OMA President is keynote speaker at mining/Aboriginal summit in Timmins

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province

Ontario Mining Association President Chris Hodgson will be the keynote speaker at the Mining Ready Summit: Preparing Aboriginal Communities for Mining-Related Business Opportunities in Timmins. This event is being hosted by Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund on October 25 and 26, 2011 at the Days Inn Conference Centre. 

The summit is expected to attract more than 150 key mineral sector people, contractors, mine supply and service company representatives, Aboriginal business owners and First Nations community leaders. The goal of the gathering is to help prepare Aboriginal communities for mining related business opportunities. It is hoped participants will bring new knowledge, lessons learned and best practices to the summit and communicate effectively with participants.

Mr. Hodgson is the keynote speaker at the dinner on October 25. He will share the OMA’s vision for the future of mining in Ontario. Global economic forces such as urbanization and the continued developmental paths of nations such as China and India are providing this province with a window of opportunity to meet a lengthy anticipated period of high demand for commodities Ontario can produce. 

The OMA’s vision for the future of mining is titled “Action Plan for Ontario: Taking Advantage of a Critical Window of Opportunity.” It can be found on the OMA website at www.oma.on.ca. Mr. Hodgson will also speak about spin-off business opportunities created by mine development.

Several OMA companies are active participants in the summit. Colin Webster of Goldcorp, Scott Jacob from Noront, Derek Teevan from Detour Gold and Shannin Metatawabin from De Beers Canada are on a panel. They will be addressing different aspects of business and partnership opportunities through various stages of mine development.

Also, Sandra Gogal from the law firm Miller Thompson, which is an OMA member, will be speaking about business fundamentals and legalities. She will explain various legal business structures for partnerships and joint ventures and their differences.  

Another major scheduled speaker is Dave Tuccaro. He is a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Fort Chipewyan and president and chief executive officer of seven companies. The foundation of his businesses is in the oil sands region of Alberta near Ft. McMurray. His aim with these business ventures is to create opportunities for Aboriginal people at every level of education and every level of employment. 

Sponsors of the summit include OMA members Goldcorp, Cliffs, De Beers Canada and Detour Gold. For further information concerning the Mining Ready Summit go to www.miningready.com.