Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Jul 06/98) - It's one of those win-win situations.

The average Joe learns how to prospect for minerals and maybe, just maybe, strikes it rich on a claim and the mining companies get a lot of prospecting done for free.

Wayne Lockhart, a New Brunswick geologist turned instructor, says that teaching people how to prospect for minerals around the Baffin can lead to new economic possibilities for the region.

"We want to encourage the local citizens. They go out on the land and they will have seen various minerals and now they'll know which ones are worth reporting and bringing back. By this method, there will be several discoveries ... it's the basis of the mining industry," says Lockhart on his way to Pond Inlet to continue teaching.

While the likelihood of building a mine out of a mineral strike is fairly low, prospectors have earned money through mineral development and by allowing mining companies to investigate their claims for a fee.

"People have gone out and located some mineral occurrences that may be of some significance," says Lockhart.

His colleague, Don Hattie, says the area presents local prospectors with a wide array of mineral opportunities and that so far, zinc, silver, copper, nickel, barite and numerous gem stone deposits have been located.

"It's a relatively unexplored territory compared to the rest of Canada and the rocks in general, are quite favourable to minerals."

As the courses continue and manage to generate more local interest in mineral prospecting, Lockhart says outside companies won't have to pay the high costs of transportation to come and prospect on Baffin Island.

Michael Hine of the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, the agency sponsoring the prospecting courses, says they fill a void on the island in terms of actually locating undiscovered mineral deposits.

"We recognized the need for the local people to understand the mining industry and how it affects them and the opportunities they have."

Hine says the corporation's long term goal is to find a mineral deposit large enough to support a mine or a quarry and to create more local jobs.

To further facilitate this goal, Hine runs a rock and mineral contest that awards prizes valued up to $2,000 for previously undiscovered occurrences in the Baffin Region.

"We want to generate interest and get people thinking about the economic possibilities."

Nuna Michael, a participant of the prospecting course says he became interested in it after hearing that his uncle found a profitable graphite deposit near Kimmirut.

"He found a deposit of graphite that might be economical and I wanted to learn more about it," says Micheal.

For more information about prospecting or the course, contact Hine at the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation.