Attendees return every year to this popular mining event. — Robert Hawkins photo
Where: Vancouver, BC
When: January 28 to 31, 2019
The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME) is holding Mineral Exploration Roundup 2019 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East, at Canada Place, January 28 to 31, 2019. AME says Roundup is the premier event for the mineral exploration industry in British Columbia.
Held every January in Vancouver, Roundup is attended by more than 6,000 people from over 40 countries. Attendees represent all members of the mineral exploration industry: academics, prospectors, geologists, investors and suppliers.
Through Roundup’s technical sessions and displays, delegates can learn about more than 100 projects in 16 countries. One of the features of Roundup is the multi-day Gathering Place. According to organizers, The Gathering Place facilitates discussion of interests and issues by inviting Indigenous, political and industry leaders to share their perspectives “in an earnest and open manner . . . a mineral project that is understood and supported by Indigenous people is a foundational component of successful exploration.”
At Roundup 2019, visitors will see some new faces from the AME organization, as well as some familiar faces in new roles. All of them are already thinking ahead to the January event.
Rob Stevens joined AME as the vice-president, regulatory and technical policy, in August 2018.
“At Roundup 2019 I’m looking forward to meeting many of our members and finding out from them what’s going on in the industry,” Stevens said. “I’ll also be engaging with government and Indigenous communities at Roundup’s government-industry forums. Because mine development has become more complex, it takes time to work things out and we all need to learn how to do it better.”
Stevens comes to AME with years of experience in industry, academia, associations and government. A professional geologist, he was most recently the director of partnerships and learning at the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI). At CIRDI, Stevens worked with developing country governments to support policy development and technical capacity building around the sustainable management of mineral resources. Before CIRDI, Stevens was the associate dean of natural resources at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Simone Hill, director of events and membership, is responsible for overseeing the member relations program and all member events including AME’s Roundup conference.
“I like seeing all the people come together at Roundup, running into each other and having impromptu conversations,” Hill said. “It’s all very spontaneous, relaxed, natural and informal.”
Hill said there will be more new spaces and new booths at Roundup 2019, “new opportunities for people to talk and share ideas.”
Roundup 2019 will be Tracey Sexton’s first as director of communications and corporate affairs. Sexton joined AME in 2010 and was promoted to her current role in 2018.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “I get to see the event with new eyes.”
In her new role, Sexton will be responsible for creating and implement AME’s annual communication strategy, leading the communications and marketing and integrated social responsibility committees and acting as the liaison between the staff, president and CEO, board of directors and the executive committee.
A native of Johannesburg, Sexton grew up near South Africa’s numerous gold mine sites. In April 2015, Tracey completed the project management certificate program at the University of British Columbia. She completed her professional communications master’s degree from Royal Roads University in June 2017 while working full time at AME.
Jonathan Buchanan, who joined AME in 2005, has been director of regulatory and technical policy since April 2018. He is responsible for anticipating, understanding, summarizing, evaluating and influencing public policy as it relates to mineral exploration and development, particularly in the areas of land access and use, environment, health and safety, and socio-economic considerations in B.C.
From 2015 to 2016, Buchanan was chair of the BC Technical & Research Committee on Reclamation, on which he represents AME.
At Roundup 2019, Buchanan is looking forward to the environment, health and safety awards breakfast, where the keynote speaker will be Jeff Lyth, founder of QSP Leadership, a health and safety consulting firm that practises safety differently and provides operational leadership development training.
Lyth said he will encourage his audience to think critically about workplace health and safety.
“I’ll be discussing the current state of our understanding of health and safety,” he said.
Lyth said safety orthodoxy is being challenged by new views on the subject.
“They both exist, and any gaps that exist between them can be bridged,” he said. “They’re not mutually exclusive, and the new ideas don’t replace the old ones. If they work together, they can help organizations have a more reflective practice. What’s important is not so much what organizations do, but how they do it.”
Also on hand will be Edie Thome (“Tommy”), president and CEO of AME, who joined the organization in June 2017. She has been involved in the natural resource industry in B.C. for the last 12 years and has worked across the province on such issues as safety, regulatory predictability, environmental protection and social values.
AME, which is the lead association for the B.C. mineral exploration and development industry, is one of the participants in the recently formed BC Regional Mining Alliance (BCRMA). The BCRMA is a pilot project between several different organizations: AME, the provincial government, the Tahltan Central Government, the Nisga’a Lisims Government, Dolly Varden Silver Corp., Skeena Resources Ltd. and GT Gold Corp.
The BCRMA represents projects in the Golden Triangle in the northwestern corner of B.C.
“The modern-day success of B.C.’s mining industry is based, in large part, on the relationships built between industry and local Indigenous peoples during mineral exploration and development,” said Edie Thome, president and CEO of AME.
She wants AME to tell investors what a great mining industry B.C. has.
“Investors can be stingy at times, and by creating this alliance we can ensure there are no grey areas in the conversation,” she said. “Exploration dollars in mining have increased over the last year, and we want to continue that growth. Mining is a cornerstone industry in B.C., and the BCRMA will ensure that for the future.”