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Hidden treasures of the Kitikmeot

The region’s greatest wealth may not be gold or diamonds — but the jobs mining brings

DENISE RIDEOUT

CAMBRIDGE BAY — Inuit in the Kitikmeot region are gearing up for new jobs in mining.

High schools students are taking courses in geology, community members are turning into successful prospectors and others have been out on the land learning the ropes of becoming field assistants for exploration companies.

In fact, all five communities are eager to get in on the diamond rush that’s sweeping the Kitikmeot.

Charlie Lyall, president of the Kitikmeot Corp., the development branch of the KIA told delegates attending the 2002 Mining Symposium in Cambridge Bay this weekend that the Kitikmeot is eagerly awaiting the influx of mining jobs.

"We have training starting to happen so that mining can happen. The communities are getting involved. The schools are getting involved," Lyall told the 200 delegates, who included representatives from exploration companies and major mining companies.

With many of the exploration projects taking place on Inuit-owned lands, companies are compelled to hire locally, which means there will be a wealth of opportunities for Inuit over the next 10 years.

The Jericho site, located about 250 kilometres southeast of Kugluktuk, could be a big employer in the Kitikmeot.

Tahera Corporation, the Toronto-based mining company that owns the site, says Jericho could very well become Nunavut’s first diamond mine. Exploration drilling on the Jericho claim is set to begin April 16. The company has said it’s aiming for an Inuit staffing level of 60 per cent within five years.

Already the Lupin mine, a gold mine just south of the Jericho project, employs between 40 to 50 people from the Kitikmeot full-time.

Bill Danyluk, who works for Echo Bay, the company that owns Lupin, said with six more years left in the life of the mine, the company is always looking for potential workers for the mill, the underground operations and the mine camp.

Danyluk told a group of students who attended his presentation that education and training are key to getting into the mining field. Many mining-related positions, such as engineers and geologists, are high-tech and require post-secondary schooling, he said.

"Without a doubt, education gives anyone a higher chance of getting into the mining sector,"

That’s where high schools, colleges and even the mining companies themselves have to step in.

"The natural step is to take the initiative to start the training," he said.

The Nunavut government’s Minerals, Oil and Gas Division has already gotten onboard. It delivers one-week mineral prospecting courses in the spring and fall in communities.

On top of that, the Minerals Division put on an eight-week mineral exploration field assistant course last spring. It taught 12 students about prospecting, geology and small-engine repair — skills needed to work as field assistants with mineral exploration companies.

Groups with an interest in mining, including, the GN, the federal government, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and seven exploration companies, funded the program.

Throughout the three-day symposium, mining companies painted a picture of a future that’s full of lucrative jobs.

And their talks caught the eye of a handful of high school students.

The mining symposium sponsored 10 students — two from each of the five Kitikmeot communities — to attend the meetings.

After listening to the wealth of jobs available in mining, Grade 12 student Chris Gillis was impressed.

Gillis, of Cambridge Bay, is thinking of becoming a geologist. "I grew up on this land. The rocks are all around me," he said. Gillis has already applied to take part in a geological survey that NTI will conduct this summer, south of Bay Chimo.

Sandra Lyall, a Grade 12 student in Kugluktuk, said more training will help young people take advantage of the upcoming jobs. Earlier this year, Lyall completed one of the Mineral Division’s prospecting courses.

"Mining is going to be big in Nunavut in a few years. I want to be involved in the rush," she said.

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