De Beers Hitting More Problems in Canada

It would seem that the most experienced diamond miner in the world wouldn’t encounter so many problems as international miner De Beers does in Canada, but it looks like it just hit another snag in its way to mining in Snap Lake.

The latest comes from local northern politicians that are accusing De Beers Canada of backing out of a promise to supply rough diamonds to local manufacturers, reports CBC News.

“Nine months ago the president of De Beers Canada made a commitment in the North saying that yes, he would make a commitment to a supply of rough,” Jim Antoine, minister of resources, wildlife and economic development, told the news agency yesterday.

Antoine went on saying that now all of De Beers commitments are suspect, “Are they going to backtrack on these?” he asked.

A possible solution might arise from a meeting scheduled for Friday between De Beers Canada president Richard Molyneux and NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi.

One of De Beers biggest problems so far was the suspicion on the part of locals who felt that De Beers was not addressing its concerns regarding the environmental impact of mining as was clear from the lengthy meetings with local leadership and environmentalists at the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) hearings in the Snap Lake licensing process.