The inaugural LIAMforum 2022 featured 112 speakers & panel members from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Approximately 500 participants from 59 countries attended the online.
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Justin Steepe
Strategic, Outreach & Events Specialist, Brock University
Prof. Lynn Wells
Interim President and Vice- Chancellor, Brock University
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Canada
Prof Ejaz Ahmed
Dean, Faculty of Math & Science and Professor of Statistics, Brock University
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
The resources sector will play a crucial role in the transition to a green economy and a more sustainable world. While it is also viewed as a contributor to the problems the world is trying to address, the sector in recent years has started to implement meaningful initiatives with defined goals. Much is yet to be done and the current generation entering the sector can help transform the sector in positive ways.
Peter Bryant
Board Chair & Co-Founder, Development Partner Institute
Dr. Mark Cutifani
Director and Consulting Business Executive, Co-Founder & Board Member, Development Partner Institute (DPI)
Kirsty Liddicoat
General Manager, Red Lake Operations, Evolution Mining
Governments and supply chains around the world are coming to the realization that the future that needs to be built to attain a green economy requires resources that may not be available within the required timelines. Initiatives are taking place which include recycling and repurposing existing resources, as well as developing technologies that will allow accessing needed metals and other resources in a sustainable manner. The urgent need is prompting a flurry of initiatives, from Apple’s LIAM robot to finding resources on land and under the ocean. The jury is out as to which ones will pan out.
Saleem H. Ali
University Professor, Department Chair, Program Director, and Science Diplomacy Practitioner, University of Delaware
Charissa Rujanavech
Senior Director, Sustainability Innovation, Albertsons Companies
Christian Spano
Director, Innovation, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)
Ahmad Ghahreman
CEO, President & Co-Founder, Cyclic Materials
Hugo Schumann
Chief Financial Officer, Jetti Resources
What does the future look like to the next generation? We live in an era of turbulence and uncertainty, with the economy, covid and the climate crisis being among the many issues that impact us, and particularly so, the next generation. How do they view the future given the current reality? What about finding fulfilling jobs and earning a decent living. Could job prospects be reconciled with what they would wish to do? Although there are many career paths in the sustainable resource development sector, the message is not getting across from both directions How do we bridge that? What should schools and potential employers do?
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Gary A. Bolles
Chair for the Future of Work, Singularity University
Deborah Allen Rogers
Co-Founder, Director & CEO, Find Out Why
Prof Ejaz Ahmed
Dean, Faculty of Math & Science and Professor of Statistics, Brock University
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Lesley Warren
Director, Lassonde Institute of Mining and Claudette Mac-Kay Lassonde Chair in Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto
Daniella Dimitrov
Director at Nexa Resources & Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund
Brandon Macdonald
CEO & Director, Fireweed Metals
Pamela O’Hara
Vice-President, Sustainability, Fireweed Metals
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Peter Bryant
Board Chair & Co-Founder, Development Partner Institute
Recent developments, ranging from war in Ukraine to unrest in jurisdictions around the world, make it abundantly clear that better, more holistic approaches to sustainable resource development, incorporating social, environmental and ethical dimensions, are needed.
Aaron Steeghs
Senior Director, Social Performance & ESG, Yamana Gold and PDAC Director
Doris Hiam-Galvez
Senior Advisor, Hatch: Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP)
Carlos A. Nobre
Senior Researcher, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo
Deborah Allen Rogers
Co-Founder, Director & CEO, Find Out Why
Wendy Tyrrell
Executive Director, Development Partner Institute
Resource Development and in Empowering the Next Generation Governments play a key role by enacting legislation, funding new initiatives and providing incentives for the private sector, educational, institutions and civic organizations to undertake the steps needed to support sustainable resource development, including those required to help ensure that the resources we need can become available in a timely and sustainable manner, fostering related R&D and employment. The legal profession could play a key role with regards to sustainable resource development by advancing and/or supporting policies and initiatives advocating constructive change.
Glenn Mullan
President & CEO, Val-D’Or Mining Corporation and Past President, PDAC
Kimberly Lavoie
Director General, Policy and Economics Branch, Lands and Minerals Sector, Natural Resources Canada
Hendra Sinadia
Executive Secretary Indonesian Coal Mining Association
Robert Milbourne
Managing Director, Mining Standards International
Ben Lawson
Chief Operating Officer, PT. Sanaman Coal & Vice-Chairman, Djakarta Mining Club
Greg McNab
Partner, Head of Canadian Climate Change Group & Co-Lead Global Sustainability Practice, Baker & McKenzie
Indigenous communities and peoples, original custodians of their traditional lands, have a key role in sustainable resource development, as stakeholders and partners, bringing their unique perspectives to the sector.
Glenn Nolan
Former Chief, Missanabie Cree First Nation, Past President, PDAC and VP, Government Affairs Ring of Fire Metals
Lana Eagle
Senior Advisor & Consultant, Lana Eagle Consulting and PDAC Director
Paul Gruner
CEO, Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (TNDC)
JP Gladu
Founder, Mokwateh, Chairperson, Canada’s Forest Trust & Director, Suncor
Laura Clinton
Executive Director, Mining Matters
The resources sector at times appears to progress at a glacial pace. But things are starting to change as the C-Suites of many corporations have come to realize that the future of the enterprise could be at stake not just because of peer competition but also because of the advent of new regulations and enhanced societal expectations which need to be addressed by finding a better way to operate. Senior innovation positions have been established within resource companies and advancement centres such as the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation and the Canada Mining Innovation Council have been created. Innovation and technology also play an important role in enhancing sustainability.
Andrew Keith
Principal and Director, Right Tack Consulting (Australia)
Michelle Ash
Technology Executive, Oz Minerals
Douglas Morrison
President & CEO, Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation Inc. (CEMI)
Carl Weatherell
Executive Director and CEO, Canada Mining Innovation Council, and President, RethinkMining Ventures
Andrew Job
Founder and CEO, Plotlogics
Allison George
Head of Programs and Initiatives, Development Partner Institute (DPI)
The mining sector today is undergoing a profound change driven by reasons ranging from the scarcity of easily accessible resources to societal and regulatory expectations for transparency and accountability. Mining companies have responded by embracing environmental and societal goals in a holistic manner, a process that is being reinforced by the advent of green financing initiatives.
Paul Harris
Editor Americas, Mining Journal, Editorial Consultant, Skarn Associates and Founder, Colombia Gold Symposium
Aidan Davy
Chief Operating Officer, ICMM – International Council on Mining and Metals
Clive Johnson
President & CEO, B2Gold Corp.
Peter Montano
VP, Projects, B2Gold Corp.
Catharine Farrow
CEO, FarExGeoMine Ltd., Director (Franco-Nevada, Centamin, Eldorado Gold & Aclara) & Chair, Rethink Mining Ventures
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Doris Hiam-Galvez
Senior Advisor, Hatch: Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP)
In the complex and challenging world we live in, it may be tempting not to act due to “paralysis by analysis” or because issues loom too large. However, positive action is indeed possible. RESOLVE is a Washington, D.C. based NGO that helps forge sustainable solutions to critical social, health, and environmental challenges by creating innovative partnerships where they are least likely and most needed. In this session one of their initiatives, Regeneration, is examined with the expectation that Forum participants may contribute their thoughts and perhaps help launch new ones:
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Stephen D’Esposito
President and CEO, Resolve & Regeneration
Dr. Line Rochefort
Universite Laval, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, Peatland Ecology Research Group
Dr. Olenka Forde
Senior Environmental Geoscientist at Regeneration Enterprises
Carolyn Burns
Director, Sustainable Resources at RESOLVE and Executive Director of the Devonshire Initiative
The natural resources sector is enjoying the benefits of innovation on many fronts, which in turn helps make operations more sustainable. With the assistance of business incubators and early-stage finding programmes many new ideas are finding their way from universities to implementation, through companies such as:
Charles C. Nyabeze
Principal and Director, Right Tack Consulting (Australia)
Ian Brindle
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Brock University and Technical Advisor, Destiny Copper
Greg Hanna
Co-Founder & CEO, Destiny Copper
Carl Weatherell
Executive Director and CEO, Canada Mining Innovation Council, and President, RethinkMining Ventures
Andrew Job
Founder and CEO, Plotlogics
Many of the environment-related issues negatively impacting sustainable resource development are being tackled by researchers in Canada, and elsewhere and the lessons from such research, in areas such as upstream wastewater management and pollution prevention, will enhance sustainability and conservation in sectors beyond mining, benefitting agriculture, urban ecosystems and many more. Mineral Engineering and Environmental Geoscience are but two of the broad areas where much of this working is currently taking place.
Philip Bangerter
Sustainability Specialist & Regional Manager, Australasia at Whittle Consulting & Industry Fellow, University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute
Siobhan (Sasha) Wilson
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Biogeochemistry of Sustainable Mineral Resources, University of Alberta
Lesley Warren
Director, Lassonde Institute of Mining and Claudette Mac-Kay Lassonde Chair in Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto
Carlos Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, PowerGeolab, School of the Environment, Trent University (now Senior Geochemist at SRK Consulting)
Philipa Varris
CEO, FarExGeoMine Ltd., Director (Franco-Nevada, Centamin, Eldorado Gold & Aclara) & Chair, Rethink Mining Ventures
It is not enough to be able to bring to market urgently needed critical minerals. It needs to be done with a Net Zero goal in mind. In this panel we examine several mining projects that have been in development for the past few years and will be among the first to be built within such criteria. These projects aim to deliver green critical minerals, which will qualify them to participate in important supply chains while also possibly benefiting from premium prices for their products.
Keith Whitchurch
Partner, Whittle Consulting, President & Director, PT SMG Consultants
Øystein Rushfeldt
CEO, Nussir ASA
Andrew Osterloh
VP Projects, FPX Nickel
Todd M. Malan
Chief External Affairs Officer & Head of Climate Strategy, Talon Metals
One of the most noticeable aspects of mining operations relates to what is set aside either in the form of non-mineralized mine waste or tailings resulting from processing the ore. Recently, several important initiatives have been launched such as BHP’s Tailings Challenge. What if mine waste could be re-purposed to produce building materials or agriculture soil improvement feedstock? Ideas of this kind have the potential to fundamentally change how certain mining projects are developed, with increased societal and environmental benefits.
Douglas Morrison
President & CEO
Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation Inc. (CEMI)
Abraham Jalbout CEO
Auxilium Technology Group
Mike Gingles
CEO, Sunrise Americas LLC
Malcolm Shang
Global Head of Mine Closure Planning and Circular Economy (Mining), ArcelorMittal
Amanda Diochon
Associate Professor, Department of Geology and at the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining & Exploration, Lakehead University
While inter-relation between the resources sector, urban planning and architecture goes back to antiquity, today those areas of knowledge seldom interact with each other.
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Robert McEwen
Chief Owner, McEwen Mining, and benefactor of the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University
Chen Shalita
CEO & Founder, Alfa Sustainable Projects (Israel)
Jason F. McLennan
CEO, McLennan Design (USA)
Felipe Correa
Vincent and Eleanor Shea Professor, The University of Virginia School of Architecture and Principal, Somatic Collaborative
Ashleigh Morris
COREO (Australia)
Several resource companies are currently openly advocating a holistic approach to Sustainable Resource Development. But what does that really mean? The answer is that it is a work in process that requires input from many specialized areas. One helpful tool, Integrated Strategic Planning, is a concept of long-term mine planning which considers all parts of the value chain, from the mineral resource to the market, over all periods and all stakeholders. This approach allows decision makers to consider all relevant factors, not just the traditional ones such as grade of the mineral resource but also social, environmental and other considerations. The goal is to identify an option that is robust, sustainable and implementable over the life of mine, not necessarily the one that generates the highest net present value. A systematic approach will identify bottlenecks and clarify how to adjust the system to yield the best results overall. New technologies, such as renewable energy and autonomous vehicles, can be evaluated as are constraints such as water availability, dust limits or carbon footprint. Lower operating costs could result in a larger resource and longer life of mine.
Frank Fueten
Professor and Chair, Earth Sciences, Brock University
Gerald Whittle
CEO, Whittle Consulting
Philip Bangerter
Sustainability Specialist & Regional Manager, Australasia at Whittle Consulting & Industry Fellow, University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute
Ronne Hamerslag
CEO, Nordic Iron Ore
Mirco Nolte
VP, Operational Excellence, Dundee Precious Metals
Renata Cardoso
Vice President, Sustainability and Low Carbon, Electra Battery Materials Corporation
While the world debates the transition to green energy and sets its sights to Net Zero goals, the agricultural and forestry sectors continue to deliver food and other essential products even though in many parts of the world those sectors are under environmental and economic stress. Of course, agriculture and forestry are also often at odds with each other, something that we need to address. Other issues arise: Can we preserve and restore ecosystems while generating benefits for the environment and people? How can we improve practices or transition to better ones? What is the role of technical innovation in these areas?
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Naresh Thevathasan
Adjunct Professor(ret.), School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
Martin Beaudoin Nadeau
Founder and CEO, Viridis Terra International
Moshe Nadler
Managing Partner and CEO, Agricora Technologies
Jason Clay
Senior Vice President, Markets & Executive Director, Markets Institute, World Wide Fund (WWF)
June 1992 will be remembered as an important time in global efforts to protect the environment. Three landmark multilateral environmental agreements were established: the Convention on the Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. While Climate Change grabs most of the headlines, Desertification and Biodiversity cannot be ignored.
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Sven Stadtmann (von Vittorelli)
Biodiversity and Natural Capital Lead at AFRY (Germany)
Birguy Lamizana
Senior Project Officer, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Noam Weisbrod
Director, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research & Sde Boker Campus; Hydrology Professor, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Justina C. Ray
President & Senior Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
The natural resources sector is embracing a proactive approach to site rehabilitation and closure, at times bringing together biology, chemistry and earth sciences to address complex environmental issues. Legislative initiatives and societal pressures are prompting mining companies and governments to talk less and do more. Remediation projects being implemented today will not only cure problems from the past but will also advance solutions and processes that will assist other legacy projects as well as with the closure of new projects which may include re-purposing what may have been considered waste in the past. There are great examples from around the world such as the ERA’s Ranger Mine, implementing a closure path incorporating progressive rehabilitation, delivering a positive legacy, and Glencore’s Wonderfontein Mine, where a holistic approach to mine closure is being taken, repurposing remediated mine land and water to grow wheat.
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Kelly Whaley Martin
Ph.D., Senior Consultant/Geochemist, ERM
Alexandra (Alex) Hood
Director, Closure and Rehabilitation, Agnico Eagle
Shilpa Rumjeet
Research Coordinator, Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research, University of Cape Town
Charles Dumaresq
Vice President, Science and Environmental Management, Mining Association of Canada (MAC)
The institute, working with industry partners, focuses on developing urban/territorial projects and lessons that sit at the intersection of economic development and environmental stewardship
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Felipe Correa
Vincent and Eleanor Shea Professor, The University of Virginia School of Architecture and Principal, Somatic Collaborative
Sadie Carlson
Associate AIA, Designer II, McLennan Design
Dana Korkola
Second Year BAS Student, McEwen School of Architecture, Laurentian University
Most of our planet is covered by water, mainly the ocean. For far too long, humanity has taken the ocean for granted, risking in the process global well-being. This year’s UN Ocean Conference brought the world’s attention to the importance of the ocean as the world seeks to address deep-rooted problems which will require common shared solutions anchored in the SDGs. Those solutions relate matters such as protecting biodiversity, feeding the world and deep-sea mining to produce the metals needed for energy transition. Hopefully, a new chapter of global ocean action is starting, opening many research and sustainable development opportunities.
Sebastian Hennige
Senior Lecturer, The University of Edinburgh
Daniel Pauly
Killam Professor, University of British Columbia & Principal Investigator, Sea Around Us, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Gerard Barron
Chairman & CEO, The Metals Company
Mike Williamson
President, Cascadia Seaweed
Andrew A. Rosenberg
Senior Fellow, Carsey School for Public Policy, University of New Hampshire, President of MRAG Americas and former director of the Center for Science & Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Closing the gap between finance and the reality on the ground has been a long-standing challenge. Multilateral institutions and lenders have been striving to deal with finance-centred issues, such as transparency and anti-corruption measures, often being unable to tackle externalities related to the environment or equitable matters. Increasingly, the financial sector has become proactive regarding environmental and societal goals, aligning with and invigorating those seeking to attain positive outcomes for the common good.
Wendy Tyrrell
Executive Director, Development Partner Institute (now Managing Director, The Long View Consulting
Lisa Sachs
Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs; Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Columbia University
Fernando Ruiz-Mier
Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Aaron Field
Assistant Treasurer, Anglo American
The resources sector faces a challenge onboarding the next generation. Across the world, companies have difficulties recruiting. At the same time, baby boomers are retiring taking with them a trove of very relevant knowledge. What is being done by industry, government, and educational institutions? Could young people play a role in helping shape the needed policies?
Deborah Allen Rogers
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Stephen Stewart
Chairman, Young Mining Professionals & Ore Group
Louise Tagliante
Protegé Mentoring (Singapore)
Keith Whitchurch
Partner, Whittle Consulting, President & Director, PT SMG Consultants
Andrew Keith
Principal and Director, Right Tack Consulting (Australia)
Jessica Kahl
Managing Director and Founder, Dream Big Australia and Project Manager at SunWater (now Corporate Strategy Manager at Thames Water)
Sustainable resource development will not happen on its own. It will require committed and well-trained individuals, conversant with many subjects and with varied experience. Where will such individuals come from? Who will teach and train them? Who will be taught? Where will it take place, at school or at work? In person or remotely? What programmes can be developed to teach about sustainability in a way that will lead to action, not mere platitudes?
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Prof. Yaron Ziv
Head, Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Lucy Lyons
MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment Candidate, Oxford University (now Co-Founder & CEO at Kestrix)
Julia Baird
Associate Professor, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Brock University
Ceileigh McAllister
National Youth Coordinator, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada, University of Waterloo
Change management is a complicated and difficult endeavour. But change we must as the ways things are now is just not good enough. To effectively implement Sustainable Resource Development will require changing how, and why, we do or don’t do many things. Engaging with, motivating and empowering society, not just the younger generations, to alter course towards a more sustainable future is a daunting task. Government-led initiatives, such as Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, will not attain its intended aims without a thoughtful and dedicated implementation strategy. Top-down initiatives elaborated in ivory towers are likely to miss the mark. Initiatives seeking to listen to, and engage with youth, regarding their vision and aspirations will help guide the process in a more robust and implementable manner. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities policy makers and administrators face, and present some of the initiatives that are in place, or possibilities that are being contemplated, with the goal of identifying what steps could be taken, at this time and in the future, to help shift the dial towards a more sustainable and resilient world.
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Gail Haarsma
Director, Sustainable Development Policy, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Andrew A. Rosenberg
Senior Fellow, Carsey School for Public Policy, University of New Hampshire, President of MRAG Americas and former director of the Center for Science & Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Wendy Tyrrell
Executive Director, Development Partner Institute (now Managing Director, The Long View Consulting
Raziel Zisman
Partner & Leader, Sustainable Governance Initiative, Whittle Consulting
Dr. Liette Vasseur
Professor, Biological Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Member, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), Brock University
Prof Ejaz Ahmed
Dean, Faculty of Math & Science and Professor of Statistics, Brock University
Frank Fueten
Professor and Chair, Earth Sciences, Brock University
Justin Steepe
Strategic, Outreach and Events Specialist, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Brock University
Virginia David
Research Assistant, Brock University