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Gold/Mining/Energy : SOUTHERNERA (t.SUF) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Bourgeois who wrote (5456)	1/27/2000 3:14:00 PM
From: VAUGHN	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7235

Hello Peter Sorry for the silence, I have been and still am really buried and I have been having trouble with SI access. Obviously back now. *OFF TOPIC* The new Minister of DIAND has been up here. He was quoted in the local press as blaming DIAVIK for the delay due to suggested foot dragging on some conditional performance items requested when the EA report was submitted and accepted last fall. I have to be a little cautious here due to potential conflicts of interest and while this is a generalization, it does appear according to the newspaper and local political comment, that DIAND is less concerned with any actual environmental issues than it is with insuring that DIAVIK negotiates and signs some benefit agreements with various aboriginal land claim organizations. All DIAVIK appears to want to do is expand their existing gravel pads to accommodate this winter's 1300 truck haul of bulk fuel and supplies. On the face of it, it does not appear to be a significant environmental concern considering the existing developments already on site, but I have not been involved in this phase and really have not been following the matter all that closely so there isn't too much insight I can offer beyond the suggestion that this seems to mostly be last minute brinkmanship by DIAND, and perhaps a few other players. Regardless, the recently elected Joe Handley, now new Minister of Finance and previous Deputy Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (GNWT) was appointed last week to get the sides talking and resolve the matter. Word from DIAND this morning is that there appears to be a strong likelihood of agreement by end of business tomorrow. Joe is a very good man and adept politician so I am optimistic. The whole matter has added urgency considering the ice road just opened to 50% loads last week (latest ever) and 60% loads this week. However, temperature is running between -8C and -18C the last five days and is -3C up in Inuvik. If that trend continues, far into February, the ice road load capacity may never get to 100% and probably will have a short-lived life at 60%. As far as whether there are any implications to the Yamba play? Not directly, and while Yamba is even farther north than DIAVIK's site, if that week ice condition continues, and a warm early spring follows, the ice drilling season will most certainly be effected. I have had a call into Howard and Chris for a while now and I hope to impress on them both the reality of the warming trend up here and the need to get a much earlier start than March if they hope to complete their planned program and have time to delineate and mini sample the discoveries they do make. I hope that they listen. Regards P.S. CS, I will write but you deserve more than a quick reply and I am under the gun right now. Thanks for your patience.