Mining delegates on alert over Canada conference diagnosis

The mining sector is scrambling to deal with possible exposure to the coronavirus at a conference in Canada.

Australia’s mining sector is scrambling to deal with possible exposure to the coronavirus after a delegate to the world’s biggest mining conference in Canada was diagnosed with COVID-19.

More than 23,000 delegates attended the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto in the first week of March, including hundreds of Australian mining executives and technical specialists, and dozens of state and federal government bureaucrats.

Canadian health authorities said on Wednesday a 50-year-old Canadian national had been diagnosed with COVID-19. There was no known transmission source for the case, with the finger pointed at his attendance at the mining conference as the most likely source.

Canadian health authorities warned that delegates should “monitor for symptoms for 14 days” although they said there was no need for conference delegates to self-isolate as of Wednesday night.

Miners are on high alert for the virus at remote mine sites with the risk of transmission likely to cause operations to shut down.

Attendees that spoke to The Australian said conference organisers had not notified delegates of the potential risk by Wednesday evening.

Executives across dozens of mining companies were scrambling to deal with the news late on Wednesday, with one senior executive contacted by The Australian saying he was in the middle of packing his office to go home to self-isolate, having just briefed his staff after learning of the news.

Others first learned of the issue when contacted by The Australian for comment.

Canadian health authorities say the case is only the second known instance of community transmission of the disease in the country, and the man had not come into direct contact with anyone known to have fallen ill with the virus — suggesting at least one other delegate to PDAC had the virus and was able to spread it.

Rio Tinto exploration and development boss Steve McIntosh was one of the headline speakers at the conference, and Australian companies including South32, BHP, Rio Tinto, Aeris Resources and S2 Resources had exhibition stands at PDAC.

Dozens of other Australian executives and bureaucrats spoke at a dedicated “Australia Pavilion” event sponsored by the federal government.

In addition, major Australian players such as Evolution Mining, Sandfire Resources, Regis Resources, Gold Road Resources and Newcrest Mining are believed to have sent senior executives and members of their business development teams to PDAC, renowned as a scouting ground for new projects and mineral discoveries.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the speakers.

A spokeswoman for Newcrest said the company was aware of the advice from Canadian authorities about attendance at the conference.

She said a “small number” of Newcrest staff had attended the conference. “We are actively monitoring these employees after advice from health authorities regarding a confirmed coronavirus case and continue to also implement the preventive measures that are in line with health authority guidance,” she said.

Commonwealth and state government departments on Wednesday evening were trying to obtain details of the confirmed case.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission, known as Austrade, hosted an Australian Pavilion at the event, featuring presentations from state and territory government delegates, including departmental deputy secretaries, senior geologists, as well as executives from leading private companies.

Austrade senior trade commissioner Nick Baker is listed on the conference schedule, and was due to give a speech on doing business with Australia. Austrade hosted a panel discussion on March 2 that was followed by a networking function.

The NSW state government launched its Future of Minerals Report, hosting drinks afterwards. South Australia’s Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan was due to give a speech promoting the state’s exploration opportunities but cancelled after the state opposition refused to provide leave for the attendance.

A spokesman for the minister said on Wednesday that departmental staff were in attendance but he said he had no knowledge of a COVID-19 event.

Austrade, DFAT and state governments were contacted for comment.