PDAC

The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) represents the interests of the mineral exploration and development industry.

The association was established in 1932 in response to a proposed government regulation that threatened the livelihood of Ontario prospectors. Today, 78 years after its founding, the association is a national organization with over 7,000 individual members (including prospectors, developers, geoscientists, consultants, mining executives, and students, as well as those involved in the drilling, financial, investment, legal and other support fields) and 950 corporate members (including senior, mid-size and junior mining companies and organizations providing services to the mineral industry).

The work of the association is guided by the following mission statement:

The PDAC exists to protect and promote the interests of the Canadian mineral exploration sector and to ensure a robust mining industry in Canada. The PDAC will encourage the highest standards of technical, environmental, safety and social practices in Canada and internationally. 

The association's activities and the services it provides fall generally into four categories: advocacy, information, good practice, and networking. One of the association's chief activities is the hosting of its international convention, trade show, and investors exchange. This event, held in Toronto, Canada, is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting 22,000 attendees from 118 countries in March 2010.

The work of the association is carried out by a 48-member volunteer board of directors, 15 volunteer committees, and a permanent staff of 18.

In 2007, the board of directors approved a five-year strategic plan for the association. This blueprint identified four priority areas on which the association would be focusing much of its resources and efforts: access to land; corporate social responsibility; human resources for the mineral exploration sector; and the PDAC's international role.

Members are kept up-to-date on PDAC activities and industry matters through PDAC in Brief, published five times a year; PDAC e-News & Activities, a monthly emailed newsletter; PDAC Activities, an annual summary of the work of the association; and occasional publications.