Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 26/01) - Last week Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. applied to the City of Yellowknife for a development permit related to a new diamond sorting facility.

Tom Hoefer: Diavik has applied for development permit.

"They have some fairly solid plans of putting up a diamond sorting facility," said city planner Dave Jones.

The plan points to a lot leased from Arctic Airports, a division of the government of the Northwest Territories. It is located on Archibald Street by the Yellowknife Airport, a location otherwise known as diamond alley.

"We expect to be turning sod there next month," said Diavik spokesperson Tom Hoefer.

Diavik will join BHP Billiton, Sirius and Arslanian diamond houses.

Diamonds will land at the Diavik facility from the soon-to-be-open diamond mine and be sorted for royalty purposes.

"It's a sort you do for evaluation purposes not marketing purposes," said Hoefer. "Evaluators can look and assign a value."

Diavik proposed to do its sorting at the mine site but the airport site was chosen because of its relationship to existing facilities.

"There is a track record there. It is close to the airport and the security is there," said Hoefer.

Diavik doesn't seem to be in any hurry to hire sorters though.

"We have the luxury of time," Hoefer said. "The North has been training sorters for quite some time."

Qualifications for diamond sorters don't include much specialized training. Hoefer hinted that sorting could be done by mechanical methods.

Diavik's architects have been in touch with the city and a building permit application will follow if the development permit is approved.