Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 27/98) - The question of when the decision was made to use a comprehensive review process for the Diavik diamond project, rather than the panel review used for BHP, remains a mystery.

In a letter faxed from DIAND to Diavik just four working days after Diavik submitted its project description, officially triggering the start of the environmental review process, the company was informed the comprehensive review was going to be used.

"The assessment of this project will, therefore, proceed pursuant to the provisions set out in (the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act) for a comprehensive study," the company was informed in the March 12 fax.

The main difference between the two types of reviews is that the federal government, under the watchful eye of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, calls the shots in a comprehensive study, whereas an independent panel oversees a panel review.

The same day the fax was sent, the environmental assessment path the Diavik project would follow was discussed at a meeting of federal officials.

According to the meeting minutes, it was noted that to subject Diavik to a panel review, federal authorities must be satisfied their is "significant public concern," or "unknown environmental impacts."

"It was agreed that, at this time, these referral criteria have not been satisfied," noted the minutes. "This does not preclude referral to a panel review at a later stage."

In the days that followed the March 12 meeting, it was widely reported in the media the decision had been made to go with a comprehensive study.

Though no federal officials refuted those reports at the time, this week, DIAND's deputy regional director general, Lorne Tricoteaux, said the reports were wrong.

"I can tell you personally it was not a decision and could not have been a decision unless it was made by the regional director general, in this case Bob Overvold," he said Monday.

Tricoteaux added a decision was not made until after two public consultation meetings, as well as meetings with aboriginal groups in the area affected by the Diavik project.

After the apparent decision, Overvold issued an invitation to 35 interested groups to attend a meeting in which DIAND "would take the opportunity to clarify the features of the review processes available ..."

Forty-seven people attended the meeting. On May 20, Overvold sent a letter to those in attendance confirming that the project would be subject to a comprehensive study.