Roughly 170 crow-flying kilometres southeast of Thompson, prospectors’ perseverance has paid off in Manitoba’s first-ever diamond discovery. Making the announcement at PDAC on March 6, provincial minister of growth, enterprise and trade Cliff Cullen couldn’t resist mentioning Manitoba’s #2 worldwide ranking in the latest Fraser Institute survey of mining jurisdictions, up from #19 the previous year.
“The world’s mining sector is taking notice of Manitoba’s mineral resource potential and our business and investment-friendly environment,” he said. “Our government is very pleased by these recent developments and will continue to create the welcoming conditions necessary for the attraction of investment in our mineral resources.”
The Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association credits the discovery—of microdiamonds, but in bedrock—to three of its members, Mark Fedikow, John Lee and Harold Westdal, along with Robin Day of Alberta and the Manitoba Geological Survey, “especially Scott Anderson.” The four prospectors call themselves the Lynx Consortium.
Ruth Bezys, Manitoba PDA president and Fedikow’s wife, told the Winnipeg Free Press the consortium will likely option their claim to a company with more financial resources.
Mining contributes about $1.5 billion or 2.7% to Manitoba’s GDP, sustaining about 3,200 jobs, Cullen told the conference.
