Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 29/99) - Mining representatives rubbed shoulders in Toronto, March 13-17, to exchange ideas and predictions about the coming millennium.

NWT Chamber of Commerce president, Kevin Diebold, said the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference is the largest of its kind in the world.

"Talking to people from all over the world gave me the impression diamonds were a major topic of concern," Diebold, who is a Norman Wells resident, said.

"All minerals were discussed in the workshops but the big thing was the networking and discussions that took place about Canadian and global markets."

Delegates from places such as Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Greenland set up booths for a tradeshow highlighting the newest techniques and trends in mining.

The NWT booth, Diebold said, was one of the busiest sites on the floor.

"People wanted to know about Nunavut, the existing NWT, and how the changes are going to affect specific areas," Diebold said.

"In the mining sector, there's a lot of different parameters you have to deal with so I spent a lot of time discussing with delegates what division might mean."

He said the results of the workshops, the NWT's exhibit and networking will become evident over time.

"The NWT positioned itself as an area with companies and exploration sites that are forecasting a business environment open to global investors," Diebold said.

"The NWT is poised to enjoy exciting mineral activities and benefits in this time of division and that's the message I tried to get across."