Harvey McLeod, P.Eng., P.Geo.

Harvey started his career in geotechnical engineering in 1974 by working as a dam engineer in Nigeria. Since then, has become a globally recognized leader in mine tailings management. Harvey has worked on more than 300 tailings dams in over 20 countries and studied some of the largest mining operations in the world. He’s investigated tailings dam failures, including the tailings dam breach at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia, Canada, in 2014.

In 2015, following a review of tailings dam regulations across Canada and internationally, Harvey concluded a fresh start was required, and set out to establish standards for tailings management in the mining industry for the Province of British Columbia, Canada.

Industry Involvement

Harvey is chair of the sub-committee on Tailings Dams for the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), and chair of the Tailings Technical Review sub-committee for British Columbia’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM). Harvey helped write the B.C. government’s 2017 Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines, and he’s working with the Canadian Dam Association (CDA), Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C., and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on improving their guidelines and regulations for tailings dams. He is a frequent keynote presenter and author of more than 20 technical papers.

Awards

In 2013, Harvey received the prestigious Robert R. Hedley Award from the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME-BC) for excellence in social and environmental responsibility, which recognizes individuals who have made a global impact in their field. This award was followed by an Engineering Institute of Canada Fellowship in 2016 for excellence in engineering and services to the profession and to society. In 2019 he was recognized by the CDA for his service and leadership.

Education

Harvey has a B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering from The University of British Columbia and an M.Sc. in Soil Mechanics from Imperial College, London. He is a registered professional engineer in British Columbia.