AME recognizes industry leaders

This week, mineral exploration and development leaders were recognized at AME’s Awards Gala during a glitzy gala event themed ‘A Celebration of Excellence’ as part of the Association for Mineral Exploration’s Roundup 2022.

This year’s award recipients were:

• Theodore (Ted) W. Muraro is the recipient of the AME 2021 H.H. “Spud” Huestis Award for significant contributions to enhancing the mineral resources of B.C. or Yukon. Ted has devoted more than 60 years to the mineral exploration industry. His most notable contribution was the 1965 discovery of a gold occurrence that eventually became the Snip gold mine in northwest B.C.
• John McConnell and the Victoria Gold team are the recipients of the AME 2021 E.A. Scholz Award for excellence in mine development in B.C. or Yukon, recognizing their achievement over the past decade in developing and successfully bringing the Eagle gold mine into production. The Eagle Gold Mine is a 37,000 tonne-per-day operation located within the traditional territory of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation in central Yukon.
• David Harquail is the recipient of the AME 2021 Murray Pezim Award for a financier’s significant contributions to the mineral exploration and mining community. Under David’s stewardship, Franco-Nevada has provided billions of dollars in capital to the mineral industry to advance projects throughout Canada and internationally.
• R. Bob Singh and Chris Taylor are the recipients of the AME 2021 Colin Spence Award for a significant mineral discovery outside B.C. or Yukon through the original application of prospecting techniques or other geoscience technology. They are being honoured for their pivotal role in discovering the multi-kilometre L.P. Fault gold zone at the Dixie property in the Red Lake district, northwestern Ontario, for Great Bear Resources.
• Gregory Dipple is the inaugural recipient of the 2021 AME Innovation Award for a significant innovation or technical advancement that benefits mineral exploration in B.C. or worldwide. Greg is recognized for his research on mineral carbon sequestration. His work in this field is ground-breaking and has established a sound scientific basis to support the low-emission extraction of minerals and metals globally for decades to come.
• Silvana Costa is the recipient of the AME 2021 Robert R. Hedley Award for excellence in social and environmental responsibility, sponsored by ERM. Silvana’s commitment to and leadership in ecological, social, and governance (ESG) practices in the global mineral exploration and mining industry have led to the evolution of responsible practices, improved risk management and mutually beneficial outcomes. Her work has resulted in shared value creation between industry and rural, remote and Indigenous communities in B.C. and abroad.
• Ron Bernbaum is the recipient of the AME 2021 Special Tribute Award for service to the minerals industry in B.C. As the founder of PearTree Canada, Ron is acknowledged for creating the charitable flow-through financing mechanism. Introduced in 1972, flow-through shares are a tax-based financing incentive that gives Canada a distinct advantage over global competitors in attracting risk capital for mineral exploration and development.
• The Tahltan Emergency Management Committee is the AME 2021 David Barr Award recipient for its leadership and innovation in mineral exploration health and safety. The committee is recognized for creating an inclusive and agile forum to facilitate communication between Indigenous communities and industry in northwest B.C. The Committee demonstrated exemplary leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and the wildfire season.
• Michael Gray is the 2021 recipient of the Frank Woodside Gold Pan Award for distinguished service to AME. During the 25 years that Mike has supported AME, he has been a tireless supporter of the mineral exploration industry. He has been instrumental in communicating industry needs and opportunities to government leaders and the finance community to help B.C. maintain its distinction as a centre of excellence in mineral exploration and mining.
• MineralsEd is the recipient of AME’s Outreach Education Fund, supporting well-established education programs related to mineral exploration and development.