"THE CHRONICLE JOURNAL - Saturday January 15, 2000
DIAMOND PROSPECTOR CONTINUES FIGHT WITH IPSCO
The president of a Thunder Bay based mining company has taken his dispute over potentially huge diamond deposits in Saskatchewan to the next level - he's suing the provincial government.
James Parres, president of CopperQuest Inc., filed a statement of claim against the government of Saskatchewan in court, on Monday.
Parres has another lawsuit pending against IPSCO, formerly the
Inter-Provincial Steel Company, over an incident at the Saskatchewan mine claims office on August 31, 1998.
On that date, representatives of IPSCO and Parres were waiting in line for the office to open so they could file claims on lands that were being opened for prospecting.
In the latest lawsuit, Parres charges IPSCO got advance notice that certain Crown lands would be reopened for claims - hence IPSCO was first in line to claim those rights, which it acquired next day.
He also claims IPSCO explored and prospected on these Crown lands in advance of filing the claims.
"The government has a duty of care to the whole mining industry, not just IPSCO or me," Parres said Wednesday from his Thunder Bay office.
"They had an obligation to do this fairly - to tell everyone the land was coming open."
In the statement of claim filed with the Saskatchewan court, Parres asks for legal costs and general damages to be determined later. He also wants the court to declare IPSCO's lease null and void and that title be granted to him.
Parres's claims have not been proven in court.
The government of Saskatchewan has 20 days to file a statement of defence.
At issue is an area of east-central Saskatchewan that contains iron ore deposits and bodies of rock called kimberlite pipes, which some believe hay yield millions of dollars in diamonds.
THE CHRONICLE JOURNAL"
For those of you who don't know the story, this guy was pulled out
of line by the police and thrown in jail so IPSCO could have first place. Next morning 3 lawyers for the steel company, two police officers and a paddy wagon, 6 kids from the night shift at the steel plant and two commissionaires were guarding the front door at 201 Dewdney Avenue East. I asked the officers why a paddy wagon was on call, he said "they don't like cleaning blood from their cruisers".
average joe |
