Broughton Island (Dec 06/04) - It's a little-known fact that one of the best gold discoveries in Canada this year was in north central Baffin Island.

Commander Resources appropriately describes this discovery as the Baffin Island Project, encompassing the Qimmiq, Dewar and Bravo Lake properties.

Two high grade channel samples, QIM 5W and QIM 5E, are grading 42.9 grams per tonne of gold at 0.80 metres and another is grading at 103.1 grams per tonne of gold at 0.40m. Prospecting also located a high grade nickel-cobalt-copper sample at a different level, which assayed at 1.27 per cent nickel, eight pounds per tonne cobalt and 0.88 per cent copper. Nickel was Falconbridge's principal exploration target in this area in 2001.

While the gradings for gold are very high, the strike width seems overly narrow to excite stock traders, said company president Ken Leigh. But these are early days for Commander and its gold project, where high grades were found only 140km from the sea and Foxe Basin.

Closer to the sea, however, another channel sample, which the company calls Malrock, is showing 15.12 grams per tonne of gold over three metres and another sampling over 3.6m is grading at 24.95 grams of gold per tonne.

The project's close proximity to the ocean and access to the water from deep lakes in the region, which do not freeze to the bottom during the winter, bodes well for the potential of the project, said Leigh.

"We are on tide water property, tied to the ocean. There are two distant early warning radar stations on the property, each have long airstrips, which we have been allowed access to.

"The site also has lakes that do not freeze. Access to water within the Arctic desert is a critical thing and we have access to water. It's a benefit to us," said Leigh.

Another reason Commander is so excited about this project is that it's the first significant occurrence of gold on Baffin Island and it's possible these finds are indicative of an entirely new gold district.

"There are strong indications from the work completed this year that the discovery of a new gold district, with the potential to host one or more high grade gold deposits, is underway on Baffin Island," Commander stated in a news release issued Nov. 8.

"We see this as one of the best new gold discoveries in Canada in the last year or so and the beginning of a project that could rapidly turn into an exciting play," said Leigh.

In mid 2003, Commander signed agreements with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to explore for gold and other commodities on three parcels of land (Qimmiq, Dewar and Bravo Lake) covering one million acres in central Baffin Island. Last season, Commander had 22 people working on the project.

"We hired four individuals from Broughton Island, which holds the title on the property," said Leigh.

He spent seven years running exploration projects for Cominco near the Polaris Mine, prior to taking the helm for Commander.

"The interest for mine development is high and there's an excellent opportunity for that to happen," Leigh said.

"Growth in this area is supported by the local people. The employees from the areas are keen and eager and willing."