Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

KUGLUKTUK (Feb 01/99) - The balancing act between the new jobs a second diamond mine promises and the environmental concerns the mine raises remained the focus of a meeting here last week.

"Thirty-three of us being laid off for sure had an impact on our community, and I see the negative effects of it," said Peter Evalik.

Evalik was one of 33 people in the community of 1,600 who worked at the Lupin gold mine, which shut down a year ago.

"I hope that Diavik and the boards that deal with licensing and permitting speed up the process," said Evalik.

"I'm one of those people in our community who's in harsh need of employment."

In spite of their mining experience, for Evalik and other former Lupin workers from the community, the promise of jobs at Canada's first diamond mine has not come true. Economic development officer Donald Havioyak said only five people from Kugluktuk work at Ekati.

Diavik also offers the promise of new jobs.

"Eighty per cent of the employees we will have working at the mine site will be from Kugluktuk and other Northern communities," Diavik spokesperson Doug Willy told the audience of about 100 people.

Though there is over 20 per cent unemployment in the region, the main concern of people who spoke at the meeting was the effect the mine would have on the environment, specifically water and fish.

Though Lac de Gras and the mine are 400 air kilometres south of the hamlet, the lake drains into the Coppermine River, which the community relies on for drinking water and fish.

"I'm in support of seeing some jobs, but I'd like you to think of the water we drink every day," said Joe Allen. "The jobs will last 15-25 years, the water and fish will last forever."

Elders who have lived and fished on the river and at Lac de Gras said they have seen that the water quality has already gone down.

One said there have been more suds in the slower sections of the river in the last two years. Others said the water is not as clear as it used to be.

"We drink the water in the river," said one elder. "The mine should take care of this water. Try and find out all you need to know because whatever goes into the lake goes into our drinking water."

Split on fish

Meanwhile, the issue of whether sportfishing should be allowed at the proposed Diavik mine will be decided by the aboriginal caucus.

That was the conclusion of a debate last week of Diavik's proposal to allow fishing in Lac de Gras.

Aboriginal representatives said the Lac de Gras fishery was not Diavik's to take or the federal government's to give, that it belongs to native people.

The fishing policy was a focus of the public meeting.

"Our char are getting smaller each year," said Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Association chairman Larry Adjun. "(With this fishing policy) Kablunaq will get to fish for our fish and take them down south and we'll get nothing. I want to see employment for our community, but as chairman, I don't want to see our fish stocks going down."

A Diavik spokesperson pointed out the majority of the people working at the mine will be aboriginal.

"I'd like to do some fishing after work," said another man. "I've worked all over, and you get bored out there. It's nice to go out fishing after work."

One argument against fishing comes from aboriginal elders, who disapprove of sportfishing as senseless and cruel. To get that message across, resident Joe Allen did a small survey of the panel, asking how many enjoyed sportfishing. A few raised their hands.

"Those of you who raised your hand, if I hooked you by the lip and let you go, how would you feel?"

Scientists at the meeting in Kugluktuk said it was difficult to determine what impact sportfishing would have on fish stocks, since there is no accurate count of current fish populations in the lake.