SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The Diavik and Snap Lake diamond mines have emerged from six-week summer shutdowns and resumed their roles as crucial drivers of the Yellowknife economy.

The Diavik mine, owned by Rio Tinto, stopped production from July 21 to Aug. 24.

Approximately 600 employees - site workers and Yellowknife office workers alike - left their crushers, shovels, hammers, pens and desks behind, while around 250 operations and construction workers remained on site.

"We planned the production shutdown during the summer, when people routinely take holidays. So one would expect that individuals did what they would normally do on their summer holiday - visited family, friends, did some activities outside in the brief summer that we have in Yellowknife," said Doug Ashbury, spokesperson for Diavik.

As for Ashbury himself, he and family headed to Northwestern Ontario to spend time at his cabin - a regular summer trip, said Ashbury.

"It worked out well," he said.

Workers who stayed on site stayed busy doing two things, in addition to environmental monitoring: conducting maintenance work and continuing construction work on the mine's underground section, due to begin commercial production in the beginning of 2010.

"In terms of sustaining capital projects, we continued to work on the processed kimberlite containment area," said Ashbury, referring to the area where waste rock is stored after coming out of the mine's process plant.

"It's a dam," explained Ashbury. "We have to raise the dam over time (because) as we mine more ore, we generate more waste rock."

Crews also took the time to repair maintenance shovels - tools used to load rock and kimberlite into large haul trucks - as well as other pieces of large equipment.

"Overall, the shutdown went extremely well," said Ashbury. "We're back to pre-shutdown production levels. Earlier this year, we said that we expected between five to six million carats of production for 2009."

In 2008, Diavik produced 9.2 million carats of diamonds.

When Rio Tinto initially announced the shutdown, it said the mine would also cease production from Dec. 1 to Jan. 11.

Ashbury said the company remains "cautiously optimistic" about the diamond market, but added, "I think it's going to take a little bit more time. Currently, we're still planning that second shutdown."

De Beers Canada's Snap Lake diamond mine also shut down production this summer, from July 22 to Aug. 26.

Whereas just over 200 staffers are working at the mine now, only 60 remained on site during the shutdown, said De Beers spokesperson Cathie Bolstad via e-mail.

Like Rio Tinto, De Beers continued to carry out environmental work, including water quality monitoring, studies of fish health and fish population and a grizzly bear survey.

"Although the underground mine and process plant were not operational, summer is normally a busy time for us when it comes to environmental programs," said Bolstad.

Employees took part in a variety of activities during the shutdown.

"One employee took helicopter flying lessons," said Bolstad. "Another worked on a ranch just outside of Calgary, guiding tourists on outback expeditions by horseback. Another took a deep sea diving master class in Thailand. One employee got married in B.C. and then went for her honeymoon in France, Greece and Italy.

"I stayed right here and hosted a huge influx of family in Yellowknife, and played tour guide over a three-week period that followed my own son's wedding here in our back yard.

"As we say at De Beers: people are still getting married and giving diamonds!"

The time off seemed to do people good, she added.

"All employees (returned) to site looking refreshed and rested and they were glad to see each other again," said Bolstad. "Upon arrival, we gave them time to catch up with one another, settle into their rooms and then before they were released to work, all employees attended a town hall meeting for a reorientation to safety, health and environmental commitments with the mine general manager."

De Beers also announced it would shut down again during winter, over four weeks in December.

"A number of scenarios for 2010 have been run including continuing to the current plan and increasing production in 2010," said Bolstad.

"Until 2010 plans are finalized for De Beers Canada and approved, our 2009 plans continue to include the temporary four-week production shutdown in December."