Member Showcase

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

I graduated as a geophysicist from the University of Toronto and despite offers from major companies, decided to work for a geophysical consultant as the best way to acquire experience and travel. The travel came quickly: Northern Ontario and Quebec, Africa and Europe before I ended up in the Northwest Territory, where I lived for 2 years. As a field geophysicist I discovered an orebody in Pine Point that led to a stampede for the shares of Pyramid Mines. That early success led to a great career.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

Certainly my most memorable experience would be the Pyramid discovery described above. The geophysical anomaly occurred at the end of our survey lines which were supposed to stop at the boundary of the Cominco property. When I inspected the staking, I realized that there was a gap, which I arranged to be staked. The gap occurred over half of the valuable orebody which contained 20 million tons of 12% combined lead and zinc, 15 metres below surface within a few kilometres of an existing mill.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

In 1960 my home was in Montreal, as a Boy Scout my mineral collection was vetted by a local geologist for a Scouting badge. He invited me to join McGill University’s Redpath Museum mineral club, which was at that time led by Franc Joubin, Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Joubin became my mentor, igniting my passion for the mineral industry while leading our club on many mineral collecting adventures throughout Quebec and New York State. In British Columbia I was sponsored in 1966 by the British Columbia Prospecting Grubstake Program which began my life long career in the mineral industry.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

The creation, with a team of like minded mineral exploration and mining partners, of Bema Gold Corporation, now B2Gold and Eldorado Gold Corporation, both becoming successful international gold mining companies. On a project basis, my participation in the discovery and development of Eldorado`s Kisladag and Efemcukuru world class gold mines in Turkey.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

I have been one of the key persons in the start-up of two gold mines in Arizona and one in Montana. Playing a major role in bringing a property to production and creating wealth and jobs is very fulfilling. However, the most fulfilling project was working at a small eluvial gold project in Zimbabwe in 1998/1999. Providing good paying jobs (by Zimbabwe standards at least) was appreciated by young men struggling to feed their families, however, most fulfilling was being in a position to show respect for them and their efforts and to impart knowledge of health & safety practices, ethics, equipment operation & maintenance, metal recovery, reclamation, fabrication, rudimentary geology, surveying etc. The reward was seeing how proud they were of their accomplishments and how grateful they were for any knowledge imparted to them.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

I have great memories of many different experiences in different facets of the industry. The highest adrenaline experience was witnessing the murder on the mezzanine level of the Royal York at the 1987 PDAC convention and following the murderer down the escalator, out onto Front Street and then up York Street to King Street where the Metro Police "finally" arrived to make the arrest.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

Developed and interest in the 1950s through family contacts with the Cadesky Brothers and people related to Denison Mines - fascinated about stories of prospecting, claim staking and the stock market. Started out studying Mining Engineering and switched into Geological Engineering half way through university. Was told in high school not to go into mining by guidance counselors but as a contrarian and wanting to study surveying, I initially chose mining to study. I switched into geology after two field seasons on geological survey parties.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

The Diavik diamond project in NWT. I was president of a private company called West Viking Exploration that financed the initial claim staking near the Ekati discovery and eventually merged with Aber Resources which became Aber Diamonds and then Dominion Diamonds. I directed the generation of the original geophysical data base and initial field exploration that discovered over 60 kimberlite pipes on the Diavik Property including the pipes that were and are still in production today. I also generated the name "Diavik" after the words diamonds and West Viking. The project started with a claim staking rush tying on to the first legitimate diamond discovery in Canada and ended up with Canada's second diamond mine (the most expensive ever developed in the world) that was a huge financial success.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

My mentor, Dr. J. J. Mancuso, in 1971 my first professor of geology at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), impressed me with his mineral deposits passion and knowledge - so much so that I committed to geology and mineral deposits then and there. He taught me much about the business but even more about mentorship.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

I was fortunate to be involved with Jerritt Canyon, Nevada in 1978 when it was still an exploration project. The discovery of Jerritt Canyon changed peoples' minds about Carlin-type gold deposits in terms of location and host rocks. I stayed with the project through feasibility and production before moving back into exploration.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

The simple answer is that in 1982 I bought a stock in Bull Run Gold Mines that went up about 1,000% over the next 90 days. Subsequent to that and while working for Howard Ruff of The Ruff Times, I wrote a piece on penny mining stocks and was intrigued by the history, the stories, and the characters surrounding the business. With elevated gold prices and heap leaching and other technological advances suddenly making the industry more accessible to junior companies, gold mining entered a strong growth phase. At the same time, there were few objective sources of information available to investors. Seeking to fill this gap, I decided to work my way out of a job and into a newsletter: Penny Mining Stock Report from 1983-85, Gold Mining Stock Report from 1985-2007. Looking back on it, I'm most grateful to have been involved at a time--the 90s--when a series of back-to-back world-class discoveries were made, and at a time when speculators were rewarded for having a longer term perspective on the market. Speculators got paid for being patient with stocks such as Arequipa Resources, Dia Met, Aber Resources, and Diamond Fields, where Robert Friedland played the world's two largest nickel producers against one another. It was an unusual concentration of world-class discoveries and a good time to be in the mining newsletter business.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

Being early on the Northwest Territories diamond story was the most memorable and also the most important, for the simple reason that I was close to being out of business when Dia Met announced its first discovery. The stock market crash of 1987 laid the groundwork for several lean years in the resource sector, especially on the speculative end of it, and I was literally wondering what line of work I might go into. I've likened trying to sell my newsletter at the time to trying to sell cancer door-to-door. Being early and right on the diamond story turned my business around, and also paved the way to being early on Diamond Fields Resources. There was much that was memorable about Diamond Fields, not least because of the money I and my subscribers made, but had it not been for the NWT story, I wouldn't have been in business by the time Diamond Fields announced its Voisey's Bay discovery. I had many memorable experiences over almost 25 years, but it was the NWT story that was most meaningful--and thus most memorable.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

I collected minerals and fossils since public school; in high school one of the teachers was a geologist (Stuart LeBaron) and he encouraged the interest in rocks through a local club and many field trips. Enrolling in geology at university was a given. I was lucky to land a summer job in 1970 (after first year) with Gulf Minerals as part of a four-man prospecting/geophysical crew, living under canvas and moving by canoe in the regions north of Rabbit Lake. As a city kid I hardly knew how to hold an ax or a paddle, but the rocks came easily. Subsequently I worked every summer, attended PDAC as a student, and was fortunate to land full-time employment with Cominco in 1974.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

I was fortunate to consult for Prime Explorations during the discovery of Eskay Creek during 1988 to 1990. Under Chet Idziszek and Dave Mallo, they did the near-impossible task of finding and drilling off the 21A and 21B Zones through incredible snow conditions and on rough terrain. It was exciting to verify assays, compile the results, lead site tours, maintain a room-sized model made of acetate sheets hung on a wooden frame, and entertain Pezim's visitors.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

Little pieces of galena that I noticed in limestone road aggregate sourced from North Derbyshire piqued my interest in the region's minerals and that took me to the Camborne School of Mines the UK's southwest. I graduated into the late 1970's gold boom and I was hired onto the learner official program with Goldfields of South Africa. This was a wild learning experience as I transitioned from spotty university student to miner to Mine Captain in about five years on the rich West Driefontein mine.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in the mineral industry?

Go for it! While there are likely to be testing moments, like when I spent my first Christmas away from home the far West Rand in conditions reminiscent of the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; by January I was back in the staff mess. The career broadened my horizons and exposed me to the opportunities in management, technical departments, and in my case, into the banking sector. I went from breaking rocks to researching valuation and then advising investors on the sector. Good luck and be versatile, the industry can take you many places

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

I owe much gratitude to Duncan Derry for landing my career in academia. He had attended my MSc presentation at an SEG-sponsored session at the Inst. on Lake Superior Geology meeting in Sault Ste-Marie in 1965; then another presentation at a meeting in Sardinia in 1970, where during an afternoon pause, he asked where I hoped to head in my career after a post-doc at the Université de Liège, Belgium. Months later, he alerted me to an opening at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal, and he had recommended me. Poly was my first visit on an interviewing tour, and I carried their good offer in my pocket over the remainder of my 3-week tour across North America. In thanks to Duncan, I had the pleasure, over several years and at the invitation of Don Sangster of the GSC, to co-host a Carleton-University of Ottawa grad course on Ores in Sediments at the Derry Lab, U of Ottawa.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

Among the most fulfilling aspects of my career was the supervision of highly motivated and highly competent graduate students at Polytechnique: for example, Michel Gauthier on Grenville Supergroup zinc in the Maniwaki area, Quebec; Francois Robert on structurally controlled Abitibi gold; Frank Chartrand on sediment-hosted copper (SSC-type) in the Mackenzie Mtns; Pascal Marquis* on structurally-controlled Bousquet gold-silver-zinc; Mike Richard* on plutonic-centred volcanic-hosted massive sulfides; Mohammed Bouabdellah** on Mississippi Valley-type Pb-Zn-Cu in NE Morocco; Gustavo Durieux on a NW Argentinian SSC; Aurel Grigorita on the White Pine SSC. All very successful projects.

*Co-directed by Claude Hubert; **co-directed by Don Sangster.

How did you get your start in the industry?

My father (Frederick R. Burton) was a geologist. He earned his PhD from McGill in 1933 and throughout my youth I wasn’t really aware of his extensive professional career. But I grew up knowing some of his closest colleagues when they visited our house. They were leaders in their field – Bill James (Senior), Marsh Cooper, Bill Buffam. Only later did I come to understand that this was the consulting firm of James, Buffam and Cooper. I remember my parents playing cards with “Doc” Oaks who was a pioneer in bush flying, opening the north up to prospectors. So I came by geology and I suppose my love of bush flying honestly, but at 18 my plan was to be a wildlife biologist...

Then I got a summer job packing rocks for a geologist in Rouyn Noranda. The wildlife biologist in me took note that there I was in the bush meeting bears - so perhaps geology could work. My father had died by then so he never knew that I became a geologist. For the next 50 years I would enjoy all that exploration geology could offer from North America to Africa. My friends would want to go back packing on a holiday and I was doing it for a living! Gravity surveys on the Beaufort Sea, prospecting the mountains in the Yukon, fly camping along the Liard River. I was hooked. Why exploration geology? It was the science, the travel to remote areas, the bush flying and the people.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

Aside from the professional aspects of being an exploration geologist, my most memorable experiences have been the opportunities to undertake community projects over the past 25 years in Africa through my company and with colleagues particularly in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire. Our sincere belief was that we were guests in these in these countries and it was incumbent upon us to assist in the areas of health, education and community needs. The contrast between the blessings in my life and the hardships people faced in rural West Africa were such that one either had to turn a blind eye or you did something about it.

We developed a partnership with local Rotary Clubs in Nova Scotia looking to participate in sustainable projects in Africa with accountability. We built a rural health clinic that serviced a population of 6,000 and expanded the local village school from a capacity of 50 students with no girls attending, to over 400 students with half of them being girls. My most gratifying moment was taking representatives from those clubs to visit those two social projects in Niger when they were completed. The people welcomed them and the Rotarians themselves experienced the sincere gratitude of the communities.

I remember the strength of the women who carried such a disproportionate load of the daily work and of children greeting me in song, seemingly oblivious to the hardships around them. These were experiences that would never have happened had I not chosen geology.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

I was born at Little Long Lac mine in northern Ontario - my father was a mining engineer and my mother a nurse. My first real job, at age 15, was assisting in the annual "taking stock" or inventory exercise at the mine warehouse. All ensuing summer jobs while in high school were mining and prospecting related, so when it came time for university studying geology seemed natural.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

There have been many, including a detailed review of porphyry copper and molybdenum deposits in central British Columbia on behalf of the BC Geological Survey during my 16 year tenure there. Other highlights include the discovery of a gold deposit (subsequently mined) in northern BC and the definition of nickel-copper resources in Nunavut. I've had the good fortune to visit most parts of Canada to report on a good number of mineral prospects. Foreign projects included many visits to Nevada to examine various prospects, the examination of potentially significant molybdenum mineralization in China and a number of trips to several South American countries

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

I actually stumbled into the mineral industry and, more specifically, exploration geology. I knew I didn't want a desk job and I had always enjoyed the outdoors (hunting and fishing with my Dad). Somehow, by the time Grade 13 rolled around, I figured being a mining engineer would be a good career choice. I wasn't the strongest math student however and only took two math courses in Grade 13 (in those days you could take three math courses in Grade 13, including calculus). When I applied to universities for engineering, I was told I would have to do a qualifying year (to get my math requisites). I didn't want to do that and my guidance counsellor suggested I take geology instead. I chose Carleton University for an undergraduate degree and fell in love with it. I had great professors like John Moore, George Skippen, Ken North and others. I followed that up with an Applied M.Sc. in Mineral Exploration at McGill. I worked in the bush during the summers and really enjoyed that. Ironically at Carleton, science majors had to take the same introductory calculus course as the engineering students and I passed with decent grades, although I really had to work at it.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

After working for major mining companies (Selco, BP-Selco, Phelps Dodge Canada) for most of my career, I ended up working as a contract geologist for a couple of years (2006-2008). One assignment I had was drilling the Brabant massive sulphide deposit in northern Saskatchewan for Manicouagan Minerals. While I was District Geologist for Phelps Dodge, we had optioned the property but had cancelled the option on it when Phelps Dodge's exploration strategy changed. I knew the deposit and jumped at the chance of working on it again. I co-authored a technical report on the property during the summer of 2006 then handled the drilling from November 2006 to March 2008. We only had one drill turning and had hired a local guy, Peter McKenzie, to split the core. The geology was really interesting with all sorts of high-strain textures. I couldn't wait to rip the tops off the boxes in the morning to see what the night shift had drilled. You could tell by lifting the boxes if you were in the mineralization because of the weight. It was great to see the deposit grow or change shape with every hole that we drilled.

How did you get your start in the mineral industry?

Bill Bondar and I met in Labrador, in the summer of 1959, working as summer students with British Newfoundland Explorations. We ended up working with John Hansuld (past President of the PDAC), a PhD student from McGill specializing in geochemistry, a comparatively new geological science. Because of John's enthusiasm and support Bill Bondar and I continued our studies in geology and later formed Bondar - Clegg & Company, in 1965, a company operating as Geologists, Geochemists, and Analytical Chemists with facilities in Canada and USA. We sold it in 1989.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

Geochemists know the history of Bloom's Buffer, and the contributions made to the science by Harold Bloom. Bondar - Clegg successfully convinced Harold to sell them his laboratory, in Lakewood, Colorado, and to act as a consultant to our firm for many years. Harold was a memorable experience.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

The discovery of a new district scale gold trend in the Longford – Down Massif in Ireland was the most fulfilling project that I ever worked on. I had previously been involved in the discovery of the Galmoy zinc orebodies in the 1980’s which led to the revival of the Irish base metal mining industry and to the recognition of Ireland as an international zinc province. Exciting though the discovery at Galmoy was, there were already precedents in Ireland in relation to base metals, such as the discoveries at Tynagh, and the world class zinc deposit at Navan. The discovery of the Longford – Down gold trend was of far greater import, and much more fulfilling, as it indicated that Ireland has significant potential for gold as well as for base metals. As a child, I had admired the magnificent Bronze Age gold ornaments in the National Museum of Ireland. These gold ornaments are worth seeing. They are some of the most superb Bronze Age gold ornaments in Europe. Curiously, however, despite the presence and uniqueness of these gold ornaments, and their public display, Ireland has not hitherto been regarded, in mining industry circles, as having the potential to host significant gold deposits. The discovery of a new, district scale gold trend, in the Longford-Down Massif strongly suggests that Ireland has the potential to host significant gold discoveries, as well as having the potential for world- class base metal discoveries.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in the mineral industry?

The mineral industry is challenging and unique. You need to have the interest, the energy, and also the ability to take on board information from a variety of sources, and to be prepared always to learn from colleagues and peers. The industry is an extraordinary amalgam of geology, finance, mining technology and many other factors. It is essential, if you wish to enjoy the industry and to make a satisfying and successful contribution to it, and that you are willing and able to look at the broader picture and always be open to considering things from a fresh angle or viewpoint. Thus, for example, if you are a geologist one must take into consideration more than the geology and be prepared to take into account financial, social, environmental and political factors. In other words, it is essential to have a broader vision than your immediate speciality. Equally if you are coming from a financial or corporate background it is essential to have an appreciation of geology, of mining technology, of the overall industry and of the local environment, or country, in which you are operating. The mineral industry has some of the most varied, interesting and able individuals you could meet. If you have what it takes it can be one of the most exciting and satisfying industries in which you could ever hope to work.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

My mining career had three distinct phases; first as a field exploration geologist in North America for 25 years, then a corporate phase for 15 years creating and financing junior resource companies, and finally a decade serving as an ICD Certified Director and Board Chairman for North American and International resource companies. The highlight of my career was joining FNX Mining in 2001 and growing FNX into a profitable producer, increasing its value from $25 million to $3.6 billion over a decade. FNX became the best TSX market performer during that time. I feel that the arc of my career was a natural evolution from field to management to the Boardroom. In the mining industry one needs to remain keenly aware of new ideas, trends and opportunities. One must look ahead to the changing future and adapt. We used to have a saying in exploration, "learn and adapt!"

What has been the most memorable experience of your career?

I joined the Board of a junior explorer during a downturn in the industry. The Company was looking for Platinum Group elements in Northern Ontario and struggling to survive. The Board and Management ran a strategy session and decided to look for good gold projects while the gold price was low. We quickly found an ideal advanced gold project in Argentina, signed a confidentiality agreement and we successfully bid for it against a dozen other companies. A few months later after we had acquired all the local and regional data from the original owner, we noticed an area with very high silver and lead values. We sent a team to acquire the target, only to be told that one of the unsuccessful bidders had just acquired it. Shortly after, the unsuccessful bidder announced a massive new silver discovery on that property. We eventually sued them for breach of the original Confidentiality Agreement. The question was, "Could you enforce a CA across multiple jurisdictions?" Prior to the trial, we obtained a great deal of data and it showed that the unsuccessful bidder used confidential information. At trial in BC, we successfully proved malfeasance and we were given the Discovery Property containing over two billion ounces of silver. This decision was upheld upon appeal. The junior explorer sold the assets in a bidding process for $780 million within a year of acquisition.

What was the most fulfilling project you ever worked on, and why?

Inco's Seine Bay Project in the Fort Frances area of Ontario in 1976 was a program I took from the design stage, through to the greenfields exploration stage and to the drilling stage. The first drill hole which I spotted intersected a significant massive Cu-Zn intersection. A large number of claims were staked and an extensive exploration program ensued, including the property being optioned to a large base metal mining company. Ironically, the first drill hole was the best intersection!

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in the mineral industry?

It's not what you know but who you know. It's important to be in the right place at the right time. Find yourself a mentor and develop a good relationship with that person. Take on as many volunteer roles as possible so people get to know you. If you are interested in an economic geology degree, go to Laurentian University's Harquail School of Mines in Sudbury, Ontario. The program is one of best (if not the best) in world!