The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) honoured its 2016 award winners at a gala evening ceremony during its annual convention in Toronto in last month.
The association gave the Bill Dennis Award for a significant mineral discovery to the team that found gold at the Bruce Channel in Ontario’s Red Lake mining camp. The team is comprised of Robert Cudney, Stephen Roman and John Whitton.
The PDAC’s Distinguished Service Award went to Patricia Sheahan for her exemplary contribution and dedication to Canada’s minerals industry throughout her dynamic career. In 1972 Sheahan founded a worldwide technical information service for explorers, which became “indispensible” for those searching for diamonds. She also started a consulting firm, served on several boards and volunteered with the PDAC for 14 years.
PDAC president Rod Thomas with Distinguished Service Award recipient Patricia Sheahan. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
The 2016 Environmental & Social Responsibility Award went to Lucara Diamond for its stakeholder initiatives, community engagement and focus on sustainability related to the firm’s Karowe diamond mine in Botswana.
The Skookum Jim Award honours a standout Aboriginal-run businesses in the Canadian mineral industry. This year the PDAC awarded Darrell Beaulieu “for his innovation, hard work and dedication.” Beaulieu has served three terms as the Chief of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and was the first president of the nation’s business arm Det’on Cho Corp., which helped grow the diamond-mining industry in the Northwest Territories. He also served as a director for the NWT Mine Training Society and the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, among several other industry roles.
James Siddorn, chair of the PDAC Convention Planning Committee (left) presenting the Skookum Jim Award to Darrell Beaulieu. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
PDAC second vice-president Glenn Mullan (left) presenting the Environmental & Social Responsibility Award to Lucara Diamond, accepted on Lucara’s behalf by president and CEO William Lamb. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
The Bjorkman family, recipients of the Special Achievement Award. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
The Bjorkman family took home the Special Achievement Award “for their multigenerational dedication to geology, prospecting and diversity.” Ontario-based Bjorkmam Prospecting has worked in Canada and beyond. “Encouraged by his father, Karl Bjorkman started prospecting in the 1990s and saw his business grow to include claim staking, exploration project management and technical support,” the PDAC said. “His five daughters, Jessica, Katarina, Ruth, Veronique and Karla, along with one son named Bjorn, inherited his passion for finding gold, making it the third generation to work in the industry. Wife and mother Nikki keeps the books.”
The Cukaru Peki discovery team, recipients of the Thayler Lindsley Award. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
PDAC first vice-president Bob Schafer (left) presenting the Viola R. MacMillan Award to Silver Wheaton, accepted on the company’s behalf by president and CEO Randy Smallwood. Photo by Envisiondigitalphoto.com
The Thayer Lindsley Award recognizes a significant mineral discovery anywhere in the world. This year Reservoir Minerals and Freeport-McMoRan were chosen for their Cukaru Peki copper-gold discovery in Serbia. The high-grade deposits “may prompt explorers to look for a new class of mineral deposit.”
Silver Wheaton took home the Viola R. MacMillan Award for its development of innovative business strategies, specifically its success as a metal-streaming firm. Streaming has become one of the preferred methods of financing junior mining companies.
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