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DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION - There were plenty of questions and opposition to the Thor Lake mineral exploration project at the recent Akaitcho annual assembly.

Delegates at the Aug. 11-13, assembly in Fort Resolution demanded more consultation.

Don Bubar, right, president and chief executive officer of Avalon Ventures, chats with Henry Beaver of Salt River First Nation during the recent Akaitcho annual assembly. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Don Bubar, president and chief executive officer of Avalon Ventures outlined the project on the north side of Great Slave Lake, about 100 km southeast of Yellowknife.

Bubar said the company has held meetings in Fort Resolution and Lutsel K'e to discuss the project.

Noeline Villebrun of Salt River First Nation noted the Akaitcho consists of six communities and the company should visit them all.

"If you get 20 people in a room, that is not proper consultation," she said, adding all Akaitcho people have to agree with the project.

Bubar said the company has had an open-door policy since Day 1.

"We certainly understand and respect the fact we need to do more to communicate," he said.

Alfred Belanger of Dettah said mining companies have no respect for people or for the land.

"As Dene, we don't go into your land and contaminate your land," said Belanger, who noted he visited the site and saw garbage lying all over the place.

Bubar said any garbage was left by previous companies working the site.

"We're not making any new messes there," he said.

Bubar added his company has installed an incinerator for garbage, takes great care with fuel and follows good environmental practices.

Chief Fred Sangris said the Yellowknives oppose the project.

The Thor Lake exploration site, which is less than a square kilometre in size, contains beryllium and many rare earth minerals, such as xenotime and fergusonite.

Bubar described it as a world-class deposit of very important minerals, noting many of them are used in the making of hybrid electric cars.

Each of the cars contains about 30 kg of rare earth minerals, he noted. "There's almost as much rare earth metals in these cars as copper."

Bubar noted 97 per cent of the world's rare earth minerals currently come from China.

"The rest of the world must have its own supply or there are going to be shortages," he said.

Bubar said Thor Lake offers one of the best supplies of rare earth minerals anywhere in the world.

Avalon Ventures is studying the site and conducting drilling to see if a mine would be feasible.

Any mining operation is quite a few years away.

"The earliest is 2012," Bubar said. "It might take longer than that."