Paul Labbe has over 50 years of experience in the mining industry, starting his career in 1973 in nickel and base metals. An active CIM member since 1981, Paul has twice served as a branch leader, co-chaired two MeMO conferences, and helped organize several major industry events, including the upcoming Calgary MeMO. He’s also contributed extensively to the MER Society, MPC, and MES, serving as a speaker and session chair at numerous national conferences.

Educated at the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Paul began his career as a driller-blaster, later working as a research engineer with PotashCorp (now Nutrien). There, he earned patents, published research, and received the MNAC Award for innovation in mining automation and energy reduction.

His leadership roles have included pioneering machine-cut mining at Domtar, supporting roadheader deployment at Sifto, and establishing Wardrop Engineering in Saskatchewan. Internationally, he held key roles in gold mining projects in the Himalayas and Kazakhstan, later serving as vice president in several major organizations including Vecima, the Regina Refinery, SRC, and WorleyParsons.

After four decades in global EPCM, Paul returned to academia in 2018 to teach and lead research at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Since 2021, he has also served as the Regional Director for MICA, supporting innovation across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the NWT.

Steve Wilson is the CTO at ReThink Milling. He is a geological engineer with a specialty in process engineering and is a registered professional engineer in Ontario. He holds a Master’s in Metallurgy from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Resource Engineering from the University of Nottingham. He worked for almost 25 years in operations support, technology development and process optimization for Canadian base metal and gold mining companies, including Inco before it was Vale, Placer Dome before it was Barrick, and Teck. He also spent seven years leading SGS’s global metallurgy and mineralogy business and overseeing their mineral services in North America.  Since 2017, Steve has been consulting to the minerals industry, with a significant effort dedicated to developing the CAHM platform technology.  Steve has been an active member of the Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM (CMP) for almost 40 years and served on the executive of both CMP and CIM.