Michael John Hardin made Honorary Chamber of Mines Member

23 November 2017

(Yellowknife, NT – November 23, 2017)  Michael J. Hardin, barrister and solicitor, has been made an Honorary Member of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines (Chamber) for his noteworthy contributions to the efforts of the Chamber to ensure that the statutes and regulations governing the minerals industry in the NWT and Nunavut will promote responsible resource development, and achieve the corresponding environmental, economic and social goals.

Mike has been involved in northern resource law for more than 35 years, providing legal and strategic advice to explorers, operators and mineral industry associations. He has provided legal advice and analysis on numerous legislative and policy developments of importance to the industry, from the early 1990’s onward, including the Northwest Territories Waters Act and regulations; the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act; the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act; the Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act; and the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act. He also authored the joint mineral industry associations’ detailed submission to the federal Minister’s Special Representative, Neil McCrank, in relation to his July 2008 report entitled The Review of the Regulatory Systems Across the North. 

Mike is also co-author of the Canadian Institute of Resources Law publication entitled Mineral Exploration and Mine Development in Nunavut: Working with the New Regulatory Regime, an essential source of information for mining companies active in Nunavut, and a valuable reference for consultants, lawyers and regulators seeking an understanding of the regulatory framework established under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. 

During his career as internal counsel, Mike served as Senior Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Cominco Ltd., Corporate Secretary of Pine Point Mines Limited, and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Ashton Mining of Canada, Inc. In these roles, he provided wide-ranging advice to exploration and mining operations in frontier regions of northern Canada, including the Pine Point Mine, Con Mine, Snip Mine, Polaris Mine and, most recently, the Renard Mine, Quebec’s first and only diamond mine, at its early stage of development. 

Mike’s graduate-level studies in biology, his initial environmental regulatory experience with the federal government in the NWT, and finally his law degree, established a solid foundation for his career as both internal and external counsel to the minerals industry, and made him an astute judge of environmental legislation.  Consistent with his life-long devotion to outdoors pursuits, Mike has especially enjoyed his many wilderness adventures in the remote hinterlands of the North. 

The Chamber’s Honorary Members can be viewed here