Short courses

 

A number of highly specialized short courses will be offered by top experts in their fields, immediately preceding the conference. These in-depth courses will be essential for professionals who want to stay abreast of the most recent developments and techniques in their areas of expertise. The short courses are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The organizer reserve the right to cancel a short course if the number of participants does not meet the minimum number required.

Short course registration fees

  • Regular ½ day : $175 / Students: $50
  • Regular Full Day: $375 / Students: $100
  • Regular Two-Day: $675 / Students: $150

Saturday, May 2 and Sunday' May 3 - 2 days

  • Applied Linear Geostatistics in Mineral Resource Estimation
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    ‘Reliable estimates of mineral resources’ is the key to proper successful assessment and evaluation of a mineral deposit. The short-course program will comprise of the following key topics: Project development and studies in mining project development, Opportunities in Global Mineral Resources, Ore-Forming Systems, Mineral deposit evaluation and Resource estimation, Mineral Resource Estimation (data quality, data management and exploratory data analyses, Variography, Grade estimation and resource classification), Role of QP and various international reporting codes, Geological risk analyses in resource estimation.

    The instructor may use a software tool for demonstration purposes.

    A worked out data-set will be used by the instructor in the class. The participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring their own laptops with their own software of choice loaded on it for use. The participants without a laptop or technical software packages may choose to pair with other participants for a shared learning experience. No software will be provided as part of this short course.

    This will be an interactive program where participants will have the opportunity to work on small hands-on exercises (using pen and paper) and have the opportunity to interact with the instructor during Q&A sessions.

    Facilitator:
    Dr. Abani R Samal
    holds a Ph.D. from SIU Carbondale, DIC & MS from Imperial College, London and M Tech (Mineral Exploration) degree from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India. He is in mining industry since 1996. Dr. Samal is well recognized for his expertise in mineral deposit evaluation, resource estimation and advanced geostatistical analyses. He has extensive training (MS and PhD) in economic geology and geostatistics.

    He is the founder and principal of GeoGlobal, LLC, where he is providing consulting services to exploration and mining companies worldwide. Mineral deposit evaluation, applied geostatistics and mine-mill reconciliation are his technical specializations. He also provides training programs to industry professionals and academic researchers.

    Dr Samal is a Registered Member of SME and a member of CIM and Fellow of the Society for Economic Geologists (SEG). He is an active contributing member of the Resource and Reserve committee of SME.

    Dr. Samal is a qualified person as per international resource reserve reporting standards such as JORC and NI-43-101. He serves on the editorial boards of two international journals: Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration journal and Natural Resources Research Journal. His

  • NI 43-101 versus SEC Regulation S-K 1300
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    After nearly four decades, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission issued a modernized replacement for the mining disclosure standards contained in Industry Guide 7 Description of property by issuers engaged or to be engaged in significant mining operations. The new rule, Regulation S-K 1300, became effective February 25, 2019 and becomes mandatory for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. Although Regulation S-K 1300 was meant to be more closely aligned with international regulatory practices and standards, including NI 43-101, there are important differences. This two-day short course will compare the new Regulation S-K 1300 to the equivalent requirements under NI 43-101 and will present the authors’ views on what will be necessary to bridge the gap. Common compliance issues under NI 43-101 will be presented in the context of equivalent disclosure requirements under S-K 1300.

    Facilitators:
    Greg Gosson has 35 years of exploration, mine operations, and consulting experience. He was Chief Mining Advisor to the BC Securities Commission for five years, was former co-chair and is a current member of the Mining Technical Advisory and Monitoring Committee which is an industry committee that advises Securities Commissions on NI 43-101. He is a member of the CIM Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Committee, and is a member of the CIM-CSA Committee on NI 43-101 that advises Canadian Securities Commissions on what is considered acceptable practices in the mining industry. He is a frequent speaker at mining conferences on mining disclosure standards under Canadian and international reporting codes.

    Stella Searston, Principal Geologist – Stella has 30 years of operations and consulting experience in North and South America, Australia, the Pacific, and Africa for open-pit and underground mines and exploration properties. Specialties include project and property evaluation; resource development; feasibility study and project management; commodity and company reviews; technical reviews, audits, and due diligence; and Technical and Competent Person’s Reports under NI 43 101, JORC, and SAMREC. Stella has prepared more than 330 technical reports and has presented short courses on aspects of NI 43-101, including at major conferences and in-house at the request of mining and exploration companies.

Sunday, May 3 - 1 day

  • It's All Semantics: Harnessing Knowledge for Mining AI
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    Mining companies spend millions of dollars on data collection and data management, but lose access to that value when employees transition from the company. The course will provide mining industry examples of how to sustain knowledge in your organization throughout the boom-bust mining cycle by harnessing the power of knowledge engineering.

    Knowledge engineering is a field of artificial intelligence that refers to all technical, scientific, and social aspects involved in building systems that use expert knowledge and managing knowledge assets. A knowledge asset is a high-level expert in a domain, or the knowledge possessed by the expert expressed in a computer.

    To maximize the value of data and decrease the risk of losing knowledge assets, organizations can use knowledge engineering practices to encode the valuable experience and know-how of their critical employees and processes. This practice insulates the organization from the problem of turnover and industry burnout.

    The specific modules will present an introduction to the concepts of knowledge engineering, taxonomies, and ontologies, a walkthrough of how to develop your organization’s knowledge assets, group exercises in knowledge engineering practices, and a roadmap of how to use knowledge assets to prepare your organization for machine learning and other artificial intelligence applications.

    Facilitators:
    David Poole
    Dr. Poole is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia and the director of the Laboratory for Computational Intelligence. He was the winner of the Canadian AI Association (CAIAC), 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and a fellow of CAIAC. During the 2014-2015 academic year, he was a Leverhulme Trust visiting professor at the University of Oxford. He was the former chair of the Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence and a former associate editor of the Artificial Intelligence Journal. Professor Poole has published extensively in the fields of artificial intelligence, logic programming and reasoning with uncertainty.

    Clinton Smyth
    Mr. Smyth has an MSc Geochemistry, MSc Computer Science (AI). He is a geologist and software developer with 40 years of experience and worked for 25 years with Anglo American, including as VP Exploration. He was sent by Anglo to Imperial College, London to study AI applications in geology. He and his team discovered the Buzwagi Gold deposit in Tanzania in 1996; the Boyongan Cu-Au porphyry deposit in the Philippines in 1999, and GT Gold Corp’s Saddle Gold Project in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle in 2014.

    Samuel Cantor
    Samuel Cantor is a geologist with ten years of varied experience in mineral exploration, laboratories, and environmental remediation, and now focuses on the use of semantic AI in mineral deposit research and mineral exploration as the Section Head of Economic Geology at Minerva Intelligence. Sam completed his Bachelor’s in geology at the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2009, after which he worked on mineral exploration projects in Idaho and Nicaragua before moving to Chicago to work in environmental remediation. He moved to Vancouver to pursue his MSc with the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at the University of British Columbia to investigate the exploration potential of stable isotopes and luminescence in carbonate-hosted deposits.

    Anna Hicken
    Anna Hicken (P.Geo) is an economic geologist and exploration geochemist with over 10 years of experience in industry, academia and government. Throughout her career she has seen a need for standards and semantics in the mining industry and now focuses on using these in combination with AI at Minerva Intelligence. Anna completed a double major in Geology & Physical Geography at Carleton University in 2009 and a master’s degree in Economic Geology from Queen’s University in 2012. Following this, she worked in the Canadian arctic as an exploration geologist before moving to Red Lake to work as a senior exploration geologist focusing on in-mine & brownfields exploration. Anna recently joined the Minerva team in Vancouver to use her varied exploration knowledge to build AI technology for the mining industry.

    Jake McGregor
    Jake McGregor is a GIS professional with a special interest in international standards. He has a strong background in developing techniques for spatial analysis and developing augmented reality visualizations of geological data. He completed a Bachelor's in Geography and a Certificate in Business at the University of Guelph in 2017. Since joining Minerva Intelligence, Jake's focus has evolved to increase awareness on the importance of standards for interoperability and applications in AI. Jake recently led Minerva to win the INSPIRE Data Challenge in Helsinki, a challenge that exemplified how standardized vocabularies enable data analysis in complex cognitive AI systems. He is also a member of the Standards Council of Canada as the Canadian representative for the ISO TC-211 19144-2 Land Cover Meta Language working group.

  • Steps in Open Pit Mine Design
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    This course explains important steps in the process of open pit mine design. It reviews and discusses the principles of mine planning and design with examples and practices. The explains different stages of mining projects followed by a discussion about strategic mine planning. It demonstrates how, by using strategic mine planning techniques, it’s possible to uncover the opportunities and risks of mining projects. Open pit mine design techniques are introduced and Lerchs-Grossmann (LG) pit optimization algorithm is explained. Design input parameters are explained and discussed in details. The consequence of using different input parameters on the economics of project are explored and discussed. Additional mine design fundamentals introduced are, production rate determination, production scheduling, cut-off grade analysis and NPV optimization. Most of the topics include case studies and examples of real-life projects. To further develop understanding of mine design concepts, a set of practice examples will be worked through in class, so please bring your laptop to class.

    Facilitator:
    Dr. Anoush Ebrahimi P.Eng, is a mining engineer who has worked for open pit mines, consulting companies, and universities. Anoush has about 30 years of experience in mine planning and design. Anoush has designed multiple small and large open pit mines in Canada and abroad, including copper, gold, molybdenum, poly metal, coal, manganese, phosphate, bauxite, and oil sand projects. He has worked on mining projects from conceptual studies through to construction. Anoush specializes in strategic mine planning, mine evaluation, open pit optimization and design, production scheduling, mine layout optimization, mine simulation, and computer modelling.

    Dr. Ebrahimi is a principal consultant at SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.

  • Sustainable Implementation of a Mine Management Operating System
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    Gain practical knowledge of how to design, implement, and sustain a Management Operating System (Mining Ops / Maintenance)

    Management Operating Systems (or MOS) are not well understood, and this course aims to share our expertise and some of the key tools to start identifying gaps that slow your organization’ successes. We will review with you best practices that are in use at the bottom of pits or in maintenance workshops and share some of this insider knowledge so you can start optimizing your operations.

    Some of the key tools we will review are: Planning Controls, Short Interval Control, DWOR (Daily Weekly Operating Report), Skills Flex Matrices, Variance Reports, and Robust Action Logs.

    We will provide you with a critical approach and a proven suite of tools that are used in daily production meetings, at dispatch, or in maintenance workshops, day in / day out. We will also share with you some of the pitfalls and strategies to ensure your changes are sustainable.

    The course materials are based on years of analysis, design and sustainable implementation of robust Management Operating Systems at various production facilities or maintenance organizations in many industries across the world (Mining, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Pulp & Paper and Aerospace).

    Facilitator:
    David Truchot has been in consulting for more than 20 years, he has delivered sustainable management operating systems at more than 30 mines and manufacturing plants worldwide. His specialty is in designing sustainable tools and implementing change that are simple but that yield sustainable operational results, in the field, with your teams. He holds a Six Sigma Green Belt and speaks French, English and Spanish.

  • Maintaining a relationship through ongoing engagement with Indigenous Peoples
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    Indigenous peoples and the mining industry have a long-standing relationship in Canada, although not always an easy one. Aside from the Band Council, which is often the main employer of a community, the mining industry comes as the largest private sector employer of Indigenous people in Canada. It can be seen as an opportunity for economic development or on the contrary as a major threat to traditional culture. Relationships with Indigenous peoples are complex and diverse. Individuals involved with the design, construction, operations, maintenance, monitoring, oversight, and closure of mines need to fully understand their roles, responsibilities, the risks, and how their involvement or work interrelates with Indigenous peoples and communities.

    Hosted by the CIM Environment and Social Responsibility Society (ESRS), this workshop delivers a step-by-step respectful approach to complex relationships between Indigenous people and mining companies throughout the mining cycle. Study cases and leading practices will be reviewed with participants.

    Facilitator:
    Édith Garneau is a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Chicago and holds a PhD from the Université du Québec à Montreal. She is a socio-political expert and facilitator specialized in Indigenous governance and the inclusion of minority groups. Over the past 26 years, she ran several projects with Indigenous peoples. She has been involved with public, semi-public, and private organizations in projects and corporate mandates that concern social responsibility. Before becoming a consultant, she worked for five years as Senior Director of Indigenous Issues with the Environmental Department of SNC-Lavalin and their Mining Department. She has a strong experience in infrastructure from her previous job as advisor to the CEO of the Construction Commission of Quebec. In that role, she created an Indigenous issues department and established a roundtable on Indigenous issues with the industry. She also created an aboriginal vocational training centre with federal government funding.

    Edith is the chair of the Environmental and Social Responsibility Society (ESRS) of the Canadian Mining Association (CIM). She has been a member of the table on Indigenous Issues of the Canadian Construction Sector Council and an advisor for the “Indigenous Engagement Guide” for the Canadian Construction Association.

  • The Systematic Approach to Tailings Management
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    Tailings management facilities are complex, dynamic systems. Effective management and risk reduction of tailings facilities requires a systems-based approach. Every stakeholder involved with the design, construction, operations, maintenance, monitoring, oversight, and closure needs to well understand their roles, the risks that their responsibilities manage, and how their involvement or work interrelates with others.

    Hosted by ESRS, this workshop delves into the practical application of systems thinking for risk reduction in tailings management. Participants will learn about various systems approaches that organizations are using, and gain some understanding of how each approach might apply to their own unique systems. We will review the relevant components of a tailings management system and how they interact, and explore strategies to identify and prioritize risk management or operational practices that are weak, to link hazards to relevant controls, to identify key performance indicators, and to facilitate collaboration between the various professionals and stakeholders involved in tailings management systems. The intended outcome is to provide the means for attendees involved in tailings management to understand the role they play in ensuring dam safety, and a means to move forward with making improvements overall.

    Objectives

    • To inform about innovative systems approaches for managing tailings risks
    • To demonstrate the complexity of tailings management systems
    • To identify systems interactions, associated hazards, and relevant controls
    • To indicate roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders
    • To practice ways to engage and facilitate collaboration amongst stakeholders involved with tailings management systems

    Who Should Attend

    This course is suited for all individuals associated with managing the risks associated with tailings management systems. That is, everyone involved in dam design, construction, tailings production, transport and disposal, maintenance and monitoring, and anyone involved in an oversight capacity.

    Tentative Agenda

    8:00 Behavioural Reactions in High Risk Situations
    8:45 Exploring the Physical System & Stakeholders Involved
    9:45 Break
    10:00 Scope & Interaction of Tailings Management Systems, Roles & Responsibilities
    12:00 Lunch
    1:00 Risk identification & Management Strategies – Prioritization, Tools & Technology
    2:30 Break
    2:45 Roundtable Dialogue – Solving Challenges & Sharing Experiences
    3:15 Risk-informed Decision Making
    3:30 Panel Discussion
    4:15 Close

    Workshop Organizers, Speakers & Contributors:
    Alistair Kent , 2nd Vice Chair Environment, ESRS & Merit Consultants
    Diana Sollner, GEM Services
    Karen Chovan, Vice Chair, ESRS & Enviro Integration Strategies

    Chad LePoudre, Global Practice Lead - Tailings, BHP
    Kim Morrison, Director, Tailings & Water Management, Newmont Mining
    Michel Julien, VP Environnement & Critical Infrastructure, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.
    Caius Priscu, Head of Mineral Residue Facilities and Water Management Group Projects, Technical & Sustainability, Anglo American
    Cassandra Hall, Chief Engineer Tailings & Crushed Leach Stewardship, Freeport-McMoRan
    Greg Puro, Manager Environment - Dams & Closure, Vale
    Andy Small & David Willms, Geological Engineer, Klohn Crippen Berger
    Colleen Crystal, Principal Consultant, SRK Canada

  • The Market Approach to Valuation of the Gold Sector
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    Based on public information of 80 listed gold developers and producers, the course will cover cross-sectional analysis, peer comparison of the companies (based on the mining life-cycle, among others) and market valuation of the sector.

    The companies include some of the industry’s largest and most notable (Barrick, Newcrest, etc.), the well known (Detour, Evolution, etc.), as well as others (Sihayo, Xanadu etc.). 40% of the companies are assumed to have their primarily listings on the international markets and the remainder Canadian.

    The course, time permitting will cover:

    • research constituents and their asset base;
    • enterprise value multiples (by-product as well as co-product);
    • valuations’ regional perspective, including grades, scale, multiples etc.;
    • comparison of various peer groups features;
    • measures generated through cash flow modelling of life of mine plans (including total capital per LoM ounce, implied discount rate & EV/NAV);
    • decomposition of multiples, why they differ, and how resource conversion and reserve life ratios link the respective resource, reserve and production multiples;
    • implied discount rate, a measure linking cashflow projections based on life of mine plans, closing share prices as well as concurrent metals prices, as an indication of total risk implied through market conditions;
    • update on “exploration premium”;
    • difference in valuation of the various groupings (including regions, stock exchange, copper-gold, various metallurgical routes);
    • based on audience request, case studies of actual corporate events and companies (eg: Newcrest’s acquisition of Red Chris, breakup value of IAMGOLD, acquisition rerating of Endeavour, etc).

    Further information on some of the themes is available at https://miningvaluationresearch.com/articles . Examples of applications can be found at https://miningvaluationresearch.com/blog

    Facilitator:
    Peyvand Bayzae has over twenty years of mining corporate finance experience covering capital budgeting, capital raising, project development, due diligence investigations, transaction analysis and execution as well as valuation, both in Canada as well as internationally. Peyvand is the founder of Mining Valuation Research generating institutional-grade analysis of over 80 listed developers and producers of gold, and copper-gold globally. Mining Valuation Research is a data-intensive analytical approach scrubbed out of the vastness of the public domain, in order to meet the specific analysis and business intelligence needs of the mining industry. Peyvand is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, and has been a CFA Charter-holder since 2013.

  • AI 101; From the Ground Up
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    Starting an AI or data science project can be daunting, especially if you are beginning your digital transformation journey or you are not an expert programmer. Even taking the first step is challenging. You have a functioning computer, now what? This course will take participants through the basics of AI and an applied example that will give them the tools and resources to be able to get started with their own data driven problems once they leave. Participants will be able to configure an environment to begin their project, understand the fundamentals of machine learning, and perform basic data processing and data visualizations. This course isn’t for experts, but it is for those interested in jumping head first in to their first AI project. Some beginner-intermediate python programming will be introduced; prior programming skills not required.

    Facilitators:
    Michelle Levesque – Engineering Technical Lead, NRCan
    Michelle Levesque is the Engineering Technical Lead for the Data-driven technologies team at CanmetMINING. Michelle’s focus is on the development of tools and technologies for improving efficiencies, resulting in the implementation of techniques and technologies leading to a more sustainable mining sector. Prior to joining the Canmet, Michelle has worked in various academic, consulting and research organizations during her career, spanning over 20 years.

    Emma Tomini – Senior Data Scientist, NRCan
    Emma Tomini is a data scientist with Natural Resources Canada and works on implementing AI and data driven solutions for the mining industry. Emma has a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Laurentian University, a Masters degree in Data Science and Analytics from Ryerson University and has worked for mining company Vale, in their north Atlantic operations division. She has worked on AI projects relating to predictive maintenance, energy management and value chain optimization.

    Todd McDonald – Senior Developer, NRCan
    Todd McDonald is a Senior Developer with Natural Resources Canada. During his 18 year career with the federal public service, Todd has worked with various systems, from scientific research, to business analytics. Currently he is working on implementing modern A.I approaches within the government and assisting private industry in maximizing the value of their data.

    Mark Goode – Director, Business Insights, Kal Tire
    Mark has worked in Kal Tire’s mining division for the past 10 years in West Africa and Canada in a range of sales and operational roles. He is currently responsible for Kal Tire’s global tire and operational management system TOMS, which is managing customers tires fitted on more than 5,000 pieces of mining equipment across 70 mine sites. TOMS is in the process of being rolled out across a total of 150 mining operations. Mark’s primary focus is to identify actionable business insights using the data within the system to help Kal Tire’s customers maximize their haulage fleets’ productivity and tire performance.

    GMG representative – GMG has confirmed participation but at this time, a specific individual has not been identified. Details to follow.

  • Auxiliary ventilation: duct-fan system design and operations
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    Vent lines, made of duct and fans, have become a prominent air delivery system in many hard rock mines for development and production. They may extend for hundreds if not thousands of meters. Understanding the fundamentals behind vent lines components, and then maximizing the system efficiency is essential for delivering sufficient air volume to the workings or headings while minimizing its energy consumption. However, designing an efficient ducted ventilation system also requires addressing a series of constraints regarding the mine environment, the workforce, health and safety and cost.

    This short course reviews the basics of fluid dynamics as well as how the properties of ducts and fans govern a vent line behaviour and performance. Additionally, it puts forward the optimization process behind the design of these systems following the underground, operational and cost constraints, and, finally, reviews different methods to assess the performance of duct-fan systems.

    Facilitator:
    Myriam Francoeur is with G+ Plastics since May 2016 as Ventilation Project Specialist and Technical Communications Director. She makes uses of her Physics background (M. Sc. Physics 2010, University of Montreal) to provide technical support to G+ Speed Air Duct users in designing and optimizing their duct-fan systems. Ms. Francoeur also conducts performance surveys of auxiliary ventilation systems and supports the sales team. Additionally, her skills in journalism, communications and technical writing help her lead the company’s marketing and communication efforts.

  • Automation for Underground Mining: The Good, Bad and The Ugly
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    When it comes to automation in mining, we all agree in theory that there is an available step-change that can be achieved. Yet, there are very few success stories of this step change in safety or innovation as a result of “automation”. Are we constantly trying to do the same thing, just in an automated manner in a very unpredictable environment and trying to get better results? Is the complete re-thinking of our existing processes what is really required? We can't always replace manual functions with an automated function, especially in an unpredictable environment such as an underground mining operation, you may have to rethink the process entirely and this is where we need you.

    This course will be a mix of learning about the real-life successes & bumps in the road from different mining company attempts at implementing various forms of “Automation” in underground mining operations. The course will explore 3 different case studies and use the assistance of the course attendees i.e. engineers, surveyors, mine managers, superintendents, technology or innovation leads to collaborate, innovate and design a possible framework for what the success factors of a truly successful “automation” exercise might be.

    Facilitator:
    Sean McCarthy, Chief Technology Officer, PACE.global
    Sean McCarthy is an experienced Mining Engineer and Project Manager with over 25 years of experience, most recently as Engineering Superintendent at Barrick Gold's Hemlo Operations. Sean has a passion for technology adoption and activating change within organizations. While Chief Engineer of Innovation & Technology with Barrick Gold, Sean led the deployment of many operational technology changes including short-interval control, decentralized dispatch, asset and employee tracking and proximity detection.

    Patrick Marshall, Vice President Of Product Management at MacLean Engineering
    Outstanding long term vision and understanding of automation, robotics, machine learning, integrated software systems, mobile application development, short interval control, Internet of Things (IoT), network design, cyber security, etc. A highly analytical, innovative, enthusiastic and dedicated team player with a very strong knowledge of technology and its application in mining, production systems and maintenance to create more efficient and cost effective mine operations. Very experienced at strategy development, building mine site operational excellence programs, project management and change management (with technology).

    Neha T. Singh, Chief Executive Officer, PACE.global
    Neha is a benefits realization expert specializing in major change initiatives requiring significant social license (e.g. with Small Modular Reactors SMR) and overall user acceptance. The benefits realization methodology designed by her team has been proven to extract serious value out of Short Interval Control technology implementations by increasing user acceptance and adoption in previously "implemented" projects. Neha is also the founder of the Beyond Digital Transformation Conference, a brand dedicated to bringing case studies of real technology implementations within mining companies to the broader public.

    Course Designer / contributor
    Steve Matusch, CEO, Ionic Engineering

Sunday, May 3 - Half day AM

  • Reliability based Asset Management in an increasingly digital operation
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    The course will first provide a frameworkfor reliability best practice that supports more condition and predicitve asset management. Explore ways that can help accelerate introduction of reliability programs and asset analytics by maximizing the use of existing data and systems.

    The second half of the course will focus on using hand-on, real examples to make practitioners familiar with methods such as life data analysis, RAM simulation and predicitve deterioration models and when these methods can be applied.

    Facilitators:
    Adam Mettas has 20 years of experience in delivering and implementing Reliability and Asset Performance Management solutions worldwide. To date, he has published over 35 publications and trained more than 2000 engineers in reliability methods.

    Dr. Kevin Knill has over 35 years of experience in research, modeling and product development. He specializes in developing data-driven models to enhance safety, productivity and reliability in heavy industries.

    Adi Dhora specalizes in data-driven methodologies to enhance reliability and productivity

  • Transformative technologies for the mining sector
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    The short course on ‘transformative technologies for the mining sector' will focus on the ongoing research and development conducted by CanmetMINING in collaboration with several organizations, such as GMG, NRC, other government departments, universities, industry, and the supply and services sector. Following a presentation to describe the latest developments in the above work, interactive break-out sessions will be held to identify ways to involve participants and their organizations in the CanmetMINING work.

    Facilitators:
    Kristie Tarr
    has worked at the Sudbury laboratory of CanmetMINING for nearly 20 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from TUNS (Technical University of Nova Scotia, now Daltech) and a master’s degree in Mineral Resources Engineering from Laurentian University in Sudbury. In her new role as Director of Transformative Technologies and Specialized Services, she leads a team of talented scientists, engineers and technologists focused on applying Data-Driven Technologies and Transformative Equipment/Techniques to mining challenges. Prior roles at CanmetMINING have included Director of the Extraction Division, Ground Control Program Manager, and Mine Backfill Research Lead.

    Michelle Levesque is the Technical Lead for CanmetMINING's Data-Driven Technologies Team.

  • Tips and Tricks for Efficient Use of Maptek Vulcan Software
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    Looking to take your Maptek Vulcan skills to the next level? In this course, users of Maptek Vulcan software will improve their skills by learning time-saving techniques, features, and workflows for use in everyday settings. Geologists, mining engineers, and surveyors will discover new tools that streamline routine processes, save time, and help to maintain data consistency in a multi-user environment. As tools learned through this course are intended for use in a variety of applications, examples provided in the course will centre around geology, open pit mine design, and underground mine design. Unlock the true potential of Vulcan by learning how to customize your Vulcan experience and make the software do the work for you!

    Facilitator:
    Ann McCall
    provides sales support for the North America region and has recently helped to establish the Maptek Vancouver office. Her career at Maptek has focused mostly on Vulcan engineering tools, with a strong emphasis on scheduling in Maptek Evolution. Ann has a bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines with an area of special interest in Explosives Engineering.

Sunday, May 3 - Half day PM

  • Improving strategic capital management with Integrated Valuation and Risk Modelling methods
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    Volatility in commodity prices and financial markets compounded by technical uncertainty make it difficult for professionals in the natural resource industries to assess the risk exposures and factors influencing their Strategic Capital Management (“SCM”) decisions. Integrated Valuation and Risk Modelling (“IVRM”) methods are a toolkit comprising advanced finance theory, risk management concepts, decision analytics, statistical analysis and numerical methods that can analyse a wide range of SCM problems. Types of applications include competing project development strategies, innovative financing structures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate portfolio risk and enterprise risk management.

    This workshop demonstrates the importance of using dynamic IVRM methods to extend the static cash flow models commonly used in industry so that an investment decision considers a wide range of future business environments. It includes an extended section discussing how to model the forecast uncertainty characteristics for a range of metals and energy commodities.

    Case studies illustrate important IVRM concepts and their application to industry problems. These studies include:

    • Value creation during exploration and early-stage engineering studies
    • The value and risk management benefits of staged development
    • Financing a project with a streaming agreement

    Professionals attending this workshop will improve their understanding of how dynamic cash flow models and the IVRM framework can recognize the unique cash flow risk characteristics of individual projects and how these characteristics influence value and risk at both a project and corporate portfolio level

    The course will be of interest to professionals involved with corporate development, financial reporting, operations, project design, risk management, and corporate strategy.

    Workshop outline:

    Session 1 – 1.5 hours; 1:00PM to 2:30pm
    1. Overview of IVRM and Strategic Capital Management
    2. Effective modelling of commodity price forecast uncertainty (have some interesting observations about forecast errors linked to forward curves vs consensus)
    Coffee (30 minutes)
    Session 2 – 2.0 hours; 3:00PM to 5:00PM
    3. Exploration – value creation during exploration and early-stage engineering studies
    4. Development flexibility – capital risk management benefits of staged development
    5. Value and risk transfer effects of stream finance

    Facilitator:
    Dr. Michael Samis, P.Eng.
    is a leading Integrated Valuation and Risk Modelling practitioner in the natural resource industries with more than 25 years of mining experience. He has extensive professional experience valuing base and precious metals, diamond, and petroleum projects with complex forms of flexibility and risk. His assignments have ranged from exploration to late-stage capital investments and have also included the analysis of project financing and contingent taxes. Mike has presented more than 30 professional courses on advanced valuation at universities, natural resource companies, and professional organizations worldwide and has published or presented numerous valuation papers about flexible pushback development, multi-stage exploration programs, windfall taxes, the economic impact of project finance and hedging, country risk, and corporate portfolios. Dr. Samis is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada, and a qualified person for project valuation under NI43-101 guidelines. In 2013, the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy awarded Mike with the Robert Elver Award for his contributions to the Canadian mining industry in the field of mineral economics. He was also the CIM’s 2017 Distinguished Lecturer for Mineral Economics. Mike holds a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia that combines the fields of mining engineering and finance.

  • Assessment and Control of Diesel Particulate Matter in Mining
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    This course is designed to assist mining OH&S, ventilation and equipment maintenance professionals, supervisors and technicians in the management of worker exposure to diesel exhaust particulate matter (DPM) in the mine environment. The course focus is on the composition and toxicity of DPM, historical and current legislative requirements and exposure limits, past and current best practices in exposure assessment/air sampling techniques, DPM emission control technologies and recent advances in real time monitoring instrumentation.

    Facilitators:
    Robert Stoyanoff, CChem CIH.: Robert (Rob) Stoyanoff is the Senior Industrial Hygienist with Golder Associates’ North American Mine Environment Division. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Chartered Chemist with over 30 years’ experience in the assessment and control of hazardous agents in the workplace. Over the past 15 years, Rob’s practice has been devoted to the mine environment, and has assisted numerous mining companies in occupational health and hygiene management practices in a consultative role, and is the former Occupational Health Manager for the De Beers Group of Companies - Canadian Mining Operations. Rob has co-authored several peer reviewed papers and presentations in industrial hygiene exposure assessment techniques and is a past invited speaker at the annual Mining Diesel Emissions Council (MDEC) Conference. Rob has also served as an instructor in industrial hygiene at Ryerson University In Toronto for the past 20 years. Rob will be the main course facilitator and will lead discussions relating to risk assessment techniques, emission controls and real time monitoring instrumentation.

    Courtney Gendron, MPH.: Courtney is an Occupational Hygienist with Golder’s Mine Safety & Industrial Hygiene Group. Courtney holds a Master of Public Health in Occupational and Environmental Health from the University of Toronto and has extensive experience in the development and implementation of mining occupational health and hygiene programs including DPM. Courtney’s mining sector clients include Barrack Gold, Goldcorp, Glencore, Alamos Gold, and Detour Gold. Courtney will lead discussions relating to DPM toxicity and health risk, and air sampling techniques and programs.

  • Innovations to extend life on Haul Truck & Support Equipment Components
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    Present innovations in the re-manufacturing of Haul Truck Wheel Groups, and Engines, that improve reliability, safety and component life. Reducing down time and lowering the overall operating costs. This will also be applicable to support equipment such as Dozers and Graders. We will also present products that we manufacture that reduce change out costs and improve safety for the operators and mechanics.

    Facilitator:
    Blaine Fluckiger - Product Manager for Wheel Groups North America
    Steve Meehan - Product Manager for Engine Solutions - America's
    Trevor Wyman - Canadian Sales Manager

  • Active Bystander Intervention Workshop for Safe, Inclusive and Respectful Workplaces
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    This short course will focus on actions that everyone can take to address inappropriate workplace behaviors such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination. Research shows that bystander intervention training has been successful on University and College campuses and the Me Too Mining Association has created a mining-specific training package to bring this tool to the mining industry. Workers in mining are being harassed or are impacted when it happens to their coworkers and they want to know what to do. The Me Too Mining association has created the DIGGER program on appropriate actions for workers while also including considerations around safety.

    The course includes:

    • Discussion on studies and statistics that show the mining industry has one of the highest levels of sexual harassment in the workplace.
    • Definitions of sexual harassment and the impact it has on the target, coworkers, the workplace and a company.
    • An example of a successful transition of a toxic workplace culture to a balanced, safe and respectful one.
    • Attendees will learn Bystander Intervention strategies through Me Too Mining’s DIGGER program.
      • Direct Action
      • Interrupt or distract
      • Get a co-worker
      • Get an authority
      • Engage the target
      • Record
      • Report
    • Attendees will work in groups to review mining specific scenarios to identify the impact of the inappropriate behaviour and discuss possible actions that could be taken using the DIGGER program.
    • Discussion on reporting options, and resources across Canada.

    Facilitators:
    Susan Lomas
    is a professional geologist with over 30 years of experience in exploration and mining. Her career has included working at remote sites all over the world, with junior exploration firms to operating mines, large consulting firms, and ultimately the consulting firm she started in 2006. Susan founded the Me Too Mining Association to start the conversation about sexual violence, sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination in the mining and mineral exploration industries and mining impacted communities. She was honoured in 2018 to be included in the Women in Mining (UK) 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.

    Julia Gartley is a mineral processing engineer with over a decade of operational and corporate experience. Her career has taken her from large engineering firms, remote northern Canadian mine sites, to the corporate offices of junior and mid-tier mining companies.

 

 

Questions? Contact Chantal Murphy, CIM Event Planner: cmurphy@cim.org | +1-514-939-2710 x1309

Cancellation of CIM Convention & EXPO 2020

The well-being of our industry is vital to our future and we take our strategic role of connecting and furthering the knowledge of our minerals and metals community seriously.