Of all the engineers to graduate from University of Toronto’s Lassonde Mineral Engineering program, Natasha Vaz (MinE 0T2), is one of the most successful and distinguished. She’s the Chief Operating Officer at Kirkland Lake Gold and, since last fall, Chair of the Ontario Mining Association (OMA).
Vaz paid her dues and honed her craft at mining sites of Sudbury, Ont. and Red Lake, Ont. She quickly earned the admiration and respect of her colleagues across the industry, rising through the ranks of top mining firms to become the influential executive and visionary she is today.
Her journey began in the engineering classrooms on U of T’s St. George Campus, where she ignited her passion for work, and where she met the love of her life. It’s also the place where Vaz forged phenomenal friendships and connections with fellow alumni, whom she still calls on today for support, both professional and personal.
She recently sat down with CivMin to reflect on her Skule™ Ddays, her professional accomplishments and the future of mining. She also offers some advice for young engineering students and grads who might feel trepidation about the long road ahead.
Career Inspiration
Midway through high school, Vaz already wanted to pursue a career in engineering, having spent a summer working alongside at an architectural firm in Toronto., but it was a U of T Engineering Day that sealed the deal.
“I walked in there and they had someone from every discipline: Civil, Electrical, Chemical. Then I walked into the [Mineral Engineering] presentation and one of the presenters was talking about tunneling and boring for subway lines and the other presenter went into investment banking – branching out into two very different fields. That piqued my interest, because it opened so many doors. I liked the idea you don’t have to be locked into a specific field or in a specific mine. I realized I could branch out and seize different opportunities.”
Armed with a newfound sense of direction, and a scholarship courtesy of Pierre Lassonde, Vaz started commuting into Toronto from Pickering, Ont. every day for class.
“First-year university was a really good experience. I can tell you there were some very long days…but the best part of U of T was not just the courses, but the friends and peers I made beyond the classroom,” Vaz recalls. Further recounting how much she loved the sense of belonging to a close-knit community that was diverse, inclusive and supportive, all while helping her expand her knowledge base both professionally and socially.
“The classes started big and more generalized, but once I went into third and fourth year the learning became more specialized. I also had more of the adjunct professors, which I found very useful, because you have that practical side of things and the theory behind it too. I could pick their brains on the industry itself.”
Reminiscing about her time at Skule™, Vaz can’t help but recall the countless hours she spent with classmates studying and socializing in the Rock Lounge or the Sanford Fleming building at the gathering spot known as “The Pit”.
“When we weren’t studying, or trying to finish up in assignment, we would go to the atrium. There was always somebody there. I spent a lot of time there in first year and it’s where I developed a lot of friendships with people in different disciplines. The education was important but building a social network was just as important and that is the network I draw upon still, today.”
Vaz also developed another relationship in a strange twist of fate, meeting her future husband in a second year mining lab.
“I missed the GO Train that morning and he was late for class too. It was a day where we had to partner up for the class, so we ended up working together for the whole course. He became my closest friend and still is to this day.”
Career Path
After graduation, armed with her degree and iron ring, Vaz went to Sudbury, working 12-to-14-hour days.
“I was able to sink my first shaft there. I learned how to work hard, but I also had a lot of fun. There was a lot of new things I was exposed to – they threw me into projects right away and I was appointed project engineer for a different number of jobs.”
Vaz’s next stop was Red Lake, Ont. at Goldcorp. It was here she took advantage of an engineering-in-training (EIT) program, exposing her to different disciplines of engineering such as ground control and ventilation.
“Red Lake Gold Mine was the highest-grade gold mine in the world at the time. You went into one of these development headings and the face just glittered; they called it ‘The Jewelry Box’. Not very many people were able to experience this, so I thought I found myself very fortunate.”
While she continued to excel in the field, Vaz also continued to rack up academic credentials. She earned an Executive MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business and attended Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Vaz worked at Lake Shore Gold Corp for over a decade, working her way up from Project Engineer to Vice-president, Technical Services. Then she jumped to Kirkland Lake Gold as VP, Technical Services before moving into her current role as Chief Operating Officer.
Breaking New Ground
Last summer, Vaz was tapped to receive another honour after being named the first woman to serve as chair of the Ontario Mining Association.
“I was excited, but nervous, because it’s a daunting task, but I’m going to work my hardest to move the industry forward. I follow a remarkable line of chairs, each of whom have made important and lasting contributions to the industry and the OMA.”
Reflecting on the successes of her career, Vaz doesn’t believe that her gender ever put her at a disadvantage.
“I’ve been surrounded by exceptional people willing to take a chance on me, but I never want to diminish the struggles, past or present, that anyone may be facing. But I never let those past perceptions and stereotypes hold me back and the best thing I can do is just prove them wrong.”
Vaz says she was always inspired by the fact that a third of her mineral engineering class at U of T was female, and that was 20 years ago.
“I think the next generation of women definitely should see opportunities and possibilities that are limitless in this industry. We just need to attract and support them as well as, help build their confidence and get them involved in STEM type programs before they even get to university.”
As OMA chair, Vaz has several initiatives planned to promote safety and sustainability along with a more unified voice on matters of public policy.
“I want to help raise public awareness, not just over the value that mining brings to our economy, but also on the evolution of this industry. We are definitely not as archaic as some people may think.”
Touting many mining companies’ goal of meeting a net- zero mandate by 2050, Vaz explains the mining industry is utilizing electrification in many ways, such as battery powered vehicles and trolley-assist systems. The goal being not only to reduce carbon emissions for the sake of the planet, but to make the air cleaner for everyone on site.
Final Thoughts
Reminiscing about her Skule™ days, Vaz recalls feeling overwhelmed in first year, and if she can offer any advice to new Engineering undergrads, it’s this:
“The most important thing I learned in university is how to learn. Yes, you’re learning calculus and thermodynamics and rock mechanics and geological structures, but the most important thing is to teach yourself how to learn and discover what makes you successful.”
“Don’t be afraid to venture outside of your comfort zone. It’s OK to be afraid of an opportunity, but at least try it and if anything, it will help build up your confidence. And don’t worry too much about the details of your future. Good work ethic and your passion for the job speaks for itself and leads to success in ways you never imagined.”
Natasha Vaz is a Professional Engineer with 20 years of operational and technical experience in the mining industry. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer, at Kirkland Lake Gold. Natasha is a proven mining industry executive with extensive operational experience and significant knowledge of the company’s assets. In her earlier role she served as Senior Vice President Technical Services, Technology and Innovation at Kirkland Lake Gord and prior to that, as Vice President, Technical Services for Tahoe Resources Inc., focusing on the Company’s Canadian assets. Prior to that assignment, she spent over 10 years at Lake Shore Gold Corp., serving in several operational and technical services roles, including Director, Technical Services and Project Evaluations; and Vice President, Technical Services. Ms. Vaz holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences, Mineral Engineering from the University of Toronto and an Executive MBA from the Kellogg-Schulich School of Management.
By David Goldberg
Connect With Natasha on LinkedIn or through the Agnico Eagle website
Mingliang Tang (MinE 2T0, MASc candidate) a CivMin graduate student under the supervision of Prof.Kamran Esmaeili received the Robert Peele Memorial Award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) for the most outstanding paper published in 2021. A plaque is to be presented in March.
SME’s website provides the following criteria:
The Robert Peele Memorial Award, established in 1953, and funded by AIME, is given for the most outstanding paper published on behalf of The Mining and Exploration Division by an SME member under the age of 35. The award shall consist of a plaque appropriately engraved with the name of the award, the name of the recipient, and the citation referring to the paper for which the award is being conferred. The paper under consideration must have been published in an SME publication within a two-year period ending December 31. Only the first author of a paper must be an SME member not over 35 years of age at the time the paper is submitted. The award is limited to authors of M&E Division papers.
The winning paper:
Tang M, Esmaeili K, 2021. Mapping Surface Moisture of a Gold Heap Leach Pad at the El Gallo Mine Using a UAV and Thermal Imaging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-020-00332-4
The Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Board (IAB) is an integral link in supporting and strengthening the Department’s relationships with key industries, fostering increased collaborative research, enhancing student experiential learning opportunities and increasing industry engagement.
Our IAB is comprised of a group of experienced industry professionals who are all committed to the advancement of our students, faculty and the Department.
We recently caught up with IAB member Anna Robak who is the Director, Research & Innovation at WSP Canada.
What do you specialize in?
My role is promoting research and innovation across all disciplines in science and engineering. It’s an exciting job, because I get to learn about all kinds of fascinating things that our people are researching from enzymes all the way through to structures. I’m also helping people find ways of making more research and innovation happen, and that could be by bringing together research partners or helping them find funding.
What are some projects you’re working on right now?
My background is in asset management, which is all about understanding how an asset’s condition will perform over time, how demand for it changes over time, and therefore how much money you must invest to keep that asset serving the people.
Prior to joining WSP Canada, for 15 years I was advising clients on asset management all around the world.
One project was with Parks Canada. We helped them develop a prioritization system to know which of their billions of dollars of assets they should invest more in so that they wouldn’t crumble, and they could keep serving Canadians’ desire to connect with their heritage and with the outdoors. That prioritization system that we advise them on is still in use today, which is fantastic and I’m proud of that.
More recently, WSP just submitted an NSERC Mission Alliance Grant with University of Toronto Prof. Chi-Guhn Lee from the Centre for Maintenance Optimization and Reliability Engineering (C-MORE). In this project, we want to see corrosion through layers of paint on large structures.
There’s this technique that some mathematicians at the University of Nottingham Trent developed a few years ago, and they use these different mathematical algorithms and hyperspectral cameras to see through layers of old paintings.
We want to use the same technology to see corrosion on large structures across an entire asset portfolio. This means people wouldn’t have to climb up these structures now for inspections and the work environment would be a lot safer. Also, we would be able to understand a lot more about the depth of corrosion that we can’t see with the naked eye.
Why did you want to join the IAB at U of T?
I’m passionate about advancing engineering practice. I wish it could move faster than it does, and I wish could bring research into practice more rapidly. The big reason I wanted to join the IAB was to help make those stronger connections so that we can make that sort of conversion happen more quickly.
How can faculty and even students take advantage of the IAB?
They can reach out to me or anyone else on the IAB. We are very passionate about connecting research partners and finding ways to amplify research. Contact any one of us because we probably have contacts among us who could help you find the right pathway. Whether you’re a researcher or a student trying to better understand how to get into industry, that’s the kind of thing that we’re here to help with.
If you weren’t in the engineering space right now, what do you think you would be doing or what was your backup career?
I must admit I’ve always loved programming. I love the challenge of programming. I haven’t done it in ages though…Before university, I wanted to be an urban planner. Before that, it was a doctor. And before that, a ballerina.
What’s something very few people know about you?
Probably that I did the Ironman about 15 years ago in New Zealand.
Learn more about the Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Board and its members
By David Goldberg
In celebration of Black History Month 2022, members of the U of T Engineering who identify as Black share their insights on the importance of building a Black community in STEM.
January 27, 2022 | Electric Autonomy Canada
January 31, 2022 | Toronto Star
January 24, 2022 | CBC News
With no opportunity in the foreseeable future for an in-person celebration to mark CIvMin University Professor Emeritus Michael Patrick (MP) Collins’s appointment to the Order of Canada, the Department has assembled a collection of heartfelt congratulations and well-wishes from faculty and staff.
Watch the video below and feel free to leave your own message of congratulations for Prof. Collins in the comments section of the YouTube video.
For more on Prof. Collins’s appointment to the Order of Canada, read these stories:
Michael Collins, C.M.: Order of Canada and career reflection
CivMin University Prof. Emeritus MP Collins appointed to the Order of Canada
January 20, 2022 | The Guardian
Wendal Yue (CivE MASc graduand) took second place at the Canadian Geotechnical Society – Southern Ontario Section in the annual Graduate Student Presentation event.
Yue, our U of T representative, discussed his recent MASc thesis work on “Laboratory evaluation of cemented paste backfill shear strength development at early curing stage” (supervisor Prof. Murray Grabinsky). He will convocate this March.
The event, held online Wednesday January 19, saw participating students representing McMaster, Waterloo, Toronto, York, Ryerson, and Western universities.