Iqaluit (Oct 16/06) - Nunavut's Department of Economic Development is getting into the publishing industry.

A request for proposals has been issued to create a book about the history of the Nanisivik mine, and the initial cost is $20,000.

That amount does not include the actual printing of the book. Those costs are still to be determined.

"It (the $20,000) is more of a guideline. We are really short on dollars over here," said Malcolm MacPhail, the department's project manager for the closure of the Nanisivik mine.

With departments being ordered to trim one per cent from their budgets by a recent cabinet decree, printing costs could be a problem for this book.

"I haven't budgeted anything yet (for printing). We have budget exercises over here every day. The printing will be a separate request for proposals," said MacPhail.

He doesn't expect his department to pay for the entire cost of printing, he hopes to spread that around.

"I'm looking for partners for this, the GNWT, the Chamber of Mines, federal funding," said MacPhail.

Nanisivik sprang up in 1976 and closed in 2002. Arctic Bay was the biggest beneficiary in terms of employment, and lost 30 jobs when the mine closed.

There is more to the history of the mine than the amount of lead and zinc pulled from the depths.

The stories of a community founded and demolished in a 26-year period are supposed to be the focus of this project.

"It is designed for the former employees to document the other side of the operation of a mine. We always see technical briefs, never that other side," MacPhail explained.

At the height of production, the Nanisivik mine had about 325 employees, 50 homes, a bunkhouse and a dormitory.

Some employees lived in the community for 20 years, and it still shows up on some Nunavut maps.

All proposals to write the book are due by Oct. 27, 2006.