Technical Sessions

2024 Yellowknife Geoscience Forum 
 

2024 Technical Sessions

  • Geoscience & Exploration
  • Diamond Geology & Exploration
  • Energy in Canada’s North
  • Environmental Monitoring & Research
  • Northern Lakes in a Changing Climate
  • Permafrost 
  • Community Engagement
  • Regulatory & Policy Updates
  • Mining and Advanced Project Updates (Showcase offered at The Explorer Hotel and other venues)
  • Critical Minerals Geology & Exploration
  • Exploring the Relationships between Indigenous Nations and the Mineral Industry


Descriptions of Sessions

Geoscience and Exploration
Chairs: Rebecca Canam (GNWT–NTGS) & Jade Lockie (University of British Columbia)
This session will showcase a variety of mineral prospects in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, summarize mineral exploration activities that took place in both territories over the past year and provide the latest results of geoscience research and mapping projects. Presenters are from government, academia, and industry.
 

Diamond Geology and Exploration
Chair: Barrett Elliott (GNWT–NTGS)
Exploration for and the development of diamond resources have played an enormous role in the evolution of the Northwest Territories for nearly 25 years. As the diamond mines mature, exploration for new diamond resources is also becoming more mature. A depressed exploration market around the world has slowed diamond exploration for several years. Now, exploration financings are showing signs of recovery, and diamonds are returning as an exploration target of choice. This session will explore the state of existing mines and producers, as well as showcase the latest diamond exploration projects and techniques at play in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
 

Energy in Canada’s North
Chairs: Jonathan Rocheleau (GNWT–NTGS) & Yaqub Adepoju (GNWT–NTGS)
This year’s Energy Geoscience Session will feature energy resource topics ranging from petroleum geoscientific studies in the Mackenzie Valley and Mackenzie Delta regions to geoscience-related alternative energy resources such as geothermal energy and natural gas. Speakers from government, academia, and industry will highlight current research pertaining to resource exploration and energy-related issues.
 

Environmental Monitoring and Research
Chairs: William Liu (Burgundy Diamond Mines Ltd.), Jennifer Galloway (GSC–NRCan) & Michael Parsons (GSC–NRCan)
This session will focus on topics of direct interest to the oil and gas and mining sectors, including research on environmental geochemistry, ecotoxicology, legacy contamination, permafrost, hydrology, reclamation and remediation and the design of monitoring and management programs. Presentations will highlight targeted decision-makers and how they may apply this information.

 

Permafrost 
Chair: Ashley Rudy (GNWT-NTGS) & Niels Weiss (GNWT-NTGS)
Permafrost thaw is the main cause of climate-driven landscape change in the north and has a major effect on ecosystems and infrastructure. This session will showcase research that contributes to understanding the distribution of thaw-sensitive terrain across the north. This is critical to predict the future state of the environment and water resources of the Northwest Territories and for climate change adaptation planning. Data collection, processing, storage, and dissemination strategies are essential to effectively address permafrost thaw-related issues. This session will feature monitoring efforts across the NWT, data management and database development, and strategies to coordinate the workflows. We invite northerners, data generators, data users, and other permafrost practitioners to contribute to this session.

 

Northern Lakes in a Changing Climate
Chair: Madeline Patenall (Wilfrid Laurier University) & Mike Palmer (Aurora Research Institute)
Lakes are an essential resource supporting cultural, subsistence, and recreational activities for communities in the Northwest Territories. Lakes are also under increased and cumulative pressures from climate change and municipal and industrial activities. This session will showcase research across a diverse spectrum of disciplines that address emerging and persistent threats to lakes in the Northwest Territories.

 

Community Engagement
Chair: Landen Powell (GNWT–NTGS)
This session targets presenters involved in community engagement, outreach programs, and capacity-building initiatives in resource development. We invite abstracts and summaries that showcase a variety of perspectives for community training and learning, and supporting the development of sustainable communities related to exploration, mining, and petroleum development in the north.
 

Regulatory and Policy Updates
Chair: Jessica Mace (GNWT-ITI) & Jennifer Potten (GNWT-ITI)
This session will feature talks on the regulatory operating environment in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut including recent changes in legislation, policies and guidelines, both to the territorial and federal regimes. This session will also focus on some important aspects of land use planning and the linkages with northern regulatory boards.
 

Mining and Advanced Project Updates (Showcase offered at The Explorer Hotel and other venues)
Chair: Claudine Lee (NorZinc Ltd.)
Northern operating mines are the largest private-sector contributor to the territorial economies and provide significant benefits to the North. Operating mines and projects in advanced phases will provide updates on their operations over the past year and provide outlooks for the coming year.
 

Critical Minerals Geology and Exploration
Chairs: Gideon Lambiv Dzemua (GNWT–NTGS) & Stéphane Poitras (Fireweed Metals Corp.)
Canada is primed to capitalize on the rising global demand for critical minerals, driven in large part by their role in the transition to a low-carbon and digitized economy. Essential for renewable energy and clean technology applications (batteries, permanent magnets, solar panels, and wind turbines), they are also required inputs for advanced manufacturing supply chains, including defence and security technologies, consumer electronics, agriculture, medical applications, and critical infrastructure.
 

Exploring the Relationships between Indigenous Nations and the Mineral Industry
Chair: Rebecca Connelly (Det’on Cho Management LP)
This series of presentations will provide perspectives from Indigenous leaders and Indigenous companies of mining in the 21st Century. As the mining sector in the North has evolved from gold mining to diamond mining to critical mineral exploration, so too has the engagement of Indigenous peoples. This session will share the goals and objectives of Indigenous leaders as they look ahead to a new generation of mineral exploration and mining. It will include studies of companies successfully working with First Nations and development corporations to build engagement and capacity to meet their organizational needs. Finally, a showcase of First Nation mineral development and engagement plans and Indigenous development corporations’ capabilities will provide resource companies and their suppliers with the information they need to deepen their collaboration and engagement as they explore, mine, and remediate projects in the North.