The Millennium Kids will be performing, along with Bobby D and the Swing Cats. Monte Hummel of the World Wildlife Fund will be there, as will most of the mines ministers of the world. David Goldman of Noranda is bound to push a few buttons and Franco-Nevada Mining’s Pierre Lassonde promises to tell all about mining in a dot.com world.
Those are but a few of the extra-special events organizers of Mining Millennium 2000 have planned for the week of March 5-10 in Toronto. The city will truly become the mining centre of the world as geologists, prospectors, mining engineers, financiers, investors, and representatives of government and academia at home and abroad pour into the Metro Convention Centre for the biggest and best mining event ever.
MM2000 is the combined effort of the Prospectors and Developers Association (PDAC) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The two leading industry organizations have worked for months to prepare an integrated technical program under the theme “mining excellence for the new millennium.”
In addition to expanded technical sessions and a trade show, MM2000 will include some features of interest to the public, including issues forums on controversial topics such as land-use planning, rebuilding investor confidence, energy and the economy, and the industry’s economic, social and environmental challenges.
“Delegates can have it all,” says MM2000 Co-Chair Pat Dillon. “This show will cover the entire spectrum, from exploration technology to what mining in the future will look like.”
Each day will begin with an issues forum. These are designed to be stimulating and provocative discussions on current industry issues in a setting that encourages participation by the audience.
The issues forum on March 6, entitled “Survival strategies for the 21st century,” will provide an overview of the economic, environmental and social challenges facing the minerals industry in the 21st century. It will be moderated by David Harquail, senior vice-president of Franco-Nevada Mining. The erudite industry executive will get the ball rolling with a few provocative comments about the industry’s financial performance, and how the shift in investor sentiment — away from resource stocks and toward technology ventures — is hastening industry consolidation. “Mining companies used to be able to rely on fund managers for support, but that’s changing now,” he says. “Most funds are chasing the technology sector and some are even skipping the mining sector altogether.”
Speakers on the Survival Strategies panel include: Patrick James, president of Rio Algom; David Goldman, chief operating officer of Noranda; and James Gill, president of Aur Resources.
James has long urged mining companies to adopt progressive social and environmental practices no matter where they are working, while keeping a close eye on the bottom line. Goldman is expected to discuss the need for mining companies to seek public approval, and Gill will discuss industry consolidation and how it affects companies struggling to survive the food chain.
The March 7 forum — “Land-use battles: will they ever end?” — is designed to be a reality check of the issues involved in land-use conflicts and their impact on the minerals industry. This forum will be moderated by Ian Thomson, a consultant with extensive international experience. He says he intends to find out whether environmental groups will be satisfied with full protection of 12% of the nation’s land mass, as advocated by many groups when land-use planning began. “Is that the magic number,” he asks, “or are there are other factors that will come into play?”
Scheduled to speak on this panel are: Walter Segsworth, vice-president of Homestake Mining Canada; Monte Hummel, president of World Wildlife Fund Canada; and Hans Matthews, president of the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association.
Neil Hillhouse, president of Orvana Minerals and a member of the Mining Standards Task Force, will moderate the March 8 forum, entitled “Rebuilding investor confidence: a report card.”
Michael Lawrence, the colourful and outspoken managing director of Minval Associates, will be one of three speakers during this session. He will examine regulations in the post Bre-X era from an Australian perspective and is expected to shed light on how the “qualified person” concept has worked Down Under.
Art Ettlinger, mining analyst for Yorkton Securities, says he’s anxious to take part in this forum and get a few things off his chest in the process. Investor confidence is essential for a vibrant mining sector, he adds. He will be joined by John Kaiser, editor of the Kaiser Bottom-Fishing Report, a popular newsletter that closely follows the activities of junior mining companies.
The March 9 issues forum, “Energy, the economy and Kyoto,” will be moderated by Elaine McCoy, co-chair of the Climate Change Round Table. It will feature various viewpoints on the effects of energy source choice on global warming, pollution and the economy.
The speakers will be: Alan Johnson, president of the Coal Association of Canada; Louise Comeau, manager of climate protection for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; and David MacInnis, vice-president of public affairs for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
The March 10 session, “Minimizing a mine’s impact,” will be moderated by Allan Moss, principal consulting manager for Rio Tinto Technical Services. This forum will examine the issues involved in designing, building, operating and closing the mine of the future.
Clem Pelletier, president of Rescan Environmental Services, has agreed to take part in the event. Rescan was involved in the environmental planning for Canada’s first diamond mine, in the Northwest Territories.
David Chambers, president of the Centre for Science in Public Information, will shed light on public perceptions about mine development. Delegates will find he is well-qualified to discuss mining issues: he holds a master’s degree in geophysics from the University of California at Berkeley, a professional engineering degree in physics from the Colorado School of Mines, and a PhD in environmental planning from Berkley. His non-profit organization was formed to provide technical assistance on mining and water quality to public interest groups and tribal governments.
“I’ll try to relate the concerns of the public that I work with,” he says, adding that he hopes to help the industry understand that the public wants to be consulted and made part of the mine development process.
The third speaker will be Lars-Ake Lindahl, vice-president of environmental affairs for Boliden. This session is designed to provoke a candid discussion of controversial topics, including tailings disposal in the sea and the construction of tailings dams.
Each issues forum will use interactive technology so that members of the audience can respond with their views. The results will be instantly analyzed and tabulated. Each session will be followed by a press conference.
The organizers of MM2000 have also arranged for several speakers to provide food for thought during three daily luncheons. Lassonde will discuss mining in a dot.com world; Christopher Thompson will examine the impact of the New South African producers on the global gold scene; and Barbara Stymiest, president of the Toronto Stock Exchange, will discuss capital markets in the next millennium.
The last three days of MM2000 will include a World Mines Ministries Forum, in which mines ministers and senior officials from around the world meet to discuss mining-related issues. Also planned are two special technical sessions: one on orebodies for the new millennium; the other, on commodity price and supply forecasts.
It won’t be all work and no play. The Magic of Mardi Gras, Mining Town Night, the Millennium Awards Evening and various receptions and dances will round out this extra-special mining event. More details are available at http://www.miningmillennium.org
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