Wildlife & Mining: From Monitoring to Management
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 3 | 1:30pm
Location: Hudbay Stage
Manitoba Wildlife Abstract: Working with Wildlife
Speaker: Chris Friesen
This presentation will provide an overview of wildlife and species at risk policy and legislation in Manitoba, and how this legislation interacts with environmental assessments and reviews, mitigation, and conservation activity. It will cover the basics of who, what, where, why, and how of mining-wildlife interactions in Manitoba.
White Otter Biotech Abstract: Genomics-Based Wildlife Monitoring in Manitoba
Speaker: Dr. Danny Gussakovsky
Efficient and accurate wildlife monitoring systems are critical for approvals of environmental assessments and regulatory compliance. As the number of new resource development and major projects increases throughout Manitoba, there is a growing need for more efficient, transparent, and timely wildlife monitoring approaches to protect biodiversity while enabling these developments.
Advances in genomics are enabling new, non-invasive, and affordable approaches to support wildlife monitoring programs. White Otter Biotech, a Winnipeg-based start-up, is leading innovation in this field by developing and implementing genomics-based approaches for wildlife detection, including the collection of airborne genetic material.
These methods enable targeted detection of endangered, rare, and other species of interest alongside broader biodiversity assessments such as species inventories. This session will share early results from ongoing work at the Assiniboine Park Zoo and Churchill, Manitoba, in collaboration with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and University of Manitoba.
The results will be discussed in the context of potential applications for baseline biodiversity assessments, ongoing monitoring programs, and future integration with environmental assessments and regulatory frameworks. This technology has the potential to reduce costs, improve sensitivity, and increase the efficiency of wildlife monitoring across Canada.
Speakers
Chris Friesen, Manitoba Wildlife
Chris Friesen is Manager of Habitat & Species At Risk for provincial department of Natural Resources & Indigenous Futures. In this role, he is responsible for programs related to Wildlife Management Areas, habitat and wildlife mitigation, and species at risk conservation.
Dr. Danny Gussakovsky, White Otter Biotech
Dr. Danny Gussakovsky is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of White Otter Biotech, a start-up developing next-generation wildlife monitoring technologies. Dr. Gussakovsky’s current work focuses on using environmental DNA (eDNA) and environmental RNA (eRNA) to efficiently detect endangered, rare, and other species of interest.
Over the past two years, he has partnered with researchers from post-secondary institutions, conservation groups, and Indigenous governments to develop and implement genomics-based approaches for improved wildlife monitoring. This presentation will focus on his work developing new environmental sampling techniques to detect key Arctic species in Northern Manitoba.
He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry and B.Sc. (Honours) in Biochemistry from the University of Manitoba.
Chair
Chantal Venturi, Hudbay Minerals
Chantal is an Exploration Geologist with 25 years of experience, with a focus on gold and VMS exploration. Chantal was appointed to her current role as Director of Exploration with Hudbay Minerals MBU in 2026.
She holds a master’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from UBC and an Honors Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. Chantal is a licensed professional Geoscientist in the Provinces of Manitoba and British Columbia.