Paul Semple, chief operating officer of Noront Resources, passed away suddenly on April 15th at the age of 55.
A professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, Semple joined Noront in 2009. He spent a significant portion of his career with Kilborn Holdings (later SNC-Lavalin), where he was involved in all aspects of global project development, from initial studies through to construction and operations.
Prior to that, he was vice president of projects for Western Goldfields Inc. with responsibility for the feasibility study and engineering/construction required to restart the Mesquite Mine in the U.S.
Semple was also a co-founder of Penguin Automated Systems Inc., a Sudbury-based robotics company.
Noront, which owns the high-grade, nickel, copper and platinum group element (PGE) Eagle’s Nest project in Ontario’s Ring of Fire, praised Semple “as a well-known and respected leader in the mining industry, (who) helped to shape the culture and philosophy of (the) company.”
Semple was born in Englehart, Ontario and raised in nearby Kirkland Lake. He graduated in 1983 with a B.Sc. in Mining Engineering from Queen's University and was honoured by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy with the Past-President’s Medal in 2005 in recognition of his teamwork and leadership.
