Toronto Geological Discussion Group upcoming events

Jean-Philippe Paiement - Lessons learned after working with 100 mining companies: four fallacies in how AI is used in the geosciences (13 Oct 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Jean-Philippe Paiement

Chief Technology Officer, VRIFY

Talk Abstract

AI has not failed mineral exploration. Four assumptions have.

Drawing on 25 years of exploration experience and work with more than 200 mining companies, this talk takes apart the premises that quietly shape how the industry builds and buys AI for discovery: that the unlock is always new data, that the highest accuracy score wins, that the remaining deposits must be hiding somewhere new, and that a model's job is to hand you the answer. When the premise is wrong, no amount of data saves you. You solve the wrong problem faster.

Each fallacy is examined against real results. Data augmentation turns a handful of raw inputs into dozens of model-ready layers without a new survey. Random train/test splits leak across mineralized zones and inflate accuracy, while a 15:1 class imbalance lets a model reach 90% by learning to say no; holding out entire zones and reading minority-class F1, uncertainty and feature importance gives an honest number instead of a flattering one. Three generations of deposit-specific foundation models show validation accuracy and F1 rising on 10 of 11 deposit types as the shared training corpus grows, which points at a collective problem rather than an individual one. And 56% of new resource announcements between 2020 and 2024 came from existing projects, so the frontier is the ground already explored, not the seafloor. The four fallacies converge on a single mistake: building oracles when exploration needs instruments that produce reasoning. The output of a good exploration AI is not a target. It is an argument, and it should be measured on defensibility, auditability and iteration speed rather than on a score.

Speaker Bio

Jean-Philippe is a seasoned geostatistician with a strong background in structural, geological, and geochemical modeling and interpretation. His expertise extends to artificial intelligence, nonlinear interpolation, and simulation techniques. Throughout his career, Jean-Philippe has developed innovative workflows and approaches to minimize interpretational risks associated with geological data. With a wealth of experience in mineral resource estimation, he has successfully applied his skills to diverse geological environments worldwide, covering precious metals, base metals, and industrial minerals. In 2016, Jean-Philippe made a groundbreaking contribution to the field by pioneering the application of Machine Learning to mineral exploration. His achievements were recognized when he won the Integra GoldRush challenge, showcasing the potential of machine learning in mineral deposit targeting. Since then, he has remained at the forefront of advancing the application of machine learning to address geological and geophysical challenges, combining deep geological knowledge with supervised and deep learning techniques.

Jean-Philippe Paiement | LinkedIn

Join us in-person and attend our networking reception, kindly sponsored by VRIFY, using the above registration link for this event or join our live online broadcast below!

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TGDG recommends using Google Chrome to run the meeting virtually. Please register/log-in for this online broadcast using the link. TGDG members will also be able to view this presentation at a later date by visiting our member's only Talk Recordings page.

Webinar: Gold Metallurgy for Geologists (27 Oct 2026)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:00:00 GMT

TBD

TBD, SGS

Talk Abstract

Coming soon

Speaker Bio

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Join us live online broadcast or register to receive the recording link using the button below!

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Webinar Registration

From Orebody to Recovery: Gold Metallurgy for Geologists (30 Oct 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:30:00 GMT

Overview

Join us on Friday October 30th, 2026, for a rare behind-the-scenes visit to SGS Lakefield, one of the world’s leading metallurgical testing facilities and a site celebrating 85 years of metallurgical innovation in 2026.

Designed for geologists, Qualified Persons, mining analysts and other technical professionals, this one-day program will explore the connection between geology, mineralogy, metallurgy and project economics.

Through technical presentations and guided laboratory tours, participants will see how gold ores are characterized, tested and evaluated—and how metallurgical information can help identify risks, inform recovery assumptions and support better project decisions.

An online webinar setting the stage for the visit is being planned for 4 pm October 27th, 2026

Why Attend?

Gold recovery is about much more than a single percentage in a resource model or economic study.

Where the gold occurs, how it is associated with other minerals, how the ore responds to grinding and processing, and how metallurgical characteristics vary throughout a deposit can all influence flowsheet design, recovery and ultimately project value.

During this program, participants will:

Follow the journey from orebody to flowsheet and understand how geological and mineralogical characteristics influence metallurgical testwork.
Explore the fundamentals of gold recovery, including gravity concentration, cyanidation, heap leaching, CIP, CIL and Merrill-Crowe.
Understand the importance of process mineralogy and gold deportment in determining where gold occurs and how it may be recovered.
Examine refractory gold and geometallurgy and the challenges they can introduce into project development.
Connect recovery assumptions to project economics and technical reporting, including considerations relevant to NI 43-101 studies.
Learn directly from experienced SGS metallurgists working on gold projects from around the world.
See metallurgical testing in action during guided tours of the SGS Lakefield laboratories.
Participation counts towards CPD hours (see certification at https://www.tgdg.net/faq#APGO)

Morning Program: Technical Presentations

The morning technical program will take participants beyond the terminology and into the practical decisions that shape a gold metallurgical testing program. It will feature practical, insight-rich presentations from Lakefield’s experienced metallurgists. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the testing approaches and metallurgical decisions that shape successful gold projects

The SGS Lakefield specialists will explore topics including:

Comminution, gravity concentration, cyanidation, and heap-leach testing
Gold recovery methods, including Merrill-Crowe, CIP, and CIL
Refractory gold recovery and geometallurgy
Recent developments in gold metallurgy
Gold process mineralogy and deportment studies

A particular focus of the program will be process mineralogy and gold deportment. Not all gold behaves the same way. Understanding whether gold occurs as liberated particles, is associated with sulphides, is locked within other minerals, or occurs in forms that may be difficult to recover can fundamentally change the direction of a metallurgical program.

Participants will see how early mineralogical insight can help focus testwork, identify potential recovery challenges sooner and support the development of a more effective flowsheet.

If the group exceeds 20 participants, this portion of the program may be held at a nearby venue (Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn, 84 Lansdowne St E, Peterborough, ON K9J 7N9)

Afternoon Program: Laboratory Tours

After lunch, we'll move from the presentation room into the laboratory.

Participants will tour SGS Lakefield's metallurgical test areas in small groups, providing an opportunity to see the equipment, workflows and testing environments discussed during the morning sessions.

The tour will also include the automated mineralogy laboratory, where participants can see how advanced mineralogical characterization contributes to understanding gold occurrence, associations and recovery behavior.

Rather than simply hearing about gold metallurgy, you'll have an opportunity to see how metallurgical questions are investigated in practice.

Bottle Roll cyanide testing

Who Should Attend?

This program will be particularly valuable for:

• Exploration and resource geologists

• Project and mine geologists

• Qualified Persons and technical report authors

• Mining and resource analysts

• Geological consultants

• Technical professionals involved in project evaluation

• Anyone looking to better understand the connection between what is in the ground and what can ultimately be recovered

Come see the metallurgy behind the geology—and how understanding both can lead to better gold project decisions.

Logistics

• Because on-site parking is limited, a coach has been arranged for GTA participants.

• The coach will depart at 7:30 a.m. from Finch TTC Station Friday October 30th, 2026

• Pick-up will be at the Finch Station Passenger Pick-Up and Drop-Off,

16 Hendon Ave, North York, ON M2M 1A2, beside the west parking lot, where parking is usually available.

• Participants travelling from outside the GTA can find hotel accommodation in Lakefield village or Peterborough.

Cost

The cost is $125 per person for TGDG members (non-members $150 includes reduced rate membership), offering excellent value for a full day of technical presentations, laboratory access, and practical exposure to gold metallurgy. A limited number of spots will be available for participants from outside of the GTA – please contact TGDG (contact@tgdg.net)

TGDG very much appreciates SGS sponsorship of this tour.