Copper Mountain, Gahcho Kué receive MAC’s 2022 TSM Excellence Awards

The Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Community of Interest Advisory Panel has selected the Gahcho Kué mine, owned as a joint venture between De Beers Group and Mountain Province Diamonds, and Copper Mountain Mining, 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 Monday 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 Kué 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.”

TSM is 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. It supports mining companies in managing key environmental and social risks. A national independent 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 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,” Gratton added. “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.”

The announcement can be seen at MAC's webiste.