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ike every other morning, I catch up on the news as the first activity of the day—and today was no different. Geopolitically, the wars in Iran and Ukraine have created substantial economic and security issues across the globe. Due to substantial limitations in the oil and gas markets, costs for energy, transportation, construction, building and manufacturing have all risen as a result. Critical minerals are now an economic lever in the geopolitical game. Technology continues to evolve rapidly, causing significant disruptions across the globe. We are living in an age of rapid change, evolving relationships and general uncertainty.

As a result, the natural resources sector in Canada is enjoying a significant increase in public support amongst most Canadians. The country has the resources and ability to supply the rest of the world with the minerals and energy they need to keep their economies going. Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed to reduce the regulatory time to obtain decisions on major projects to two years or less. The Major Projects Office (MPO) is being assembled as I write this note and will be the mechanism to make this happen. The MPO is also charged with helping to source capital for these projects. There is a cross-Canada consensus that supports creating the infrastructure to enable more mines, and oil and gas facilities to come onstream. The time is right for our industry.

The one thing that keeps me up at night is whether we have the people we will need to execute these projects concurrently. My experience is that any more than a few multi-billion-dollar projects being designed and constructed concurrently taxes our ability to provide the people required to do them efficiently. Schedules slip and capital costs escalate quickly; the last building boom in the 2010s saw some projects more than double in cost.

CIM has a role to play in developing Canada’s ability to handle the upcoming demand for skilled workers: our conferences are designed to drive knowledge transfer amongst attendees; our trade shows expose attendees to the latest technologies available to reduce cost and improve effectiveness; our webinars are direct, short courses imparting knowledge to those online; CIM Magazine has updates on the latest and greatest occurring in the mining sector; our branches put on talks relevant in their region; and our societies go deep in their areas of expertise.

Having said that, we recognize we could do more. The CIM executive committee is currently working on a mechanism we can deploy to improve the relevancy and pace at which new graduates hit the ground running once they graduate from post-secondary institutions. This goal will be achieved by fostering collaboration between academic institutions, industry partners and CIM. Additionally, CIM will be working with other institutions and associations to increase awareness of career opportunities in schools, including work experiences in active mines.

Now is a good time for mining in Canada, and CIM can help to develop a skilled workforce to meet global needs.