Can you provide an overview of the main highlights at NORCAT in 2024?

Over the past year, we continued to see rapid adoption of augmented and virtual reality training technologies, particularly through our Studio NORCAT division. This signals a strong demand for hands-on experiential learning with these technologies, which enhance the confidence and skills of workers to better navigate potentially hazardous environments. Additionally, we opened a new office in Elko, Nevada, in partnership with Great Basin College, to further penetrate the US mining market, and we are already seeing results exceeding expectations. Overall, our 30-year history of developing and deploying programs and services, combined with our work in nearly 20 countries, positions NORCAT very well to meet the growing global demand for skilled labor training. What is your perspective on technological transformation in the mining sector and its impact on jobs?

We are witnessing a remarkable technological transformation in the mining sector, driven by a strong demand for operators to adopt and deploy new technologies that enhance both productivity and safety. This shift is accompanied by increased provincial, federal and venture capital investment in mining tech across Canada, highlighting significant demand for emerging technologies poised to transform the global mining industry. As these technologies are integrated into operations, they not only drive productivity and safety improvements but also create new jobs that appeal to the next generation of workers in the industry. Recently, our partnership with the Ontario Center for Innovation allows us to enhance and expand programs and service offerings at the NORCAT Underground Center to support emerging tech firms, enabling the development, testing and deployment of technologies that can transform Ontario's critical mineral industry. With substantial investments from provincial, federal and private sources, we are driving growth and aim to maintain our global reputation as the one-stop shop for all that is the future of mining technology and innovation. In 2024 alone, the NORCAT Underground Center supported over 40 tech projects and welcomed over 50 global mining operators to 'see and touch' the future of mining. Can you provide insight into the role of the NORCAT Underground Center?

The mining industry does not suffer from a lack of technological innovation; rather, it struggles with effective adoption. Operators need confidence that a prospective technology works, that it works in a real mining setting, and that the financial stability of the venture is strong enough to sustain and support the maintenance life of the deployed technology. The role of the Underground Center is to provide a place where technology companies – big and small, domestic and international – can develop, test and demonstrate emerging technologies in an operating mine. With these deployments, the NORCAT Underground Center serves as an all-important first reference customer for many of our clients, enabling them to build a marketing narrative to garner the attention of a producing mine keen to potentially procure, adopt and diffuse the technology within their operations. At the simplest level, the Underground Center is a place to de-risk emerging technologies with the intent to expedite downstream adoption in the mining industry. What technology excites you the most and is gaining traction coming in 2025?

Within NORCAT, I am particularly excited about our traction in the VR / AR learning technology market, our expansion into the US, and the continued expansion of our human capital advisory services practice. Proudly, NORCAT continues to celebrate over 10 consecutive years of year-over-year growth rooted in our capabilities to listen and learn from our customers and develop programs, services and resources that are in demand.

From a broader industry perspective, I am very excited about a variety of emerging technologies. Companies like Ideon are advancing sophisticated exploration and characterization tools that are impressive in their deployments. Automation is another significant area, with companies like TesMan developing remote operation technologies and moving towards autonomy to enhance worker safety underground. Do you have a final message?

Proudly, we successfully held our Mining Transformed technology exhibition in May 2024, attracting over 250 mining executives and showcasing more than 50 emerging tech companies at the NORCAT Underground Center. We look forward to once again hosting this exhibition in 2026 to showcase to the world what the future of mining looks like.