Meet the Canadians of Mining

Amanda McCallum is a geologist, prospector, communications specialist, educator and entrepreneur. She is the Executive Director of Mining Industry NL, a not-for-profit industry association that represents all sectors of the mineral industry. Previously, Amanda was the founder and president of Ignite Education Inc., a consultancy company specializing in geoscience education, outreach, communications, and project management. Amanda is also the author of the Minerals Guide Newfoundland and Labrador and the Women in Mining Career Connections Guide, and the principal author of Discovery Global Geopark’s application dossier, in which she led this international project to secure Newfoundland and Labrador’s first UNESCO Global Geopark designation.

Ashley Jay is a Tahltan Engineer-in-Training at Skeena Resources. Her work involves incorporating Indigenous design principles and values at a mine site and highlights how the mining industry works with Indigenous communities to benefit from and take part in the process.

As the Network Director at the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) and VP of Business Development and Commercialization at the Centre for Excellence for Mining Innovation (CEMI) Chamirai works to facilitate the development of mining innovation and technology.

Jennifer Beaudry is a Senior Manager at Science North and Dynamic Earth, an interactive earth sciences museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Born and raised in Sudbury, mining has had a large influence on her life and the local economy. At Dynamic Earth, her work involves educating youth and others on Sudbury's mining heritage as well as the contributions that good citizenship with mining has and can bring in terms economic and sustainable resource development.

As a professor at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Joanie Caron specializes in the professional integration of Indigenous workforce in the mining sector. Joanie also participated in all stages of the development and implementation of the UL ECOLOGO^® Certification, a responsible development standard for the mineral exploration industry.

View the alternate version of this video based on Joanie’s French testimony.

Shena Shaw is the VP, Environmental and Community Affairs at Western Copper and Gold. Shena has been managing projects and contributing to environmental assessments across the North for nearly 20 years and she is supporting the Casino Project through the first ever socio-economic and environmental assessment Panel Review process in the Yukon. Shena has had a lengthy career in environmental consulting in Yellowknife and Whitehorse, focusing on the responsible development of resource extraction through the environmental assessment and Indigenous engagement processes of large-scale projects in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alaska and across Canada.

Zeinab Azadbakht, P.Geo is the Timmins and Sault St. Marie regional resident geologist with the Ontario Ministry of Mines. She holds a PhD in economic geology from the University of New Brunswick and is the 2021 winner of Hawley Medal for the best paper published in the Canadian Mineralogist.

Zivi Schaffer is a Researcher in carbon removal technologies at Trent University. Her work involves encouraging mining companies to implement these technologies to combat emissions produced at mine sites. She received a scholarship from the Mining Industry Human Resources Council.

Laleh Dashtban Kenari is a research engineer at the CanmetMINING lab, who is leading research and development on mine discharge to recover critical minerals and reduce the environmental footprint of mining. She has consistently valued the support extended to her by her immediate supervisor and senior management at CanmetMINING. Throughout her career, she has observed a proactive commitment from CanmetMINING’s leadership to promote the involvement of women scientists and engineers in spearheading various projects, including those of strategic significance.

Maureen Leaver is the Manager of the Canadian Certified Reference Materials Project at CanmetMINING, which helps improve the reliability of measurements at mineral analysis labs in Canada and around the world by certifying reference materials. Throughout her career, she has been mentored by colleagues within the Department, other government departments and industry. She has become a mentor to her colleagues and considers it a privilege to provide this assistance to the next generation of Scientists who will continue NRCan’s reputation for excellence.

Carole Lafontaine is a thermal ionization mass spectrometry technologist working in the geochronology laboratory at the Geological Survey of Canada. She operates a mass spectrometer and performs Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) isotopic analyses of minerals to determine the age of rocks and timescales of geological events. Her work supports scientific researchers to analyze and interpret high-precision geochronological data, in particular to develop models of ore formation for resource assessment and for reducing risk in mineral exploration.

Jade Bergeron is a Laboratory Chemist with the Geological Survey of Canada’s Delta-Lab in Québec and has worked with the GSC since 2014. Her work focuses on isotope geochemistry. This involves using cutting-edge techniques to better understand the environmental impacts of natural resource development, which she finds very demanding but rewarding. She is also responsible for Health and Safety in her laboratory.

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