Mining Association of Canada Hires Former Environmental Activist

According to a recent report, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has just hired Julie Gelfand, formerly the president of Nature Canada, as MAC’s Vice President for Sustainable Development.

While Nature Canada and the Mining Association of Canada have worked together in the past (usually on industry-NGO-government panels such as the Mining Sector Sustainability Tables initiative), suffice it to say that the two organizations are not known for finding themselves on the same side of the negotiating table usually.

As their Vice President of Sustainable Development, Ms. Gelfand will be responsible for the mining industry’s outreach to government, communities, and other interested stakeholders as regards sustainable development and environment, as well as the MAC’s award-winning Toward Sustainable Mining initiative. This initiative is

an initiative of the MAC which focuses on improving the mining industry’s sustainable development performance. Member companies follow guiding principles and report on indicators that measure their performance for specific mining activities such as tailings management, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management, external outreach and crisis management.

Now the question to ask is: from which side (if not both) will there be fallout? Will there be cries of sell-out from former colleagues, will mining companies question the wisdom of hiring such a prominent environmental advocate, will both happen, or will neither?

Only time will tell.

Image: The Monkey Wrench Dad via Green Options’ Media Library

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