Overview
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) is an independent, non-profit organization that leads collaboration among mining and exploration companies, organized labour, contractors, educational institutions, industry associations and Indigenous groups to identify and address the human resource and labour market challenges facing the Canadian minerals and metals sector.
Our Mission
To lead collaboration across the Canadian mining sector to understand labour market trends, identify opportunities, and develop solutions.
Our Vision
An inclusive, skilled and sustainable Canadian mining workforce that anticipates and adapts to volatility and innovation.
Our Values
- Collaboration
- Engagement
- Inclusion
- Efficiency
- Respect
- Integrity
- Knowledge
Our Strategic Priorities
Inclusion, Diversity & Career Development
As the national organization that leads collaboration across the Canadian mining sector to understand labour market trends, identify opportunities, and develop solutions, MiHR will:
- Increase industry’s ability to attract employees from diverse groups.
- Increase industry’s action to develop and implement inclusion strategies to support retention of diverse employee groups.
- Increased awareness, interest and improved perception of careers in mining.
- Improved link/connections between career seekers, education and industry.
National Occupation Standards & Workforce Development
As the national organization that leads collaboration across the Canadian mining sector to understand labour market trends, identify opportunities, and develop solutions, MiHR will increase:
- The common understanding of the current and relevant knowledge, skills and abilities of select mining occupations.
- Recognition of MiHR’s NOS across all PT governments and mining stakeholders.
- Alignment of training to the skills requirements of the mining industry.
- Recognition of MiHR’s national training standards and their value in aligning training to NOS.
- The pool of workers trained to the NOS.
- Access to certification for mine workers in all of MiHR’s NOS occupations.
- The pool of workers with nationally recognized skills.
- The employability and transition of workers in select mining occupations.
Strategic Engagements & Partnerships
As the national organization that leads collaboration across the Canadian mining sector to understand labour market trends, identify opportunities, and develop solutions, MiHR will:
- Increase cooperation and collaboration among industry stakeholders.
- Increase knowledge of, and improved ability to address, industry HR trends.
- Improve stakeholder engagement.
- Address sector needs through efficient and representative programming.
Governance
MiHR’s governance structure reflects our industry
From our board of directors to our program committees, representatives from Canadian mining employers and contractors form the largest membership of each group. In addition to employers, our board and/or standing committees may also include representatives from organized labour, education, associations and Indigenous groups.
Board of Directors
MiHR is governed by a 14-person board of directors that represent a cross-section of mining industry employers, organized labour, mining associations, equity groups, and educators from across Canada.
Dean Winsor (Chair)
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Teck Resources
Keith Harris-Lowe (Vice-Chair)
Senior Corporate Director, People
Agnico Eagle
Patricia Dillon (Past Chair)
President and CEO
PDAC Mining Matters
Shanyn Bzowey
Director, Talent and HR
Suncor Energy
Viviane Ajub
Head of HR for Ontario Operations
Vale
Geoff Smith
Vice President, Government Relations
Mining Association of Canada
Jered Heigh
Talent Acquisition and Development Manager
Cameco
Stephen Hunt
District Director
United Steelworkers District 3
Richard Paquin
National Representative
Unifor
Karen Jonkman
National Representative
Unifor
Brian Vaillancourt
Vice President, Business Development
College Boreal
Steve Ball
Mining Project Manager
Hatch
Jenine Ellefson
Vice President, Human Resources
North America Newmont
Our Team
Allow us to introduce ourselves.
Ryan Montpellier
Executive Director
Ryan Montpellier Executive Director
Ryan has over 15 years of experience in identifying and addressing human resources and labour market challenges in the Canadian mining industry. Appointed as Executive Director in 2008, he leads all of MiHR’s strategic activities and represents the Council on various industry and government committees and advisory panels. Ryan is a past recipient of the Canadian Institute of Mining – Young Leadership Award and the International Association of Business Communicators Gold Quill award. He is a regular speaker and panelist at industry conferences and events and was a past Distinguished Lecturer for the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). Prior to joining MiHR, Ryan held various leadership positions with high-tech companies in the Ottawa region. Ryan holds a number of degrees including an MBA and a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation.
Dana Imbeault
Senior Director, Operations and National Occupational Standards
Dana Imbeault Senior Director, Operations and National Occupational Standards
Dana is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient operation of MiHR’s programs and activities. She also leads a team in the development of a suite of National Occupational Standards to be used by industry to help develop the required skills and competencies of its workforce, and leads the implementation of MiHR’s Canadian Mining Certification Program – a national program that recognizes the expertise of the industry workforce. Dana also provides oversight and guidance on the implementation of MiHR’s Mining Essentials Program: An Essential Skills and Work Readiness Program for Aboriginal Peoples.
William Meyer
Director, Marketing and Communications
William Meyer Director, Marketing and Communications
William Meyer is responsible for planning and providing strategic direction to effectively promote and build awareness of MiHR and its programs, projects and services. A strategic, results-oriented communications professional, William has nearly 15 years’ experience in the non-profit, association and government sectors – and has served as the head of communications for two industry associations. William also leads the development and implementation of marketing and communications activities that support all aspects of MiHR’s strategic plan.
Erin Mills
Director, HR Research and Labour Market Intelligence
Erin Mills Director, HR Research and Labour Market Intelligence
Erin manages a team of economists who carry out programs and projects related to labour market intelligence, HR research and human capital policy analysis. With over 15 years of experience, Erin has worked extensively on issues related to work, employment, education, lifelong learning and training, providing leadership, research and guidance to various industries. Having taught social research methods at the university and college level for several years, Erin also has substantial knowledge and experience using of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
Pascale Larouche
Director, Training and Workforce Development
Pascale Larouche Director, Training and Workforce Development
Pascale develops and distributes tools that help employers effectively engage with Indigenous peoples. She leads the continued expansion of the Mining Essentials Program through engaging partnerships, and her focus is to increase the participation of Indigenous peoples in the mining industry and assist in building a work-ready and safety conscious Indigenous workforce.
Jamie Wolcott
Chief Labour Market Economist
Jamie Wolcott Chief Labour Market Economist
Jamie is responsible for the continuous intellectual development of MiHR’s labour market research and forecasting for Canada’s mining industry. He has collaborated with numerous industry stakeholders across the country and has been a key contributor to several of MiHR’s research projects. His focus is to identify and understand the primary challenges and opportunities facing in the mining labour market in Canada.
Jennifer Trepanier
Senior Manager, Finance and Administration
Jennifer Trepanier Senior Manager, Finance and Administration
Jen is responsible for the day-to-day financial management and administrative operations at MiHR. Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Laurentian University and has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance. Prior to joining MiHR and the not-for-profit sector, Jen held various intermediate and senior financial analyst positions in the professional service, hospitality and manufacturing industries in Ottawa.
Julie Graves
Manager, Communications
Julie Graves Manager, Communications
Julie manages and contributes to the development of MiHR’s marketing and communications activities, such as social media campaigns, web material, reports and publications. In addition, Julie also leads MiHR participation at events and monitors media hits and opportunities.
Lindsay Coffin
Senior Researcher
Lindsay Coffin Senior Researcher
Lindsay is responsible for a number of programs designed to address labour market issues in the mining and mineral exploration sector. With over 10 years’ experience working in the natural resources industry as a geologist focused on national and international exploration projects, Lindsay is designated as a professional geologist in Ontario and holds a B.Sc. in Earth Sciences and Chemistry from Carleton University, a Masters in Earth Sciences from the University of Ottawa and a MBA from Carleton University.
Taylor-Faith Mundee
Manager, NOS
Taylor-Faith Mundee Manager, NOS
Taylor manages the development and maintenance of MiHR’s suite of National Occupational Standards (NOS) defined and validated by the Canadian mining industry. Taylor is responsible for the ongoing implementation of MiHR’s Canadian Mining Certification Program (CMCP), working closely with industry stakeholders to ensure a credible process for the assessment and recognition of the skills, knowledge and experience of mine workers. She leads the development, implementation and testing of new programs and initiatives using MiHR’s suite of National Occupational Standard. She contributes to project proposals, maintains budgets, prepares and executes work plans and compiles reports.
Lindsay Kajiura
Manager, Diversity Initiatives
Lindsay Kajiura Manager, Diversity Initiatives
Lindsay is responsible for implementing projects that support the engagement of all potential sources of labour to develop an inclusive and diversified workforce across the mining sector. She works on the business development and proposal activities around inclusion and diversity opportunities. She participates in building awareness in careers in mining to various audiences including newcomers, Indigenous people, women and youth, and manages engagement with MiHR’s inclusion and diversity programming. Lindsay holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology & Women’s Studies and brings 4 years of Human Resource experience.
Priya Pandit
Manager, Employment Initiatives
Priya Pandit Manager, Employment Initiatives
Priya manages Gearing Up, and is responsible for designing, delivering and evaluating various other employment-related programs. She cultivates successful strategic partnerships and leverages relationships with stakeholders, including federal and provincial government, post-secondary institutions, businesses, national industry associations and partners.
Lorry Fortin
Project Manager, Mining Professional Immigrant Network
Lorry Fortin Project Manager, Mining Professional Immigrant Network
Lorry is responsible for the delivery of M-PIN, a project set to raise awareness of Internationally Trained Professionals and develop tools to help reduce possible barriers for them to join the mining sector in Ontario. She is bilingual with project management experience in the national and international not-for-profit sector. She focuses on project planning, facilitation and monitoring governance and partnership engagement to ensure a successful project delivery.
Louise Briglio
Training Coordinator
Louise Briglio Training Coordinator
Alex Parsons
Communications Coordinator
Alex Parsons Communications Coordinator
Alex coordinates with the communications team to write, edit and design market-ready content for the websites, social media pages and other facets of MiHR’s public face. He is also making MiHR.ca easier and more efficient to navigate.
Gustavo Jurado
Labour Market Economist
Gustavo Jurado Labour Market Economist
Gustavo collaborates in the planning and development of MiHR’s labour market research and forecasting for the Canadian mining industry. He brings experience in e-commerce and data science, having worked in both public and private sectors. His previous projects have focused on understanding the potential impact of automation on the labour market.
Jennifer Perrault
Office Coordinator
Jennifer Perrault Office Coordinator
Jen provides administrative support to all MiHR staff and is responsible for the Council’s day to day planning, organizing and coordinating. She also assists with research projects and ensures that all necessary information, supplies and resources are readily available for her coworkers and MiHR’s Board of Directors. She studied social sciences and has a diverse background in customer service and research.
Career Opportunities at MiHR
Thank you for your interest in joining our team!
Please note that MiHR is not an employment agency, and does not offer positions other than those listed on this page. Resumes sent to MiHR related to general mining positions are not accepted. Please refer to job boards and company websites for mining industry job openings.
MiHR is dedicated to striving for inclusion and diversity in its staff. Please refer to our Inclusion & Diversity Policy and Procedures for more information.
MiHR is not currently hiring.