle investit dans l’agriculture, la sécurité alimentaire, la formation et l’éducation des jeunes ainsi que dans des activités économiques durables, des secteurs prioritaires définis par ses parties prenantes locales. La société a acheté des tracteurs et des moulins à grains afin d’aider à mettre en œuvre des pratiques agricoles plus efficaces, a mis sur pied des jardins maraîchers grâce auxquels les femmes locales peuvent récolter ce dont elles ont besoin et vendre le reste, et tente de revitaliser l’industrie du coton sénégalaise pour aider les mineurs artisanaux à reprendre leurs métiers d’origine. Toutes ces initiatives devraient se poursuivre au-delà de la durée de vie actuelle de la mine qui est de 12 ans. La société a commencé à travailler sur des programmes semblables au Burkina Faso, où elle et en train de développer son projet aurifère de Banfora. « La possibilité de créer une structure, de mettre sur pied des services sociaux et d’édifier une assise économique qui améliore la vie de tous dans une région où vous exercez vos activités est quelque chose qui est très enrichissant », a conclu M. Young. « Il est très gratifiant de savoir que vous êtes sur la bonne voie. »

– Kelsey Rolfe

REGINA LOPEZ La ministre de l’environnement des Philippines démise de ses fonctions

Presidential Communications Operations Office/Wikimedia Commons

REBELLE

a croisade contre l’industrie minière aux Philippines aura certes été éphémère, mais les ondes de choc provoquées par Regina Lopez, ministre de l’environnement démise de ses fonctions, sont loin d’être apaisées. La célèbre militante écologiste nommée par le président Rodrigo Duterte en juin 2016 a généré une vague de protestations au sein de l’industrie minière du pays ; 10 mois à peine après son entrée en fonction, elle exigeait la suspension des activités dans 28 des 41 mines métallifères des Philippines, annulait 75 contrats et interdisait l’exploitation minière à ciel ouvert. Ces injonctions se sont cependant révélées trop radicales ; un groupe de législateurs chargé d’examiner les nominations du président Duterte a rejeté la nomination de Mme Lopez en mai. « Nous avions beaucoup de projets », déclarait Mme Lopez à la presse après le vote annonçant le rejet de sa nomination, comme le confirme le quotidien New York Times. « Que d’efforts inutiles. Tout le monde aurait profité de la gestion et de la protection de l’environnement. » D’après un rapport spécial de la banque Scotia sur l’indice des prix des matières premières publié en mars dernier, les 19 mines que Mme Lopez souhaitait fermer en février en raison des risques potentiels de pollution des bassins versants représentaient à elles seules 49 % de la production totale de nickel aux Philippines en 2016. Depuis que l’Indonésie a interdit l’exportation de nickel non traité en 2014, les Philippines sont devenues le plus gros fournisseur de nickel au niveau mondial. Aucune mine n’a encore été fermée ; comme l’expliquait Ronald Recidoro, vice-président des questions juridiques et politiques auprès de la chambre des mines des Philippines, les sociétés ont interjeté appel auprès de M. Duterte concernant les fermetures, une procédure qui ajourne les injonctions et permet aux mines de poursuivre leurs activités jusqu’à ce qu’une décision soit prise. Le successeur de Mme Lopez, l’ancien chef militaire Roy Cimatu, a adopté une position moins radicale face à l’industrie, « qui marque un éloignement très clair de ce que Mme Lopez revendiquait ces derniers mois », expliquait M. Recidoro. « Cependant, on ne sait pas si cette positivité se traduira par des abrogations ou des revirements des injonctions précédentes », ajoutait-il. « [M. Cimatu] n’a pas vraiment d’expérience en matière de protection de l’environnement ou de développement des ressources naturelles, aussi il se trouve encore sur une courbe d’apprentissage très raide. » La chambre était très virulente envers Mme Lopez lorsqu’elle occupait ses fonctions. « Très peu de personnes apprécient nos actions et reconnaissent nos contributions à l’économie. Le fait que notre défenseur supposé […] dépeigne l’industrie minière comme un violeur de l’environnement qui ne prend que ce dont elle a besoin et ne laisse derrière elle que souffrances et destruction n’aide pas à résoudre la situation », pouvait-on lire dans une déclaration publique cinglante récemment. Mme Lopez a tout de même bénéficié du soutien fervent de divers groupes et partisans de la protection de l’environnement qui avaient appuyé sa confirmation. Aujourd’hui, ils conseillent vivement à M. Cimatu de ne pas totalement bouleverser ses positions audacieuses.

– Sahar Fatima

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 73

L’ EXPERT

ROB LABBÉ

Avec l’aimable autorisation de Rob Labbé

EN CYBERSÉCURITÉ

Directeur de la sécurité de l’information chez Teck Resources

urant ses six années chez Microsoft en tant qu’expert de la sécurité, Rob Labbé a observé une tendance ; les sociétés minières semblaient être particulièrement vulnérables aux cyberattaques, et les pirates informatiques en profitaient. Aujourd’hui, il travaille d’arrache-pied pour changer cet état de fait. Lorsqu’il a obtenu son poste de directeur de la sécurité de l’information chez Teck Resources en 2014, se souvenait-il, la cybersécurité « en était encore à ses balbutiements » dans l’industrie. Depuis qu’il travaille chez Teck, il a lancé une initiative visant à former une coalition réunissant toute l’industrie afin de renforcer la sécurité par le biais de la coopération et de la coordination. Cette organisation à but non lucratif, le Mining and Metals Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC, le centre d’échange du renseignement et de l’information dans le domaine des mines et des métaux), réunira les ressources nécessaires, permettra le partage confidentiel ainsi que la collaboration et œuvrera aux côtés d’autres organisations chargées de la sécurité pour éviter des cyberattaques préjudiciables. M. Labbé décrit l’ISAC comme une sorte de « défense combinée » qui permet aux sociétés de partager des informations relatives aux menaces et à la vulnérabilité ainsi que de développer et de gérer des plans d’urgence. L’adhésion s’élèvera à 25 000 $ par an, et l’ISAC mettra en œuvre des mesures de sécurité qu’il partagera avec ses

membres. Par exemple, le groupe travaillera sur « des cadres de sécurité, de maturité et de résilience » qui établissent des manières d’éviter les cyberattaques. Cet effort peut à lui seul coûter à une société près de 250 000 $. « Nous pourrions tous investir un quart de million de dollars dans cet effort, mais au final, nous obtiendrions tous le même document. » L’industrie minière, expliquait M. Labbé, est relativement à la traîne en termes de création d’un ISAC. D’autres industries se sont « rendues compte il y a longtemps » que « la seule façon de contrer les cybercriminels et d’assurer la cybersécurité est de collaborer en tant qu’industrie. » Quelque 30 industries disposent aujourd’hui d’ISAC, le premier ayant été développé par le secteur des services financiers. Cependant, M. Labbé indiquait que les sociétés minières commencent à prendre conscience des menaces que posent les cyberattaques. Actuellement, six sociétés, dont Teck, testent la technologie de partage et de contrôle des données. À compter du 10 juillet, la coalition sera ouverte à d’autres sociétés minières souhaitant la rejoindre. M. Labbé espère qu’elles n’hésiteront pas. « Nous avons tous beaucoup à perdre à ne pas partager », indiquait-il. « Je serais ravi de voir 80 ou 90 % de l’industrie prendre part à cette initiative dans les trois à cinq années à venir. »

– Joel Barde

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CORRESPONDANT DU NORD DOMINIQUE GIRARD Vice-président de l’exploitation Nunavut chez Agnico Eagle

Avec l’aimable autorisation d’Agnico Eagle

our l’année 2017, Agnico Eagle prévoit d’investir 360 millions $ dans le développement de son projet aurifère Meliadine près de Rankin Inlet, dans le territoire du Nunavut, et 73 millions $ supplémentaires à Amaruq, un gisement situé à 55 kilomètres (km) au nord de son exploitation Meadowbank (également au Nunavut), qui alimentera le concentrateur de la mine pendant au moins six ans. Beaucoup de choses doivent se faire simultanément pour garantir que les mines entrent en phase de production d’ici le

troisième trimestre (T3) 2019. Il faudra notamment obtenir les permis nécessaires, assurer la construction, les relations avec les communautés, la formation, les ressources humaines ainsi que la production en cours et la fermeture progressive à Meadowbank. Depuis le second trimestre 2015, c’est Dominique Girard en sa qualité de vice-président des exploitations du Nunavut qui s’assure que tout se passe bien. Ce métallurgiste de métier travaille avec la société depuis 17 ans ; il a commencé comme interne à la mine LaRonde, au Québec, avant de participer à la mise en service et au lancement de la mine Kittila en Finlande. En 2010, il s’est installé dans le Nunavut et est devenu directeur général de la mine Meadowbank ; il a rejoint le siège social quelques années plus tard. « Je suis revenu dans le Nunavut car nous avons constaté que de nombreuses activités se développaient et nous avions besoin de quelqu’un travaillant à plein temps pour les surveiller », déclarait-il. Pendant des années, la mine Meadowbank a été un gouffre financier pour la société ; pourtant, M. Girard, qui se fait l’écho de son chef de la direction Sean Boyd, explique bien qu’il s’agissait simplement du premier chapitre de l’histoire d’Agnico dans le Nunavut. « Nous avons développé l’ensemble de nos compétences et la façon dont nous fonctionnons dans des conditions extrêmes », déclarait M. Girard. Pour citer un exemple, la société rencontrait beaucoup de problèmes à ses débuts avec le roulement de personnel et l’absentéisme au sein de la main-d’œuvre inuite. Depuis 2013 cependant, indiquait M. Girard, chaque nouvelle embauche à la mine Meadowbank s’est faite au niveau local. Pendant ce temps-là, la mine élargit sa base de travailleurs qualifiés. Aujourd’hui, plus de 25 % de tous les apprentis dans le territoire sont employés à Meadowbank, précisait-il. « Sur le long terme, nous souhaitons que nos mines soient gérées par les Inuits », indiquait-il. « Il faut être réaliste, cela va prendre du temps. Il faudra plusieurs générations avant que l’on y parvienne, mais c’est notre objectif. » Les ambitions d’Agnico dans le Nunavut pourraient bien faire de cet objectif une réalité, sachant que la société espère mener des activités dans la région pendant plusieurs décennies. Les investissements qu’elle a réalisés jusqu’ici (en termes d’infrastructure et de formation des employés) lui octroient désormais un avantage compétitif.

– Herb Mathisen

June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 75

DUNCAN MIDDLEMISS

l y a neuf ans, Duncan Middlemiss s’est joint à St. Andrew Goldfields à titre de vice-président de l’exploitation. En 2013, il en devient le chef de la direction et au moment de la vente de la société à Kirkland Lake Gold, en 2016, elle est rentable et produit 140 000 onces d’or annuellement. Ce revirement spectaculaire a aidé à établir la réputation de M. Middlemiss en tant que personne capable de régler des problèmes. Travaillant étroitement avec son équipe, il a augmenté considérablement la production, aidé à amasser des fonds et élaboré un plan d’ensemble pour la société. En août, il relève son plus récent défi alors qu’il est nommé chef de la direction de Wesdome Gold Mines. Cette société axée sur des activités canadiennes possède trois actifs majeurs dans le nord de l’Ontario et au Québec, dont l’un, le complexe minier Eagle River, est actuellement opérationnel. Depuis que M. Middlemiss est à tête de la société, Wesdome a déjà connu un succès impressionnant, diminuant ses coûts d’exploitation, tout en augmentant ses revenus et sa production. « Ça commence avec une équipe », a-t-il expliqué. « Vous devez connaître votre équipe et sa dynamique pour ensuite l’optimiser. » Et selon M. Middlemiss, sa vaste expérience de travail dans les mines et au sein de la direction est un atout. « Je suis en mesure de comprendre les ressources dont les gens ont besoin. » Au premier trimestre de 2017, les résultats financiers indiquent que la société a augmenté son revenu total par rapport à l’année précédente (passant de 13,3 millions $ à 20,1 millions $) et réduit ses coûts d’exploitation (à 1 056 $ l’once, comparativement à 1 766 $).

D’après M. Middlemiss, le succès repose sur un facteur unique : l’investissement dans l’exploration, ce qui mène à des minerais à teneur élevée. « Nous comprenons beaucoup mieux les gisements de minerai », a-t-il affirmé. M. Middlemiss se montre optimiste quant au complexe Kiena de Wesdome. Située à Val-d’Or, Québec, la mine anciennement en service détient tous les permis nécessaires et possède un puits de 930 mètres et une usine qui traite 2 000 tonnes de minerai par jour. « Tout y est. Il ne manque que des réserves à extraire », a déclaré M. Middlemiss, ajoutant que la société investit dans une nouvelle fendue qui se traduira par davantage de forage. Se décrivant lui-même comme un « passionné de l’or », il a soutenu que le contexte international actuel –les pays qui impriment de l’argent à un rythme sans précédent, l’augmentation de l’inflation et l’incertitude géopolitique– entraînera une augmentation du prix du métal jaune. « Si vous ne croyez pas à la valeur à long terme des monnaies, vous devez croire en des actifs tangibles comme l’or. »

– Joel Barde

L’ ENTREMETTEUR

76 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Avec l’aimable autorisation de Duncan Middlemiss

Chef de la direction chez Wesdome Gold Mines

Images par Luigi D’Astolfo

, Une industrie en pleine evolution Optimistes pour l’année à venir, les participants au congrès de l’ICM envisagent la façon de gérer au mieux le changement rapide que connaît l’industrie. Par l’équipe du CIM Magazine

Après une année marquée par un optimisme prudent malgré la légère reprise du cours des matières premières, les participants au congrès de l’ICM, qui s’est tenu cette année du 30 avril au 3 mai au Palais des congrès de Montréal, étaient prêts à envisager l’avenir de l’industrie. C’est sur le thème Le renouveau minier que l’ICM a accueilli près de 6 000 professionnels de l’industrie de 52 pays afin d’évoquer les difficultés auxquelles est confrontée l’industrie actuellement, et les innovations radicales qui pourraient définitivement changer cette situation. Au programme figuraient 11 volets de sessions techniques remarquables, le salon commercial l’EXPO, un calendrier de rencontres sociales chargé et un débat en plénière fascinant.

Prêts aux changements Le 1er mai, le ciel gris et la pluie battante ont certes poussé les participants au congrès de l’ICM 2017 à assister à la séance plénière d’ouverture, mais la discussion stimulante sur les enjeux et les répercussions de l’innovation les a encouragé à s’y attarder. Renaud Adams, chef de la direction de Richmont Mines ; Michelle Ash, responsable de l’innovation chez Barrick Gold Corporation ; Gerald Sanders, dirigeant de l’équipe des responsables des capacités en matière d’utilisation des ressources in situ (ISRU, de l’anglais In Situ Resource Utilization) de la NASA ; Pierre Lapointe, président d’ArcelorMittal Mining ; et Daniella Dimitrov, cadre et administratrice de sociétés minières chez Excellon Resources étaient tous d’accord sur le fait que la question n’est plus de savoir si, mais bien quand se produiront des changements fondamentaux au sein de l’industrie minière. En outre, ajoutaient-ils, la seule chose que peuvent contrôler

les sociétés minières est bien la façon dont elles s’adaptent pour tirer au mieux profit de ces innovations. « Pour être plus forte, l’industrie minière a besoin d’améliorations progressives et de grandes innovations », déclarait dans son discours d’ouverture Carol Plummer, modératrice de la séance plénière et vice-présidente du développement de projet pour les activités dans le Sud d’Agnico Eagle. Les grandes innovations étaient au cœur des préoccupations de nombreux participants. Mme Ash, la première personne à détenir le titre de responsable de l’innovation chez Barrick, (consultez le profil de Mme Ash en page 68), insistait sur le potentiel des technologies telles que l’énergie solaire et les batteries pour alimenter les sites miniers, ainsi que de l’intelligence artificielle et de la robotique pour transformer cette industrie. Comme elle l’expliquait, Barrick est en pourparler avec des représentants d’autres industries, notamment les secJune/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 77

teurs médical, de la vente au détail et de l’aérospatiale afin de déterminer comment appliquer à l’exploitation minière les innovations propres à ces domaines. D’après M. Sanders, les agences spatiales commencent à se rendre compte de « l’importance croissante de l’utilisation des ressources dans l’espace pour rendre plus abordable l’exploration spatiale. » Il ne s’agit là que de l’un des divers facteurs qui contribueront à faciliter l’exploitation minière spatiale à l’avenir. Comme il l’expliquait, l’exploitation minière sur Terre et dans l’espace présente des enjeux communs, et offre la possibilité de partager des technologies et des solutions. De son côté, M. Adams invitait les participants à envisager la façon de modifier les « principales composantes » de l’exploitation minière telles que la manutention en vrac et les circuits de broyage de manière à améliorer les performances, à une époque où la teneur moyenne des gisements décline et

où les sociétés minières doivent déployer toujours plus d’efforts pour accéder aux minerais. Cependant, les difficultés relatives à l’adoption à grande échelle des technologies et processus transformateurs sont encore nombreuses ; la plus notable, selon M. Lapointe, est que l’industrie est très réticente à investir. « Je suis pratiquement certain que nous ne tirons pas profit à 100 % de ce dont nous disposons », déplorait-il. « Nous n’en profitons sans doute qu’à 40 ou 50 %. » Mme Dimitrov était d’accord avec lui, évoquant un rapport du Forum économique mondial qui plaçait le secteur minier en tête des industries prêtes à subir des changements, avec environ 425 milliards $ de valeur attendant d’être libérée après l’adoption de nouvelles technologies. « Notre industrie est célèbre pour sa réticence face aux changement », déclarait-elle. Mme Ash indiquait également que les parties prenantes, et notamment les employés, doivent bien comprendre que des changements sont imminents. « Notre rôle consiste à préparer nos concitoyens, nos organisations et nos communautés au rythme accéléré des changements qui se profilent. »

Viser toujours plus haut Les sessions techniques visionnaires du congrès ont amené plus de 1 000 congressistes à envisager une large gamme de problèmes, notamment la résolution de difficultés opérationnelles communes ainsi que des discussions portant sur l’exploitation minière de l’espace. Les sessions étaient organisées autour des 11 volets suivants : Leadership axé sur la sécurité ; excellence et développement opérationnels ; géologie et exploration, mécanique des roches & exploitation minière souterraine ; meilleures pratiques en matière d’ingénierie de l’entretien et de la fiabilité ; environnement et développement durable ; innovation : aujourd’hui et demain ; diversité et inclusion ; FrancoMine ; journée Gestion et finances ; symposium sur les sciences minières planétaires et terrestres (PTMSS). Cette dernière session, dédiée aux technologies propres à l’exploitation minière spatiale, à ses applications et à ses enjeux, affichait régulièrement complet ; les participants venaient y écouter des conférenciers experts ainsi que des présidents de séance de la National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, l’administration nationale de l’aéronautique et de l’espace), de Deltion Innovations et de l’université Concordia. Prévoyez votre visite au prochain congrès de l’ICM, qui se tiendra à Vancouver du 6 au 9 mai 2018 ! ICM 78 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

LAURÉATS DES PRIX D’EXCELLENCE DE L’ICM Le 1er mai, à l’occasion du gala annuel de remise des prix d’excellence de l’ICM commandité par Caterpillar et ses distributeurs canadiens, les chefs de file de l’industrie se sont réunis pour mettre à l’honneur l’excellence dans le secteur minier et célébrer les accomplissements de leurs pairs. Voici la liste des lauréats des prix cette année : CONFRÉRIE DE L’ICM Ces prix sont octroyés pour des contributions remarquables constantes aux industries des mines, de la métallurgie et du pétrole. Peter Calder, Tad Crowie, James Hatley, Pierre Julien, Garth Kirkham et John Starkey

ÉMINENTS CONFÉRENCIERS DE L’ICM Les éminents conférenciers de l’ICM sont choisis en fonction de leurs accomplissements dans des activités scientifiques, techniques, de gestion ou éducatives dans des domaines liés à l’industrie minière. Les lauréats de ce prix exposent leur thème de prédilection lors des réunions des sections et des groupes étudiants de l’ICM dans le pays. Peter Calder, professeur émérite à l’université Queen’s. Présentation : Investigation of a complex rock slope displacement at Brenda Mines (enquête sur le déplacement complexe d’un talus rocheux au site Brenda Mines) Guy Desharnais, directeur technique des services géologiques de SGS Canada Inc. Présentation : Sample selection done right: You can’t afford to do it wrong (la sélection minutieuse des échantillons : on ne peut se permettre de mal s’y prendre) Cameron Harris, président et directeur de la fusion de Canadian Engineering Associates Ltd. Présentation : The mining industry: So we’ve survived…What now? (l’industrie minière : nous avons survécu... et maintenant ?) Michael Samis, partenaire associé d’Ernst & Young LLP. Présentation : Managing capital risk exposure by design (gérer l’exposition au risque des capitaux à dessein) John Starkey, président de Starkey & Associates Inc. Présentation : Comminution circuits (circuits de comminution) Martin Wacker, ingénieur principal de Cameco Corporation. Présentation : Development of the Cigar Lake jet boring mining method (développement de la méthode minière de forage à érosion à Cigar Lake) MÉDAILLE DE L’ICM POUR SERVICES REMARQUABLES Cette médaille récompense un individu pour ses services remarquables à l’institut ou à l’industrie des minéraux. Faramarz (Ferri) Hassani est le titulaire actuel de la chaire Webster en génie minier, et est professeur de génie minier à l’université McGill, où il enseigne depuis 1983. Son domaine de spécialité porte sur la mécanique des roches, les mines et l’énergie ainsi que les remblais de mines. Il est co-fondateur et président du Canadian Mining Innovation Council (CMIC, le conseil canadien de l’innovation minière). MÉDAILLE VALE POUR DES CONTRIBUTIONS MÉRITOIRES À L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE Cette médaille récom-

pense un individu pour ses contributions à l’industrie des mines et de la métallurgie au Canada. Stephen Hardcastle est le directeur exécutif de BBE Consulting Canada et un expert de renommée mondiale dans le domaine de l’aérage des mines. Il se spécialise dans l’optimisation de l’aérage des mines, l’efficacité énergétique, l’introduction de technologies de substitution (énergie verte) et l’exploitation minière profonde, en mettant toujours l’accent sur la santé et la sécurité des travailleurs de fond. PRIX A.O. DUFRESNE POUR DES ACCOMPLISSEMENTS REMARQUABLES EN EXPLORATION Ce prix récompense une réussite exceptionnelle ou une contribution remarquable à l’exploration minière au Canada. Dean McDonald est le vice-président principal de l’exploration de Hecla Mining ; avec son équipe, il est parvenu à augmenter les réserves de 300 millions d’onces d’argent au cours des dix dernières années, ce qui représente les réserves les plus importantes de la société depuis sa création il y a 125 ans. Il a également contribué à des découvertes dans le projet de la baie Hope de Miramar et du gisement Three Bluffs de Committee Bay Resources. PRIX DÉDIÉ À LA DIVERSITÉ ET L’INCLUSION Ce prix met à l’honneur les contributions exceptionnelles en matière de diversité et d’inclusion au sein de l’industrie minière. Catharine Shaw est la directrice du programme client minier de Golder Associates. Elle est la fondatrice et la directrice actuelle de l’association à but non lucratif Women in Mining Canada (les femmes dans l’industrie minière), et en 2010, elle a créé la section de la région du Grand Toronto (RGT) de l’ICM. MÉDAILLE BARLOW POUR LE MEILLEUR ARTICLE DANS LE DOMAINE DE LA GÉOLOGIE Cette médaille est attribuée au meilleur article dans le domaine de la géologie sélectionné pour une parution dans une publication de l'ICM au cours de l'année antérieure. Johann Stiefenhofer est chargé de la gestion des ressources minérales pour De Beers à Anglo American ; il est titulaire d'un doctorat en géologie et d'une maîtrise ès sciences en génie minier, avec une spécialisation en géostatique. Malcolm Thurston est responsable de la gestion des sciences de la Terre et des ressources minérales pour De Beers ; il est titulaire d'un doctorat en géostatique. David Rose, Ingrid Chinn et Johan Ferreira sont également coauteurs. MÉDAILLE DE L’ICM POUR SERVICES REMARQUABLES PAR DISTRICT Chaque année, les districts Ouest, Centre et Est mettent à l’honneur l’un de leurs membres pour ses contributions importantes à l’industrie des minéraux et à l’ICM. District Centre : Betty Yi-Shin Lin, directrice et spécialiste à l’international du remblai chez Hatch District Est : Johanne Voyer, directrice principale en recherche scientifique et développement expérimental chez Deloitte PRIX MEL W. POUR LES ACCOMPLISSEMENTS REMARQUABLES DES SECTIONS LOCALES Ce prix est attribué à la section de l’ICM ayant fait les plus grands progrès vers la réalisation des objectifs fixés par l’institut. Section Val-d’Or de l’ICM June/July • Juin/Juillet 2017 | 79

PRIX DE L’ICM POUR LES SERVICES RENDUS À LA COMMUNAUTÉ Ce prix récompense les « héros méconnus », des individus qui se sont entièrement dévoués à plusieurs aspects des services rendus à la communauté et au soutien à l’industrie minière et à l’ICM. Hans Brasch est un professionnel de l’industrie retraité qui continue à se former sur les nouvelles technologies et les difficultés que rencontre l’industrie minière. Il est à l’origine de spectacles dédiés au patrimoine minier, promeut l’industrie minière dans des vidéos présentées au Canada et en Europe et décrit la culture passée et présente du secteur minier dans neuf ouvrages. PRIX D’ÉCONOMIE DES MINÉRAUX ROBERT ELVER Ce prix récompense un membre de l’institut qui a contribué de manière importante à l’économie des minéraux au cours de l’année qui s’est écoulée. Gordon J. Bogden est président du groupe Black Loon, une société d’investissement privé. Il a travaillé comme géophysicien et spécialiste des services de banque d’investissement dans le secteur minier. Il a occupé des postes au sein de divers conseils d’administration depuis 2012 et a contribué à des initiatives de direction de conseils, de développement stratégique et de responsabilité des entreprises. PRIX JEUNES LEADERS CANADIENS DU SECTEUR MINIER ICM-BEDFORD Ces prix mettent à l'honneur l'avenir brillant du leadership dans l'industrie minière en récompensant les accomplissements exceptionnels et le potentiel des jeunes chefs de file de l'exploration minière au Canada. Chris Buncic, président et chef de la direction d'Ascendant Resources Daniel Janusauskas, ingénieur stratégique des mines de Detour Gold Kyle Leadbeater, directeur en charge des zones de compactage, du stockage et du chargement de K+S Potash Canada Jeremy Teeuwsen, directeur de l'excellence opérationnelle de Sherritt International PRIX POUR LA SÉCURITÉ DES CHANTIERS DANS LE DOMAINE DES MINES ET DU MINERAI DE HATCH-ICM Ce prix évalue les performances en matière de sécurité de chacun des candidats dans leurs projets respectifs et récompense l’équipe (ou les équipes) qui répond(ent) aux critères établis ou les dépasse(nt). De Beers Canada – Projet Gahcho Kué TROPHÉES JOHN T. RYAN Ces trophées sont attribués aux mines d’une catégorie donnée qui affichent la fréquence la plus faible d’accidents déclarables sur 200 000 heures de travail. Les catégories respectives comprennent des trophées nationaux pour les mines de charbon, métallifères et « sélectes », ainsi que des trophées régionaux pour des mines métallifères de quatre régions différentes et des mines « sélectes » de deux régions. Trophées nationaux Goldcorp – Mine Éléonore (métallifère) Mosaic – Mine de potasse Belle Plaine (sélecte) De Beers Canada – Mine Victor (sélecte) Vale – Mine de la baie Voisey (sélecte) Teck Coal Limited – Exploitation Greenhills (charbon)

80 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

Trophées régionaux Agnico Eagle – Mine Lapa Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, une société Glencore – Mine

Fraser Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada – Mine Bernic Lake (mine

Tanco) New Gold – Mine New Afton Syncrude Canada – Mines Mildred Lake & Aurora Tata Steel Minerals Canada – Projet DSO

PRIX COMMÉMORATIF MCPARLAND Ce prix récompense des performances remarquables en matière de génie, d’entretien et de fiabilité dans l’industrie des minéraux. Liezl van Wyk est la directrice des services techniques de la mine Diavik et une partenaire commerciale du groupe Cuivre et diamants de Rio Tinto. Elle est titulaire d’une licence en génie électrique et électronique et a travaillé dans le secteur de la production et la distribution d’électricité avant de rejoindre Rio Tinto. PRIX JULIAN BOLDY POUR LES SERVICES RENDUS À LA SOCIÉTÉ DE LA GÉOLOGIE Ce prix récompense les services exceptionnels rendus par un individu à la société de la géologie de l’ICM. Hendrik Falck est un géologue spécialisé dans les gisements minéraux au Northwest Territories Geological Survey et le président de Géoscientifiques Canada. Depuis 1990, il travaille à Yellowknife comme géologue des échantillons globaux ; il était également directeur d’usine chez Kennecott Canada durant l’évaluation des kimberlites de la mine de diamants Diavik. PRIX POUR DES ACCOMPLISSEMENTS REMARQUABLES EN GÉNIE MINIER Ce prix, qui s’appelait auparavant le prix de la société d’exploitation minière souterraine, a été créé dans le but de récompenser les accomplissements ou les contributions remarquables dans le domaine du génie minier. Duncan Middlemiss est le président et chef de la direction de Wesdome Gold Mines. Reconnu pour sa carrière brillante en tant qu’ingénieur de production et dirigeant de société ainsi que pour son esprit d’équipe, il se décrit lui-même comme un « entremetteur » qui a remis sur pied des exploitations en perdition comme Kirkland Lake Gold et St Andrew Goldfields. PRIX D’EXCELLENCE SELWYN BLAYLOCK Ce prix récompense un individu pour les services remarquables qu’il a rendus au Canada par le biais d’une contribution exceptionnelle dans le domaine de l’exploitation minière, de la métallurgie ou de la géologie. John R. Goode est le directeur principal de J.R. Goode and Associates, une société d’experts-conseils en métallurgie qui se chargeait de projets dédiés à l’or, à l’uranium, aux terres rares et autres pour Barrick, Placer, Iamgold, Avalon, Crystallex, Serra Verde, RNCan et d’autres sociétés. PRIX DE L’INITIATIVE VERS LE DÉVELOPPEMENT MINIER DURABLE (VDMD) Le prix VDMD récompense des sociétés, des installations et des individus qui ont contribué à la mise en œuvre de projets et d’initiatives visant à développer et à promouvoir le développement durable au sein du secteur minier. Les deux catégories récompensées par ce prix sont l’excellence environnementale et l’engagement communautaire. Excellence environnementale : mine Ekati, Dominion Diamond Engagement communautaire : mine de la baie Voisey, Vale

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MINING LORE Liberating Scotland’s “slaves of the soil” By Cecilia Keating

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cotland’s Parliament passed a landmark ruling in 1701 As new coal mines opened to meet the demand for salt from that protected citizens against wrongful imprisonment home and abroad, owners tried to poach experienced coal minand undue delays in trials, now known as the ‘Scotch ers from their neighbours, enticing them with promises of Habeas Corpus Act.’ While a victory for most Scots, the law higher wages and gifts. Coal miners were social outcasts explicitly stated that those rights were “in no ways to be engaged in grimy, harsh work and it was hard to attract new extended to colliers or salters.” men to the tough industry. The The exclusion would not 1606 Act was borne out of petihave shocked workers in Scottions from aggrieved coal mine tish coal-mines and salt-pans, owners losing their workers. who had suffered acute discrimIn 1661 new Scottish legislation ination and injustice for nearly expanded the scope of the 1606 Act 100 years; author Sir Walter to apply its restrictions to an Scott accurately referred to them increased range of occupations as “slaves of the soil” in one of his within coal mining. It extended its novels. provisions to the “lavers and drawCoal miners would have to ers of water at the cast heugh [shaft] wait another century to be head and gatesman who work the In response to a burgeoning coal mining industry expanding along the awarded basic freedoms and the Scottish coast in the 1600s, the country passed laws making it easier for ways and passages.” The catalogue right to a fair trial. of different roles listed in the legislamine owners to buy, sell and inherit workers as slaves. Back in 1606, an Act of Scottion demonstrates the industry’s tish parliament had made it an offense for anyone to hire a increased sophistication and organization. Men were now spesalter or a collier without a testimonial from their current cialized by task, whether it was pumping water, winding coal up employer. Essentially, it authorized a coal mine owner to retain shafts or attending to the repair of underground roads. his workers for as long as he wanted. Workers thus became a The same Act decreed that workers must work six days a key piece of mining equipment that could be bought, bartered, week, except for at Christmas time. For any day they did not sold and inherited. Colliers were sold along with collieries, and work, it cost a “paine of twentie shillings Scots, to be paid to the valuations for the human chattel were often detailed separately masters.” The law clarified that bosses could also administer in a sale. According to an account of an early 19th-century min- physical punishment to those who missed a day of work. ing engineer, one coal miner explained post-emancipation that Just ten years later, a new law decreed that coal-owners and he had been “niffered [traded] for a pony.” salt-masters could “seize upon any vagabonds and beggars Children were bound to the same serfdom as their parents, wherever they can find them,” and put them to work for free. provided that the landlord bestowed a gift, or “gave arles” to the The process of emancipation for colliers and salters did not parents. The acceptance of the token served as a binding con- occur until 1775, nearly 70 years after the union of Scotland tract of the child’s lifelong future employment. and England. A new British law decreed that new employees in If a worker attempted to escape or find new employment, mines and salt operations were to be “free labourers,” who masters could reclaim them by force. Anyone hiring an escaped could benefit from the Habeas Corpus Act. However, it collier would have to surrender the man and pay a £100 included a pernicious grandfather clause, which stated that penalty to the wronged mine owner. existing workers would not be afforded the same freedoms. The 1606 law was in response to a burgeoning coal mining The complete emancipation of miners and salters in industry expanding across the Scottish coast. Dross coal was Scotland did not occur until 1799 and was motivated by profit, needed to provide heat in the process of extracting salt from as mines were still having trouble obtaining and retaining sea-water. Coal mines appeared alongside salt-pans, which is workers. Men did not show up for work, left their employers why salters were subject to the same discriminatory laws as illegally, and joined the army and navy. their associates in the mines. While lifelong serf miners did not exist on the same scale Salt-making was often a continuous operation and required anywhere else in the United Kingdom, coal miners in Durham a regular supply of coal. Initially coal was combed off the sur- and Northumberland in northern England were bound by a face of the earth, but as these bodies were exhausted, mines yearly ‘miners bond’ to their colliery. If they broke the bond, became deeper and more complex. Coal mining became a spe- they would be subject to arrest, trial and imprisonment. The cialized profession. much-hated practice was abolished in 1872. CIM 82 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 4

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