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Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
According to David Scott, chief geologist for the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office, De Beers Canada Exploration Inc. plans a significant exploration program at the north end of Baffin Island this month.
It's the largest chunk of ground ever staked in Canadian history.
De Beers intends to spend approximately $2 million in the area this summer.
Paul Hundt, the company's project geologist for the Baffin Island Project, confirmed the dollar value and said the work --to be conducted about 100 kilometres north of Iglulik -- covers some eight million hectares.
De Beers did some preliminary work in the area two years ago and found promising results. It since picked up a total of 131 prospecting permits good for five years.
Hundt said De Beers would hire up to 20 people from Iglulik, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet and plans to use Iglulik's Co-op to expedite their camp needs.
"That way we get more people getting experience working with us and we get to know more people as well," said Hundt, scheduled to fly into Iglulik on June 22.
Both Hundt and Scott stressed that the season's work is preliminary.
"It will take them two or three years to get to the next level of assessment, but in the meantime, they're using local services where they can and hiring local people where they can," said Scott.
Striking their target
Since it was established more than three years ago, Scott's office has helped raise the territory's profile in both the Canadian and international mining communities. The partnership that funds the office recently renewed the three-way partnership for another five years.
The territorial Department of Sustainable Development and the federal departments of Natural Resources and Indian Affairs share the annual $1.3-million cost of running the office.
"We've come a long way in raising the profile of geoscience in Nunavut," said Scott. "As we've improved the knowledge base, we've made noise, people have listened, new companies have come to the territory. That's how we predicted it would work."
With the arrival of more mining companies, Scott said the immediate benefit is the creation of work opportunities and the local purchase of goods and services.
"These are the benefits we talk about when we say if the government goes and learns about the rocks and makes the information available, clients will come in and will work with local people."
Scott also predicted De Beers' program would entice other companies to explore on Baffin Island.
Jobs for Iglulik
Elijah Evaluarjuk, the mayor of Iglulik, is pleased with De Beers' presence. Not only will the company be based out of his community for the summer, but they've hired six people from the hamlet.
Up to 20 per cent of money spent by mining companies actually stays in local communities.
Evaluarjuk said when De Beers flew to Iglulik a few months ago, company officials met with the residents and hired staff. While the number of workers from Iglulik is relatively small, Evaluarjuk said it will still make a dent in the unemployment rate.
"Unemployment is really high here so even if it's a small amount, it really helps," said Evaluarjuk. "Hopefully the number of jobs will go up. That will help too," he said.
Pakak Innuksuk begins work with De Beers outside Iglulik June 30. He said he's looking forward to working in the mineral industry on a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off rotating schedule.
"I really enjoy being on the land and looking for minerals," said Innuksuk, who has been involved in prospecting, but hasn't worked for a mining company before.
Other activities
As the current season gets underway, Scott said his troops were preparing to wrap up the third year of three different field projects.
Work on the Committee Bay area (north of Baker Lake), the central part of Baffin Island, and a project in the Arctic Islands will all wrap up this season.
Scott also said that following a needs assessment conducted among geoscientists in Nunavut this winter, the company is making plans to begin a new multi-year project in the Melville Peninsula.
He also expressed optimism about the price of gold and the effect the increase had on three promising gold properties in the territory.
"We may see decisions to go to an advanced stage from some of those projects. If that's the case, we're talking about hundreds of jobs that can be created in the construction phase and the operational phase," he said.
Other goals include seeking additional funds to step up their program and a drive to raise federal awareness about geoscience and its ability to create economic development opportunities.
"If we had this significant influx of capital and we knew it was going to continue for the next 10 years, we could hire additional staff, fund additional projects, create additional opportunities for training. We could produce a lot more information that will put Nunavut on the radar screen."
