INNOVATION March-April 2012

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a reference guide for facets of mine develop- ment they may not be familiar with. Stevens’ extensive industry knowledge and the ability to convey the aspects of mine exploration and development to those with less familiarity has made him a ready speaker at seminars. He’s guided professionals such as civil servants, administrators, accountants, lawyers and others who need to understand how their role fits into the overall picture. “Rob is very good at understanding the big picture and, as an educator, explaining things to people,” says associate and AME BC trea- surer Jim Gray CA, who worked with Stevens when he served terms as vice-chair and chair- man of the association. “He is a good commu- nicator and he is able to deal with people such as politicians, bureaucrats or other individuals who do not have a technical background in geology or engineering. He is able to see things with a wide perspective, and that makes him an effective advocate for the sector.” Unlike other resources such as forestry, where the resource is readily determinable, exploration involves extensive searching to determine where the deposits are, Gray explains. “The whole process of mineral resource development is lengthy and capital- intensive, and for many people it is a real eye- opener when they look at the time and effort it takes to collect the data and then get the permits to ultimately develop a project.” Supporting First Nations For the past decade, Stevens has championed the role that the Aboriginal community can play in mine development as many of the new mines are located in remote communi- ties. He initiated the Aboriginal Minerals Training Program at BCIT, where instruc- tors actually go into those communities and train members of First Nations to work in the mining sector. He has also helped secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for this program and the BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BCAMTA). BC AMTA is one of 32 current Aboriginal Skills Employment Partnership (ASEP) programs operating in various industries throughout Canada. The ASEP programs are federal Aboriginal training-to-jobs initiatives under HRSDC (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada). His interest in involving First Nations people with mining goes back to 2002 when he started serving as a director and, from 2008- 2010, became chairman of AME BC. He recalls: “When I was chairman, I became aware of how important it was to work with First Nations

It is not just BC or Canada facing the crunch, though. Other countries are gearing up to meet global mineral demands. “If you think we have it bad,” says Stevens, “Australia is even worse. They have been strategiz- ing how to fill jobs because mining is an important part of their economy and they can’t afford to shut down. So, [companies] are coming to Canada to hire people and offering fantastic wages.” AME BC President Gavin Dirom in his website address to members describes record investment in mine exploration. “The word is out that BC is a great place to look for, and develop, new mineral deposits. And with an estimated $450- 500 million spent in 2011, last year could go down in history as a record breaker for mineral exploration expenditures in the province. Even with the turbulent global economic conditions and the pro- longed permitting challenges that many AME BC members faced in 2011, this level of investment is significantly higher than the $322 million recorded in 2010 and represents a level of spending not seen since the 1980s.” Growing the Talent Pool Stevens’ role as a BCIT educator has been to supply BC’s talent pool. He has focused not only on teaching BCIT students about the geology of mining but “the business of the discovery,” which includes all the entrepreneurial phases of discovery, rais- ing funds on the stock market, financing an operation as well as discovery. “I really enjoy that there is a core science to it, but it also involves a business side,” he observes. New graduates usually apply to the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC to get AScT certifica- tion or continue on to a university to study engineering. Stevens finds the teaching process gratifying, especially when “seeing the light go on” as a student captures a con- cept. Over the past decade, his classroom notes regarding how sectors of the explo- ration process contribute to mine devel- opment evolved into a book, Mineral Exploration and Mining Essentials, pub- lished just over a year ago. The book is a guide detailing mine exploration through to mine closure. Although intended as a guide for individuals who do not have a technical background, Stevens notes he has heard from technical individuals con- nected to the industry who now use it as

The slump in mining had also not brought in a middle-aged group of professionals to take their place. The downturn had taken its toll, and thinned the ranks of mining professionals in the 30 to 50 age group. Add to that the lack of new entrants coming into the industry and as mining kick-started in BC, the industry was left scrambling to find skilled employees.

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