An icon in any industry needs no introduction.
Such was the case for James S. Redpath founder of The Redpath Group. He was the key speaker at a gathering where more than 300 mining executives and representatives from Sudbury’s three post secondary educational institutions converged at the Inco Cavern to celebrate a new $2 million McIntosh Engineering Scholarship Fund.
Redpath lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland with his wife, Sheila.
"I’ve been a way from mining for a long time almost everyone knows more about it than I do. However, it doesn’t bother me much," he says as the crowd erupts into spontaneous laughter.
But everyone in the room knows if it were not for him, mining would not be what it is today. He was the first to sink the deepest shaft down the Creigton Mine at the time, the first to set the bar for high-speed shaft development and was innovative in the mechanical designs that brought the company to new international heights.
In fact, many other companies spawned from Redpath; McIntosh Engineering being one, Ram Raising and Redpath Raise Boring are some others.
He is what some would call a pillar in the mining industry, with his creative, progressive approaches to complex situations. People in the industry admire him for his mentorship, his curious mind, his multi-dimensional thinking and his humour, of which he still has.
Redpath was born in Val d’Or, Quebec, the exact place where Cambrian College president Sylvia Barnard’s parents settled from Germany.
He recalls playing by the Sigma Mine gate, waiting for his father to come out from work. He says these words with a smile wide enough to see his still, perfect teeth and the softness in his eye that comes when anyone is thinking of the past with fondness.
Barnard’s father worked as a miner for a Noranda Marlartic mine. In fact, Barnard was the first woman to go underground in Canada, she says speaking with Redpath.
Back then it was bad luck to have women underground. She is still trying to convince some mining countries and leaders that women in the industry are good for its reputation.
"Women are easier on machines, they take care of the equipment," she says, stating that today half of the students going into mining are women.
Funny that both would meet that evening and have so much in common. One could tell there was an appreciation for their past and a willingness to direct the future. It was the reason for their presence.
When Redpath heard about the McIntosh Engineering Scholarship Fund, "I was so excited. Someone I knew and worked with was doing this," he thought out loud, looking for Scott McIntosh in the crowd. McIntosh Engineering spun off from J.S. Redpath in 1993 to become an independent engineering firm.
They recently underwent a merger with Stantec Inc. a design, consulting, engineering, architecture, economics and project management multinational looking to step a foot into the mining sector. They were careful on who they wanted as a partner, Tony Fracenschini president and CEO of Stantec said.
Redpath approved of the merger as he has been watching Stantec for some time.
"It was the right thing to do at the right time."
So too was establishing a scholarship fund. It is to help give back to the industry, McIntosh says.
"We need to attract people back into the industry."
The $2 million fund will be dispersed around North America to specific post-secondary institutions with engineering programs. The fund contains a five year window, so it is up to the engineering leaders and academic institutions to utilize the funds wisely, he says.
Barnard says, she is looking forward to working with Stantec to devise the best way to utilize the fund.
