From drones to automated
vehicles, technology is not just transforming our personal lives, but Canada’s
resource sector as well. In the mining sector alone,autonomous vehicles, aerial
data from drones and the use of IOT sensors have the ability to improve day-to-day
operations and overall safety. These technologies alone could help to augment
our world-class environmental practices and draw foreign investment capital
into the sector, ultimately enhancing the competitiveness of Canadian mining.
That being said, achieving
digitization of the mining sector in Canada is not without its challenges,
Canada must foster a regulatory environment that can support the integration of
new technology or else we are hindering resource companies from taking full
advantage of all that is available. Successfully integrating high technology
will require significant foresight into the possible advantages and challenges
of automated mining sites, especially with many of our mining operations being
in remote communities with limited infrastructure and harsh environments.
All of this begs the question:
With all this new technology, will the mining industry be able to dig it?
Yesterday, we held a roundtable with key leaders in the resource sector to
answer just that. We will continue to examine the issue in order to better
advocate for an infrastructure plan that includes a strategy ensuring our mines
are capable of incorporating connected and automated technologies within the
next five years.
To learn more about our advocacy on the resource sector, click here.