August 25, 2022

It's Mining Week in the NWT!  “The Good of Mining” is a series highlighting the important relationship that NWT residents have with the NWT’s mining sector.

Big companies can make big differences in the communities in which they invest. 

The way mining companies do business in the Northwest Territories is a good example. The benefits of their investments and contributions are evident far beyond their mine sites - and the relationship that exists between companies and communities has become a defining feature of how mining works in the NWT.

Here are some examples. 

Impact Benefit Agreements

Mines operating in the Northwest Territories routinely enter into Impact Benefit Agreements with Indigenous governments in areas where they are operating.

These agreements are negotiated confidentially by the mining companies with local Indigenous governments. They can cover various things — from community infrastructure investments and local training, to environmental or wildlife monitoring programs.

The investments identified are made by the companies directly into the communities.

Scholarships

Each of the NWT’s diamond mines funds scholarships for NWT students – encouraging young people to stay in school, seeking higher learning and take control of their future.

As the NWT’s mining economy provides tangible opportunities to pursue careers, more and more NWT students are getting the message and even bringing their schooling home to work in the North - as educators, engineers, scientists, lawyers and medical professionals.

Scholarship programs provided in 2021 for those interested in a mine-related career included:

• Rio Tinto Diavik Diamond Mine Community Scholarship Fund
• Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. Scholarship for Aurora College students
• De Beers Group STEM Scholarship Program for Women in Canada

Read more about training and education opportunities provided by the NWT mining industry here.

Good Corporate Citizenship

More visibly, the NWT’s mining companies support countless events and initiatives that build and unite our communities. They sponsor sports teams, arts initiatives, literacy programs, and community festivals.

Just ask the hundreds of teams who have played hockey on the Diavik-funded Shorty Brown ice surface in Yellowknife; the athletes from across the territory who benefited from Dominion Diamonds’ sponsorship of the South Slave Arctic Winter Games; or the many residents and tourists who, thanks to De Beers, enjoy the annual world-class ice sculpture competition at the Long John Jamboree every year.

Since 1996, NWT communities have benefited from $millions in donations, sponsorships, and contributions.