Common Ground | Session Two: Who Issues Your Social Licence to Operate?

A live panel on rights holders, communities, and who really decides whether a mining project gets to go ahead. Every mining project needs two kinds of permission. One comes from regulators, on paper, on a timeline. The other comes from the people who live with the project: rights holders, neighbouring communities, workers and municipalities. It isn't issued by any agency, and it can be withdrawn at any time. This second session of Common Ground, hosted by Axiom Exploration Group and VBKOM, asks who actually holds that licence. How is it earned, how is it kept, and what happens when a company assumes it has it? Our panellists talk about what separates projects that build trust from projects that only describe it, and what changes when the people most affected by a project share in its success. This one is live at the Saskatchewan Geological Open House. It runs longer than our online sessions, with real time for questions from the floor. This event is part two of a three-part series: Common Ground. Meet the Panellists • Melissa Engdahl, VP Operations & Community Relations, Axiom Group • Maria Antoniades, Senior Geologist & ESG Consultant, VBKOM • Moderator: [TBC] Details Date and time: Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 4:30–6:00 pm CST Location: TCU Place, 35 22nd Street East, Saskatoon, SK Cost: Free. Saskatchewan Geological Open House registration required.