Resource World Magazine

A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 www.resourceworld.com 5 Editor's Comments Ellsworth Dickson Ellsworth Dickson, Editor-in-Chief Email: editor@resourceworld.com T: 604 484 3800 | 1 877 484 3800 1.888.994.4465 | monarquesgold.com EMERGING GOLD PRODUCER in the Abitibi region with 1 producing gold mine, 2 mills and 4 advanced projects covering 300 km 2 . Total Measured and Indicated Resource of more than 3.1 Million Ounces of Gold. RW_MONARQUES_4,875X3_JULY2018_V1.indd 1 2018-07-12 8:07 AM T he recent RFG2018 exploration and mining conference recently held in Vancouver was a very impressive event with over 3,000 delegates attending and the world's top experts making over 1,000 presentations on many topics. Janice Zinck, Director at Canmet- MINING, a research, development and innovation arm of Natural Resources Canada, summed up the current state of affairs in her presentation. "Now we're into the digital age and the global consumption of resources has more than tripled over the last 40 years," she said. "About 55 billion tonnes of resources are consumed annually. We see this as only increasing. As the middle class rises around the world, we can see consump- tion of resources is also increasing. These resources are finite so we cannot simply look at them as being renewable. They are resources we need to manage and protect." Zinck opined that we need to move from what is more a linear resource econ- omy to one that's circular. "We have got to move from a carbon intense economy to a low carbon and green economy and doing so will take balance. It will take the input from everyone because everyone uses, touches and consumes resources. So it's about all of us being involved as we look at how we ethically and sustainably source and exploit our resources to protect our fragile eco system." The Honourable George Heyman, British Columbia's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy also spoke. He has guest lectured at a number of uni- versities in BC and abroad and served on advisory committees for both post gradu- ate and under graduate programs at three BC universities. "The first issue that I wish to talk about is our revitalization of our assessment pro- cess," said Heyman. "This morning the Environmental Assessment office is releas- ing a discussion paper for public comment. The discussion paper is the product of months of consultation and working closely with our First Nations." Heyman noted that mining today is different than in the past. He remarked that the principals of Environmental Assessment in BC and everybody who has consulted agree there has to be reconcili- ation and respect for indigenous people, including respect for indigenous laws and knowledge, including respect for indigenous communities rights, title, long standing cultural and language interests, economic interests as well as the public's desire for a process that is trustworthy, transparent and where they can engage and see progress being made. "But equally important, and I think these two go together, is a process that provides a clear pathway to success for good projects and good proponents. If we design the process right, we can get to a positive result more quickly with more confidence and avoid costly delays and litigation," Heyman said. "We aim to have new legislation in late fall." Glen Sigurdson, a lawyer, Chair of the Board or Directors of RESOLVE Inc., Washington, DC, adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University Beedie School of Business, and Honorary Consulate General of Iceland in BC, continued with the realis- tic question: How do we do it? He said it starts with stakeholders mak- ing a real effort to understand how all the other stakeholders view themselves as well as their needs, concerns, hopes and fears. "Differences have to be understood, acknowledged, and then we can deal wi them," he said. Summing up, what I got out of these talks was that mining is more than an industry; it is an integral part of our economic, social and environmental makeup that needs tending by all stakeholders for the mutual benefits that minerals provide. n Looking at mining with new eyes

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