The Jailhouse

[was averagejoe]

Diamond hunt ends in N.W.T, gears up in Sask.
Last Updated Apr 22 2005 04:40 PM CDT
CBC News

REGINA – Diamond giant De Beers has wound down exploration in the Northwest Territories, but it's pouring millions this year into the hunt for Saskatchewan stones.

Earlier this month, the company said it was closing its Yellowknife exploration office, which was opened at the height of the diamond exploration boom 10 years ago.

A company spokesperson said De Beers has done enough work to be satisfied about the diamond potential of the Northwest Territories.

About half of the 14 staff in the office have been reassigned while the rest have left the company.

"I think what we see in the N.W.T. is a sort of a natural transition from exploration into mining development," says Linda Dorrington of De Beers.

"We are now spending most of our efforts in other parts of the country, the eastern Arctic and elsewhere," she said.

Saskatchewan is one of the key areas for De Beers – under a joint venture with Kensington Resources and Cameco, $26 million will be spent on diamond exploration in the Fort a la Corne area in 2005.

It's not known yet if any of the kimberlite fields being explored will lead to the development of commercial diamond mines.

However, De Beers says it expects to make some kind of decision by 2008.

Fort a la Corne is about 50 kilometres east of Prince Albert.

http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=diamonds050422