Resource World Magazine

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 6 www.resourceworld.com 53 PDaC 2016 – Busy, Positive by Kathrine Moore I didn't know what to expect at this year's Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention (PDAC) in Toronto. Last year, attendees and presenters used the phrase, "cautious optimism" a lot. Many felt the outlook for the resource sector was gen- erally gloomy and there were predictions of doom as some companies closed their doors or went into cash conservation mode. I wondered what this year's catch phrase was going to be after yet another year of a bear market. At this year's PDAC, there were no catch phrases. I didn't hear a lot of talk about tough times in the resource industry. The mood seemed generally positive, booths were busy, the crowds were good and there was a steady buzz in the air – busi- ness was being done. Mining companies were moving ahead with their projects and on the service side there were some innovative products and technology. Though the conference did seem a bit smaller this year, PDAC reported that there were 22,000 attendees from more than 100 countries. "The mineral exploration and mining industry has been facing an array of eco- nomic challenges the past several years but the sector continues to demonstrate its resiliency," said PDAC President, Rod Thomas, pointing to new money coming into the industry, favourable market trends and a move to drive new and sustainable solutions to mining activities. "The mood throughout the convention was optimistic and upbeat—a positive sign for the sector going forward." This year, PDAC hosted its inaugural International Mines Ministers Summit (IMMS) that organizers said, "brought together 16 national Mines Ministers from around the world. Led by Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, who spoke at a series of PDAC functions, the IMMS provided an important setting for the international mining community to discuss and work on resolving issues affecting the industry. In addition, 25 Federal Parliamentarians, six Provincial/Territorial Ministers and two Premiers attended PDAC 2016." "It is important that the PDAC builds strong working relationships not only with provincial and federal governments in Canada, but also with international governments to ensure the mineral indus- try continues to succeed and grow both in Canada and internationally," said PDAC Executive Director Andrew Cheatle. "The PDAC Convention was an excellent opportunity to showcase the importance and scale of our industry to the new Government of Canada and we look forward to further building upon the constructive activities that occurred at the 2016 PDAC Convention." One of the highlights of this year's con- vention was Integra Gold Corp.'s Gold Rush Challenge event. The SGS Geostat team won the challenge. Integra declared their submission, "that utilized a combination of machine learning and traditional geo- logical methods to produce targets across the company's Lamaque Project in Val- d'Or, Québec, the winner of C$500,000. With over 8,000 members, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the national voice of Canada's mineral exploration and devel- opment industry. The convention, the largest mining event in the world, attracts investors, analysts, mining executives, geologists, government officials and stu- dents. n

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