NWT Diamond Mines Continue to Create Benefits

25 November 2014

Yellowknife, NT (November  25, 2014) The three NWT diamond mines, Snap Lake, Diavik and Ekati, continue to provide significant benefits for the NWT, its residents and communities and all of Canada.  These benefits are summarized in Measuring Success 2014: NWT Diamond Mines Continue to Create Benefits, a summary report released today by the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines. 

Following are some highlights from the report:

  • Employment
    • Initial predicted total mine employment was 1,826 workers
    • In 2013, total diamond mine employment was 3,109 workers
    • Northern employment in 2013 was 1,430, exceeding initial predictions of 1,138 by 26%
    • Of the 1,430 northern workforce in 2013, 752 or 53% were Aboriginal
    • Total employment since 1996 is just under 44,000 person-years of which 50% is northern, and half of the northern is Aboriginal
  • Training and education investment
    • The diamond mines and other industry partners supported Mine Training Society programs with $16.7 million in cash and in-kind investments between 2004 and 2014
    • The Mine Training Society assessed 2,796 people for training between 2004 and 2014, with 2,149 of those receiving training or other support
    • In 2013, the three mines employed 69 apprentices
    • Nearly $464,000 in scholarships was awarded by the three mines in 2013
  • Business spending
    • Mines spent $943 million in 2013, with $621 million (66%) with northern businesses, and $248 million (26%) with Aboriginal business
    • Total spending to date to construct and operate the mines is $14.8 billion
    • Northern business spending to date is $10.6 billion (72%) of which $4.8 billion (32%) is with Aboriginal businesses
  • Community contributions
    • During 2012 and 2013, the three diamond mines provided approximately $23 million in contributions to communities
  • Safety
    • The diamond mines continue to set high standards for mine safety and their strong safety performance has made significant impacts on the safety culture not only within their organizations but also with many other businesses involved in their operations.

Click here to download Measuring Success 2014.

For more information on the NWT and Nunavut mining industries, please visit the website at www.miningnorth.com or contact Tom Hoefer, Executive Director at Tel: 867-873-5281 or
email: executivedirector@miningnorth.com. 

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