Tamara Krawchenko on Responsible Mining in The Conversation

November 13, 2025

The SPA’s Dr. Tamara Krawchenko and Darren Godwell, Chair of Indigenous Business Australia, bring together Canadian and Australian perspectives on Indigenous rights and mining in their co-authored article about responsible mining in northern Ontario published in The Conversation. The article argues that Indigenous consent is fundamental to sustainable resource development, reflecting both a legal requirement and a best practice recognized internationally.

Drawing on the recent OECD study on mining regions in northern Ontario, which Dr. Krawchenko led, the authors explore how resource development must embed free, prior and informed consent. Darren Godwell’s Australian experience strengthens the analysis, showing that partnership models—such as co-ownership and transparent benefit-sharing agreements—offer meaningful avenues for communities to actively shape development outcomes. When consent is integrated early and thoroughly, it creates better opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate in economic development, environmental decision-making and oversight of legacy mining sites. 

The OECD study’s recommendations include embedding Indigenous leadership in governance structures, building capacity for procurement and training, and committing to mechanisms that support Indigenous participation in project oversight from exploration through closure. The article concludes that responsible mining and reconciliation are inseparable. The sector’s future depends on centering Indigenous-led solutions, ensuring fairness in benefit sharing, and building processes to reflect local knowledge and aspirations. By pairing research insights with lived experience, Dr. Krawchenko and Darren Godwell provide practical guidance for advancing reconciliation and sustainable innovation in Canada’s mining regions.