Dustin Chaffee

Mining Permitting Specialist

Dustin is an environmental scientist and permitting specialist who transitioned to the consulting sector, bringing over a decade of experience from the mining industry.
Based
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Languages
English

Leveraging my industry experience, I put myself in the client's shoes, understanding how to make significant and impactful contributions tailored to each project.

Dustin is a seasoned professional in the field of environmental compliance and regulation. He assists clients in securing and upholding regulatory permits, evaluates environmental compliance on territorial and federal inspections and external audits, and ensures mine sites adhere to relevant legislation and regulatory requirements. Collaborating closely with regulators, he is well-versed with the federal, provincial, and territorial legislation involved in project permitting. His experience spans North America with a strong focus on Canada's North.

His expertise includes permitting, site assessments, complex regulatory applications, Indigenous and community engagement, mineral tenure, environmental compliance, waste management, environmental, social, governance (ESG), risk assessments, and management plans. He works with environmental standards such as ISO 14001 and is deeply familiar with the regulatory and logistical challenges of planning and executing projects in Canada. He also has a wealth of experience managing non-technical regulatory risks that are crucial to consider in project development.

Recently, Dustin played a key role in the regulatory approval of the Point Lake open pit development at the Ekati Diamond Mine. Before joining Ausenco, he held multiple leadership positions, where he was accountable for maintaining and complying with all regulatory authorizations for site operations. He also managed the waste management program, overseeing the landfill, land farm, waste incineration, composting, and recycling operations. Under his leadership, the team received recognition from the Mining Association of Canada for improving the mine waste management program, earning the 2017 Environmental Excellence Award.

Dustin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Country experience:

  • Canada
  • United States