I am a bit of a chameleon and wear several hats - I am a strategic, life-cycle thinker, an engineer and project manager, a sustainability expert interested in leaner processes, and a change agent! I am a Principal of 2 companies, Enviro Integration Strategies and Shift2Lean Inc., where I speak, train, coach and advise on various means to improve the way industrial projects are planned, designed, constructed, operated and closed. With 20 years in the field and corporate settings of the mining sector, I enjoy engaging teams for the purposes of improving project and operational performance by facilitating trust and alignment, encouraging out of the box thinking, and collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders. Experience has proven that this enables multi-disciplinary teams to openly identify risks, challenges, and improvement opportunities within the processes they follow, as well as for the operations, projects, and developments they work on. Many years ago I gained a BASc in Geological Engineering, promptly followed by a MASc in Mine Waste Management from the University of British Columbia. After managing projects in the field, running studies & implementing change initiatives, I gained my PMP, and as a result I was asked to coach with the Project Management Institute - guiding a few more PMs on better project planning practices! I have also volunteered on tailings and closure-focused projects with the Canada Mining Innovation Council, Environmental Stewardship Initiative. I truly believe that the greatest value can only be derived through common goals, healthy engagement, and collaboration to reduce wasteful practices!
I am an ecologist living in Vancouver with a master's in environmental management and more than 25 years of experience. I have been involved in environmental and social components of project management, independent engineer and due diligence reviews benchmarked to IFC performance standards, NI 43-101 technical reports, baseline studies, impact assessments, mitigation planning, management, and consultation. I have worked on mining projects across Canada and internationally. One of my philosophies is that altruistic strategies accelerate success. Our work through ESRS is aligned with this philosophy and works towards achieving our shared goal of sustainable mining.
I was born and raised in Montreal and studied at McGill University and Université de Montréal in Cell and Molecular Biology. I am a research project manager at National Research Council working with a team using genomics tools to characterize, monitor and improve many different environments, from the human gut… to mining sites! DNA is all around us, even on mining sites and rocks, and my mission is to help mining industry realize they can’t afford to leave out the information provided by genomics analysis. I have been involved with CIM and the mining industry for only a couple of years. Our goal is to help the mining industry with the environmental challenges that companies are facing through NRC’s program “Environmental Advances in Mining” which focuses on green processes. Water management and treatment, waste valorization, ARD prediction and management, and more. Working with the ESRS has allowed me to be involved in important environmental and social issues for the mining industry, and to meet and connect with great people sharing the same interests. Mining in 2018 has to address environmental and social issues and concerns from government, citizens and stakeholders and it’s great to be part of it and work to try to make a difference. I am also very curious about the world and the different cultures which motivated me to learn many languages: Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. I would like to learn more but work and my two kids are keeping very busy. In my spare time, I like to run, read, travel and spend time with family and friends. I also have a great passion for cats, especially my adorable red British Shorthair.
Gabriel is a senior sustainability scientist and project manager with over 20 years of experience in the extractive industry, implementing sustainable programs with complex operations in the mining, oil and gas sectors in North and South America. Gabriel has led multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, environment, social, and scientific professionals to conduct major social-environmental assessments, corporate strategic executions, and ESG initiatives. He adopts sustainability and interdisciplinary vision, as a strategy to improve processes and manage corporate risks, pursuing growth and adding value to business and society. In the field of climate change, he has experience leading climate projection studies, climate risk analysis and incorporation of climate adaptation strategies in mine closure plans. Gabriel completes his Ph.D. at The University of British Columbia, Canada, where he researched global strategies for climate risk management in the mining industry and developed a novel assessment system for climate risk and ecosystem-based adaptation strategies. Currently, Gabriel is the Director of Climate Change in Ausenco.
I was born and raised in northeastern British Columbia in Dawson Creek and was lucky to head to nearby Tumbler Ridge after graduating from UBC with a BA in Geography/Environmental Studies. I have worked in the mining industry for more than thirty years, with open pit mine operations experience for 16 years at Quintette Coal in which I gained experience in supervising a team of environmental professionals handling permit compliance, mine reclamation/research and permitting processes for two major coal mine expansions. Thereafter, I worked at Vancouver mining corporate offices for the next 15 years at Teck Resources and Taseko Mines, managing regulatory compliance, permitting and management system auditing for coal and copper mining operations. Since 2016, I have been on my own at Kim Bittman Consulting, most recently contracting to Hemmera/Ausenco on various mining projects and Telkwa Coal Limited for an EA application of a greenfield metallurgical coal mine in BC's northwest. On a volunteer basis, I have been with the CIM as secretary/treasurer and now as an At Large Advisor on the Environmental and Social Responsibility Society executive. In other organizations, I am the webmaster for the BC Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) since early years in the industry, and recently, a member of the BC Standing Code Review Committee handling Code changes by representing the Association for Mineral Exploration and on other committees providing my mining environmental expertise.
Bernard has 30 years of experience and specialises as an expert consultant on water management and treatment for mining and smelting operations worldwide. He has developed custom wastewater treatment solutions, from testwork and pilot studies through to detailed design, start-up and optimisation, involving pond treatment, pit treatment, and active treatment plants with an emphasis on high-density sludge (HDS) systems and sulphate removal. Bernard owns and operates Envirobay inc. (www.envirobay.com), a mine water treatment consulting company. The company specialises in treatment of acid mine drainage, heavy metals, metalloids (arsenic, molybdenum, antimony, selenium) and total dissolved solids including sulphate. Major project roles include operating as process engineering lead as part of a design group, owner's engineer, senior review, cost estimating, and all design stages from conceptual to detailed engineering
(shadowed by Sylvie Bouffard)
(shadowed by Julianna Piccolo)
