Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 10/05) - Nunavut is charging ahead in resource exploration.

Nunavut Mining Week in late September was a chance to showcase and demonstrate some of the activities and opportunities in the territory.

"The amount of work going on in Nunavut over the last three years is incredible -it has just exploded," said Paul Gertzbein, district geologist for the Qikiqtani region with Indian and Northern Affairs.

High prices for metals, fuelled by an increased demand for raw materials, has expanded the search for things other than diamonds, he said. Gold, uranium, copper and zinc, among others, are now included on the exploration list.

The 1,522 prospecting permits taken out last year cover an area equivalent in size to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick combined - and then doubled, he said.

Last year, close to $180 million was spent on exploration in Nunavut. This year, Indian and Northern Affairs expects expenditures to top $200 million.

While all of that money isn't actually spent in Nunavut, the benefits eventually return through work reports submitted by the companies, said Gertzbein.

"That is of benefit to us because the more you know the more you can find," he said.

Most companies now also go into neighbouring communities to introduce themselves and give updates, he added.

Miramar Mining Corporation is busy reworking its draft environmental impact statement into a final version for its Hope Bay gold mining project, said Heather Duggan, vice-president of human resources with the company.

"We have 187 things to work on that came out of the technical meetings," she said. "Nothing is a show stopper - mainly just more information needed."

The company is hoping to submit its final environmental impact statement by the end of October, she said.

Final hearings will take place in Cambridge Bay when the final statement is reviewed and accepted by the Nunavut Impact Review Board and intervenors.

The company recently took two representatives each from Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak to view its Windy Lake exploration camp, along with several elders from Cambridge Bay.

"They were excited to spot landmarks they knew from the helicopter," she said.

If all goes as planned with the regulatory process, including water and land permits, the company would be looking to ship construction material to the site during the 2006 shipping season, she said.