Mining Digital September 2021 | Page 19

» I am a 6th generation underground miner and professional mining engineer born in Sudbury , Ontario . Having first toured an underground mine at 12 years old , I started as an underground miner at 18 , and paid my way through university by working in mines in Canada , Australia and Chile . After graduation , I gained my P . Eng designation at Inco , before pursuing a M . Sc . in Finance at the University of Reading ( UK ) and becoming an investment banker for nine years in London , New York and Toronto . In 2008 , I returned to the industry as the CEO of a phosphate development company , before becoming CEO of Aurelius Mineralsin 2016 .

» Aurelius Minerals , listed on the TSX Venture Exchange , is a Canadian focussed , advanced-stage exploration company currently exploring a suite of properties in Nova Scotia and Ontario . Our most advanced asset , the Nova Scotia-based Aureus East Project , is a 300-tonne-per-day underground mine and mill complex currently on care and maintenance and located approximately 90 minutes east of Halifax . Over the past year , we have successfully diamond drilled over 12,000 metres from both surface and underground . We have confirmed the presence of high-grade gold in both the hinges and limbs of the saddle reef deposit , identified gold in the host sediments , and extended the length of the limbs beyond 100 metres – significantly increasing the mineralised envelope . Building on the exploration successes of our programs , and that of other regional explorers , we have significantly improved upon the traditional understanding of the Meguma gold district .

» I think ESG will become ever more important and can be an effective vehicle to grow trust with the communities that our industry co-exists with . While all elements of ESG are important , some areas

“ SIXTY YEARS AGO , MINING WAS AN UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY . IN 2021 , IT IS THE SAFEST HEAVY INDUSTRY IN THE WORLD ”