Rocks for cash

KUUJJUAQ — The Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund would like to see more Nunavimmiut out rock-hunting next summer.

“What we’d like is when people go out and hunt and fish, take a hammer with them, and if they see something unusual, take a sample and give it to us,” said Richard St-Cyr, chief geologist with the NMEF.

For the past two years, the fund has sponsored a “rock contest.” The 2001 contest attracted 128 entries from 78 amateur prospectors. About a third of the entries were interesting enough to be sent off for analysis.

Winners received cash prizes, with the $3,500 top prize, taken home by Adamie Tooktoo who lives in Umiujaq. David Okpik from Quaqtaq won the second prize, Saira Niviaxie from Umiujaq the third prize, David Lucassie from Akulivik the fourth prize, and Amammak Jaaka from Kangiqsujuaq the fifth prize.

Nunavik’s mining fund receives $300,000 a year from the Quebec government to build up regional participation in mineral exploration. Most of the money is used to train and equip local prospectors.

The fund’s goal is to form a junior mining company, owned and run by Inuit.

To date, the NMEF has trained 82 Nunavimmiut to prospect and assist mining exploration teams, and several graduates of its mining workshops have been employed at Falconbridge’s Raglan mine or exploration companies.

The fund also offers seed money to Nunavimmiut who want to try their hand at prospecting. However, only five have applied for assistance since 1997.

In 2002, St-Cyr wants to work actively with the local graduates of prospecting courses to encourage them to apply for funding to explore promising areas near their home communities.

“We’ll use those who have received training to help us do exploration,” St-Cyr said.

Last year, mineral exploration by commercial companies was limited, as many left the diamond-rich Torngat mountains to stake out more easily accessible and even more promising diamond properties closer to Schefferville.

Exploration companies have also had to tighten their belts as investors have sought out a higher and more immediate return on investment in telecommunications and Internet commerce.

Most mineral exploration in Nunavik has taken place in the mineral-rich Cape Smith belt that runs roughly from Puvirnituq to Kangiqsujuaq, passing by the Raglan nickel mine.

St-Cyr said any mineral find near the Raglan site would be less expensive to mine, as ore could be processed at the existing facility at Kattiniq.

Mining creates $3.5 billion in economic activity and 18,000 jobs for Quebec. To keep its share of this important industry, the province has been pouring money into mining exploration in Nunavik — one of the last and most potentially rich geological regions in Quebec — since 1997.

In 1998, Quebec began a five-year program in Nunavik to map the geology of the region above the 55th parallel, one of the most comprehensive geological mapping projects in the world.