The Honourable Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, shares how his view of mining has evolved—from family roots to global opportunity—and why investing in the next generation of workers is key. From the Ring of Fire to tech-driven mines, he believes resource development can fuel the economy and do some good for the world.

What sparks someone to choose a future in mining? For Hassan Yousif, a Mining Engineer-in-Training, and Alika Maharaj, a Geologist-in-Training, it started with curiosity, mentorship, and opportunities to see the industry up close. In this episode, they share their journeys from students to emerging professionals—and how they’re carving out their own paths.

Rob Millard, a Teacher with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, brings real-world mining into the classroom, and the classroom out into the world. Tune in to see how one teacher is helping students connect what they study to real-world opportunities that can shape their futures.

Joanne Sallay, the President and CEO of Teachers on Call, never imagined mining would shape her tutoring business - until one eye-opening visit to a mine site shifted her perspective. Now she’s inspiring parents and educators across Ontario to see mining as a powerful pathway to purpose and possibility for the next generation.

In this episode, we’re going back to where it all begins: classrooms, conversations, and curiosity. And who better to kick things off than someone who lights that first spark every day? Chelsea Renaud, an environmental scientist who also leads education and outreach at Mining Matters, takes us on a journey through her classroom lens: what is mining, why it matters, and how she’s helping young Canadians imagine their future in this essential industry.

In Season 5 of This is Mining: The Podcast, we explore how curiosity, conversations, and classrooms ignite careers in modern mining. Through real stories, we’re connecting young minds to purpose, opportunity, and the world around them. Because every future starts with an origin story—and the future of mining starts with them. New episodes of this award-winning series, hosted by Amber Mac, coming soon! Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.

Join me, Amber Mac, on my very first trip underground at a mine in Sudbury, Ontario! I went 1.5km underground – that’s nearly 3 CN Towers deep into the earth! It wasn’t like anything I could have imagined. Along my trip, I connected with Shawn Sauve, Mobile Equipment Specialist; Alex Mulloy, Carbon Specialist; Christine Gasteiger, Integrated Remote Operating Centre Superintendent and Don Duval, tech entrepreneur and mining futurist.

Dawn Madahbee Leach, Chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, joins us to talk about the power of resource development partnerships and careers as a route to prosperity and reconciliation in action for Indigenous peoples. We are also joined by Clyde Moonias, a member of the  Neskantaga First Nation, who’s embarking on his career ‘close to home,’ as the Health, Safety & Environment Coordinator at Wyloo’s Esker Site in Northern Ontario (formerly Ring of Fire Metals).

Ontario is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation, particularly in skilled trades. Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development in Ontario wants young people across Ontario to know that careers in the skilled trades are meaningful, well-paying and in-demand. We are also joined by Kendra Liinamaa, a young millwright working at a nickel mine in Sudbury, Ontario who describes how she overcame her own stigma to pursue her career in skilled trades.

A career in mining is not what you think it is. Does your perception of mining today reflect the realities on the ground (or underground?) Let’s get into the facts with Ryan Montpellier, Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR). We are also joined by Cara Rockwood, an environmental scientist pursuing a career in mining, who is challenging her peers (and even professors!) to think of mining as an environmental field.