DIAMOND MINING: Snap Lake cancels winter shutdown

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES — A brightening outlook for diamonds has prompted Toronto's De Beers Canada to cancel the announced winter shutdown of the Snap Lake underground diamond mine 220 km northeast of Yellowknife. Instead of taking a four-week breather, operations will continue through the month of December.

The summer shutdown was successfully completed on Sept. 2, 2009. A small team of approximately 60 staff were on site to provide care and maintenance for the camp and to complete the summer environmental monitoring programs that are required for environmental compliance. Just before that shutdown, the mine achieved an important safety milestone, surpassing 2.0 million hours worked without a lost time injury.

The Snap Lake mine can produce 1.4 million ct of diamonds annually. A fact sheet about the operation is posted at www.DeBeersCanada.com.