From Engagement to Partnership
Date/Time: Monday, November 2 | 3:00pm
Location: Carlton Room
McEwen and Kiciwapa Cree Nation Abstract: No Baseline, No Restart: Building a Shared Perspective for Environmental Data Collection at Tartan Mine
Speakers: Zahir Jina and Janessa Kosar North
Exploration moves faster than environmental data collection, and at a legacy site the gap is a chasm. Tartan Lake has a mill, a tailings facility, a hydroelectric connection and forty years of institutional silence.
This session is about sequencing: which data has to exist before which decision, and what it costs to discover that order the hard way. It covers the hydrogeological program around the historical tailings management area, source-term characterization, heritage resources planning, and the air, noise, aquatics and terrestrial baselines — set against the regulatory sequence they feed, from Notice of Alteration through Advanced Exploration designation to licensing.
Running underneath is a single shared data environment rather than a shelf of consultant PDFs, built so that Kiciwapa Cree Nation and McEwen are working from the same record rather than reconciling two.
Janessa Kosar North, CEO of Kiciwapa Cree Nation, co-presents on what participation in baseline scoping looks like in practice, and where a shared record reduces the burden, a Nation carries when several companies are active at once.
Sigfusson Northern Abstract
Speaker: To be announced.
Details coming soon.
Speakers
Zahir Jina, McEwen Inc.
Zahir Jina is Vice President, Permitting, Government Relations and Sustainability at McEwen Inc., where he leads regulatory and permitting strategy across the company’s North American portfolio, including the Tartan Mine Project near Flin Flon, Manitoba.
He brings over 15 years of experience advancing mining projects through provincial, state and federal approval processes, spanning greenfield development, operating mines, care and maintenance, and closure in Canada and internationally.
At SLR Consulting Ltd. he was a lead author of the Environmental Effects Review for IAMGOLD’s Côté Gold Project, working with federal and provincial regulators on the amended approval conditions and later supporting the construction permitting program for what is now one of Canada’s largest gold mines.
Before joining McEwen in 2026, Zahir was Director, Environment at Wyloo, leading environmental and regulatory strategy for greenfield critical minerals development in northern Ontario — baseline and technical programs, regulatory negotiation, and First Nation engagement. He previously served as Manager, Environment and Regulatory Affairs at Treasury Metals Inc., and began his career at operating coal mines in northeast British Columbia with Teck Coal Ltd. and Anglo American.
Zahir holds the EP, PMP, C.E.T. and AScT designations.
Janessa Kosar North, Kiciwapa Cree Nation
Janessa Kosar North is the CEO of Kiciwapa Cree Nation, where she provides strategic leadership across the Nation’s work in resource development, environmental stewardship, economic development, and Indigenous governance.
After years of disconnection from her family and community, Janessa’s reconnection to Kiciwapa Cree Nation changed the direction of her life and continues to shape how she leads. Her work is focused on strengthening the Nation’s voice and capacity in decisions affecting its lands, waters, people, and future.
Her work includes consultation and engagement, environmental stewardship and remediation initiatives, heritage and traditional knowledge initiatives, economic partnerships, and building stronger systems for managing project information and commitments. This includes taking practical steps toward greater data sovereignty and strengthening how environmental information is accessed, understood, and used in decision-making.
Sean Campbell, Sigfusson Northern
Sean Campbell is a Professional Engineer with extensive experience spanning site operations, estimating, project management, business development, and Indigenous engagement within the construction, infrastructure, and resource development sectors. Throughout his career, he has contributed to projects ranging from small community-based initiatives to large-scale transportation, infrastructure, and mining developments across Canada.
A significant focus of Sean’s career has been building trusted relationships with Indigenous communities and creating partnerships that deliver long-term value. He has been instrumental in establishing, growing, and maintaining successful Indigenous Joint Venture Partnerships with numerous First Nations communities, helping align community priorities with project objectives while fostering sustainable economic opportunities. Working closely with community leadership, businesses, project owners, and stakeholders, Sean has played a key role in ensuring commitments are clearly defined, effectively tracked, and consistently delivered upon.
His experience includes developing and implementing Indigenous participation strategies, supporting workforce development and capacity-building initiatives, and creating opportunities for meaningful Indigenous business participation across a diverse range of projects. Sean believes that transparency, accountability, and open communication are fundamental to building lasting partnerships and achieving successful project outcomes.
By combining technical expertise with strong relationship-building skills, Sean has earned a reputation for bringing people together to solve complex challenges and create shared value. Whether supporting local community initiatives or delivering major infrastructure and resource development projects, he remains committed to generating positive, sustainable outcomes for clients, Indigenous partners, and the communities in which they operate.
Chair
Holly Cote, PrairiesCan
Details coming soon.