Thursday, 25 April, 2024
12:00pm  1:30pm   

To protect their own interests, professional geoscientists should be aware that the public will rely on the professional’s opinion and that reliance brings legal obligation, legal liability, and public-interest responsibility with it. Whether acting as a qualified person under environmental or securities regulation, as a practitioner employed in geoscience, or just as an ordinary good neighbour, other people rely on your views and observations, and you need to know what you’re getting into by banging rocks for a living. This session introduces three developments that may not be widely known or understood.

The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum has brought out a practice guideline for the environmental, social, and governance matters that pertain to mineral projects, a guideline that may help professionals assess the impact of mineral projects on communities – and sometimes, vice-versa.

Professional geoscience bodies in Canada provide their members with secondary professional liability insurance that can provide legal advice and liability coverage for actions brought against them when employed or offering informal help.

New or evolving securities disclosure regulations in Australia, the United States, and other countries place different requirements on practitioners approving geoscientific and technical disclosure by mining companies. Practitioners acting as “competent” and “qualified” persons should know whether their understanding of those obligations is current and applicable to the job they’re doing.