Ekati has reached a milestone with the production of its first million carats. The last of the skeptics must be heading for the hills.
Over half that yield has been sold so far, fetching $111.8 million. These are big numbers by anybody's measure.
Yellowknifers welcome the news. With a company like BHP setting up business in our backyard, the city can expect to enjoy some economic fallout. One look at the list of Royal Oak's creditors will give you an idea of how deeply a mine digs into the local economy.
And rightly so. The money should be spent locally. We anticipate Ekati's prosperity boosting our economy, and we will hold them to task for that.
Congratulations, Ekati, on your success. We look forward to sharing it.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
The cry has gone out for artificial ice once again in Rankin Inlet, and this time around, advocates of the movement appear ready to do whatever it takes to make their dream a reality.
At the first meeting, held at the hamlet to discuss plans to secure the financial wherewithal needed for the costly undertaking, it was a major surprise to most in attendance to learn from MLA Manitok Thompson that MACA's standards of criteria do not provide for artificial ice in any of the arenas being built in various Northern communities.
The result of this criteria faux pas is that these expensive new buildings are being grossly under utilised.
In Sanikiluaq this year, for example, the arena was only used for one short month due to warm weather conditions. Closer to home, Rankin barely doubled that time frame in only having its ice available from December until mid-March.
Rankin Minor Hockey Association president Jim Ramsay was bang on when he said people in the community should view the movement as a means seeking to develop a multi-use facility. Such a facility would provide countless hours of constructive endeavour for area youth and fill some of the dangerous down time our local kids must deal with.
Their is also the issue of community pride and spirit. Members of the Rankin Inlet old-timers squad who recently made the trip to Kuujjuaq, Quebec, witnessed that pride first hand during their trip.
That hamlet, with a smaller population than Rankin, has a modern, state-of-the-art facility which is beautiful to behold. Complete with a small gymnasium and bowling alley, people in that community take every opportunity to show off and brag about their rink.
Having a viable arena also affords the opportunity for various events and tournaments to be held which bring people from the Keewatin together. To find out how much of an impact that can have on a community, one needs to look no further than the absolute joy experienced in Repulse Bay last month when that community hosted the annual Kivalliq Cup tournament.
Although it could be argued there are more pressing issues facing Keewatin hamlets than artificial ice, there could be no arguing the benefits the ice surface would bring to a community. As with any proposal that stands to benefit our youth the most, it's tough to argue against any project that promises to make life a bit more fun for our kids.
Our youth do without enough of the things in life most southern kids take for granted. The time to start bridging that gap is now, and in Rankin Inlet, artificial ice would be a major step in that direction.