Speakers
In addition to our technical program, we were thrilled to welcome the following mine water experts as speakers at the 2025 Conference:
Path to Responsible Mine Water Closure
Ashley Jay, EIT
Project Engineer,
Skeena Gold + Silver
Ashley Jay
Project Engineer (EIT), Skeena Resources
Ashley Jay belongs to the Crow clan (Tsesk’iye) of the Tahltan Nation and is part of the Cawtoonma family. She graduated from the University of Calgary, majoring in Chemical Engineering in 2020, and currently works for Skeena Resources as a Project Engineer on the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project.
Ashley has a passion for water stewardship and strives to incorporate Tahltan values and Indigenous design principles into her projects.
Francis McAlister
Francis McAllister
Vice President, Energy, Land, Water – Freeport-McMoRan
Francis McAllister is the Vice President of Energy, Land, and Water for Freeport-McMoRan. In this role, he manages the company’s energy portfolio and strategy, as well as all land and water assets and needs. Prior to this, Francis held various roles at Freeport overseeing reclamation, remediation, and business development initiatives focused on expansion opportunities.
Over his 30-year career in the mining industry, Francis has worked with Magma Copper Company, BHP Billiton, and Freeport-McMoRan, and has lived and worked in Arizona, California, Texas, and Australia.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.
Since February 2011, Francis has served as Chairman of the Arizona Mining Association. Under his leadership, the association grew from 14 to 200 members and is now a leading industry organization in Arizona. He also serves on the Executive Committee and Board of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
Bjorn Weeks
Dr. Björn Weeks, P.Eng
Director, Closure
Teck Resources Ltd.
Dr. Weeks is the Director of Closure at Teck Resources Ltd. In this role he provides strategic leadership and technical direction on all closure-related matters at Teck. Prior to joining Teck in 2022, Björn was the global lead for mine closure services at WSP/Golder. With over 30 years of professional experience, he has dedicated his career to mine closure. He has worked on the development and execution of mine closure plans around the world, working with many of the world’s leading mining companies.
He has also developed international mine closure guidance documents, including the ICMM’s 2019 Closure Good Practice Guide, and APEC’s 2018 Mine Closure Checklist for Governments, and co-chaired the ICMM Mine Closure Working Group from 2022 to 2024.
His academic background includes a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, a M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, and a Ph.D from the Norman B. Keevil School of Mining at the University of British Columbia.
Moderator: Kate Patterson
Civil/Tailings and Water Resource Engineer, Principal,
Klohn Crippen Berger
Kate Patterson, P.Eng., P.E., M.Eng.
Water Practice Area Lead, Klohn Crippen Berger
Kate Patterson is the Water Practice Area Lead for Klohn Crippen Berger’s Mining Environmental Group and a Principal Civil, Tailings & Water Resources Engineer based in Vancouver. With over 18 years, she has shaped strategic water and mine waste management across all lifecycle phases—planning, operations, and closure for projects across the globe.
Her interest in responsible closure recognizes that closure must be embedded from day one and tailored through design, operations, and decommissioning. She considers how design decisions today influence closure outcomes decades later—like integrating tailings and closure planning to reduce long-term risks and costs, and ensure stable, safe post‑mining landscapes.
This panel will explore what the Path to Responsible Mine Water Closure looks like now and what it should look like into the future. Speakers will discuss the distinctions and challenges between legacy, existing, and proposed projects. The conversation will highlight the need for partnerships with Indigenous and affected communities, investment in research and development, and novel economic frameworks to achieve the broader goal of safe, sustainable water for future generations.
Community-led monitoring and leadership training: a case study of TWILD and the Tene Mehodihi program
Cynthia Callison
TWILD Board Member,
Partner, Callison & Hanna Indigenous Advocates
Nathan Skubovius
TWILD Board Member,
Mining Engineer EIT,
Teck Resources
Ocean Van Mierlo
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology Student, Previous
Tene Mehodihi Student
Moderator: Dr. Nadja Kunz
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Norman B Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA), The University of British Columbia
The Tu’dese’cho Wholistic Indigenous Leadership Development Society (TWILD) works towards a better future for Tahltan people by focusing on the increased wellbeing of individuals and communities. It was created to provide Tahltan people with land-based learning and to blend educational and career goals with Tahltan culture and ways of knowing. Among TWILD’s programs are the community-led monitoring program (CLM) and the Tene Mehodihi, or “The Trail We Know.” Our panelists will discuss the contributions of TWILD and its community-led monitoring program and Tene Mehodihi programs to the advancement of environmentally responsible water and mining practices.
The community-led monitoring program is run by community members, in consultation with scientists, and includes water sampling, vegetation monitoring, and wildlife monitoring. The Tene Mehodihi program combines Indigenous and Western knowledge by immersing Tahltan youth in Tahltan culture, tradition, and ways of knowing, as they learn traditional and modern survival skills and practice teamwork and leadership. Both programs are designed to promote TWILD’s educational and career goals and to inspire Tahltan people to integrate their traditional knowledge of the land and water into a vast array of industries, including water and mining.
Dr. Andy Robertson Tribute Panel
Christoph Wels
President and Senior Hydrologist
Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. (RGC)
Shannon Shaw
Senior Geochemist
pHase Geochemistry Inc
Moderator: Dr. Roger Beckie
Professor
Groundwater Hydrology, Geotechnical Engineering
The University of British Columbia
Dr. Andy Robertson (1943-2023) was a pioneering mining engineer renowned for his research and professional consultation services in the mining industry. During his career of fifty plus years, Dr. Robertson maintained a strong focus on improving mine waste management practices to reduce the environmental footprint of mining. His accomplishments include co-founding two very successful mining consulting firms, a mine planning software company, and a mining technology company. Besides his significant contributions to the mining industry, Dr. Robertson was also admired for his humility, kindness, and generosity.
Join our panelists in paying tribute to the life of Dr. Andy Robertson and his contributions to the water and mining industry, including valuable research for the testing, prediction, and control of acid rock drainage and other foundational research that shaped environmental best practices and continues to be referenced today in the mining industry. Dr. Robertson worked tirelessly to protect the environment, communities, water quality, and water supplies. He leveraged his background in rock mechanics, geotechnical engineering, and geochemistry to raise the bar for environmental stewardship within the industry and for the work products he delivered.