Diamond Firm Promises Jobs to First Nation

Diamond Firm Promises Jobs to First Nation

Friday, May 07, 2004 at 13:16

An official with a diamond exploration company is promising employment opportunities and a surging local economy to the James Smith First Nation if a nearby diamond mine becomes a reality.

Shore Gold vice-president Ken Read is in charge of the exploration effort for the company on a section of land just across the river from the band’s reserve.

For the past year-and-a-half, Shore Gold has been sampling huge bodies of rock in the region hoping to secure enough profitable diamonds to make a major recovery operation viable.

Read says a mine would benefit everyone while posing no danger to the nearby river.

Officials with James Smith have stated in the past they consider the mine to be on their traditional hunting lands.

Shore Gold president Ken MacNeill say he feels good relations exist between his company and the band.