A shared vision for well-being in mining regions
The 2024 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities Conference took place on 8-11 October 2024 in Greater Sudbury, Canada.
The 2024 edition gathered stakeholders from across the public and private sectors, academia, civil society organisations, and Indigenous representatives to discuss well-being in mining regions, focusing on two pillars:
The main conference featured sessions on Indigenous and community-based initiatives, aligning ESG and regional policies, supporting the green transition in small and medium-sized mining companies, and advancing circular economy practices.
08:00 – 9:00 Registration and welcome coffee/tea
9:00 – 9:45 Opening session: Welcome remarks
9:45 - 10:45 Lessons from the OECD Mining Regions Initiative
Pilar 1: Partnering for meaningful development in mining regions
11:30 – 12:30 Indigenous-centred pathways for sustainable futures in mining regions
13:30-14:30 Aligning ESG initiatives with community and Indigenous-led activities to maximise benefits in mining regions
14:30-15:30 Navigating global mineral shifts: regional responses to national policies
16:00-17:00 Parallel sessions: Partnering to enhance education and livability
17:00-17:30 Drawing policy lessons from parallel session
Pillar 2: Future-proofing regional mineral supply for the energy transition
09:00-9:30 Keynote Speaker
09:30-10:30 The role of local actors and Indigenous peoples in improving environmental outcomes of mining
11:00-12:00 Advancing circular practices to increase local added-value
13:00-14:00 Planning for resilient mining economies and transition pathways
14:00-15:00 Parallel sessions: Leveraging medium-size mining companies and local value for the green transition
15:15-15:45 Drawing policy lessons from parallel sessions
15:45-16:15 Closing remarks
Participants had the opportunity to choose from three tours showcasing all that Greater Sudbury has to offer:
Event location: Holiday Inn. 1696 Regent Street, Sudbury, ON P3E 3Z8 Canada
Reaching Sudbury:
By car: 388 km or 241 mi. north of Toronto: Three major highways converge in our region. Highway 69/400 South from Toronto, Highway 144 northbound to Timmins and Highway 17
By plane: Sudbury Airport is currently served by Air Canada, Porter Airlines, and Bearskin Airline. The closest international airports are Toronto Airport and Ottawa Airport
Shuttles were provided from the airport if a large group of people arrived on the same plane and shuttles will also be provided for day and night events.
Car rental, taxi/rideshare, and municipal bus services were available to navigate around Sudbury.
Hon. Greg Rickford
Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, Canada (TBC)
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Canada, Canada (TBC)
Hon. Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Canada (TBC)
Hon. George Pirie
Minister of Mines Ontario, Canada (TBC)
Paul Lefebvre
Mayor, City of Greater Sudbury, Canada
Nadim Ahmad
Deputy Director, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities
Gimaa Craig Nootchtai
Chief, Atikameksheng First Nation, Canada
Stefan Mikaelsson
Sami Parliament, Sweden
Abdoulaye Sylla
Senior Advisor Regional Economic Development, Rio Tinto
Adam Lees
Director, New Moon Consulting, Australia
Alan Young
Principal, Materials Efficiency Research Group (MERG), Canada
Beth Borody
Sector Lead for Mining, IRMA, Canada
Bradley Harker
Commercial Consul, US Department of Commerce, US
Bridget Donovan
Junior Policy Analyst, OECD, France
Carlo Alberini
Mohammed VI University, Morocco
Craig Wilson
Managing Director, DeltaPearl Partners
Collette Brown-Rodriguez
Director Tribal Relations, Avantus, USA
Courage Bear
Manager, Indigenous Engagement, BHP
Daniel Scott
Mayor, City of Karratha
Daniel Cardenas
CEO and Chairman National Tribal Energy Association, USA
Dawn Madahbee Leach
Chair, National Indigenous Economic Development Board, Canada
Doug Morrison
President, CEO of Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI)
Doris Hiam-Galvez
Senior Advisor, Hatch, Canada
Erik Windfeld
Manager, Strategic Policy, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Fanta Kaba
Senior Advisor Regional Economic Development, Specialist in Urban Design and Territorial Development
Fiona Haslam McKenzie
Professor, Deputy Director, Healing Country
Gordon Gilpin
Director of Ontario Operations, Vale Base Metals
Grace Blanchard
Program Manager, Resilient Economies and Communities, National Association of Counties, USA
Heather Hall
School of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada
Isabella Chan
Senior Associate deputy minister Natural resources Canada- Critical mineral strategy, Canada
James Trail
CEO, Shire of Coolgardie, Western Australia
Jeff Geipel
Director, Mining Shared Value, UK
Jenny-Lou Campbell
Anishinabek Nation, Canada
Juan Biset
Former Under-Secretary, Minister of Mines of Argentina
Jyrki Kaiponen
County Governor, Finland
Karen Restoule
Vice President, Crestview Strategy
Krista Maydew
Vice President External Affairs, IAMGOLD Corporation
Kristan H. Straub
CEO, Canada, Wyloo
Leanna Butters
PhD Candidate, University of Waterloo
Lee Reddell
Director Development Services, City of Karratha, Australia
Luis Martins
Portugal Mining Cluster, Portugal
Kody Penner
Vice President, Nations Royalty, Canada
Marc Serré
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and to the Minister of Official Languages, Canada
Marilyn Spink
P.Eng., FCAE, GCB.D, ICD.D
Mario Grossi
President, Technica Mining Group Inc.
María Alejandra Zuleta
Deputy Manager of Community Affairs, SQM, Chile
Mark Podlasly
Chief Sustainability Officer, First Nations Major Projects Coalition, Canada
Martin Oelz
Senior Legal Specialist, Gender, Equity, and Inclusion Branch, ILO, Switzerland
Matt Garrow
Senior Director, Indigenous Services Canada
Matthew Fortier
President, CEO Accelerate
Meredith Armstrong
Director of Economic Development, City of Greater Sudbury, Canada
Mika Riipi
Governor of Lapland, Finland
Nadia Mykytczuk
CEO of MIRARCO and Executive Director, Goodman School of Mines, Canada
Nick Fabiano
Vice President, Policy & Communications, FedNor
Orlando Rayo Acosta
Legal Representative, ONIC
Pamela Condori
Board Member at the Rio Grande Community of Atacama and Advisor for the SQM Atacameña Women's Alliance Program
Paul Baker
Senior Advisor at Ecorys and member of the Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition, EU, Netherlands
Paul Gruner
CEO of the Tlicho Investment Corporation, North West Territories, Canada
Philip Kemp
General Manager, Business Foundations, Australia
Randi Ray
Founder of the Aazhoganike Family of Companies, Principal of Miikana Consulting
Rosebella Osei
Global Head of Strategy and Alliance, International Women in Mining, Ghana
Steve Black
Councillor, City of Timmins
Tara Shea
Vice President, Regulatory and Indigenous Affairs, Mining Association of Canada
Trent Mell
Electra Battery Materials or Teck Resources, Canada
Trina Pharand
Chief Advisory Officer, Norcat
Päivi Ekdahl
Deputy Governor of Lapland, Finland
Suzanne Leclair
Corporate Superintendent, Community Relations, Agnico Eagle
Virginia Crawford
Director of Crown Consultation Division, IAAC
Viviane Lapointe
MP, Sudbury
“It is a real pleasure to host the 2024 OECD Mining Regions and Cities Conference in the Robinson-Huron Treaty area of the many Anishinabek Nations in central Canada. This event also builds upon the OECD 2019 Global Report “Linking Indigenous Communities to Regional Development”. To this end, a significant part of this conference is how to best engage Indigenous Communities in the global need for critical minerals, because inclusion is imperative to the business cases of mine development and expansion. The voice, input, and involvement of Indigenous Communities will ensure development occurs sustainably. Moving forward, many Indigenous Communities are now seeking equity participation in projects and being directly involved in decision-making processes. We look forward to sharing the beauty of our culture while you are here!”
- Dawn Madahbee Leach, Chair, National Indigenous Economic Development Board, Manager, Waubetek Business Development Corporation
"Greater Sudbury is honoured to be hosting the 2024 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities this fall. Our city's deep-rooted expertise and commitment to sustainable practices make it an ideal venue to come together and collaborate on policy development that advances equality, opportunity, prosperity and well-being for all stakeholders in the mining sector."
- Paul Lefebvre, Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury
For more information, please contact miningregions@oecd.org // scott.rennie@greatersudbury.ca
Please consult other conference partners supporting the City of Greater Sudbury.
