Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 21/01) - Focus groups are being held this week and next to gauge public interest in the clean-up work being done at Giant Mine.

The groups of eight to 12 people represent Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilo. Each group will also include a youth representative. Indian Affairs and Northern Development official Neil Thompson said groups are being used to "gauge the level of understanding, interest and concern," about the cleanup.

"The object is to help us develop our communications and consultation program as we go," said Thompson.

The focus groups will also be used to determine how best to keep the public informed of the project. DIAND is developing a plan to deal with an estimated 237,343 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust stored underground at Giant. It inherited responsibility for the cleanup of the mine when former owner Royal Oak Mines went bankrupt in 1999.

Contractor Lutra Associates is assembling and polling the focus groups.

Lutra was planning to complete the project by the end of the month. Thompson would not say how much DIAND is spending on the focus groups other than to say "it is not a big contract."

The former senior advisor for the Giant mine cleanup, David Nutter, has also been contracted to provide advice on the project. Thompson would not say how much Nutter is being paid for the advice or the term of the contract other than it runs for "a few months."