Can you give an update on GCM Consultant’s activities over the past year as it pertains to the mining space?

KG: 2023 has been quite a busy year for GCM, and our environmental department has seen significant growth over the last few years, especially in the water treatment segment. Water treatment has been an evolving sector for GCM, with increasingly more mining companies having issues with water quality and requiring specialized solutions to solve their problems, and also new projects coming online looking for options to effectively manage their water and wastewater treatments. The company has also recently hired a new manager responsible for our innovative services and solutions related to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and energy transition aspects. Legal requirements are becoming more stringent and have kept mining companies busy. GCM is helping our clients handle the new system for them to get their projects approved on schedule.

JG: Our environmental department has people committed to the permitting process, which can assist our clients in an efficient and timely fashion regarding compliance with regulations and completing the required forms.

Can you give an example of a mining firm in Québec GCM is providing services to?

KG: GCM is working with many major gold and lithium companies in Québec, assisting them with permitting requirements for their projects to stay on schedule. We have also worked with companies to develop their construction procedures to ensure that the regulations and mitigation measures linked to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the permits are followed.

JG: GCM also assists mining companies in Québec with everything related to water and wastewater treatment and management. We not only offer industrial water treatment and management solutions but also drinking water solutions for mining camps.

Has GCM noticed more demand coming from the lithium space?

KG: There is definitely more demand for our services coming from the lithium space at all project levels, from exploration to operation. At the exploration level, we are involved in the baseline studies, wetland characterization, and supporting companies in engagements with the land users and local indigenous communities, and we are working with our clients on the permitting process as well as the engineering process. The lithium space has recently been extremely active, and we have seen tremendous growth in demand for our services coming from this sector.

How important is the role of consultancies going to be in the future to tackle water, environmental, and sustainability challenges for mining?

KG: I believe mining companies will rely increasingly on consultancies, especially in a world where the availability of specialized resources is getting scarce. Companies such as GCM will play a critical role in supporting mining companies with major challenges, such as technical issues, environmental issues, sustainability, as well as with their workforce. We are already seeing growing demand for support in identifying practical solutions for projects, whether it be technical or environmental. We have the knowledge and experience to not only support our clients at the conceptual and technical levels but also to assist with operational issues at mines, particularly at the water treatment level, but also with aspects such as an energy transition or mitigation measures, ensuring that what we suggest in the environmental authorization requests is practically feasible at an operating level.

The consultant plays a critical advisory role in sustainable development, assisting in the optimization of systems as we work towards a greener future.

What are the areas that will drive growth for GCM in the coming months?

KG: We have seen tremendous growth in our water treatment segment over the past few months. We certainly want to pursue even further growth in this area as we have a specialized unit with great expertise in this regard on the technical level, but also with a good comprehension of the operational issues. We have also been supporting clients in terms of the energy transition, and we believe we will see significantly increased demand for our services in this space over the coming months. We will manage our growth in respect of our values, ensuring that we maintain a high level of quality and continue to provide the best possible service to our clients.