Session Details
Mining companies face growing pressure to advance projects quickly while meeting increasingly high expectations for meaningful Indigenous and community engagement. Yet many project delays are not technical or regulatory. They stem from relationships that were built too late or not built well enough.
This session brings together representatives from Eldorado Gold, the Lac Simon First Nation, community engagement practitioners and an experienced Indigenous leader to explore a question facing the entire industry: Can stronger relationships help create the conditions for more successful mining projects?
Using a real-world case study from Quebec as a starting point, panelists will share lessons learned, challenges encountered, common mistakes that undermine trust and approaches that have helped create more productive long-term relationships. The discussion will examine the role of early engagement, meaningful influence, sustained dialogue and community perception data in supporting better decision-making.
Moving beyond a single project experience, panelists will reflect on how these lessons can be applied across different regions, communities and project stages.
Attendees will leave with practical insights to strengthen Indigenous relationships, reduce social risk and create conditions that support both trust and project advancement.
The discussion will reinforce an important industry lesson: Strong Indigenous and community relationships are not only a social responsibility, but they are also a strategic advantage that supports successful project development.