Mining Association of Canada - Canadian Mining Companies Recognized for Commitments to Sustainability and Outstanding Environmental and Community Engagement Achievements

OTTAWA - The Mining Association of Canada's (MAC) Community of Interest Advisory Panel has selected the Gahcho Kue Mine, owned as a Joint Venture between De Beers Group and Mountain Province Diamonds, and Copper Mountain Mining Corporation, leaders in Canada's mining sector, to receive this year's prestigious Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Excellence Awards in recognition of their innovative sustainability projects focused on community engagement and environmental stewardship.

The companies were presented their awards yesterday at the CIM Awards Gala in Vancouver.

'We are extremely proud of the work that was accomplished this year by Copper Mountain and the Gahcho Kue Mine, both have set a very high bar when it comes to sustainable mining performance in Canada's mining sector,' said Pierre Gratton, MAC's President and CEO. 'Commitments to ESG and responsible practices form the backbone of our country's mining industry and this year's TSM Excellence Award winners highlight outstanding practices that prioritize both community engagement and environmental stewardship.'

With Canada producing some of the lowest carbon-intensity mineral and metal products in the world there is no doubt that it can and should play a much more significant role in providing the materials the world needs to get to net-zero. MAC's members are leading the way through TSM, a program originally created in 2004 to drive performance improvement across a range of social and environmental issues where it mattered most - at the mine site level. This focus on mine site performance makes TSM a go-to system for investors and manufacturers looking to invest in and purchase responsibly mined materials.

TSM supports mining companies in managing key environmental and social risks. A national independent Community of Interest Advisory Panel oversees the program, with representatives from Indigenous communities, environmental organizations, labour, finance, local mining communities, social and faith-based organizations and academia. TSM goes beyond principles and requires mining companies to annually assess, publicly report and verify their performance at the facility level. Performance is evaluated across a set of detailed environmental and social performance standards, including tailings management, climate change, water stewardship, Indigenous and community relationships, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management and preventing child and forced labour.

Established in 2014, the TSM Excellence Awards include the TSM Environmental Excellence Award and the TSM Community Engagement Excellence Award. To be eligible for the awards, mining companies must be actively implementing TSM. The Community of Interest Advisory Panel provides guidance and advice on the development and implementation of TSM and selects the winners of the TSM Excellence Awards.

'With the increasing overall awareness on the role mining plays in providing the materials required for the global energy transition it is clear that our sector is being recognized as essential more now than ever, specifically the leadership role Canada can play in providing the minerals and metals needed in the tech we depend on,' said Gratton. 'Our high environmental and labour standards, exemplified through TSM, are a competitive advantage when it comes to responsibly filling the growing need for mined materials.'

About MAC

The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members account for most of Canada's production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal, mined oil sands and industrial minerals and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication.

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Cynthia Waldmeier

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