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INAC RESPONDS TO INDUSTRY CONCERN WITH MINING PUBLICATION

VANCOUVER (January 25, 2005) - A new tool to help the mineral exploration industry navigate the federal regulatory regime in Nunavut has been released today at the Exploration Roundup Trade Show. The Exploration and Mining on Crown Lands in Nunavut Guidebook was developed after extensive consultations with various institutions of public government, territorial governments and Inuit organizations. It addresses the mining industry’s on-going desire for a document that provides guidance to the regulatory procedures in Nunavut.

The Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, is confident the mining industry will benefit from this guide. “A clear regulatory environment is a key component in attracting mineral exploration to the territory,” says Minister Scott. “This guide shows progress in improving Nunavut’s operating environment by addressing questions about Crown lands and mining in the territory.”

The guide, available in print and on compact disk, walks the reader through various aspects of the mining cycle, from the very early stages of prospecting and exploration to reclamation and abandonment. It outlines the key acts, departments, processes and legislation that industry should be aware of when exploring on Crown lands in Nunavut in user friendly formats.

The guide comes at a good time. Nunavut is one of the busiest areas for exploration in North America. Although there are no mines currently operating in the territory, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is administering 1875 prospecting permits, encompassing over 60 million acres of land. The territory saw large blocks of ground acquired by permitting and staking in both 2003 and 2004 that were comparable to the diamond staking rushes in the Northwest Territories in the early 1990's.

The Exploration and Mining on Crown Lands in Nunavut Guidebook will be made available at the Exploration Roundup Trade Show at the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - Nunavut Regional Office booth. Copies are also available by calling Indian and Northern Affairs Canada at 867 975 4500 or e-mailing nuinfo@inac.gc.ca

For more information, please contact:

Maria O’Hearn
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada – Communications
tel: 867 979-7954
ohearnm@inac.gc.ca

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