EDITORIAL PAGE — A catalyst for change

The Voisey Bay nickel-copper-cobalt project has sparked the largest staking rush ever seen in Atlantic Canada, with more than 100,000 claims registered in Labrador since the discovery was announced last fall.

Granted, this staking boom has yet to rival that which seized the Northwest Territories after diamonds were discovered in the Lac de Gras region. Still, the current pace of activity reflects the fact that Voisey Bay is the most important mining development in Labrador since the discovery of iron ore decades ago. And it points to a busy summer for exploration companies and for the local communities that stand to benefit from these boom times.

Voisey Bay is a window of opportunity for local aboriginal groups to take part in a development with obvious potential to provide jobs and economic benefits. And the interest is there. Archean Resources, the company operating the project in consultation with owner Diamond Fields Resources, was swamped with more than 1,000 replies to a recent advertisement seeking four drill helpers.

The average age of Inuit and Innu communities in Labrador is less than 16 years, and the unemployment rate is at, or near, the highest in the country. It is to the credit of Inuit leaders that they have supported the Voisey Bay project, which already employs some of their young people.

Voisey Bay may be the catalyst for settlement of land claims between government and the Inuit, as well as the Innu. The latter has been hesitant to support Voisey Bay, but this may change now that the protest against drilling has stopped and the law courts are back in the Innu community of Davis Inlet. A few Innu young people are now on Archean’s payroll, and more may be hired as work progresses. Voisey Bay will not solve all the social problems that plague native communities such as Davis Inlet. But it may be a start.