Toronto — De Beers is shelving immediate plans to study an expansion project at a remote northern Ontario diamond mine after failing to get support from a neighbouring aboriginal community, a "disappointing" setback for the world’s top diamond producer, the mine’s manager said. The isolated Victor mine in the James Bay lowlands, which produces 600 carats of diamonds annually, is scheduled to stop production in late 2018 and close in early 2019, De Beers Canada GM James Kirby told Reuters late last week. The nearby Tango deposit could have added five or six years, but assessment work would not proceed without formal support from the First Nation of Attawapiskat, 90km east of the mine, Kirby said. Attawapiskat chief Ignace Gull, elected last summer, did not respond to requests for comment. The community of about 2,000, which has grappled with such challenges as inadequate housing and flooding, last April declared a state of emergency after a wave of suicide attempts. It has had a rock...
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