Cheryl Pocklington

Director, Mines Investigations - Ministry of Energy and Mines

Cheryl is a seasoned health and safety regulator with over 20 years of experience in the mining sector of British Columbia. Specializing in incident investigation and human organizational performance, Cheryl’s work is driven by a commitment to enhancing workplace safety and promoting a deeper understanding of how incidents occur in complex working environments.

Rather than focusing on blame, she encourages a learning approach to uncover how tasks are performed under real-world conditions. Cheryl’s expertise in human factors has been pivotal in preventing injuries and incidents through regulatory field inspections, safety audits, and complex incident investigations.

Currently, Cheryl leads a specialized team for the British Columbia mining regulator, focusing on investigating serious and fatal incidents in the industry. She is passionate about modernizing the regulatory landscape to meet the complexities of today’s workplaces. While acknowledging the importance of enforcement when necessary, she believes that there is more safety knowledge to be gained through the understanding of the performance of everyday work.

Cheryl collaborates with other regulators and enforcement agencies to foster a culture of learning and growth. She advocates for a regulatory approach that prioritizes learning from failures and successes to evolve practices. Cheryl offers a fresh perspective on regulatory practices and is eager to engage in conversations about “Regulating Differently.”

Gordon Walsh

Principal Consultant, Energy Safety Canada

Gordon Walsh has been working in health and safety for over 20 years and is currently employed with Energy Safety Canada (ESC) as a Principal Consultant, Safety Centre of Excellence. Before starting a career in safety Gordon was employed in various industries including Excavation, General Construction and Underground Mining.  Over the past 4 years Gordon has been focused on learning about Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and Safety Differently concepts, working directly with experts in industry and academia to progress the philosophy of the 5 Five Principles of HOP forward with industry.

At 5:13 am, on May 9^th 1992, the Westray Mne in Pictou County Nova Scotia sustained a catastrophic explosion killing all 26 miners underground. Gordon was on his days off, and due back to work that very night. As a result of the explosion Gordon volunteered to work on the rescue and recovery efforts over the next 5 days. This experience of Westray had a profound impact on Gordon’s understanding of why workers get injured and killed doing normal work.

Gordon has been an instructor of safety courses and a presenter at multiple conferences over the last decade covering topics relevant to frontline workers as well as manager level content. Gordon sits on the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Area OHS Advisory Council as well the Construction Safety Research Alliance (CSRA) Safety Culture research project.

Gordana Slepcev

COO, Lomiko Metals

Accomplished C-suite executive and registered professional mining engineer with more than 25 years of experience leading ten mining operations on two continents. Experienced in all facets of the mining cycle, including exploration, permitting, corporate and regulatory, First Nations negotiations, project financing and investor relations. Achieved record production at the Pine Cove operation exiting the yearly output for 30%. Evaluate, acquired and constructed Stoger Tight Mine in Newfoundland. Developed the Argyle mine through exploration, resource estimation, engineering, permitting into profitable gold mining operation in Newfoundland. Successfully acquired and developed into feasibility stage the Goldboro project in Nova Scotia. Raised $4.2M to finance Quebec exploration assets resulting in completion of 13,000 meters infill drill program, metallurgical purification studies and baselines studies since joining Lomiko Metals in November 2021. Experienced ESG leader that negotiated MOU agreement and completed ECOLOGO certification for project in Quebec. Six years of non-profit board experience with trade associations. Skills and experience include:
– COO and executive roles – non-profit Chair of the Board
– Reporting to public and private boards – Fundraising: retail, institutions and government
– International business experience – Budget preparation and delivering on the budgets
– Subject matter expert in mining operations – P&L responsibility and planning
– Project Development Expertise – Company M&A experience
– Investor Relation – ESG Expert

Jeffery Lyth

Consultant, Facilitator, Author,

Jorge Freitas

Health & Safety Director, Engineering, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation

Jorge Freitas is a Professional Engineer, with 30 years of experience in the mining industry in Brazil and Canada. He has been with EMLI for 8 years where he has performed different roles, including the director of the Health and Safety Specialists Unit and, for the past 2 years, as the director of the Regulatory and Code Review. Leading a group of professionals from EMLI, Jorge has also been involved with regulatory requirements and applications related to the introduction of emerging technologies in mine sites in BC. As a holder of the first-class certificate of competency, he is also an active member of EMLI’s Board of Examiners.

Caroline Nakatsuka

Director, Health and Safety Specialists, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation

Caroline Nakatsuka, MSc, BEd, is the Director of the Health and Safety Specialist Unit with the Office of the Chief Inspector of Mines at the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. With over two decades of experience as a mining regulator and occupational hygienist, Caroline is driven by her desire to protect workers in the mining industry and beyond. She is dedicated to advancing the promotion of workplace health and safety and preventing occupational illness and injury, ensuring healthier and safer working environments.  She resides on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, where she feels privileged to live and raise her children.