28 www.resourceworld.com
A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 9
O
ver the years I have visited the
Northwest Territories a few times
covering gold and diamond stories.
Looking down at the tundra from my air-
plane window, its immensity is an awesome
sight and seems to go on forever.
Hidden beneath the permafrost and
stunted trees are many as-yet undiscovered
mineral riches that lie in wait for explorers
in this under-explored land. More so than
many regions, the NWT is dependent on
mining for its economic well-being. As
such, the territorial government is actively
encouraging mineral exploration.
To that end, in mid-February, Bill 34,
the Mineral Resources Act for the NWT,
received second reading in the NWT
Legislative Assembly and will now pro
-
ceed to public consultation.
"It is critically important that the
Mineral Resources Act is designed to
help keep investment strong," said Gary
Vivian, President of the NWT & Nunavut
Chamber of Mines. "We urge the Standing
Committee, and those that appear before
it, to insist that this legislation be crafted
to make the NWT a more attractive juris
-
diction for responsible, sustainable and
beneficial exploration and mining invest-
ment. If it does not do that, we will
have damaged the very foundation that
supports the mineral industry and the
continued strong mining benefits it gener-
ates for the territory. We northerners have
much at stake in getting this right."
No kidding. Just the NWT diamond
mines have created nearly 60,000 person
years of employment, $20 billion in expen
-
ditures and billions of dollars in taxes
Exploring Canada's
Northwest Territories
WITH THIS VAST, PROSPECTIVE LAND STILL UNDER-EXPLORED AND 82% OF THE POPULATION
WANTING MORE MINING PROJECTS, THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES OFFERS TREMENDOUS
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH MINERS AND INVESTORS.
by Ellsworth Dickson
