Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 12/00) - Winspear Resources says everything is on track for its advanced exploration program.

Winspear, the majority owner of the Camsell Lake joint venture which includes the Snap Lake diamond property, says a 920-metre runway at the property - located 220 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife - is expected to be operational this weekend.

"Work is progressing well despite late construction of the winter road that caused minor delays. However, all critical items are on site and the program is expected to be completed as scheduled," the company said in a recent update.

About 175 people are on site. As well as work on the airstrip, Winspear has done work on several fronts at the property including:

- A camp with kitchen and mess hall facilities has been completed and is operational.

- A fuel farm with capacity of 3.3 million litres is constructed. The fuel tanks are 95 per cent full which is sufficient to complete the advanced exploration program.

- A processing plant, capable of handing 10 tonnes of kimberlite per hour, has been moved to the Snap Lake site. The plant was bought last year, dismantled and transported to the site. It will be assembled when weather improves.

Winspear anticipates it will be able to complete processing of three 2000-tonne samples of kimberlite before the end of this year.

Regulatory review of the Snap Lake project is expected to be triggered during the current quarter. It is possible that Winspear could become an operating mine ahead of Diavik. Diavik is expected to begin operating in 2003 after a three-year construction schedule.

On exploration, Winspear reports three drills are operational. Eight holes out of 10 have been completed on the property's Northwest kimberlite dyke. One hole intersected 8.8 metres of kimberlite, the thickest intersection so far.

As well, 10 other drill holes are planned.

Winspear has also completed airborne surveys over the Lac Capot Blanc area of the Camsell property.

Aber, which owns 29 per cent of the Ekati diamond mine, is Winspear's joint-venture partner on the Snap Lake project.