‘Gathering of minds’ at mining conference – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – October 17, 2016)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The miners are coming. Sudbury is playing host for the next few days to about 500 delegates of the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Mine Operators conference, underway at the Radisson hotel. Sudbury often hosts mining conferences, which makes sense when you consider that more than 16,000 people throughout the city work in the sector.

“I can’t think of a better place to host an event like this than the community of Greater Sudbury,” deputy mayor and Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer said Sunday. “We are Canada’s mining capital – mining, environmental rehabilitation and mining supply and service are the cornerstones of our local economy. Together, the mining companies, along with the mining supply and service industry here in Sudbury, employ more than 16,000 people.”

Sizer also pointed out that Sudbury’s three post-secondary institutions train students to work in the sector. They go onto make careers across the country.

“Few industries are as deeply woven into the fabric of Canada’s economy as the mining sector, yet many Canadians do not realize we are a major mining country and a top 10 global producer of 17 metals and minerals or that the sector employs some 320,000 people.”

Trang Tran-Valade and Jo-Anne Boucher, the general co-chairs of the conference, helped organize this year’s gathering to enable networking, learning opportunities and the sharing of best practices.

“It’s an opportunity to share best practices and knowledge, and to participate in a technical program and a plenary session,” Boucher said. “There’s also a trade show. There are 30 companies represented. Some are coming from all over Canada.”

Tran-Valade said that in today’s economy, the conference is also focused on working during – and surviving – the down times.

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