I was born and raised in Timmins, Ontario. When it was time to decide on a post-secondary pathway, the opportunities that existed in the industry were not obvious to me, even in a city which has prospered due to the mining industry for more than a century. My dad has been a proud miner for almost 40 years with at least a couple of those decades also dedicated to mine rescue. Shortly, after I returned to Timmins as a professional in another field, I met my future husband, a mining engineer, who had relocated to Timmins from the east coast of Canada to work at Kidd Mine, alongside my dad in many aspects. He introduced me to his circle of friends and co-workers including some remarkable young women that worked at the mine. This had a profound influence on how I saw the industry. It was about a year later that I decided to go back to school to study environmental earth sciences at Laurentian University with the objective of gaining a skill-set and credentials that would serve as an entry point, aligned with my interests, to the mining industry.
There are so many reasons! I love my job because I get to work with interesting people, see new landscapes, learn about different cultures and jurisdictional requirements, and implement new systems and programs. What I love the most though is that I learn something new every day and often face new challenges. It is also incredibly exciting to contribute to the green technology value stream. I like to call this a “green collar job”.
The industry is evolving quickly and there are always growth opportunities for those willing to step up. You will earn a very competitive salary and get to work within a global landscape. We often say that it is “a small industry” since you will find a community of people who openly share innovation and lessons learned, hold each other accountable so that we can all contribute to the responsible extraction of our needed metals.