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INAC ANNOUNCES $2.5 MILLION INVESTMENT IN GEOSCIENCE IN NUNAVUT

Iqaluit, Nunavut (March 6, 2006) - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, announced today a $2.5 million investment in geoscience to support mapping and scientific data collection activities in Nunavut.

The funding will help build the knowledge base in the mining and exploration sector in Nunavut by furthering economic opportunities and investments. “Mapping is part of basic geoscientific knowledge,” says Minister Prentice. “Working with the Government of Nunavut and Inuit organizations, the Government of Canada is showing its commitment to improving access to geoscience in Nunavut on many levels.”

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association received $980,000 for the South Baffin Aeromagnetic Survey, an airborne magnetic survey that will provide three-dimensional pictures of the magnetic susceptibility in the underlying rocks in order to differentiate rock types. This will help exploration companies search for minerals, reduce field and mapping costs, allow public access to mapping and geological information, and increase industry investment in Nunavut.

Thomasie Alikatuktuk, President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, said he is pleased to see support for this initiative. “This is an excellent example of the Government of Canada and Inuit working together,” he said. “It is encouraging to know that the results of this survey will attract private-sector interest to the South Baffin region to the benefit of both Inuit and the Crown. The commitment made by INAC is an investment in Nunavut's future.”

The Government of Nunavut received $1,049,950 for three projects. Two projects will improve the availability of geoscience knowledge on north-eastern Baffin Island and the north-eastern mainland of Nunavut, thereby reducing the exploration risk to industry. The third project is fuel positioning support for geoscience mapping projects in Cape Dorset, Coral Harbour and Taloyoak.

“The exploration and mining industries in Nunavut are vital to the Territory’s economic future. One way we can attract industry to explore here is by building our geoscience database. By continuing to work with our federal government partners we can establish Nunavut as one of the best places in the world to invest exploration dollars,” said GN Minister of Economic Development & Transportation Olayuk Akesuk.

Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated received $475,000 for the first year of a four-year project to digitize and update existing 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 topographic maps and generate 120 new 1:50,000 topographic maps to address the lack of accurate topographic coverage over the majority of Nunavut.

The Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) programming set includes two complementary programs – the Targeted Investment Program (TIP) and the renewed Innovation and Knowledge Fund (I&K). TIP is designed to distribute $90 million in funding over five years across the three territories while I&K is an ongoing annual program that was recently renewed. The funding announced today flows from the Targeted Investment Program.

Projects funded under these programs will focus on strengthening the driver sectors of territorial economies, broadening the economic base of each territory, strengthening Northerners’ abilities to take advantage of economic opportunities, and increasing coordination amongst partners and programs. INAC worked with the Government of Nunavut and the Nunavut Economic Forum to identify investments in priority areas like geoscience. The foundational investments made under these programs will help generate important economic opportunities for Northerners, businesses and communities.

For more information visit the Nunavut website or contact:

Jonathan Dewar
Senior Communications Officer
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada – Nunavut Regional Office
(867) 979-7941

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