Orden del día: Water In Mining 2026

RESPONSIBILITY, REGULATION AND GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS
13:25																Keynote: How can we be successful at mine closure? Supporting socio-economic resilience during mine transitions Insight into ICMM’s practical guidance on multistakeholder approaches to closure amid predicted large scale spending Shifting from company-led initiatives to partnership-based models Keeping up with rapidly changing regulation Supports early planning and collaboration for social and environmental benefits beyond mine closure Sally Innis, Manager, Data & Research, ICMM
13:45																State of the nation: Global approaches to mine closure Your chance to gain insight into the global landscape of mine closure. Learn from and compare global mining companies’ approaches to mine closure improve your strategies, while also driving global sector collaboration. Hear three insightful presentations, followed by a panel discussion Q&A, where you can ask your pressing questions and have your voice heard. Topics include: Keeping up with changing regulation Managing tailings in closed and closing mines Balancing the social, economic and environmental trilemma of closure Blair Douglas, Global Practice Lead for Water Management and Mine Closure, BHP Sean Sinclair, Closure Manager, Rio Tinto Sean Shaw, Executive Director & Deputy Chief Permitting Officer, Major Mines Office – Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals

BALANCING SECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY NEEDS
14:55																Mine closure risks and opportunities using South Africa as a case study How is climate change impacting mine design and preparing for mine closure? Ensuring we consider mine closure impacts as an early-stage conversation John Ngoni Zvimba, Research Manager, South African Water Research Commission
15:10																Optimizing climate-resilient closure Incorporating future climate risks into closure planning Allison Brown, Director, Reclamation and Closure, Barrick Mining

15:25

Question and answer session

15:35

Interactive audience session: Who decides? Scenario building

With so many voices needing to be heard to shape mine closure strategies, it can be a hard task finding balance and optimising processes. Mining companies, regulators & government departments, local communities & rights holders, industry associations, and more are keen to ensure closure of large-scale mines benefit them and deliver for the sector as a whole. This session will address questions like:

How can we best manage tailings in closed mines?
How can we deliver for local communities during and post-closure?
What regulatory changes would help make closure more efficient?
How can we ensure mine closure remains financially viable?
How can we look beyond care and maintenance?

Take on a role as one of the important stakeholder groups involved in mine closure and get into groups for meaningful and productive conversations around these questions and more, to propose solutions to the biggest challenges. Maximise your participation while learning from your peers and form strategies to take back to your business.

Jocelyn Fraser, Adjunct Professor, BRIMM University of British Columbia
André Xavier, Honorary Professor & Senior Manager, Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Development, University of British Columbia & Catalyste+

17:05

Moderator’s closing remarks

17:10

Close of pre-conference mine closure workshop

ALIGNING REGULATION
9:10																KEYNOTE: Understanding the value of water Balancing water used for mineral processing, dust suppression and equipment cooling with clean water for health, culture and traditions Charles Dumaresq, Vice President, Science and Environmental Management, Mining Association of Canada
9:25																Aligning international standards through the Consolidated Mining Standards Initiative (CMSI) Providing an update into the work being done to make standards easier to adopt globally Understanding implementation timelines of the CMSI Jocelyn Fraser, Adjunct Professor, BRIMM University of British Columbia
9:35																Water security in mining: From vulnerability to strategic strength Chris Low, EVP North America, Veolia
9:50																Question and answer session
10:00																Panel discussion: How are regulators bridging legislative gaps and responding to reporting requirements? To what extent are we internationally aligned on terminology? Are we working towards common goals around stewardship or is clarity required on what this means? What does a gold standard reporting framework look like in water? How can we best adapt to Bill C5 impacts to exploration and stakeholder engagement? To what extent does this alter the scope of Indigenous community consultation? What role can the CMSI play in aligning international responsible mining standards and supporting industry in their reporting requirements? What should the sectors’ next steps be around regulating mine closure? Bill Pain, Manager - Water Regulatory and Permitting, Government of Northwest Territories Sally Innis, Manager, Data & Research, ICMM Luc Lachance, Senior Water Management Engineer, British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Parks

Refreshments, networking and exhibition
10:45	Refreshments, networking and exhibition

STREAM A: INCREASING ENGAGEMENT ON A LOCAL AND NATIONAL SCALE
11:15																Building trust and public image Optimizing public collaboration in protecting biodiversity Exploring early-stage insight to international public consultation implementation Aligning with rights’ holders on mine strategies Jorge Zafra, Principal Hydrologist, MMG
11:30																Exploring social licenses to operate: Balancing opinions around mine closure Maximizing rights holders' engagement approaching, during and post mine closure Engaging Indigenous communities in meaningful technical conversations Pushing equity partnerships to secure funding Mary Kelly, Social Performance & Indigenous Partnerships Leader, GHD
11:45																Case study: Northwest Territories - Ni Hadi Xa Exploring the measured impacts of diamond mines Integrating western scientific knowledge mixed with Indigenous approaches Rosy Bjornson, Environmental Manager, Ni Hadi Xa
12:00																Question and answer session
12:15																Roundtable discussion: Shifting from informing communities to involving communities in water stewardship Explore how mining operations and communities can work together to build trust, share water data, and co-design solutions. Take 15 minutes discussing the below questions with your peers, followed by a feedback session. Discussion points include: What does shared decision-making look like in practice – balancing local knowledge with technical insight? Where do community expectations and operational realities clash most? How should mining companies engage with Right’s Holders and Indigenous Communities differently? Should communities have real-time access to mine water data? Why or why not? How can long-term accountability be maintained after mine closure?

STREAM B: MAXIMISING DATA AND MODELLING
11:15																Groundwater vs surface water modelling Incorporating data as soon as you get it to optimize models Automating processes to increase value while decreasing costs Angus Rowland, Country Manager: South Africa - Principal Hydrogeologist, Piteau Associates
11:35																Modelling and data for mine closure Taking a catchment-based approach to mine maintenance vs mine closure Preventing long-term impacts to water systems Ensuring we have enough water quality data before mines are opened Randal Evans, Senior Specialist Hydrogeologist - Integrated Water Management, Vale Base Metals
11:55																Leveraging comprehensive information and exploration data to reduce predictive uncertainty Increasing confidence in decision-making Applying explanatory modelling and lightning fast Open-Source Sensitivity Analysis (MF6-ADJ) to optimize site investigation plans Brett Mayhew, Senior Hydrogeologist, INTERA
12:15																Optimizing co-managed water balance modelling Enabling hydro geotechnical modelling for sustainable land and water stewardship Empowering communities to generate, interpret, and control their own environmental data Trevor Ross, GeoEngineering and Tailings Manager, Hudbay Minerals
12:35																Question and answer session

Lunch and networking break
12:45	Lunch and networking break

STREAM A: PRIORITISING BIODIVERSITY AND NATURE
13:45																Update on The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Hear leading mining companies provide an update on where they are on their TNFD journey. What have they identified as the biggest risks and opportunities? How can we align international strategies to comply with biodiversity requirements? Hear from the panel as they tackle these questions and more. Kristin Pouw, Principal, Water & Waste, Newmont Smruti Agarwal, Account Manager, CDP
14:15																Protecting the local environment and minimizing impact of hazardous waste Detoxifying cyanide to prevent soil contamination and groundwater pollution Exploring cyanide impacted water from a mine site in Yukon Mohsen Barkh, Founder and Senior Process Engineer, PMAP
14:45																Taking a nature-first approach to mine closure Prioritizing the environment during the mine closure process while complying with regulation Using water to suppress dust Abid Jan, Technical Advisor, Nunavut Water Board
15:00																Question and answer session

STREAM B: REDEFINING WATER TREATMENT APPROACHES
13:45																Increasing efficiencies through innovative treatment Using innovative mobile membrane technology for mine water projects Treating challenging incoming water chemistry to be compliant with MOE/EPA discharge standards Gregory Sato, Inside Sales Manager, H2O Innovation
14:00																Investigation of sulfate concentrations in the Mpumalanga Province Insight into a stream-based investigation to determine pollution sources Identifying and treating mine water pollution in the X11B Quaternary Catchment Tebogo Makono, Scientist, Council for Geoscience - South Africa
14:15																Tailings to Cattails: Exploring 25 years of a wetland treatment system at a gold mine Insight into the Musselwhite Mine treatment processes Felix Abanto Trujillo, Site Water & Closure Lead – Deputy RTFE, Orla Musselwhite
14:30																Question and answer session
14:40																Panel discussion: How can we drive responsible innovation to mutually support the mining sector and the environment? How can water treatment systems adapt to changeable adverse weather events while avoiding over-engineering? What technologies are helping you manage extreme weather patterns and minimize the environmental impact and maintain mine production? How can we better use data to predict and manage weather patterns? Paul Clayton, Director of Industrial Sales & Mobile Rental Fleet, H2O Innovation Elzanne Moodie, Head of Environment and Climate, Glencore Emily O'Hara, Manager, Water Strategy and Stewardship, Coeur

Refreshment and networking break
15:20	Refreshment and networking break

MANAGING RISK
15:45																Not Another Case Study: Complex Water Challenges at the Intersection of Gold Production and Uranium Legacy Join PMAP in an interactive working session focused on a legacy-impacted mine site, where we will collectively evaluate water management challenges arising from overlapping gold and uranium systems. Mohsen Barkh, Founder and Senior Process Engineer, PMAP
16:10																Keeping mines operating with integrated water management Mitigating water management failures, which cost operating mines millions of dollars a day, and in some cases, catastrophic TSF and heap leach failures. Exploring an integrated approach to full lifecycle mine water management to keep a mine operating and in compliance. Examining case studies from all phases of mine lifecycle to demonstrate reductions in risk and financial savings. Jim Harrington, Founder and CEO, Ensero Solutions Corné Pretorious, Chief Technical Officer, Ensero Solutions
16:30																Panel discussion: How can we optimize risk strategies around water in mining and comply with ESG goals? How can we encourage better Mining Company & First Nation collaboration? How can we enable water management to be a C-Suite level conversation? What are the sectors’ next steps in balancing environmental risk and financial risk? How can we better understand and plan around financial risks? Can the sector follow one ESG standard internationally? Is social risk prioritized enough? How can we better manage risk around tailings management to avoid legal penalties, investor confidence and even reputational damage? Jenny-Lou Campbell, Executive Director, Indigenous Centre of Excellence for Mineral Development Francis McAllister, Vice President of Land and Water, Freeport McMoRan Shirley Neault, Manager, ESG, Hudbay Minerals Inc. David Oliphant, Senior Director Mining North America, Veolia Kyle Shottanana, Councillor, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation

HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO PLANNING AND PERMITTING
9:15																KEYNOTE: Diavik Diamond Mine Case Study: Enabling an open dialogue around planning for mine closure Viewing value through a closure lens Considering social dimensions of mine closure Taking proactive approaches to climate change and considering climate risks during permitting processes Sean Sinclair, Closure Manager, Rio Tinto
9:35																Financing water infrastructure to support planning, operations and development Ensuring long term security of supply for mining operations Projects, Business Models and financing of investment in water infrastructure Matthias Fuentes, Senior Strategic Services Specialist, Antofagasta Minerals
9:50																Question and answer session
10:00																Panel discussion and questions: How can invest upfront and engage early to eliminate barriers in the permitting, operations and closure? What are the biggest environmental blockers you face when applying for permits? How can we optimize environmentally safe planning from exploration to operation to closure? How can we best invest upfront in closure planning to enable permitting? How can we incorporate tailings into planning conversations, to avoid difficulties in merging water strategies developed in parallel? Callie Andrews, Business Group Leader - Natural Resources and Impact Assessment, GHD Kristin Pouw, Principal, Water & Waste, Newmont Maria Cristina Acosta, Director, Environment and Permitting, Lundin Gold Bobby Doroudiani, Permitting Lead - Water & Waste, Agnico Eagle

STREAM A: NATURE-POSITIVE AND PROACTIVE APPROACHES TO WATER MANAGEMENT
11:15																Exploring smart approaches to sulphur sources Smart solutions for sulphur source control and adaptive water management Innovating to mitigate future contamination risks Lesley Warren, Director, Mining Futures, University of Toronto
11:30																Sources, Science, and Systems - Integrated Geochemical Management for Source Control at Mine Sites Preventing metal leaching and acid rock drainage Kristin Salzsauler, Senior Principal Geochemist, Geosyntec Dan LaPorte, Senior Principal, Geosyntec
11:45																Case study: Brine measurement Exploring hard data of brine impact on sea life on the Chilean shore Carlos Foxley, Director & Past President, Acades
12:00																How can Indigenous communities support with NBS rollout? Uniting NBS, biodiversity targets and rights’ holders needs Kyle Shottanana, Councillor, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation
12:15																Question and answer session

STREAM B: WATER SUPPLY FOR WATER SCARCE REGIONS
11:15																The complexity and challenge of developing water scarcity footprints for lithium products Sustainably scaling lithium supply Challenges in creating a Product Water Scarcity Footprint (PWSF) Tom Drabble, Global Sustainability Manager, International Lithium Association
11:35																From inhibitor to enabler: Water reuse Using new ocean supplies and dewatered tailings for efficiency and stability Jennifer Haigh, Mining Market Director, Veolia
11:55																Case study: Mining in the Thar Desert Pakistan's approaches to water management in desert mining operations Exploring the journey to achieving Alliance for Water Stewardship Gold Certification Imran Aslam, General Manager HSE, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), Pakistan
12:15																Question and answer session

STREAM A: COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO CLIMATE CHANGE
13:30																Responding to major disruptive climate related events Using meteorological data in management plans Exploring Newmont’s response to minor climate related disruptions Optimizing rainwater management Kristin Pouw, Principal, Water & Waste, Newmont
13:45																Meeting rights holders’ expectations Understanding water in local communities Driving engagement and sustainability Are we collaborating with First Nations enough to tackle climate change impacts? Dr. Mary Claire Buell, Professor, Trent University David Ruffo, Mineral Development Advisor, Michipicoten First Nation
14:00																Impacts of climate change on mine water management in the Witwatersrand Goldfields Combatting extreme weather impacts and protecting mine infrastructure Understanding effects from exacerbated Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Selaelo Jacquelene Ramugondo, Scientist, council for geoscience
14:15																Question and answer session
14:25																Ideation session: How can we achieve greener asset management? Explore how mining operators, policymakers, supply chain partners and communities can work together to increase green practices across asset portfolios in Canada and beyond. Take 20 minutes discussing the below questions with your peers, followed by a feedback session. Discussion points include: How can we make our assets more resilient to climate change? What role does ingress control play? How can we design assets to minimize waste and maximize reuse across their lifecycle? To what extent are we taking a data-driven approach to social licenses to operate? How can we best work with other sectors such as agriculture on mitigating impacts? Can we co-develop regenerative land use practices post-mining? Which changes to policy would enable progress in greener asset management? Are there financial incentives (carbon credits, green bonds) we should leverage more?

STREAM B: HYDROGEOLOGY & MANAGING WATER IN PERPETUITY
13:30																From water balance to operational decisions: Forecasting water availability in mining Using the appropriate tools to assess and reassess water Operational data management Long‑term planning integration Yeraldin Contreras, Senior Surface Water Management Engineer, NA
13:50																Utilizing environmental monitoring to better understand our mines Exploring new strategies around monitoring and modelling from pre-operation to post-closure Alexandre Poulain, Professor, University of Ottawa
14:10																Water stewardship in practice Strengthening governance and proactive water management practices across different countries and climates Developing and setting contextual, risk-aligned targets Ana Rodrigues, Water Stewardship Coordinator, Boliden Mines
14:30																Question and answer session

STREAM C: OPTIMISING TAILINGS MANAGEMENT
13:30																Management of tailings in preparation from closure Embracing water efficiency measures Striving for positive discharge to minimize environmental impact Alvin Tong, Director of Tailings and Geotechnical Engineering, Centerra Gold
13:50																Tackling residual metals in tailings Exploring synthetic biological techniques to treat unwanted substances in mine wastewater Developing sustainable tailings management while protecting public health and the environment Vikramaditya Yadav, Associate Professor, The University of British Columbia
14:10																Question and answer session
14:20																Fireside chat: How US Strategic Metals solved their short-term water management challenges to assure their role in a new global economy Overcoming constrained access to critical ore zones due to legacy inflows to protect delivery timelines and meet increased critical mineral demand Exploring the rapid deployment of modular, scalable water management infrastructure to regain operational control Optimizing sustainable processing to clean up historic and legacy mine waste Integrating tailings management, process water recycling and hydrometallurgical techniques to mitigate environmental impact Duane Thompson, Global Water Manager, Minetek Aaron Callahan, Director of Operations – Mining, U.S Strategic Metals/ Environmental Operations

OPTIMISING THE COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF MINING
15:20																Aligning water governance, standards, and operations: Embedding water stewardship through collaboration. Developing and implementing a corporate Water Management Standard to ensure consistent water practices across all operations Translating the ICMM Water Stewardship Maturity Framework into a practical conformance tool tailored to Capstone’s operational context Applying a structured on-site conformance assessment approach that combines evaluation with stakeholder engagement Establishing a Water Stewardship Strategy that identifies site-specific gaps, defines key water management activities, strengthens governance, and establishes performance KPIs Fabián Martínez, Water Stewardship Manager, Capstone Copper
15:35																Maximizing community engagement to enhance water stewardship options Maximize opportunities to build community collaboration and trust Looking outside the echo chamber: understanding blind spots Engaging in environmental conservation through a watershed approach: Case study example Kat Hartwig, Executive Director & Founder, Living Lakes Canada
15:50																Question and answer session
16:00																In conversation: The community interviews the mine Gain first-hand insight into the holistic approach to mine water management as an Indigenous community interviews a mining company on land and legacy to find common ground. Blair Douglas, Global Practice Lead for Water Management and Mine Closure, BHP Jenny-Lou Campbell, Executive Director, Indigenous Centre of Excellence for Mineral Development

Orden del día

Pre-conference Mine Closure Workshop*

Water Management from Design to Closure

Planning, Permitting and Navigating Geopolitical Uncertainty