Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (July 13/01) - Fort Simpson may try blocking environmental permits for a tungsten mine if the village does not receive enough of its economic benefits.

Mayor Tom Wilson wants to file an intervention with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board when the North American Tungsten Corporation needs to renew its water permit for September 2002.

"We are definitely going to be intervening on an economic standpoint because we're not getting any economic benefits at all," he told a July 3 village council meeting.

But the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is not interested in economic matters, a spokesperson says.

Executive director Wanda Anderson said "if it's got to do with economic benefits then it's not within our mandate to deal with."

With the company being based in Vancouver and the mine's access road located on the west side of the Mackenzie Mountains, he and councillors would like to see more orientation toward the east.

North American Tungsten has estimated start-up costs alone to be about $10 million. Production should begin by year's end.

The mine, located just west of Nahanni National Park, is 350 kilometres from Fort Simpson. It was idle for 15 years while the company rode out a world tungsten surplus caused by dumping.

Called CanTung, the deposit has enough tungsten left for 4.5 years of production. After it closes, the company wants to open another mine at a much bigger tungsten deposit 100 kilometres north. That mine should stay open 30 years, said Udo von Doehren, North American Tungsten Corporation's CEO.

Coun. Duncan Canvin says if the Mackenzie Land and Water Board was able to help, it should be used only as a last resort.

The best way of getting benefits to spll over into Fort Simpson would be to start a friendly dialogue with the company, Canvin said.

Canvin said he e-mailed the North American Tungsten Corporation last week as a way of introducing the company to Fort Simpson.