THIS IS MINING: THE PODCAST

Canada is living through a nation-building moment — and mining is at the heart of this change. Season 6 explores how Canada is being built today, what it takes to get major projects off the ground, and whether Ontario mining is ready to help lead the country into its next chapter. Hosted by Amber Mac. New episodes dropping this summer. Subscribe now and catch up on previous seasons wherever you li...

The Honourable Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, shares how his view of mining has evolved—from family roots to global opportunity—and why investing in the next generation of workers is key. From the Ring of Fire to tech-driven mines, he believes resource development can fuel the economy and do some good for the world.

What sparks someone to choose a future in mining? For Hassan Yousif, a Mining Engineer-in-Training, and Alika Maharaj, a Geologist-in-Training, it started with curiosity, mentorship, and opportunities to see the industry up close. In this episode, they share their journeys from students to emerging professionals—and how they’re carving out their own paths.

Rob Millard, a Teacher with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, brings real-world mining into the classroom, and the classroom out into the world. Tune in to see how one teacher is helping students connect what they study to real-world opportunities that can shape their futures.

Joanne Sallay, the President and CEO of Teachers on Call, never imagined mining would shape her tutoring business - until one eye-opening visit to a mine site shifted her perspective. Now she’s inspiring parents and educators across Ontario to see mining as a powerful pathway to purpose and possibility for the next generation.

In this episode, we’re going back to where it all begins: classrooms, conversations, and curiosity. And who better to kick things off than someone who lights that first spark every day? Chelsea Renaud, an environmental scientist who also leads education and outreach at Mining Matters, takes us on a journey through her classroom lens: what is mining, why it matters, and how she’s helping young...

Join me, Amber Mac, on my very first trip underground at a mine in Sudbury, Ontario! I went 1.5km underground – that’s nearly 3 CN Towers deep into the earth! It wasn’t like anything I could have imagined. Along my trip, I connected with Shawn Sauve, Mobile Equipment Specialist; Alex Mulloy, Carbon Specialist; Christine Gasteiger, Integrated Remote Operating Centre Superintendent and Don Duval, te...

Dawn Madahbee Leach, Chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, joins us to talk about the power of resource development partnerships and careers as a route to prosperity and reconciliation in action for Indigenous peoples. We are also joined by Clyde Moonias, a member of the  Neskantaga First Nation, who’s embarking on his career ‘close to home,’ as the Health, Safety &...

Ontario is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation, particularly in skilled trades. Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development in Ontario wants young people across Ontario to know that careers in the skilled trades are meaningful, well-paying and in-demand. We are also joined by Kendra Liinamaa, a young millwright working at a nickel mine in...

A career in mining is not what you think it is. Does your perception of mining today reflect the realities on the ground (or underground?) Let’s get into the facts with Ryan Montpellier, Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR). We are also joined by Cara Rockwood, an environmental scientist pursuing a career in mining, who is challenging her peers (and even pr...

Let’s talk about the most important resource on earth: people. Todd Hirsh, the Modern Economist, helps us understand the current labour shortage in Canada and how we can talk to young people about their futures. We are also joined by Veronica Knott, a young mining engineer who’s found her passion and home in Canada’s mining industry.

Energy security. Environmental protection. Climate action. These ambitious goals set by the Government of Canada are often viewed as at odds with each other. But are they really? Or do they collectively represent a generational economic opportunity for Canadians? Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Anita Balakrishnan from  The Logic  and Bentley Allan from the  Trans...

With significant incentives from both levels of government and as major auto manufacturers make significant long-term investments, a localized EV supply chain is on the horizon. When will critical minerals from the North be ready to feed the new battery supply chain? What does the future of mining for critical minerals look like here in Ontario?  Amber Mac talks to Trevor Walker, Pr...

Canada has the critical minerals the world needs for electrification and a green energy future, but accessing them is not without roadblocks. Two major challenges are investment and permitting, both intertwined when it comes to the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples in major Northern development projects. JP Gladu, prominent Indigenous business leader, joins Amber Mac to discuss the power...

Renewable energy is dependent on critical minerals, but where they come from and how ethical and responsible that production is present two very pressing questions. Join Amber as she tackles the topics of responsible sourcing, ESG and supply chain challenges with Trent Mell, an entrepreneur in the battery metals and clean energy space and Charlotte Selvey Miller, Head of ESG at Benchmark Minerals,...

The growth and demand for critical minerals is impressive and daunting, according to our first guest, Duncan Wood, the Vice President for Strategy & New Initiatives at the Wilson Center, a Washington DC based think tank. We can’t have an energy transition without extractive resources, Wood says, and the race is on to secure them.

50 years ago, the people, governments and mining companies in Sudbury recognized that, no matter how afflicted their environment was, it was not beyond repair. Sudbury is a beacon of hope, an example to the world that learning from the past can inspire us to do better. Biologist, Dr. John Gunn, microbiologist, Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk and 14-year old climate activist, Sophia Mathur join us to talk abou...

Critical minerals like nickel, copper, and cobalt (found right here in Ontario!) are the building blocks for a clean, green and digitized economy. The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, Canada, joins us to talk about how we can unlock economic opportunities in Canada and how mining can drive our collective climate action.

Environmentalist and founding President of FROSKR, a firm using technology to build confidence in taking climate action, Kati McCartney, joins us to talk about how the mining industry will deliver net positive environmental impacts, contributing to our generation’s greatest challenge: climate change. The path to decarbonization depends on minerals to power clean energy like batteries, wind turbine...

In this episode, MaRS Fellow, angel investor, and one of Canada’s foremost thinkers on innovation, work, and learning, Don Duval, joins us to talk about how the technology transformation in mining is helping it win the battle for talent.  He also shares how buyers and adopters of technology in mining, including those at NORCAT, have built a tech ecosystem in their own backyard and why VCs are taki...

In this episode, Queen’s University Engineering Professor, Joshua Marshall joins us to discuss the robot revolution and why it’s already here. He contends that Canadians have the potential to thrive, seeing the most significant opportunities in sectors like Canada’s global mining industry. While Joshua has been working on robotics and autonomous vehicle technology since the late 1990s, it’s the NO...

The end of 2020 is near and we’re looking forward, post COVID-19. What does the future of Ontario look like?  How will we economically recover?  Will Ontario’s abundance of minerals and metals fuel our growth? What role does mining have in a clean and green future? We’re talking to two committed champions of Northern Ontario and responsible resource development. 

How can we embrace sound science and try to understand the very essence of life around us? By going deep underground.  We’re talking to Samantha Kuula from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory – or SNOLAB as its called – a Nobel prize winning, world-class science facility located deep underground in the 120-year-old Vale Creighton nickel mine near Sudbury, Ontario in Canada.

Why does representation matter? How can traditionally male-dominated industries like mining, technology and space become just ‘industries’? It’s good business - just ask Alicia Woods, who - in the early days of founding Covergalls - earned a deal with Michael Wekerle on Dragons' Den. We’re also talking with Nicole Lynds, an employee at Vale and a transgender woman about finding the courage to ‘be...

His father had a grade three education and his daughter is a university-educated banking professional. According to Glenn Nolan, past Chief of the Missanabie Cree in Ontario, his community’s self-sufficiency is rooted in the development of natural resources on their traditional lands. From hunter-gatherers to captains of industry within 3 generations, economic hope leads to economic freedom. It al...