The public perception of mining needs to change in order to recruit young people into this critical industry, say mining CEOs with Ontario-based projects.
Heads of mining and exploration companies participated in an online panel discussion, hosted by 6ix Events, alongside Ontario Mines Minister George Pirie, on May 27.
The chatter revolved around recruiting, public perception of the industry, and the need for a better Ontario-led approach to First Nation consultation, among other topics.
Compared to the billions of dollars offered to out-of-country investors to build manufacturing plants in Ontario, the panellists said the mining and exploration sector doesn’t need surfboard-sized cheques to carry out its work. There are abundant mineral resources in the ground, access to power, and all the infrastructure is in place that mining companies generally like.
“We have a massive province and it’s relatively under-explored, said Alamos Gold president-CEO John McCluskey.
With a province that's roughly the size of Alaska, he said there’s unlimited mineral potential within the rocks of the Canadian Shield.
“God knows what’s up there to be found.”
For companies willing to invest high-risk dollars to search for minerals, McCluskey wants to see incentives in place to attract young people to an industry with a bright future.
The tech sector, he noted, has enjoyed the high ground in attracting youth for the last 15 years.
McCluskey is looking for government collaboration to entice more young people to study geology and other mine-related programs to replenish the workforce.
He said Alamos regularly brings in 15 to 20 young people every April, pairing them with senior geologists to job shadow and learn about new technologies and approaches to exploration.
“Getting on the ground and seeing how it’s done, there’s nothing like that,” McCluskey said.
With four-fifths of Ontarians living in the south, he said, many are unfamiliar with the contribution that mining makes to Ontario's economy and how important it is to Toronto's business district.
The massive influx of newcomers to Canada are not settling in places like Kirkland Lake or Wawa, and are unaware of the opportunities at these billion-dollar mine projects, he said.
As a father of four, he questions the message kids are receiving in school, beyond that mining is “at best, a necessary evil.”
That won’t excite kids to pursue mining careers and it needs to be addressed, he said.
McCluskey finds a considerable disconnect between many Ontarians and the fundamental reality that mined materials “make modern life a reality.”
Renaud Adams, president-CEO of IAMGOLD, views the greatest future challenge as being able to fully staff a mine.
Governments are encouraging critical minerals production, he said, there’s plenty of exploration in the field, and new mines are in project pipeline; however, he’s also observed a decline in students taking geology at the university level.
Ontario can be the world capital of mining, he said, but the skilled workforce needs to be in place.
The industry is doing “awesome things” in introducing new technologies, taking on environmental stewardship, promoting workforce diversity, and community outreach. Government and industry need to partner to promote these careers.
On how to put the industry in a positive light, Adams said industry has to do a better job of telling its story.
People who work in the industry are proud of their profession, he said, yet seem reluctant to talk about it.
Mining will always have its detractors, he said, but it's a critical sector and it’s improving in areas where other industries are lagging.
“Let’s not be ashamed of what we do,” said Adams. “So why not just be out there and tell our story?”
Minister Pirie, a former mining executive, recalled that in the early 2000s, when gold prices were tanking, there was widespread speculation that mining was a “sunset industry.”
Though he didn’t mention Dalton McGuinty by name, Pirie said that line of thinking prompted one former premier to remark that Ontario’s economy shouldn’t be defined by “guys digging holes in the ground.
“My response has been …we dig world-class holes in the ground.
“We’re the best …and we have to tell the kids we’re the best and we’ll attract the kids into the industry because they want to be associated with the best, and quite frankly we are.”
Steering young people toward the skilled trades is a priority with the province, Pirie said, with tens of millions invested into the college system.
Promoting the trades wasn’t an emphasis in the 1990s, he said. "We’re paying for it now.”
He wished Ottawa would match their investment to promote these exciting, well-paid jobs, especially among Indigenous people.
This week, Queen’s Park seems to be addressing the talent shortage with a new strategy unveiled May 29 in Sudbury.
While Ontario is renowned as a grocery store of precious and critical minerals, the regulatory side needs improvement to make the province more investor-friendly, according to a recent Fraser Institute report that ranked Ontario 10th in the world among favourable mining jurisdictions.
Dan Wilton, First Mining Gold's CEO, said their Springpole project in northwestern Ontario has benefitted from government streamlining of the permitting process, but the province needs to provide a “clearer path” on consultation with Indigenous communities.
Last winter, his company ran into a legal roadblock over a disputed access route into their future mine site from a nearby Indigenous community, Cat Lake First Nation.
Over the years, the duty to consult with First Nations has been downloaded from government onto industry. Wilton said it's challenging for companies to take on a responsibility that's really a government-to-government relationship between Indigenous communities and the province.
Whatever can be done to smooth out the process and enhance those relationships will help with timeframes for permitting, he said.
McCluskey points to the Quebec government as the best model with a “more straightforward” consultation process toward developing mineral projects and drafting agreements. It’s a template that Queen’s Park could follow, instead of placing that burden in industry’s lap.
“It’s an opaque process in Toronto,” McCluskey said. “I don’t think the federal or provincial government plays anywhere near enough of a role. Not only are we essentially expected to carry the ball on this as an industry, in many cases the message is quite clear: unless you have First Nation agreements in place don’t bother coming and asking for a permit.”
Impact benefit agreements must be in place before a project is permitted, he said. “That really makes it an very awkwardly tilted playing field.”
More clarity and education is needed on how the industry works.
McCluskey said he finds very little discussion takes place in the communities on these matters. Most First Nation-industry agreements are kept confidential by the local leadership. And that information is not shared with other communities.
“One community doesn’t tell the other what the deal is.”
More work needs to be done to make it a “more transparent process.”
