The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is a member-based nonprofit and trusted authority for Canada’s minerals and metals sectors, connecting professionals through societies, branches, and events like CIM CONNECT to share knowledge, foster innovation, and shape the future of mining.
You’ve been in the mining sector for decades, but your academic background is in economics and counselling psychology. How did you ultimately build a career in mining?
My father, Terry MacGibbon is in the Mining Hall of Fame. He had a 30-year career at Inco as a geologist before starting mining companies, and because of his work, we moved around a lot. Mining was pivotal to my life.
I started working at Inco Limited in high school and never left. The leaders in mining feel different—they’re real, they have vision, and they want to improve life for their workers and communities. Most people in the sector grew up in mining towns or had family in the industry. It wasn’t by design—it was by association—and it’s always been about the people.
You’ve been immersed in the industry for decades and witnessed it evolve through different cycles. What moments stand out as the most significant shifts?
There are two. First was 2004, when things really boomed—copper was running, everything was running—until the crash in 2008–2009. For the first time, there was a real sense from investors that mining could make money. That shift was investor-driven, not public perception, and when the crash came, investors went away.
The second is now. With the energy transition, people on the street are asking, “What do critical minerals mean?”
We’ve always known that nothing you use daily is anything other than mined or grown, but now the world is realizing we can’t transition without minerals.
That means more production, more environmental disturbance, and more partnerships with local communities. It’s a dichotomy: the opportunity is huge, but so are the challenges. That’s why I call this a renaissance moment for mining.
Canada is often viewed as a global leader in sustainable mining practices. What makes Canada’s legacy in this area unique?
Canada has long been the financier of mining through the TSX and TSXV, where companies raise capital even if their properties are abroad. That created an infrastructure here—lawyers, bankers, and professionals who know mining inside out—alongside the technical powerhouse of our major companies. Over time, mergers and acquisitions reshaped that landscape, but we still have deep expertise and oversight from financial markets.
The difference is that our people live in the communities where we work. Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s their homes and neighbors. Take Sudbury—one of the biggest mining centers, yet it has more freshwater lakes per square foot than anywhere else. That didn’t happen overnight. Mistakes were made, but Inco cleaned up, planted millions of trees, and stopped acid emissions. Out of that came trusted professionals who not only meet regulations but often help write them.
The Canadian government has put mining at the center of its critical minerals and net-zero strategy. How is it positioning the industry, and is the balance right between innovation, communities, and the environment?
Mining should always be held to standards that keep workers safe, protect the environment, and ensure sustainability. Our message to regulators isn’t that we shouldn’t be accountable—it’s that we need one clear regulation and one clear set of standards. That allows us to meet expectations, partner with the government, and move forward together. The current administration sees Canada’s potential on the global stage. We have the resources in the ground, and to participate in the race to net zero, we need to get them out. That means stripping away the bureaucracy that slows projects. It’s hard, it won’t happen overnight, but there is political will to get good projects across the line.
A mining company in Quebec may give a completely different answer from one in British Columbia. The issue is jurisdictional overlap. You might spend hundreds of millions on permitting, only to find that another layer of government can veto it. That uncertainty has driven investment away in the past. The question for investors and operators is simple: if you follow the rules—building partnerships, consulting Indigenous communities, and respecting the process—will you get your permit? That certainty is essential for investor confidence.
As Canada works to become a global supplier of choice, who do you see as its biggest competition?
I don’t think of it as competition. We need everyone. Demand profiles show deficits—we’ll need more minerals globally. Nickel is a good example. The price spiked, investments poured in, and then it cratered, forcing mine closures in Australia because of production from Indonesia. That volatility shows the hurdles ahead. And the question of which metals will dominate batteries—or solar, or other technologies—will shape the race.
That said, Canada is well-positioned. We have financing infrastructure, engineers, professionals, and trusted voices. Our expertise travels globally—whether it’s Madagascar or Kazakhstan—helping other nations build their own infrastructure. Our advantage is the base of knowledge and systems. Now we just need to build more mines.
What do you see as the biggest existential threat to the Canadian mining industry, and does the same challenge apply globally?
The biggest threat is public perception. It shapes government agendas, Indigenous consultation, and public support for projects. My dream is for mining to be seen as another necessary industry, like fertilizer or machine parts, but instead it often becomes a hot-button issue. Without a shift, even the best projects stall. I am optimistic, though: people are starting to connect their phones and renewable energy to mined minerals. We’re entering a renaissance moment. CIM is working to harness that momentum. With more than 10,000 members, we bring voices together. If the industry speaks as one, it’s stronger.
Policymakers and investors already understand the necessity of mining. Governments in Canada and the U.S. know critical minerals are imperative, and investors have capital—they just need certainty and returns. The real focus is the public. A stainless-steel sink isn’t compelling to a teenager, but their phones and laptops are. If they understand mining enables clean energy, storage, and the devices they rely on, perception will shift. We also need to tackle recycling—how to reuse metals from old cell phones. That challenge is for the next generation of engineers, and it starts with reaching the public.
Technology is reshaping every industry, and mining is no exception. What innovations excite you most over the next five years?
We just held the CIM Maintenance, Engineering & Reliability / Mine Operators Conference, organized by CIM Calgary branch and our Underground Mining Society, Surface Mining Society, and the CIM Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society. My biggest takeaway wasn’t macro-level but micro-level innovation. Accurate collection and analysis of data can shift operations dramatically. Tracking fuel use or equipment changeover times is shaving seconds off cycles and saving tens of millions of dollars, while cutting fuel use and emissions. The challenge is knowing what to collect and where to invest. Those who do are already seeing results, and as knowledge is shared, others will follow. Digital transformation through analytics and AI will reshape mining. With enough accurate data, the possibilities are uncharted. The goal is always to make operations safer, more profitable, and with the smallest footprint possible.
There are strong examples of collaboration driving change. At one gathering, a major operator shared that before building a water plant, you need to run a pilot test first. Another had been preparing to spend hundreds of millions without testing. That conversation saved them enormous capital by avoiding over-engineering. That’s the power of collaboration—when the right people are in the room, real change happens.
