PDAC 2019, Day 3: Notes from the Floor

The third day of the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention kicked off in Toronto on Tuesday (March 5), featuring presentations on topics such as how to win in the next commodity cycle.

The Investing News Network (INN) sat down with industry experts like John Kaiser, Guy Bourassa and Brien Lundin to touch base on different aspects of the sector.

For a full recap on INN’s coverage of the third day of PDAC, scroll down.

In a seminar dubbed “Winning in the Next Commodity Cycle,” a variety of experts from management consulting firm McKinsey & Company gave individual presentations on how to thrive in multiple commodity markets.

Speaking about the future of electric vehicles (EVs) and battery materials was Ken Hoffman, who explained what needs to happen for the EV market to outperform its petro-fueled competitors.

Hoffman highlights the importance of EV cars hitting the 1,000 kilometre mark to compete against petro cars. #INNatPDAC #PDAC2019 pic.twitter.com/1QgMF4kO27

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) March 5, 2019

Hoffman commented that it is “quite feasible to have a 1,000-kilometer car that you only have to charge once a month.”

Also speaking was Matthieu Dussud, who honed in on the necessity for companies to apply “more rigor” to capital project feasibility studies.

Dussud explained that complexities that arise during a project’s development — costing the company more money in the process — can stem from a “lack of proper analysis” during the feasibility study stage.

Three key issues affecting mining feasibility studies are blindsided management practices, insufficient information to guarantee predictable outcomes and misaligned mindsets and behaviours. -Matthieu Dussud of @McKinsey #PDAC2019 #INNatPDAC

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) March 5, 2019

Dussud lists strategies for owners to increase the certainty of mining capital project outcomes, including systematically leveraging granular benchmarks. #INNatPDAC #PDAC2019 pic.twitter.com/LwX8i1PF3F

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) March 5, 2019

Continuing the EV theme, INN attended a panel later in the day that revolved around energy storage and commodity inputs for the growing industry.

Speakers at the panel included Cobalt 27 Capital (TSXV:KBLT) Chairman, CEO and Director Anthony Milewski, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Managing Director Simon Moores and General Motors (NYSE:GM) Head of Open Innovation Ted Graham.

#ElectricVehicles #EnergyStorage and #Commodity inputs panel kicks off at #PDAC2019 #INNatPDAC @sdmoores @Nemaska_Lithium @A_Milewski @GM pic.twitter.com/XbMLKRzV24

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) March 5, 2019

Also making an appearance at PDAC was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who stopped by to discuss the country’s mining sector and how it contributes to the economy.

Read our recap of his fireside chat with PDAC President Glenn Mullan here.

Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau has arrived at #PDAC2019!

Tune into the livestream on Facebook! https://t.co/hb16KUwCUi#mining #canada #mineralexploration #Toronro pic.twitter.com/Gm17eSeaHI

— The Official PDAC (@the_PDAC) March 5, 2019

Click here for our recap of PDAC day one, and here for our overview of day two. You can also click here to view our PDAC playlist on YouTube.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Olivia Da Silva, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: Happy Creek Minerals (TSXV:HPY) is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.

The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.