CONFERENCE: PDAC 2017 brings aboriginal communities and industry together

TORONTO - Canada's mineral exploration and mining community will gather in Toronto from March 5 to 8 for the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention. A highlight of the PDAC Convention is the Aboriginal Program that provides an important platform for fostering cooperative, respectful and mutually-beneficial relationships between aboriginal communities and industry. The 2017 program is the 12^th such undertaking. "PDAC's aboriginal program is truly unique in that it brings aboriginal communities and the mineral industry together to recognize and discuss the emerging issues that fuel a successful mineral industry in Canada, while generating important opportunities for aboriginal people," says PDAC president Glenn Mullan. The 2017 Aboriginal Program consists of four sessions: The Mineral Industry and Indigenous Communities – Canadian and International Experiences This session will identify key issues and partnerships between exploration and mining companies and indigenous communities. Specifically, panelists will examine experiences and share insights about operating in different political, social and cultural contexts around the world and how companies and communities work together. The Aboriginal Forum: Reconciliation – The New Context for Relationship Building in Canada This session will centre on reconciliation in Canada. Chief Dr. Robert Joseph of Reconciliation Canada will deliver a keynote address at the event, which will also feature panel discussions on reconciliation in practice and examples arising from company-community partnerships. Aboriginal Law, Indigenous Frameworks and Regulatory Regimes: Examining the Evolving Landscape An examination into some of the recent legal decisions, frameworks and regulatory initiatives, as well as key challenges and opportunities that arise for mineral companies and Aboriginal communities in relation to resource development. Aboriginal Communities and the Mineral Industry: Partnerships, Leadership and Perspectives This session will feature speakers who will share their experiences, challenges and opportunities related to building community-based environmental capacity and partnerships to offset environmental impacts, and perspectives from aboriginal leaders on various community issues and solutions. See the full 2017 Aboriginal Program for more details and list of speakers.