Curriculum Vitae
Y.T. John Kwong, B.Sc., M.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (UBC), P.Geo. (SK)
Senior Environmental Scientist/Research Scientist, CanmetMINING, Ottawa
Tel: (613) 943-0525; Fax: (613) 996-9041; E-mail: John.Kwong@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca
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Thirteen years as Senior Environmental Scientist/Research Scientist, CanmetMINING, Ottawa.
Develop, conduct and manage research projects pertaining to contaminant transport and attenuation, mine waste
characterization and management; provide expert advice to internal and external clients on related issues.
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Completed studies on water covers at the Louvicourt Mine (Quebec), chemical stability of impounded
tailings at Mount Nansen (YT), submarine tailings disposal and deep-sea tailings placement, transformation
and mobilization of arsenic and antimony, chemical stability of paste backfill, and biofilm formation on
submerged tailings.
Served as a federal EA reviewer on ARD/ML issues for many proposed mining and development projects
(e.g. Prosperity Au-Cu, Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, Mary River iron, Kiggavik uranium);
participated in expert working groups advising on the decommissioning of abandoned mines in the Keno
Hill area (YT), the Giant Mine (NWT) and Sydney coal mines (NS).
Current research endeavours address mine waste management in a changing climate, performance of
Canadian mines in water quality protection, radium remobilization from submerged uranium tailings, metal
background and mobility at Keno Hill as well as environmental ore deposit models for the Canadian North.
Two years as Senior Environmental Scientist, Klohn-Crippen Consultants, Calgary.
Conduct and manage projects with a significant AMD and geochemistry component; provide technical review
for related projects across Canada and overseas.
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Designed investigation programs and produced nine reports on pre- and post-mine AMD and metal
leaching assessments for various projects in Canada (BC and NWT) and South America (Peru).
Nine years as Research Scientist, National Hydrology Research Institute, Saskatoon. Conduct research on
the geochemistry of geologic materials in contact with contaminated surface and ground waters and related
issues. Some significant projects completed include:
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Prediction and prevention of acid rock drainage from a geological and mineralogical perspective
(MEND Project 1.32.1)
Galvanic interaction in sulphide oxidation and its impact on mine water chemistry
Post-mine aqueous metal transport in the Keno Hill mining district, Yukon
Climatic warming and permafrost degradation along the McKenzie Highway
Transport and attenuation of heavy metals in the northern environment
Acid generation and metal leaching at the abandoned Mt. Washington Mine, BC
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Ten years as Laboratory Scientist (Mineralogist), B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum
Resources, Victoria. Conduct X-ray diffraction analysis in support of geological mapping and exploration
programs; collaborate with staff geologists on a variety of resources assessment projects.
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Completed doctoral dissertation on supergene alteration of the Afton porphyry Cu-Au deposit and a
professional paper (bulletin) on the evolution of the Iron Mask batholith and its associated copper
mineralization
Published papers on supergene alteration at Afton mine, petrogenesis of a gold skarn and a carbonatite
enriched in rare earth elements, use of coal ash mineralogy as an indicator of oxidation, porphyry
tailings as a source of titanium, and, zeolites as an industrial mineral resource in British Columbia
Selected Recent Publications (pertaining to ARD/ML and contaminant transport):
Beauchemin, S., Kwong, Y.T.J., Desbarats, A.J., MacKinnon, Percival, J.B., Parsons, M.B. and Pnada, K.
(2012): Downstream changes in antimony and arsenic speciation in sediments at a mesothermal gold
deposit in British Columbia, Canada, Applied Geochemistry 27:1953-1965.
Adelman, J., Beauchemin, S., Hendershot, W. and Kwong, Y.T.J (2012): Change in the oxidation rate of stibnite
as affected by pyrite in an oxygenated flow-through system. Geochemistry, Exploration, Environment,
Analysis 12:227-239.
Desbarats, A.J., Parsons, M.B., Percival, J.B., Beauchemin, S. and Kwong, Y.T.J. (2011): Geochemistry of
mine waters draining a low-sulfide, gold-quartz vein deposit, Bralone, British Columbia. Applied
Geochemistry, 26:1990-2003.
Kwong, Y.T.J., Whitley, G. and Roach, P. (2009): Natural acid rock drainage associated with black shale in the
Yukon Territory, Canada. Applied Geochemistry 24:221-231.
Kwong, Y.T.J., Beauchemin, S., Hossain, M.F. and Gould, W.D. (2007): Transformation and mobilization of
arsenic in the historic Cobalt mining camp, Ontario, Canada. Journal of Geochemical Exploration
92:133-150.
Vigneault, B., Kwong, Y.T.J. and Warren, L. (2007): Assessing the long-term performance of a shallow water
cover to limit oxidation of reactive tailings at Louvicourt Mine. MEND Report 2.12.2, Natural
Resources Canada, Ottawa, 38pp + appendices.
Beauchemin, B. and Kwong, Y.T.J. (2006): Impact of redox conditions on arsenic mobilization from tailings in
a wetland with neutral drainage. Environmental Sciences and Technology 40:6297-6303.
Kwong, Y.T.J., Pratt, A. and Botton, G. (2006): Antimony leaching from stibnite and complex ores. In: R.I.
Barnhisel (ed.) Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Acid Drainage, March 26-30, 2006,
St. Louis, MO, American Society of Mine Reclamation, Lexington, KY, pp.993-1006.
Kwong, Y.T.J. (2004): Facts and myths on the effectiveness of water covers to suppress sulfide oxidation and
metal leaching – field and laboratory evidence. In: R.I Barnhisel (Ed.), Proceedings of the 21st National
Conference of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation and the 25th West Virginia Surface
Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium, Morgantown, April 18-22, 2004. American Society of Mining
and Reclamation, Lexington, Kentucky, pp.1157-1174.
Kwong, Y.T.J. (2003): Galvanic sulphide oxidation as a metal-leaching mechanism and its environmental
implications. Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis 3:337-343.
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