Mineral Exploration

22 Mineral Exploration | amebc.ca PROFILE PHOTOS: TMX GROUP; JOHN HUNTER; ¹OPPOSITE PAGEº AME A Leader Through Turbulent Times "A s the new president and CEO of AME BC, my role is to help the industry navigate the challenges of turbulent times," wrote Gavin Dirom in his first column in this magazine in spring of 2009. At the time, the world was reeling from the global financial crisis of 2008, commodity prices had plunged and exploration budgets were cinched tight. Little did he know just how turbulent the next eight years would be! But, with a calm and pragmatic approach to the obstacles in the association's path, he led AME through one of the deepest, darkest downturns in recent times, and out the other side. Dirom joined AME in November 2008 after several years as vice-president, environment, health and safety, at the Mining Association of British Columbia. As president and CEO of AME, he led the association through celebrations and controversies, and jokingly claims he has "enough stories to fill a book." He has overseen nine Roundup conferences, including the largest on record at 8,320 attendees in 2012, and recognized the 100th anniversary of the association with a gala celebration and publication of Chuck Davis's Into the Mountains: Celebrating 100 Years of Mineral Exploration Advocacy, 1912-2012. "We enjoy the successes, and collectively work through the challenging times," he explained in an interview just weeks before leaving his ožice. "That's been part of my approach – to make sure we're connecting, and listening carefully and respectfully." His core philosophy has always been to ensure that every AME member – especially those outside the Lower Mainland – believes they have a meaningful voice and feels engaged and able to shape the association. Early on, Dirom played a key role in the Lucky Jem-Eldorado story. Access to an area of impressive mineral potential in the South Chilcotin Mountains of B.C. had been restricted by the creation of the Spruce Lake Protected Area in 2001. High-level discussions held at Roundup in 2009 and 2010 and ongoing engagement with a wide range of stakeholders and members resulted in an adjustment to the boundary of the protected area, and, in 2010, opened up 15,000 hectares of land for mineral exploration and development. "This was a rare and positive example of more land becoming available to explore once all the dižerent groups better understood what was important to them, through respectful dialogue and persistence," says Dirom. Dirom is particularly proud of the association's dedication to building and supporting mutually respectful relationships with First Nations throughout the province, too. This approach has resulted in a number of successful initiatives, including securing funding for the BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association in 2009. "It involved a lot of lobbying and advocacy work as an association, with the federal and provincial government, to get it into place," he recalls. "It's a credit to the staž and the committees at the time, who pushed to create a persuasive case that ultimately resulted in more than a thousand people learning new skills and finding good jobs in the industry." Gavin Dirom reflects on the legacy of his eight years at the helm of AME By KYLIE WILLIAMS Opening the Toronto Stock Exchange with B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett, January 13, 2016. Prospector and claim holder Mel Stewart (right) showing Gavin Dirom some drill core at the Lucky Jem-Eldorado property, 2011.

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