FORT SIMPSON (Apr 03/98) - Ranger Oil of Calgary, who have been exploring in the Fort Liard area, had a major find last month.

One of their wells, Unocal Canada Exploration Limited and Canadian Forest Oil Limited who also have an interest, has hit gas deposits that could total 200 billion cubic feet plus when all is said and done.

A Ranger press statement says the well is planned to go into production in 1999 at 20 million cubic feet of gas per day.

In Fort Liard, Shane Parrish, general manager of the Laird Valley Band Development Corporation, was ecstatic.

"It's big," he said last week. "Now that we've had this significant discovery, we know the companies (exploring in the area) will be staying."

"The success here will generate more interest in the area, leading to more employment and business opportunities."

With all this activity going on around Fort Liard, Parrish is confident that the positive spinoffs will reach throughout the region.

"The oil and gas will require us to bring in more people from the Deh Cho," he said.

Parrish also said that exploration activity is proceeding in both the Fort Liard area of the NWT and across the border into British Columbia.

"This is what we're doing it for," he said. "We're (now) going from an exploration to a development phase."