Ontario’s Critical Minerals: Paving the Future With Provincial Support

Minister George Pirie was appointed as Minister of Mines by Premier Ford in June 2022. George’s family roots began in the Porcupine over 100 years ago. He is a graduate of Laurentian University and is happily married with two children and three grandchildren. Prior to entering politics, George was a senior mining executive with over thirty-five years of experience in the industry both domestically and internationally. He has held senior positions in the industry for over seventeen years and also has a long history of involvement in the local community.  As Mayor of Timmins, George oversaw the largest mining boom in fifty years. He has served on the Mining Association of Canada, the Ontario Mining Association and was also the co-chairman of the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Initiative. Locally, in Timmins, he has made a positive impact in his community by serving on the Porcupine Health Unit and as Chairman of the Timmins Police Service. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors with Northern College, co-chaired local United Way campaigns, and served on local hospital boards as well as community associations.

25 years in financing and management of Canadian mining companies. Was CEO of Pine Point Mining which was acquired by Osisko Metals. Formerly Vice President of Pinetree Capital.

Mark was formerly President & CEO of RNC Minerals (Royal Nickel Corporation) where he led a team that successfully raised over $100 million and advanced the Dumont nickel-cobalt project from initial resource to a fully permitted, construction-ready project. He has held a number of senior management roles with Quadra Mining, Inco, and Purolator Courier, and was a partner at Mercer Management Consulting. Since 2001, Mr. Selby has been recognized as one of the leading authorities on the nickel market. He graduated from Queen's University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and has also served on the boards of multiple junior mining companies.

Trevor R. Walker is the President and CEO of Frontier Lithium. Walker joined Frontier Lithium in 2010, and since then he has played a key strategic role in focusing the company on its PAK Lithium deposit in Northwestern Ontario. Under his leadership he has increased the company’s overall readiness to develop its world-class lithium deposit, advanced global-minded marketing activities, and bridged partnerships to bring Canada’s newest lithium mine project on line. Prior to joining the company, Walker was Vice President of the Consbec Group of Companies where he accumulated 10 years of experience in mining and construction industry. During his tenure at Consbec, he worked closely with companies such as GoldCorp, Rio Tinto, Westdome, Barrick, Noranda, Agrium and Unimin as well as other major companies. Walker holds an honours BA from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA from Webster University Geneva, Switzerland.