THIS IS MINING: THE PODCAST

Canada has the critical minerals the world needs for electrification and a green energy future, but accessing them is not without roadblocks. Two major challenges are investment and permitting, both intertwined when it comes to the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples in major Northern development projects. JP Gladu, prominent Indigenous business leader, joins Amber Mac to discuss the power of resource development partnerships as a route to prosperity and reconciliation in action.

Renewable energy is dependent on critical minerals, but where they come from and how ethical and responsible that production is present two very pressing questions. Join Amber as she tackles the topics of responsible sourcing, ESG and supply chain challenges with Trent Mell, an entrepreneur in the battery metals and clean energy space and Charlotte Selvey Miller, Head of ESG at Benchmark Minerals, a market intelligence firm for the lithium-ion battery to electric vehicle supply chain.

The growth and demand for critical minerals is impressive and daunting, according to our first guest, Duncan Wood, the Vice President for Strategy & New Initiatives at the Wilson Center, a Washington DC based think tank. We can’t have an energy transition without extractive resources, Wood says, and the race is on to secure them.

It's a critical time for our world and the generational challenges we face. Our future requires an increasing demand for resources - minerals and metals critical to energy security, technological transformation and the accelerating race to halt climate change. Season Three explores why the moment is now for critical minerals.

50 years ago, the people, governments and mining companies in Sudbury recognized that, no matter how afflicted their environment was, it was not beyond repair. Sudbury is a beacon of hope, an example to the world that learning from the past can inspire us to do better. Biologist, Dr. John Gunn, microbiologist, Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk and 14-year old climate activist, Sophia Mathur join us to talk about what we can learn from Sudbury and how together we can approach climate change and environmental renewal.

Critical minerals like nickel, copper, and cobalt (found right here in Ontario!) are the building blocks for a clean, green and digitized economy. The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, Canada, joins us to talk about how we can unlock economic opportunities in Canada and how mining can drive our collective climate action.

Environmentalist and founding President of FROSKR, a firm using technology to build confidence in taking climate action, Kati McCartney, joins us to talk about how the mining industry will deliver net positive environmental impacts, contributing to our generation’s greatest challenge: climate change. The path to decarbonization depends on minerals to power clean energy like batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels. For Kati, it’s not about choosing between productivity & profit or social responsibility; it’s about collectively protecting our shared planet.

In this episode, MaRS Fellow, angel investor, and one of Canada’s foremost thinkers on innovation, work, and learning, Don Duval, joins us to talk about how the technology transformation in mining is helping it win the battle for talent.  He also shares how buyers and adopters of technology in mining, including those at NORCAT, have built a tech ecosystem in their own backyard and why VCs are taking notice.

In this episode, Queen’s University Engineering Professor, Joshua Marshall joins us to discuss the robot revolution and why it’s already here. He contends that Canadians have the potential to thrive, seeing the most significant opportunities in sectors like Canada’s global mining industry. While Joshua has been working on robotics and autonomous vehicle technology since the late 1990s, it’s the NOW in mining that excites him. Why? Because the industry is undergoing a significant technological transformation.

Season Two explores the elements of mining that go so far beyond simply digging in the earth, helping to advance science and engineering and pioneering technologies that touch all walks of life. Mining is today’s technology, and science-based solutions are being used to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our generation.