Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 23/99) - Jane Stewart is crossing her fingers, hoping somebody will come forward to buy Giant Mine.

If there's no interest and the mine shuts down permanently, it's unclear who will pick up the more than $250-million environmental cleanup bill that is attached to Giant.

As minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Stewart may be the one left to pick up the pieces.

"I'm not in a position at this point to preclude that we will find a private sector owner for Giant. Fundamentally, I think the decision of the court to appoint the interim receiver suggests that there is a possibility for solutions there." Stewart said.

"I do want to make clear that should something happen and the mine is not operational, our department has got a contingency plan in place with experts who could immediately go in and ensure the infrastructure that supports the management of the tailings pond, and particularly the arsenic, is maintained."

It's estimated there is more than 260,000 tonnes of arsenic stored underground at the mine. Arsenic, a byproduct of the ore mined, will be pumped into the ground as long as the mine operates as it has in the past.

Stewart said she's "very pleased" that the court-appointed interim receiver, PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been directed by court order to look for long-term opportunities and appreciate the environmental management requirements of Royal Oak operations.

"I don't view DIAND as being in the mining business. We don't operate mines and that's not going to be an option that I will consider. I'm not at this point interested at all in assuming there isn't going to be the potential for some kind of long-term solution," Stewart said.

"We are actively in support of the interim receiver to find a private sector interest to continue to keep the mine open, to keep the jobs there, and to work with us to find a solution to the arsenic problem."

Director General of Natural Resources, Hiram Beaubier, confirmed that the mine is still operating as it has in the past.

"The mine is in operation and it's still using the processes that separate the gold from the ore and it does produce arsenic," Beaubier said.

He said the Canada Centre for Mineralogical and Energy Technology is taking a look at maximizing the recovery of gold that is currently in the arsenic dust and stabilizing the residual byproduct.