PDAC 2MNO citizen and conference presenter Maria Vandenbrand (left) and
MNO Kenora Métis Council Secretary Nina Henley at the 2016 PDAC
Conference.

The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) held their 2016 convention on March 6 to 9 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto.

PDAC is a national association representing the mineral exploration and development industry. The association’s convention is the world’s largest annual gathering of the mineral industry, focusing on exploration, discovery and development of new mines and innovative developments.

A number of members of the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) and representatives from MNO chartered community councils attended PDAC.

The Métis Nation of Ontario’s (MNO) presence at the PDAC conference built upon the MNO’s mandate to foster new relationships with mining companies operating within the Métis Nation’s traditional harvesting territories. Mineral proponents impacting the lands and waterways traditionally used by MNO’s historic, rights-bearing Métis communities, have the Duty to Consult and Accommodate with the MNO.

MNO citizen Maria Vandenbrand took part in a panel titled Indigenous women and mineral development: Impacts and opportunities.

Vandenbrand, a graduate of the surface miner operator training program from the MNO Métis Mining Strategy, previously took part in a Youth Panel during the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association’s 23rd Annual Conference in November 2015.

Published on: March 16, 201