Can you provide our readers with an overview of CIM’s mission and values?

For over 124 years the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) has served as the leading technical society of minerals professionals through which the industry innovates and collaborates to tackle the industry’s, and the world’s, greatest challenges. We accomplish this through the creation and curation of leading-edge knowledge and professional development, the promotion of best practices and providing opportunities for fostering meaningful connections. We also work with our partners to engage with the public and elevate the industry’s reputation.

What is the organizational structure of the institute?

When you become a CIM member, you have the opportunity to join a vast array of communities of interest based on your profession. We have 11 technical societies, 11 committees and over 30 local branches that respond to the needs of the full mining lifecycle, including underground and surface mining; environmental and social responsibility; diversity and inclusion; metallurgy and materials; mineral processing; management economics; and more. These constituent groups also put on events and create knowledge. CIM has six branches located in Québec, helping to inform and engage the minerals community at the local level.

Could you highlight the three phases of CIM’s strategic plan and how these have manifested thus far?

CIM’s strategic plan focuses on a three-year outlook consisting of three phases: Recalibrate (2021), Renew (2022), and Revitalize (2023). In formulating this plan, we undertook extensive consultation with major mining companies and industry players to better understand what issues were most important to them to help us to further focus our activities. At the same time, we had the opportunity to inform them about what CIM is doing in these areas. One of the things that came up often was the foundational work that CIM undertakes in the development of standards, guidelines, and leading practices – particularly in the area of mineral resource and mineral reserve definition— that are intended to foster greater standardization of reporting within the public domain, specifically under National Instrument 43-101.

The 2022 theme of renewal was exemplified in our most recent conference, which took place in Vancouver this past May. Our theme was “Mining for Future Generations” and we sought inspiration from both inside and outside our industry to examine mining’s critical role in a sustainable future. Moving forward, our focus will manifest in even greater collaboration as, in 2023, our revival phase coincides with our CIM’s 125th anniversary.

What types of events does CIM host?

Our cornerstone annual convention and tradeshow alternates between Montreal and Vancouver. This past year, there were nine concurrent streams held in eleven rooms over three days featuring roughly 275 peer reviewed technical papers. We also hosted over 450 exhibitors at our tradeshow. Additionally, we hold regional events such as MeMO, which is a mine operators conference to be held in Sudbury in mid-September that is expected to draw roughly 500 delegates and feature a technical program and tradeshow put on in collaboration between three CIM societies and the local Sudbury branch. CIM and our technical societies also regularly host international events.

What main priorities will drive the institute in the future?

CIM is reflecting on the role a technical institute will play in the mining sector in one, or even two, decades from now. People will always want ways to connect, learn and collaborate, but we realize that the methods and tools we use will need to evolve to remain relevant in an ever-changing world. Additionally, CIM sees an important role in promoting the positive and essential role our industry has in our everyday lives by sharing the safe, responsible and sustainable practices, promoting careers in the minerals industry and inspiring tomorrow’s generations.