Michael McPhie has spent nearly three decades in mining. His career began in the Arctic, searching for diamonds. It never really slowed down.
“You know, I’ve had such a wonderful career,” he said. “I started out looking for diamonds in the Arctic.”
A career built on discovery and reinvention
McPhie has worked across Northern Ontario, South America and Southeast Asia. He has raised capital, built projects and led companies.
Now, he is focused on something different. Not just discovery, but rediscovery.
As managing director of Regeneration Enterprises, McPhie works on recovering metals from mine waste. The goal is simple in concept. Extract value from what was left behind. Use that value to restore landscapes.
It is, as he puts it, “the second life of a mining project.”
Vancouver’s quiet dominance
For McPhie, the story of modern mining still runs through Vancouver.
“Vancouver is a real… centre of gravity for so much in the mineral exploration and mining business.”
He describes a dense ecosystem. Within a few city blocks, companies can discover, finance and build a mine. Legal, technical and environmental expertise sits close by.
“You can discover a mine, you can finance it, you can get all the legal advice you require,” he said.
It is not just a Canadian hub. It is global infrastructure for mining.
McPhie has worked in other centres, including Toronto and London. None, he says, match Vancouver’s completeness.
That concentration of expertise now feeds into new ideas like mine waste reprocessing.
Turning waste into supply
At Regeneration Enterprises, the focus is on legacy sites. Tailings, slag and waste rock become inputs, not liabilities.
“Our focus is on metals… and rare earth recovery from mine waste.” The model is circular. Recover metals, then fund restoration using the proceeds.
The opportunity is not marginal. It is massive.
“The majority of the critical minerals needs… could be met through recovery of metals from waste material,” he said, citing recent research from the IEA.
Copper, cobalt, silver and rare earth elements are already sitting in old sites. The challenge is technological, not geological.
Waste reprocessing also moves faster than new mines. Projects can come online quickly. That matters in a world facing rising demand.
It also answers a growing concern from communities.
Old sites often sit unresolved for decades. Addressing them builds trust. It can even unlock support for future development.
The invisible foundation of modern life
McPhie believes public awareness is catching up to reality.
“If you peel back the casing… it just gleams with metals,” he said of everyday devices.
Phones, laptops and data centres all depend on critical minerals. Without them, modern life would look very different.
This shift in awareness is changing policy and geopolitics.
Governments now focus on securing supply chains. Industry is responding with new models, including traceable and sustainable sourcing.
Companies like Apple are part of that shift. They want visibility upstream. They want certainty in their materials.
British Columbia, McPhie argues, is well positioned to deliver both.
Optimism grounded in work
Despite global uncertainty, McPhie remains optimistic. Especially when he talks to younger people.
“There’s a tremendous sense of optimism.”
He sees opportunity in the resource sector. Careers that combine travel, purpose and strong earnings.
“The ability to make great money… and do really fulfilling meaningful work,” he said.
His advice: Work hard. Be willing to leave home. Explore.
For McPhie, the future of mining is not just about new discoveries. It is about doing more with what already exists.
And in that second life, he sees both responsibility and opportunity.
Ian Biana writes for the Resource Works Accelerate team and can be reached at [email protected].
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