PDAC award winners are recognized at the annual awards gala; pictured here is the 2023 event.SUPPLIED
The annual convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) presents an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas and inspiration on topics affecting the mineral industry in Canada and across the globe. It’s also a chance to showcase leadership in the sector.
This year, the prestigious PDAC awards, which started in 1977, celebrate five outstanding groups and their accomplishments.
“The 2024 recipients continue the 46-year tradition of excellence in the PDAC awards,” says PDAC president Raymond Goldie. “Their successes are an inspiration and demonstrate the expertise, ingenuity and determination needed to find the minerals that are essential to modern life. Our awards recipients also show that, both in Canada and worldwide, mineral explorers and developers are practising innovative and effective approaches to community engagement and sustainability.”
The Bill Dennis Award, named for a former PDAC president, honours individuals who have made a significant Canadian mineral discovery and an important contribution to the prospecting and/or exploration industry. This year’s award goes to John Burzynski and the Osisko Mining Inc. exploration team for the discovery and ongoing expansion of the Windfall deposit’s Lynx gold zone, located in the Abitibi greenstone belt, Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec.
The Skookum Jim Award, named after the Indigenous leader of the group who discovered the Yukon Klondike goldfields, one of Canada’s most important mineral discoveries, honours members of Indigenous groups in Canada who demonstrate exceptional achievement in mining and exploration. The 2024 recognition goes to the Wabun Tribal Council for developing a consistent process of engagement (the Wabun Model) that reasonably matches lifespan of projects from mineral exploration to development.
The Sustainability Award, which honours an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding initiative, leadership and accomplishment in protecting and preserving the natural environment and/or in establishing good community relations, acknowledges O3 Mining for exceptional environmental, social and governance performance, including the achievement of ECOLOGO Certification.
The Thayer Lindsley Award, named in honour of one of the greatest mine finders of all time, recognizes an individual or team of explorationists credited with a recent significant mineral discovery anywhere in the world. This year’s recipient is the Lundin Group Vicuña Exploration Team for the discovery of the Vicuña district in the Central Andean copper province in Argentina and Chile.
Named in honour of PDAC’s longest serving president, the Viola R MacMillan Award, is given to an individual or organization demonstrating leadership in management and financing for the exploration and development of mineral resources. In 2024, it recognizes John McConnell and the Victoria Gold Corporation team for innovative financing of the Eagle Gold Mine development and production in Yukon.
Produced by Randall Anthony Communications with the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada. The Globe’s Editorial Department was not involved.