I'm Charlotte Mloud with investingnews.com and here today with me is Karen Reese, president of PDAC. Thank you so much for being here. Although of course I think really I'm here with you. Thank you for having us. >> Wow. Charlotte, good morning. Thank you for actually having me here. Yes, it's always such a great time to attend PDAC and we've made it now to the morning of the third day. So, I think it's safe to ask you, how has sentiment been? What are any key takeaways you've had so far?


>> Well, what I've seen is uh a very robust attendance, uh some really engaging conversations, new connections being made. Um hopefully a lot of uh engagement that will carry on beyond the convention. Well, and we had spoken ahead of the con convention by email and you'd mentioned that attendance this year was set to be the highest ever. Been hearing a lot of talk about that. What do you think is the reason for the increase? >> Well, I think uh the time in our industry right now is really exciting. I


mean, commodity prices are there. The mineral exploration and mining industry is crying for talent. And our governments in Canada, worldwide are experiencing the the feeling. They know that the time is now to put focus on build infrastructure, encourage investment in um mineral discoveries. It's definitely an interesting time in the mining industry and I know it's an involved process to become PDAC president. I wondered if you could share a little bit about your background in the mining industry as well as how you


came to hold this position. Thank you very much. Um I am a geologist. I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan quite some time ago. uh from my first job in the business until about now it is approaching 40 years um and I work primarily in the junior exploration space. Um at a point in my career I did wish to give back to the community. So I was encouraged to volunteer with the PDAC and the human resource development committee primarily with the student and early career programming. from there further encouragement to run


for the board of directors which is an election by the members and then within the board to um enter the presidential track and um that started uh five years ago and I'm currently um just completed my first year of a two-year term as president. >> Amazing. So we'll see you here again next year as well. >> Absolutely. I look forward to that. Yes, me as well. So, strong background in exploration. I wondered if you could talk about the main challenges and opportunities for Canada's juniors


today. >> Well, I see the main challenge. We as an organization hear this from our members. Uh access to capital is probably the biggest challenge for the real junior explorers. Um there's a disconnect between a lot of the dollars being spent and the ability for juniors who might be looking to raise a million dollars. Um that gap between that and the multi-million dollar financings is quite a lot. Um, another thing, a challenge is our regulatory environment and possible uncertainties with respect to permitting


and timelines. But it is also a time of great opportunity because with government support um policywise and the trend now it seems to actually let's say walk the talk supporting the policies that provide investors and companies with confidence to carry out multi-year exploration programs. I think that time is now. It's a great opportunity. >> It definitely feels like it is. And on on that note, when I was here this time last year, I spoke with then President Raymond Goldie and he highlighted how


important it was for the mineral exploration tax credit to be extended. And I believe ultimately that happened this past November, but for for two years instead of PDAC's recommended 10. So, can you talk about the importance of that tax credit? I can and I will note that um since that came out last year, it is a two-year renewal that was just approved and so in one year it's going to come up again for renewal. What we advocate for is actually a longer term or ideally a permanent uh fixture in the


the fiscal toolkit. The importance really again it provides fiscal incentive tax credits to investors that they can invest in companies and companies can carry out multi-year exploration campaigns because mineral deposits are not found in one or two years. It takes 10 years to get from grassroots exploration to advanced exploration possibly and development. >> Yeah, the timelines are are long and you need that certainty. Overall, what would you say PDAC's key message to government is right now?


We would advocate for uh providing that certainty to investors and companies and clear timelines. We would like to actually encourage that some of the duplication that might exist between the federal regulations and the provincial and territorial regulations are reduced, made more efficient. And we're not talking about cutting corners. We are talking about being efficient. >> I think it makes a lot of sense. And going back to the convention, there's always a really strong focus on student


programs. And you'd mentioned that's a strong area of interest for you. What's the current level of interest engagement from students in the mining industry? And what types of outreach is PDC doing? Well, here at the convention, there's an entirely dedicated program to student and early career, and that covers not just geoscience students, but students in mining, business, law, finance, every aspect, every occupation that feeds into mineral exploration, development, and mining. There is something to learn here


from the students. We have career panels to showcase the wide variety. Uh today there's a student industry networking lunchon that I think something like,00 people would attend. It's jammed. The the vibe is very exciting, very vibrant. uh companies are there, they have jobs, and just making those really important first connections at at PDAC that you can follow up on afterward. And if I may, I'd like to speak about some of the other programs that we have outside of convention. And one very important one


is the student industry mineral exploration workshop, flagship program of PDAC. It's going into its 17th year. We take upwards of we'll say between 22 and 26 geoscience students from across Canada to a 2 week all expenses paid uh workshop field trip based in Sudbury and then we also visit Timmans Valdor Kirkland Lake mining camps. We have um something like a hundred uh presenters who are volunteers or via their companies to give students that exposure to on the ground um field exploration


techniques, what it's like to be in an underground mine, what it's like to analyze businesses in our industry. >> Amazing. That sounds like a a great opportunity for people. And you know, on that note, one concern I've heard is that as commodities demand ramps up, maybe we won't have people with the skills to feed that demand. So, do you think Canada's in danger of that type of mining industry skills shortage? >> I would say yes. Canada is not alone in that either. I attended a session


yesterday with international minds ministers and several spoke about the concern that there will not be enough uh skilled talent to work in our industry over the globe. We actually a couple of our partner uh groups, mining matters and the mining industry human resources council. We work with them to help get the word out about our industry into the elementary schools and and secondary schools. And we're not just talking to students. We are talking to educators, uh, guidance counselors, moms and dads,


uh, grandparents, whoever to let everybody know that this business is critical to our, uh, sustainable life on a plan on the planet. >> It's really so important right now. As you mentioned, your term as PDAC president continues into next year. So, as we're finishing up, I wondered if you could share what PDAC's main focus or goals will be during that time. >> Well, between now and then, we carry on with our advocacy work. As you probably know, my role as president and the


entire board of directors are volunteers. PDAC has a fantastic staff headed up by our executive director, Lisa McDonald, and her uh policy and programs director. Um that their teams work on the advocacy of the organization on behalf of all of the members. And the areas of concentration will continue to be helping um make the financial sector more robust for our explorers, advocating for efficient uh guidelines to provide certainty, the fiscal tool kits to provide confidence in investors and companies.


>> Well, I'll look forward to speaking with you again next year. And just before I send you back out onto the show floor, any final thoughts you would share with our audience? >> Well, if you've never been to the PDAC convention, you really have to come. We're uh we're really excited this year. Um there's so much energy, so much momentum. There's something here for everybody to learn and everybody to share their own experiences. And uh we look forward to doing this again and


again. It is our 94th convention and uh let's go for 95 and beyond it with this same level of enthusiasm. >> Yes. Okay. 95 next year and I really have never seen it so positive. So very exciting times. >> It is. >> Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me and we'll wrap it up here. Thank you again. >> Thank you very much Charlotte. >> Of course. And once again I'm Charlotte Mloud with investingnews.com and this is Karen Ree of PDAC.