CANADIAN VENTURE
Mining for diamonds at the cold face
Allan Seccombe experiences Gahcho Kué mine in Canada’s remote, deep-frozen Northwest Territories first-hand
In Canada’s Northwest Territories on the cusp of the Arctic Circle, De Beers and Mountain Province Diamonds have invested C$1bn building the Gahcho Kué mine in an environment hostile beyond imagination. The mine’s hundreds of employees are kept alive by a single road snaking 280km across frozen lakes and uninhabited tundra. Massive cargo and diesel trucks can only use the road in winter. In summer, the mine can only be reached by air. Winter temperatures at the mine can drop to -50°C or lower. The employees warn visitors about the cold on the two-hour flight from Calgary in the south or the shorter one-hour hop from Yellowknife, the capital of the vast Northwest Territories where 40,000 people live under the gorgeous, sinuous Northern Lights. Newbies are warned not to breathe too deeply when disembarking from the plane. One employee shows photos of scars on his wrist after his steel watch and strap froze in a particularly cold spell when he was working outside. We are also warned no...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.