
About Us
Nova Copper Inc. is a privately held Canadian exploration company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, focused on advancing the responsible development of strategic critical mineral properties in Atlantic Canada, including the flagship Sydney Copper project located in Nova Scotia, a Tier 1 jurisdiction.
The company is strategically located in Atlantic Canada which has a stable political environment, a well-established mining industry backed by data from over 100 years of exploration, and proximity to essential infrastructure such as commercial and hydropower, highways, and year-round deep-sea ports.
We are committed to the responsible development and production of our mineral properties. Nova Copper operates in support of Cape Breton’s economic growth and has a clear focus on protecting the environment as part of the solution.
Nova Copper has built a team of local industry experts, community leaders, and rising talent. All team members are local to Nova Scotia.

Meet The Team

Harry Cabrita
President, CEO and Founder
Graduated from Cape Breton University in 1986, Harry is a veteran crude oil and mining executive with over 25 years of experience leading companies and projects across four continents, often in challenging
jurisdictions. An innovative and energetic senior leader, he excels in managing operations, creating value, and driving results. He is skilled in building and aligning teams to drive long-term value for both projects and
their communities.

Jesse Halle, PGeo
Exploration Consultant
With over 25 years of exploration experience, Jesse is the co-founder and President of Halle Geological Services Ltd. He holds B.Sc degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Toronto and Geology from Lakehead University. Jesse has worked on numerous base and precious metal deposits in Canada and the US, advancing projects like Western Copper and Gold’s Casino Deposit and Copper Mountain Mining’s Copper Mountain Deposit.

Emily Halle, PMP
Exploration Consultant
A Geologist and Managing Director at Halle Geological Services Ltd., with two decades of experience in exploration and program management, focusing on porphyry copper-gold systems in BC and Yukon, and projects in Africa, Alaska, and Eastern Canada. She has operations management experience in industrial mining and processing. Emily holds a B.Comm and a B.Sc in Geology from Saint Mary’s University, is a certified PMP, and a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists.

Rob Batherson
Public Affairs Advisor
Diverse professional experience over the past 25 years includes being an interim chief executive officer in the international education sector, a communications agency co-owner and public relations practice leader and a press secretary/communications director working alongside elected officials and staff in Halifax and Ottawa, including the Premier of Nova Scotia and Conservative Members of Parliament. Outside of politics and business, Rob is an active community volunteer with extensive board governance experience.

Savanna Cabrita, BSc
Junior Manager
Four years of experience in sustainable mining development. As an environmental scientist, she has built environmental water monitoring programs and worked on sustainable finance and renewable energy projects. She has worked with the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Canadian Federal Government (SDTC), and Net Zero Atlantic. Savanna holds a B.Sc. with distinction in Environmental Science and Business from Dalhousie University and an EIA Certificate.

Louis MacLeod
Site Supervisor
Louis is an experienced and safety-driven exploration project site supervisor. He is the most recent site supervisor at the project site in 2006-2011 under the previous ownership. Between 2006 to 2011, he has over seen drilling, blasting, extraction and material handling activities on the same property. Louis was born and raised in Cape Breton, and thoroughly knows the people, property and Cape Breton. He is known for his solid coordination in multidisciplinary crews, managing subcontractors, maintaining high productivity, and collaborating with geologist, engineers, stakeholders and regulatory bodies.
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Herbert Fournier, B.Sc.., M.Sc., PhD
Geological Advisor
Herbert is a geologist specializing in geochronology and critical minerals. He holds a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering from Universidad Central de Venezuela, and an M.Sc. and PhD in Geology from Queen’s University, Canada. He brings extensive field‑work experience in geological mapping and mineral exploration, complemented by expertise in mineralogy, geochemistry, and the application of machine learning to geochemical datasets, with a strong focus on resource development.

Ian Flint, B.A.Sc.., M.A.Sc., PhD
Metallurgical Processing & Engineering Advisor
Dr. Flint has more than 30 years experience in mineral processing; physical processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy. This work has included risk analysis, testing, pilot work, plant design, equipment design, fabrication, retrofitting and operation of processing plants globally. Dr. Flint has worked for consulting companies, mining companies worldwide, junior mining companies, startup companies and taught engineering for eleven years. This work as including many minerals and applications including copper, cobalt, and kaolin.

Joe Hines, BEng
Technical Advisor
B. Eng. (Metallurgy) graduate from Dalhousie University and is experienced in Iron, Molybdenum, Copper, Coal, and Gold processing. He specializes in Operations, Maintenance and site development through project and construction management roles. He worked for the Iron Ore Company of Canada and Thompson Creek Mining filling rolls of Metallurgist, Project Manager, Superintendent, and various site Management positions. For 12 years served as Executive VP and COO for East Coast Metal Fabrication.

Dr. Tony Barresi, PGeo
Technical Advisor
Geologist with over 20 years of experience in grassroots and brownfield programs, specializing in porphyry, epithermal gold, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. He holds a B.Sc from Saint Mary’s University and a Ph.D from Dalhousie University. Dr. Barresi is involved with exploration companies at the executive level, including Director at ArcWest Exploration, past President of QuestEx Gold and Copper, and Technical Advisor at Triumph Gold.
