VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum conference kicked off on Monday morning with a discussion on the vital issue of community relations in project development, but not before a resounding pep talk from session moderator and Canadian journalist and commentator Rex Murphy.

From references to mining in John Milton's Paradise Lost, to James Cameron's blockbuster film, Avatar, to real-life situations, mining is invariably cast as the villain of the piece, he said.

There is no question that the sector has got its hands dirty in all kinds of ways over many years, all over the world, Murphy conceded.

But that does not mean that mining companies of today must put their tails between their legs and take responsibility for the ills of the world, he urged.

“The idea that this industry somehow or other is the predetermined villain in every tale is self-contradictory,” Murphy asserted.

“To simply deny the absolute centrality and essence of what harvesting the resources of the earth to advance the cause of human development, of relief from disease, of increasing the access to food, of accommodation, of lifting up societies to a reasonable standard of wealth.

“All these come from the inventions and the technology and the resources that are linked to energy and mines.”

Murphy's statements followed earlier comments by Teck Resources CEO Don Lindsay, who reiterated that the mining industry holds a crucial role in society.

“Our products and services are essential to sustaining quality of life, the copper that we produce certainly drives the Internet, energy lights our homes and so on.

“If you look around you, and whether you are working for a mining company, working for the government, working for an NGO, everything that you use in your life comes from just one of two sources: if you can't grow it, you have to mine it,” Lindsay commented.

“But the key is, that you have to do it in as a sustainable fashion as we possibly can. We always have to have in mind to reduce our footprint to the smallest possible,” he added.

During the rest of Monday's discussion, a key theme to emerge was the need for companies to talk to communities about their plans from the start, sometimes even before there are actual plans to discuss.

“It is important to communicate with the community from the beginning,” Cree Mineral Exploration Board president Jack Blacksmith said.

“Don't come after the fact.”

The Centre for Social Response's Anthony Kelly, as well as Lindsay, also reflected on the need to seek out various opinions and concerns from the communities concerned.

“The trouble is, that the mining industry listens often to a narrow band of voices,” Kelly said.

To subscribe to Mining Weekly's print magazine email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or buy now.