The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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With devolution around the corner and a well-reasoned mineral development strategy in place, government and industry officials in Northwest Territories are making a concerted effort to alert the world to the mineral resource and investment opportunities to be found in Canada's Far North, especially in the jurisdiction that boasts the third-richest diamond resources in the world. In addition to three operating diamond mines and the sole tungsten producer in the West, NWT currently has six well-advanced mine projects working...
In the wake of the departure of its former option partner, De Beers Canada Inc., Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. has reported discovery during the 2013 summer exploration program of three new kimberlite bodies at the Chidliak diamond project located 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Iqaliut, the capital of Nunavut. Discovered in 2008, the Chidliak Project covers 7,480 square kilometers (2,888 square miles) on South Baffin Island. Peregrine acquired 100 percent ownership of the project in February 2012, buying out the 51 percent...
Northwest Territories continued to benefit in 2013 from a recent surge of exploration interest. A vast expanse of mountains, forests and tundra that is roughly two-thirds the size of Alaska, the territory covers 1.17 million square kilometers (431,162 square miles). "We have, in the North, what the world wants - what emerging markets need," Northwest Territories Premier Robert "Bob" McLeod told an audience at a Prospects North gathering in Yellowknife Sept. 11. "We are the third-largest diamond producer in the world. In...
Nunavut's exploration and mining opportunities consistently have attracted the attention of the major global producers. Natural Resources Canada determined that C$422 million was spent on exploring for minerals in Nunavut in 2012, and estimates that C$313 million will be spent in 2013. Exploration is underway for many minerals in Nunavut and much of the territory remains largely under-explored. These realities suggest that Nunavut's mineral production will increase substantially in the next decade. Nunavut has one operating...
There is a reason why Nunavut has one of the fastest-growing economies in Canada: mining. With one operating gold mine at Meadowbank, two huge projects on the verge of startup at Hope Bay and Mary River, five projects advancing through the environmental assessment process at Meliadine, Back River, Hackett River, and the Izok corridor as well as exploration activities continuing across all three regions of the territory in 2013, there's little wonder that Nunavut's "time has come." "Mining has the best potential to create...
MPV: TSX / AMEX Chairman: Jonathan Comerford President and CEO: Patrick Evans Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. continued to focus in 2013 on exploration and development of the Gahcho Kué Project located about 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The project encompasses four mining leases held in trust by De Beers. The project hosts four primary kimberlite bodies - Hearne, Tuzo, Tesla, and 5034 - three of which have a probable mineral reserve of 31.3 million metric tons grading 1.57...
PGD: TSX Chairman and CEO: Eric Friedland President: Brooke Clements Chief Geoscientist: Jennifer Pell Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. focused in 2013 on its primary diamond exploration project, the Chidliak Project, in southeastern Nunavut. At Chidliak, located 120 kilometers (74 miles) northeast of Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, Peregrine had an option agreement with DeBeers Canada Inc. whereby De Beers had the exclusive right until Dec. 31, 2013 to enter into an earn-in and joint venture agreement for the project on a 50.1 percent...
Kennady Diamonds Inc. is wrapping up what its management describes as a very successful 2013 exploration season at its Kennady North Project located immediately north and west of the Gahcho Kué Joint Venture where De Beers Canada (51 percent) and Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (49 percent) in Northwest Territories about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east-northeast of Yellowknife. The Gahcho Kué JV is currently working to develop the world's largest and richest diamond mine. The 13 leases and claims covering about 12,356 h...
There's nothing like getting an early start, especially when it comes to mining exploration in Canada's Far North. Literally, there's nothing like the 2013 program that Prosperity Goldfields Corp. kicked off in late February at its Kiyuk Lake Project to the east in southern Nunavut nor the 2013 field campaign launched about the same time by Kaminak Gold Corp. at the Coffee Gold Project in Yukon Territory. In a year when many mining companies are having to scrape together enough exploration funds to even mount a field program...
A challenging economic climate in 2012 failed to impede growth in mining activity in Northwest Territories. As miners struggled to fund their work programs, numerous companies managed to plow ahead in the wake of regulatory improvements, advancing projects that could bring even more robust times to the territory's mineral resources sector. The Northwest Territories, one of Canada's three northern territories, is sandwiched between Yukon Territory to the west and Nunavut to the east. With a land mass of nearly 1,347,150...
The Northwest Territories has been closely linked with the mining industry ever since B.A. Blakeney, a prospector on his way to the Klondike, staked the first gold mining claim here in 1898. And although the focus has shifted from gold to diamonds, the industry remains at the forefront of any discussion regarding the NWT's economic well-being: the territory produced over C$2 billion in total mineral shipments in 2011, a staggering total for a jurisdiction which has a population that barely exceeds 40,000 residents. Although...
An underlying motto for Nunavut this year is "Creating a Resourceful Future," a theme that can be interpreted as creating and building a future full of resources. Nunavut and its expansive geology are rich in many natural mineral resources such as gold, iron ore, base metals of lead and zinc, uranium and nickel to name a few. We have one operating mine, several properties that are potential mines under consideration, and several advanced exploration projects that are proceeding with development or feasibility work. These...
MPV: TSX Chairman: Jonathan Christopher James Comerford, B.A. (Econ.), M.B.S. (Finance) President and CEO: Patrick C. Evans, B.A., B.Sc. Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. focused in 2012 on exploration and development of its diamond projects in Northwest Territories. The company and De Beers Canada, its 51 percent partner and operator of the Gahcho Kué Joint Venture, reported a 78.5 percent increase in the volume estimate of the Tuzo kimberlite pipe, one of three diamondiferous kimberlites at the Kennady Diamond Project that...
PGD: TSX Chairman and CEO: Eric Friedland President: Brooke Clements Chief Geoscientist: Jennifer Pell, B.Sc. (Honors), Ph.D. Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. focused in 2012 on its diamond exploration projects in Nunavut and Northwest Territories, spending more than C$3 million on at least two successful exploration programs. In December, BHP Billiton Canada Inc., Peregrine's joint venture partner in the Chidliak Project located 120 kilometers (74 miles) northeast of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut opted to end the partnership and...
For a junior who lost a substantial funding partner, BHP Billiton Canada Inc., at the onset of the recent downturn in the financial markets, Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. hardly broke stride in exploration momentum in 2012. The aggressive explorer not only forged ahead with a substantial program at its highly prospective Chidliak diamond project on Baffin Island in Nunavut, it also made significant progress in identifying new kimberlites at its Lac De Gras projects in Northwest Territories. Further icing its cake, Peregrine success...
After 17 long years of working to develop the Gahcho Kué diamond deposit into what promises to be one of the world's largest and richest diamond mines, Mountain Province Diamonds Ltd. is turning its attention to the diamonds next door. The Toronto-based junior and its 51 percent partner De Beers are rapidly closing in on their long-sought goal at the Kennady Lake diamond project in the Northwest Territories. The joint venture is permitting an open-pit mine expected to produce about 4.5 million carats per year for 11 years...
Droves of exploration companies have rushed to Yukon Territory in recent years to hunt for sizable deposits of gold, silver, copper, rare earth elements and base metals. Employing the most advanced geophysical and geochemical techniques available, along with their best hunches, these explorers, like others around the globe, are pulling out all the stops to find commercial quantities of the minerals currently riding the winds of strong demand and high prices. But noticeably absent from the list of lucrative commodities being...
Growing demand, especially in China and India, is driving intensified diamond exploration, development and mining activities in Northwest Territories. Diamond prices, which plunged during the recession, also have steadily rebounded recently amid healthier demand. The territory's producing diamond mines are pulling out the stops to boost their output, while developers of potentially a fourth large diamond mine reported progress recently in moving their project closer to startup. Output climbs at Diavik Harry Winston Diamond Co...
Diamonds continued to dominate mining production in Northwest Territories in 2010, but other hardrock mineral projects led most of the mineral exploration activity during the year. Yet 2010 is shaping up to be a year of recovery for nearly all of the territory's miners. Rough diamond production from Harry Winston's 40 percent share of the Diavik Mine totaled 650,000 carats in the second quarter, up significantly from 570,000 carats a year earlier. Rio Tinto plc controls 60 percent interest in Diavik, Canada's largest diamond...
President and Chief Operating & Technical Officer, De Beers Group: Jim Gowans Acting CEO and COO, De Beers Canada: Chantal Lavoie Senior Vice President, Exploration Division: Martin Doyle De Beers Canada Inc., a unit of global diamond miner De Beers Group, has been active for nearly 50 years, growing from a small group of geologists in the field to multiple offices and operations across the country, including the Snap Lake Mine and the Gahcho Kué advanced exploration project in Northwest Territories. The Snap Lake Mine,...
The diamond industry is poised for a turnaround due to recovery in the U.S. market and growth in Asian diamond markets such as China and India, according to a new comprehensive report by Global Industry Analysts Inc. While Europe continues to have the world's leading markets for diamonds, rapidly growing Asian economies are expected to form a significant market group, the San Jose, Calif.-based market research publisher said Sept. 16. The report also predicted that diamond prices are expected to rise in the near future and...
Two diamond mines in Northwest Territories are vowing to recruit new workers locally rather than continue a longstanding practice of seeking candidates in southern Canada. Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., operator of the Diavik Mine, and De Beers Canada, owner of the Snap Lake Mine, reported plans in late November and early December, respectively, to add employees next year in anticipation of production increases. But the mining companies said they will concentrate on locating and training new employees who live in Northwest...
Hampered by a recession-driven drought in capital markets, mineral explorers in the Northwest Territories met the challenges of 2009 with a variety of survival strategies. With significant diamond, precious and base metal projects and prospects at stake, some companies entered a holding pattern in hopes of waiting out the economic storm, while other forged ahead, adjusting to the new cash-strapped environment as the year progressed. Thanks to record commodity prices, the economy of the Northwest Territories has outpaced the...
Victoria Gold Corp. is making good on its promise to put the Eagle Gold Project in east-central Yukon Territory on a fast track once its merger with StrataGold Corp. was completed. The Toronto-based junior June 29 reported the commissioning of a pre-feasibility study and a comprehensive project proposal that satisfies Yukon regulatory requirements and associated permits necessary for development of Eagle Gold, a sizeable, advanced, lower-risk project through its merger with Vancouver, B.C.-based StrataGold Corp., which...
The Northwest Territories has four operating mines: three diamond producers and one long-running tungsten operation. Exploration and development activity was brisk in 2008 with the most advanced projects located in the Slave Province. Here's a look at mining companies active during 2008 in the Northwest Territories: Producing mines BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. (80 percent) and partners C. Fipke (10 percent) and S. Blusson (10 percent) produced about 3.5 million carats of rough diamonds at the Ekati diamond mine in 2008, making...