IAMGOLD recently had the opportunity to sponsor and attend this year’s Canadian Mining Games at Laval University, in Quebec City, Quebec, earlier in March. The games are an annual competition that provide an opportunity for mining engineering students from across Canada to showcase their mining knowledge, problem-solving skills, and teamwork through tough challenges.

This year, IAMGOLD sponsored the Data Analytics challenge, career fair and a table at each night’s banquet, while our Côté Gold Mine sponsored the participating Laurentian University team – the Hard Rock Miners.

 Representing IAMGOLD at the games, Nick den Hartog, Senior Mine Engineer at our Côté Gold Mine in Ontario, Félicité Compaoré, Mine Engineer at our Westwood Mine in Quebec, and Kelly Silva, Senior Manager, Global Talent Acquisition, had the pleasure of attending, cheering on the Laurentian team and connecting with students.

We are proud of our continued partnership with Laurentian University, supporting students and developing the next generation of mining professionals. In January, when the 16-person team Hard Rock Miners Team was gearing up for the games, they visited our Côté Gold Mine for a site tour as well as a coaching session with Nick to prepare.

This sponsorship also comes as IAMGOLD recently announced a $2.5M investment into the creation of the IAMGOLD President’s Innovation Fund for Strategic Investment at Laurentian University. The funding will support academic and research projects that aid in the implementation of the University’s strategic priorities while driving innovation in mineral resources and mining education and research.

👉 Learn more about recent activities with Laurentian: IAMGOLD and Laurentian University: Innovation in Mining Starts in the Classroom

“It was a pleasure supporting the Laurentian team and connecting with students from across Canada,” Kelly Silva, Senior Manager, Global Talent Acquisition, said of the event. “It’s important for us at IAMGOLD to support the next generation of talent and to highlight all the career opportunities the mining industry offers. We are so proud to sponsor events like this.”

The Results

The Hard Rock Miners truly showcased their skills this year, with each member of the team demonstrating their exceptional work ethic and determination throughout the entire weekend. The team's hard work resulted in the following podium placements:

🥇 1^st place – Jackleg: An event where the teams completed various patterns with a jackleg drill while being judged on safety, technique, accuracy, and speed.

🥇 1^st place – Mineral Processing: Teams competed in mineral extraction problems involving flow chart design and mass balancing.

🥇 1^st Place - Mine Trivia

🥈 2^nd place - Mystery Event 1: Teams created and presented a solution to a surprise event problem.

🥈 2^nd place – Sustainable Development: Teams were given a case study on an issue in the field of sustainable development.

🥉 3^rd place – Mineral Economics: Teams made mining investment decisions using financial evaluation methods.

🥉 3^rd place – Open Pit Mine Design: Teams designed an open pit mine given an ore body and some general guidelines.

Additionally, the entire team received an award recognizing their exemplary teamwork in the Mechanical Design event (Mystery Event 3).

Congratulations to the Hard Rock Miners, and all the competitors!