Attawapiskat band members interested in negotiating a new Impact Benefit Agreement for the Victor Mine Extension Project.
De Beers Canada is looking into the possibility of extending its current Victor Mine project on northern Ontario’s James Bay Coast, on traditional land, 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat First Nation.
The company officially opened its existing Victor Mine site in mid-2008, after discovering the region’s lucrative kimberlite field more than two decades earlier. It was the province’s first diamond mine.
With an estimated five years remaining on that open pit diamond mine, the company has proposed the Victor Mine Extension Project.
The project is in an advanced exploration stage at the moment, meaning a final decision on whether to pursue the extension is still at least 18 months away, said Tom Ormsby, the director of external and corporate affairs at De Beers Canada.
An environmental assessment is currently underway, and core samples will be done to gauge the value of minerals in the ground.