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By H. Hejny

Given the current status of political discussion in Europe about raw materials issues, the sustainable development of the extractive industry and the reduction of its environmental and societal footprint are among the key topics in this discussion. In this context, the European Commission approved the EO-MINERS project (Earth Observation for Monitoring and Observing Environmental and Societal Impacts of Mineral Resources Exploration and Exploitation). The overall aim of EO-MINERS is to bring into play EO-based methods and tools to facilitate and improve interaction between the mineral extractive industry, authorities, and the society in view of its sustainable development while improving its societal acceptability. Developing generic, standardised and reliable EO-based products to monitor the environmental and societal footprint of mining projects is the way chosen by EO-MINERS to improve this interaction, along with the organisation of tripartite meetings gathering all relevant stakeholders. The project uses existing EO knowledge and carries out new developments on three demonstration sites (Sokolov lignite mining area, Czech Republic, Witbank coal field, South Africa, Makmal gold mine, Kyrgyzstan) to further evaluate and demonstrate the capabilities of integrated EObased methods and tools in monitoring the environmental and societal footprints of the extractive industry during all phases of a mining project, from the exploration to the exploitation and closure stages. It contributes providing reliable and objective information about affected ecosystems, populations and societies, to serve as a basis for a sound ?trialogue? between corporate stakeholders, governmental organisations and societal stakeholders. The project already developed a set of consolidated indicators based upon previous knowledge about mining-related issues along with interviews of national, regional, and local stakeholders. These indicators reflect known environmental and societal issues at mining sites as well as the interest of various relevant stakeholder groups. The process described in the EO-MINERS project ? policy assessment > indicator identification > choice of suitable EO tools able to serve monitoring task > monitoring by EO tools > making available objective information for fair dialogue among stakeholders ? is generally applicable to all stages of a mining project. The key to success will be the right choice of indicators addressing the problem and subsequently the right choice of suitable EO tools and finally the willingness of all stakeholders to find a common solution. To this end, the EO-MINERS project organises site-specific ?trialogue? workshops at each demonstrations site, which aim to provide relevant information in adequate quality to the stakeholders as common ground for discussions. Local stakeholders, including mining companies, regulatory bodies, and community representatives are invited to participate in these workshops where the relevance of the developed EO-based products to environmental and societal impact assessment will be discussed. The presentation will discuss results obtained during these trialogue workshops, as well as the success and difficulties and reluctances encountered. The project will further indicate ways and means how the EO products and other project results may be used for monitoring purposes in all phases of a mine.

Aug 1, 2013

By P. M. Dranchuk

"SINCE their inception, the mineral industries have, from time to time, been confronted by various and sundry problems. These have been identified, attacked and solved by means of a slow methodical process peculiar to these industries. During the past decade, these industries have experienced increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate supply of manpower. This poses a situation which seems to be unlike those that came before it in that it appears to be immune to those methods of attack which were successful in the past. Despite various attacks upon the problem, its seriousness appears to be increasing at an increasing rate. The point has now been reached where the President of AIME recently expressed the opinion that this is the most serious problem facing these industries at this time (1). Another observer has gone so far as to state, ""Given the motivation and the determination, the crisis in mineral education in Canada, can, in time be met. But it will take a generation if we Start DOW (2)"".Part of the difficulty arises out of the identification and assessment of the problem itself. For, although the manpower shortage has been developing over a fairly long period of time, there still appears to be no unanimity concerning its seriousness and the nature of the threat which it poses. Some observers continue to maintain that the current situation is not new at all, but is merely the reappearance of something old which is cyclic in nature. They observe that in the past there were numerous periods where the mineral industries encountered manpower shortages but that, in each instance, the situation eventually rectified itself. Furthermore, they draw attention to the fact that the current problem is not confined to the mineral industries but that in fact all industries are experiencing an increasing manpower shortage. They are therefore confident that if left alone the present problem will eventually disappear."

Jan 1, 1967

By Chris Carr

This paper describes the process employed and the work undertaken to enable the surrender of the mine permit relating to the two tailings deposits at the abandoned Red Mountain Mine site near Rossland, BC. The first phase of the work undertaken was to provide urgent remedial work for protection of the environment, primarily through rehabilitation or replacement of surface water drainage systems. The second phase was to up-grade the water management systems to the appropriate level given their consequences of failure. The final phase of work is to ensure long term geotechnical stability of the facilities to the same level of risk. Establishment of a sustaining fund will facilitate long term monitoring and maintenance of the facilities.

May 1, 2002

By Ali Montaser

Hauling trucks are important part of equipment fleets for large earthmoving operations such as those encountered in dams and highway construction projects. This paper presents an automated methodology for tracking and estimating productivity of hauling trucks fleet operations in near-real-time. Recent advancement in automated site data acquisition technologies made their use in tracking and monitoring of construction operations feasible. However, these technologies fail to track hauling truck fleets due to the change in the cut and fill locations from one cycle to another; making tracking and progress reporting difficult and inaccurate. In addition, there is very little work done utilizing data sensed directly from equipment, for example sensing when truck dumping bed is raised during the dumping process. The technologies deployed in the developed method are Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and equipment control sensors. Low cost passive RFID tags are attached to hauling trucks and fixed RFID readers are attached to loaders or excavators. The read range of the used RFID tag is centimeters, to be activated only when a loader with an attached RFID reader is loading a truck. On the other hand, control sensor is connected to the truck control system and operated by the motion of its movable bed. The function of control sensors is to record the signal time when the truck operator gives order to the truck control system to raise or lower truck bed. The captured data is then transferred wirelessly from the RFID reader and control sensor to a computer housed in one of the temporary offices onsite and subsequently to the main server in the contractor?s head office. Fusing the data captured from RFID reader and control sensor is used to identify loading, travel, dumping and return time that constitute the hauling truck cycle time. The collected data is analyzed and processed automatically, without human intervention, to calculate the productivity of the hauling truck and to report it directly to onsite personnel. Relational database is developed to support the implementation of the proposed method. The developed database is used to process the data captured by the RFID and the control sensor to calculate the productivity achieved in cutfill operations in near-real-time. The developed methodology is expected to facilitate early detection of discrepancies between actual and planned performances.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. Kicki

The paper depicts the current status of the EKSPERT mining machinery management system and shows the prospects for its further development. The system is the result of a rare attempt to utilize the comprehensive dataset; this refers to a precisely identified group of users and is used to develop a solution with a scope that encompasses other areas of activity within the company. The authors present the incredible flexibility and usefulness of the system used at KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. for everyday control of the mining machinery fleet. The issue of visual aspects of the reports generated by the system is handled separately and used as a tool allowing for implementation of the methodological assumptions of EKSPERT. A concept for creating a system for assisting decision making in the process of mine management with the use of IT tools and production monitoring is also discussed. The solution is based on integration of information from both the monitoring field and visualization of the technological process around the Production Reporting Center.

Aug 1, 2013

By Ron Doucet

Industry today is now more than ever dependent on its assets and on the standard of maintenance. Changes in technology, environmental regulations, a continually improving focus on safety and global competitiveness has made maintenance a key activity in sustaining safe, financially viable and environmentally integral operations. Maintenance used to be looked upon as a cost centre with a sole focus of fixing equipment to attain high availability. Maintenance today affects all aspects of the business: safety, environmental integrity, energy efficiency, productivity, costs, and product quality. These new demands on the function of maintenance requires us to think vastly differently about what maintenance is all about, even to the point of contradicting old beliefs. In the following paragraphs we will examine some of the changed thinking that has evolved over the last 50 years. These new concepts will lay the foundation for the implementation of 21st century best practice maintenance.

May 1, 2003

By Dorothy Walters

As an increase in the number of producers alters fact ors affecting supply, long-term prospects in traditional markets for many minerals weaken. At the same time, conflicts between national and international objectives undermine existing competitive elements in mineral markets and Canadian costs escalate. Such changes may dramatically alter the environment in which the mining industry operates.

Jan 1, 1979

By S. Hill

For a mining operation, the determination of the best place to build haul roads is typically done by hand, or with the assistance of rudimentary shortest path optimisation algorithms. Straight line, point to point, modelling of costs is often used with distances multiplied by constants that are based on rise of the road between the points. Failings of this approach are that straight line approximations are notoriously poor as they do not take into account areas where a truck cannot travel. In addition, the rise and fall of the road may vary considerably over the truck journey meaning acceleration/deceleration and varying truck speeds are not taken into account. Lastly, the use of rudimentary optimisation algorithms means properties a truck must obey such as minimum turning circles, line of sight restrictions or even that the truck must travel forward at all times are not taken into account. Thus solutions generated may not be feasible, let alone optimal. In this paper we discuss a state of the art parallel Artificial Intelligence tree search technique for solving haul road location problems. As well as the above properties, factors such as road utilisation, cut and fill, and construction costs are taken into account. The combination of advanced modelling and fast computing and optimisation techniques produces significant benefits both in terms of time to generate roads and cost savings. Preliminary results where this method has been used are discussed.

Aug 1, 2013

By Nicole Peter

When introducing digital training technology a practical approach helps address cultural concerns.  Solutions to help create acceptance are discussed.  Resistance to change may be deeply rooted in traditional mine training personnel.  Traditional training staff members may consider themselves less digitally-savvy and resist technological methods available to them. A transitional approach intended to help mitigate or resolve resistance is presented as a continuous improvement pathway toward full adoption.  This presentation contends every mine should welcome the benefit of a digitally connected critical enabler.  The adoption of a digitally savvy learning centre is often viewed a disrupter to existing practice.  Given a commitment-driven learning centre model, technology offers the opportunity to transition from a compliance-based training model to one of competence.  Learning and Development practitioners should welcome the latest advances in neuroscience, Bloom’s taxonomy of learning model, and principles which guide mine safety training as outlined by the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona. By employing digital applications to include animation, game-based simulations and immersive Virtual Reality (VR) these technologies create a viable digitally-savvy learning centre. We will outline the ingredients of a digitally enabled, or VR, Learning Centre to offer some observed benefits, successes, and potential short-comings. Much excitement in the industry surrounds implementation of simulation and/or VR headset training.  Given fair consideration of these as a ‘fit-for-purpose’ solution we examine the paradigm shift required to create real results for on-the-job learning.  Interim steps may be needed to meet the cultural transformation.   Simpler forms of VR, in the form of 3D models and VR environments as displayed on a large interactive touch screen, can serve to bridge this challenge and address a group learning environment. Features of the interactive 3D technology and ease of adoption are presented.  Usage of the touch screen is similar to that of a smart phone. It may be implemented as an obvious transitional tool.  To help describe merits of the interactive touch screen the presentation points out these sample underground and surface mine training applications. There are 3-D simulations such as ventilation, emergency response, support installation, and mine cycle and activity scheduling programs. These applications offer the ability to conduct entry examinations, complete digital pre-use checklists, and perform planned task observations in the virtual world of work. The tool may be used to teach the flow of hydraulics and do fault-finding on machinery such as loaders and dump trucks. Learners may navigate in a virtual mining environment to identify hazards, detect and assess abnormal ground conditions, address poor design features, and alleviate traffic constraints. It is possible to use connected physical controls to navigate machinery in the virtual environment. We conclude the presentation with a “compare and contrast” approach to cite potential cultural benefits by adopting a transitional method. 

May 4, 2025

By Ron Davidson

"The Utility Mine in southeast Saskatchewan is owned by Saskatchewan Power Corporation and operated by Mana/ta Coal Ltd. Up to 3.3 million tonnes of lignite is supplied annually to Saskatchewan Power's Boundary Dam Generating Station. The coal occurs in two predominant seams which are covered by up to 37 metres of saturated fine-grained overburden. Overburden is removed by two draglines working in two pits. Coal is hauled to the mine mouth power station. Comprehensive drainage and reclamation programs are integral parts of the operation. IntroductionThe Utility Mine is owned by Saskatchewan Power Corporation and operated by Manalta Coal Ltd. It is located in southeastern Saskatchewan, approximately 200 km southeast of Regina and 8.5 km southwest of Estevan (Fig. 1). The climate of the Estevan area is semi-arid with long, cool winters and short, hot summers. The mean annual precipitation is 42 cm and the mean summer temperature is 20°C; mean winter temperature is -10°C. The Utility Mine supplies coal to the adjacent Boundary Dam Generating Station. Increases in the station's generating capacity during the past decade have resulted in an extensive expansion program for the Utility Mine. This expansion program, the geological conditions present in the area, and the mining/reclamation operations will be highlighted in the following sections<1.2). History The Estevan area has a long history of coal mining. In the early years, coal was mined via entries into coal seam outcrops along the slopes of the Souris River valley. Surface strip mining was introduced in the late 1920s and progressed to the point where it totally replaced underground mining by the 1950s. Surface mining methods are currently used exclusively by all of the Estevan area operators."

Jan 1, 1985

By R. L. Bishops

This paper discusses some of the materials, processes and systems used in motor insulation. Among the materials mentioned are epoxies, polyesters, mica paper composites and wire enamels. Two processes developed to take advantage of the special characteristics of two of these materials are described, and how these materials are used in several new insulation systems now on the market is discussed. Finally, future trends in motor insulation are outlined.

Jan 1, 1969

By Franco Oboni

Numerous voices are raising around the world to show how misleading and fuzzy commonly used risk assessments methods are. These criticisms come at a time when public trust in ?proponents of new projects?, operators, private or governmental, seems to have hit a low and the legal system ?targets? public officers. It is common that technical experts and the public strongly disagree in their analysis of risks. Risk definition requires the evaluation of probability and consequences and those words are oftentimes enough to stir great worry to the public. Thus it is nowadays commonly understood that ?reality? is not scientific, but resides in public opinion, hence urging technical people to communicate better, more transparently. Blatant failures on both counts have lead to the emergence of ?new myths? used to justify complacency using ?complexity? and other buzz words as an alibi. This paper (together with its companion presented elsewhere) explores how poor ?common practices? in Risk Assessment contribute to biasing project team, design teams opinions, skew decision-making process and finally misrepresent reality to the public resulting precisely in the raise of public distrust, legal implication witnessed around the world. The discussion first reviews the pitfalls of common approaches (FMEA, Probability Impact Graphs) pinpointing them as possible causes of future legal liabilities. An alarming disconnect also comes from various codes, ISO 31000 itself has this flaw, invoking the term ?acceptable?/?tolerable? without defining it or giving any guidance for its determination. Wide-spectrum public consultation could be developed to define a ?modern? social acceptability criteria helping all the stakeholders making/understanding decisions. Another alarming disconnect comes from the poor definition of consequences of mishaps and their societal ripple effects. This aspect is indeed mostly ignored in codes, leaving ample room to biases and censoring applied to potential losses. In our society no one seems to have anymore the possibility of hiding behind a shroud of ?carefully maintained? misrepresentation. It is time to act and ?write the book? for proper risk assessments avoiding misrepresentations.

May 1, 2013

By J. F. Shirley

"Very seldom, if ever, is a molybdenite by-product plant operated exactly the way the process design engineer visualizes it. The best thing the design engineer can do is provide a sound, basic circuit with enough room and flexibility in order that the operating staff can make the necessary modi fi cations to optimize the process. The plant, with minor modifications, should be capable of handling more than one process. This is especially true when the client is having the plant designed for a new process.The writer would like to propose the following ten ""rules-of thumb"" for designing by-product molybdenite plants where the molybdenite is floated out of a copper concentrate. The term rules-of-thumb is used, because there are probably valid reasons for not using one or more of them in a particular plant design. In fact it was 1980 before the writer was all owed to start up a plant where all of these rules were honored in the plant design. This was after 19 years of experience in the design of molybdenite by-product processes and plants. The main reasons for not following the rules are available capital, available space, and the client's experiences based on pilot plant and laboratory test results."

Jan 1, 1981

By E. P. Cadwell

"Throughout the years Cyanamid has been a supplier of cyanide and a supplier of information to the mining industry. In general, the knowledge of mineralogy is greatly overlooked. Mineral deposits in the Western hemisphere have been exceedingly rich in the past but now they are becoming poorer. In other words, we will have to use our talents to the utmost to extract the precious metals and base metals from these ores. Modifications of some of the mineralogical equipment displayed here belong in the mill.Cyanidation of copper has been one of the main projects in our labs in recent years. De-rimming or de-filming of copper in order to upgrade copper concentrate was the main aspect investigated. A study was made as to how wide spread was the filming of secondary copper on pyrite, and to what extent it affected the copper industry. It was very wide.Often there is no conception as to what the minerals are. One open pit copper producer with a chalcopyrite ore was producing a copper concentrate with a 5% copper value whereas chalcopyrite contains 35% copper. They used primary and secondary grinding and a regrinding section. The ore contained about 8 parts chalcopyrite to one part of other copper minerals. In tests, a 3 1/ 2% copper rougher concentrate, cleaned without regrinding but conditioned with cyanide for a low contact time of 30 seconds produced a 30% copper concentrate with 90% recovery by removal of the film. It was of utmost importance that some quantitative mineralogical analysis be made before flow sheet changes were made. Every man should be trained to do his own microscopic examination in order to get quick answers. The fundamental thing in all mineral dressing is to first of all know the minerals and the mineral associations."

Jan 1, 1964

By J. N. De La Vergne, J. S. Redpath

"The authors make recommendations that they believe will improve the efficiency of a mining company&apos;s use of a mining contractor&apos;s services. The recommendations are in the form of specific ""DO"" or ""DO NOT"" instructions, giving explanations and covering the contracting process from the end of the feasibility study to the end of the job. IntroductionThis paper is an attempt by the authors to set out some of the things which they feel an owner should consider to achieve maximum effectiveness from mining contractors. It is based on our experience as contractors as well as our experience as consultants to owners. Should this paper create the impression that we feel all the responsibility lies with the owner, this is neither our intention nor our belief.Before the Tendering Process BeginsUse Defined EstimatesIn Feasibility Study DO NOT estimate your cost or schedule by telephoning contractors and asking them for ballpark figures. The only kind of estimate that is worth anything is the one that is clearly defined on paper and bears the signature of the author. This type of time or cost estimate takes time to prepare. In general, the estimate will be worth what you pay for it.Ensure Adequate FinancingDO NOT ask contractors to tender on a project unless the funds have been approved for it. Remember that, depending on the size of the job, it will cost the contractor from $5,000 to $50,000 to prepare his tender. When financing is not assured, a single contractor should be approached regarding a detailed estimate and he should be paid for it. Contractors should not be expected to finance speculative mining ventures."

Jan 1, 1980

By A. Probst, N. Moores, J. A. Finch

"In 1994 McGill and INCO (Sudbury operation) initiated transfer of technology originally developed to detect level in flotation columns to thickeners. A conductivity probe was installed in a concentrate thickener to monitor the mud-line and solids load. The probe consisted in a vertical tube with 32 equally-spaced electrode rings connected in pairs to give 31 conductivity cells. Conductivity was measured as a function of depth (so-called conductivity profile) from which the mud line and % solids could be inferred. The probe was installed in October 1994 and has been successfully detecting profiles since then. This communication includes a description of incidents and experiences during this technology transfer process including: probe installation and start-up; software modifications to accommodate operating conditions and operators' needs; calibration procedures to adjust to changes in performance as a consequence of long term use; and preliminary observations on the last stage, still in progress, signal interpretation and use to facilitate operation, particularly by providing early reaction to upstream disturbances.IntroductionThickening is one of the basic unit operations in mineral processing and hydrometallurgy used to separate suspended solid particles from a solid-liquid dispersion by gravity settling. As the dispersion enters the thickener, the solids settle and clarified water overflows the top. A thickener, which may be continuous or batch, is basically a large vertical cylindrical tank provided with devices to feed the dispersion and to remove the settled solids. The tank provides residence time for the particles to settle. The dispersion enters the thickener through the feedwell whose function is to dissipate the momentum of the feed stream and to create relatively quiescent conditions around the entering point. Rotating rake arms move the settled solids towards the discharge point located at the bottom centre of the tank.There are normally three distinct zones in a thickener: a top layer of clear water, a middle layer called a sedimenting zone in which particles are settling, and a bottom layer called a compression zone in which particles are pressed together as a consequence of the weight of accumulated particles. Proper operation of a thickener requires two simultaneous conditions: no solids in the water overflowing the top and the target solids content in the underflow pulp. To achieve these conditions is difficult because sensors for detecting the sediment line (interface between clear water and sedimenting zone) and the solids content in the compression zone are not commercially available."

Jan 1, 1998

This paper aims to increase our understanding about existing capacity-building approaches and their implications for obtaining a social license to operate in the mining industry. The notion of ?capacity building? is gaining increasing currency in the mining sector in developing countries due to a rapid rise in the globalisation of mining operations. Capacity-building is conceived here as a process that lasts after the mine-cycle, intended to provide local mining communities with tangible skills and knowledge to gain meaningful employment in mining or other industries relevant for the local economy. Building community capacity to understand and effectively respond to these transformations is vital for obtaining a social license to operate, as it promotes sustainable and locally relevant development. Accountability mechanisms such as global norms and international standards increasingly highlight the need to build capacity among stakeholders, particularly among local communities adjacent to mining operations. International frameworks and mining companies have embraced the notion of capacity-building as a driver to assist corporate social and operational performance. However, this narrow understanding of capacity-building through the prism of corporate social responsibility and ?best practice? is preventing the industry from meaningfully impacting communities and maintaining a social license to operate. This latter notion is being widely embedded across multiple industry sectors, as a social and economic reward from mining companies to compensate communities for natural resource extraction and gain social acceptance. Although both concepts are widely recognised in the minerals industry, insufficient attention has been paid to the implications of applying a top-down (mining-orientated) or a bottom-up (community-orientated) capacity-building approach for obtaining a social license to operate, or indeed how these two concepts are linked and applied in practice. At times, communities lack the necessary capacities in the form of education and skills to deal with mining-led livelihood transformations. This is preventing both mining companies and communities from forging sustainable livelihoods and responding to mining-led livelihood transformations, a situation that is creating discontent among communities and reducing the possibility of obtaining and renewing a social license to operate for the industry. Based on a review of current scholarly debates, accountability mechanisms in the mining industry and fieldwork findings in Colombia, this paper will contribute to an understanding of the implications of existing capacity-building approaches that support a social license to operate.

Aug 1, 2013

By Roger K. M. Bellows

The last coal-fired power plant to be built in Canada came into operation in 1994. Since then, Canada?s electricity requirements have grown substantially but no new coal-burning plants have been built. This country has abundant resources of coal from coast to coast, but in recent years, this has not affected our choice of fuel. In many other countries this is not the case, and the use of coal is growing rapidly. Although this presentation covers the topic from an Alberta perspective, some of the conclusions can be extrapolated to the rest of the country, and perhaps even to other countries. The coal found in the Alberta plains is particularly attractive because of its low cost and low sulphur content. Yet coal is no longer the fuel of choice, and a long-standing provincial government policy to favour coal for electricity generation has been ignored for more than a decade. Considering the lack of good alternatives, it seems obvious that we should look to coal as our primary energy source in the generation of electricity and for other industrial applications. This paper discusses some of the reasons that coal has fallen out of favour, particularly with respect to electricity generation. The significance of the deregulation of the electricity industry will not be ignored. In addition, the author will offer his opinion on the question of what it will take in order for coal to once again become the favoured fuel.

May 1, 2001

"These guidelines have been prepared to assist the Qualified Person(s)in the planning and supervision of exploration programs which will be reported under National Instrument 43101. The Companion Policy of NI43101 references the guidelines and states that issuers and Qualified Persons should follow them.Exploration Best Practices GuidelinesPreamble: These guidelines have been prepared to assist the Qualified Person(s) in the planning and supervision of exploration programs which will be reported under National Instrument 43-101. Such exploration programs must be under the supervision of the Qualified Person who will be responsible and accountable for the planning, execution and interpretation of all exploration activity as well as the implementation of quality assurance programs and reporting. These guidelines are also recommended for use in the planning and execution of exploration programs which will not be reported under NI 43-101. This set of broad guidelines or ""best practices"" has been drawn up to ensure a consistently high quality of work that will maintain public confidence and assist securities regulators. The guidelines are not intended to inhibit the original thinking or application of new approaches, that are fundamental to successful mineral exploration.Results should be summarized and reported in a Technical Report of good professional quality in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 and Form 1 contained in that instrument. All exploration work from which public reporting will ensue must be designed and carried out under the supervision of a Qualified Person (""QP""). A QP is defined in National Instrument 43-101 as an individual who is an engineer or geoscientist with at least five (5) years' experience in mineral exploration, mine development, mine operation or project assessment, has experience relevant to the subject matter of the project or report and is a member in good standing of a recognized professional association."

Jan 1, 2003

?It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.? Charles Darwin. Canada?s mining and exploration companies have evolved over the past century from essentially a pick-and-shovel industry to a high-tech industrial sector. This evolution has occurred in fits and starts, and has been driven by the shifting environment of economic, technical and social opportunities and pressures in Canada. As labour costs have gone up, and labour availability has gone down, the industry has evolved more efficient processes. As mineral prices have increased or fallen, the industry has evolved either by expanding or shrinking production, or by changing processes to adapt to the newly prevailing conditions. As stringent environmental protection legislation has been implemented, the industry has adapted accordingly, and has substantially changed its mindset to incorporate sustainability into its way of doing business. These changes have occurred over a number of decades, and have usually occurred as the industry?s reluctant response to pressures it couldn?t evade. This model mirrors the classical paradigm of natural selection where evolution is driven by pressures external to the organism (or organization) ? change occurs to the degree necessary for survival and prosperity, but generally no further. In recent years a new paradigm has started to come into play in Canadian mining and exploration. Rather than only a reactive response to the external economic, social and technical factors, groups within the mining community are becoming proactive in developing strategies for future adaptive change. Instead of each against the other, they are developing more sophisticated paradigms where they can both compete against (such as in marketing) and cooperate with (such as for tech development) their fellow organizations. Most importantly, they are seeing individual and national advantage in a collaborative Canadian approach to address the advantages of overseas competitors who often have lower labour costs, lesser environmental standards, or more accessible markets and transportation. This has translated into large-scale mining community support for the Canada Mining Innovation Council, and its programs in exploration, mining, processing, HR development, energy and environmental stewardship. This new paradigm is adaptive to the current environment but is substantially different from the older way of doing business in two major ways ? it is based on a collaborative approach to competitive advantage, and it is highly proactive rather than reactive. All the programs have their priorities determined principally by the mining and exploration companies, whose first obligation is to determine the long-term research priorities of the industry as a whole, rather than for their individual companies. Only after industry consensus on priorities does the research community become engaged in the implementation of specific projects to address those identified priorities. A goal of the program is to effectively create a virtual mining research laboratory, by engaging all the major research centres in the country. This approach is being actively adopted by much of the Canadian mining community, and argues well for the adaptability and long-term survival of mining in Canada.

Aug 1, 2013