Getting Closure

We all know how gravity works … inherently, we know which way is up. We are also all well versed in our world’s push for renewable energy — so-called green energy. And there is growing discssion in our industry on its capacity to achieve our closure objectives and transform our mined land into a future, or post mining land use, which brings value to rightsholders, stakeholders, and the communities in and around our mine sites.

Our guest for this episode ties these three aspects together. Mark Swinnerton of Green Gravity discuss his insights on alternative land use potential for closed and legacy mines, but also planning for and creating renewable energy throughout the mine life cycle as part of closure planning. Mark’s perspective in this space is wide and varied as a result of the breadth of his incredible experience working in the mining industry for a large mining house, and really understanding how we influence investment in our industry and advance projects.

Lois Boxill is a member of the LDI's Board of Directors for good reason, not the least of which is a unique perspective on how to approach a wide variety of subjects involving mine closure — and her ability to apply ideas and experiences from further afield to the tasks involved in landform design.

Season 2 of Getting Closure continues to explore the principles and people behind responsible mine closure and reclamation, beginning with an interview with a giant in the field, Dr. Andy Robertson.

Andy is the "R" in SRK consulting, the creator of the first database for ore-deposit modelling and open-pit mine software that ran on personal computers, and InfoMine, one of the first attempts to spread mining information through what was then a very early version of the internet. Since 1994, he’s run Robertson Geoconsultants, which specializes in tailings and waste rock stability and geochemistry. No matter where you go in this business, it’s impossible not run into his legacy, and podcast host Mike O’Kane is no exception

The first principle of landform design is mine with the end in mind and create a shared vision among the mine, local communities, and Indigenous peoples. In this episode, Mike O'Kane discusses how to turn that principle into practice with the help of Sean Willy, CEO of the Des Nedhe Group in Saskatchewan. Together they examine the value of Indigenous leadership and participation in closure planning, the changing nature of impact benefit agreements, and what true collaboration really looks like.

In Episode 3, Mike O'Kane interviews Corinne Unger, an Australia-based specialist in mine rehabilitation and closure planning who has undertaken research on abandoned mines and post-mining land use around the world and is currently working on her PhD. Their conversation, conducted over Skype between Calgary and Brisbane, covers the importance of good mentors, navigating an industry where women are usually in the minority, and trying to convince mines and regulators to incorporate a social dimension into mine planning.

In Episode 2, Mike O'Kane interviews Mark Logsdon for the second episode of Getting Closure. Mark specializes in geochemistry and mineralogy, and has worked on some 250 mining projects during a career spanning almost 50 years. Geology, mentorship, the importance of visiting as many mines as possible, and even playing hockey against Ken Dryden, figured prominently in the discussion. Mark emphasizes the need to develop communities of practitioners with varying expertise to solve problems together.

For the inaugural episode of "Getting Closure," Landform Design Institute founder Gord McKenna and Mike O’Kane, Chair of the LDI's Technical Advisory Panel, got together Feb. 12, 2020, at the Fairmont Hotel of the Vancouver International Airport to discuss the origins, goals, and plans of the Institute. They draw on their own professional histories, and exchange several stories on approaches to landform design to give listeners a sense of the urgency of supporting the Institute's new approach to more responsible and sustainable mining and reclamation.