Inaugural golf tournament raises funds for YMP scholarships

Mining CEOs teamed up with young mining professionals in groups of four to raise money for university scholarships at the inaugural Young Mining Professionals golf tournament in Richmond Hill, Ontario.   

The golf tournament on Sept. 23 at the Summit Golf and Country Club raised $11,000 for the YMP Scholarship Fund, a registered charity that donates 100% of its receipts to students.

Seven CEOs took part in the tournament: David Harquail, CEO of Franco-Nevada (TSX: FNV; NYSE: FNV); Stephen Letwin, president and CEO of Iamgold (TSX: IMG; NYSE: IAG); Sean Boyd, vice-chair and CEO of Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX: AEM; NYSE: AEM); Aaron Regent, CEO and chairman of Niobic; Donald Charter, chairman of Iamgold’s board of directors; John Burzynski, president and CEO of Osisko Mining (TSX: OSK); and Shaun Usmar, founder of Triple Flag Mining Finance.

From left: Phil Vendemini, YMP Toronto executive committee member and Barrick Gold manager; Tony Cina, Emergent Technology executive; Sean Boyd, Agnico Eagle Mines CEO; and Devlen Malone, Kinross Gold intern. Credit: YMP.

Sean Boyd, Agnico Eagle Mines CEO, teeing off. Credit: YMP.

The inaugural Young Mining Professionals golf tournament was held in Richmond Hill, Ontario. From left: Jeff Portelance, Frank Galati, Geoff Lake and Michael Winter.

John Burzynski, president and CEO of Osisko Mining. Credit: YMP.

YMP’s 10 scholarships this year range from $1,000 to $10,000 and are funded by Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD), Agnico Eagle Mines, Iamgold, Yamana Gold (TSX: YRI; NYSE: AUY), Anaconda Mining (TSX: ANX), Orefinders Resources (TSXV: ORX) and The Northern Miner.

This year $44,000 will be awarded to students who are pursuing a career in the mining industry and are enrolled in mining-related programs for the 2019–2020 academic year at Canadian universities. Well-qualified, post-secondary students in mining-related college programs are also considered.

“As far as I am aware, it is the largest mining-focused scholarship in Canada,” says Stephen Stewart, chairman of YMP and the YMP Scholarship Fund, and CEO of Orefinders.

The YMP Scholarship Fund was set up in 2018 and handed out three scholarships with a total value of $12,000. The scholarship fund is available only in the Toronto chapter, which Stewart cofounded along with Michael Woeller and Michael Long of KPMG in 2015.

Stewart expects the YMP Scholarship fund will continue to grow.

“We are committed to giving back and promoting the industry through the development and education of young people here in Canada,” he says.

Tony Moreau, business development and innovation manager at Iamgold, and one of the directors of YMP’s Toronto chapter, says the scholarships are all about supporting the industry and enriching its talent pool.

“One of the problems with mining is that if you are not from Sudbury or some of those mining towns, you tend not to know about it,” he says. “We wanted to use the scholarships as a way to give back to youth, but also as a way to find talented people in the industry.”