Chekoa Program Benefits from De Beers Canada

NWT Business Opportunities Breakfast

Yellowknife (November 18, 2011) – An afterschool program for children of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) members has received a donation from De Beers Canada and several of its business partners.

This year, $3,250, including $2,500 from De Beers Canada and donations from attendees, was collected on November 17th during De Beers’ annual NWT Business Opportunities Breakfast. The donation was presented to the Chekoa Program – a YKDFN organization that provides afterschool care, tutoring, family fun nights and other programming.“De Beers holds the breakfast to ensure all businesses on our NWT Business Registry know what opportunities exist at our Northwest Territories operations in the coming year,” said Ken Smith, Manager, External Relations for the Gahcho Kué Project. “Our business partners are incredibly generous and the meeting is also a great opportunity to help raise funds for charity.”

At the breakfast, Smith outlined plans for the Gahcho Kué Project and operational requirements for De Beers’ Snap Lake Mine, including plans for the 2012 winter road season.

Scheduled to coincide with the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum, the breakfast is free to invited guests and participants are offered an optional opportunity to provide a donation to a pre-selected charity. Including this year’s contribution, De Beers and its business partners have raised approximately $15,000 for local non-profit organizations in Yellowknife through the Business Opportunities Breakfast over the past four years.

De Beers Canada operates the Snap Lake Mine located 220 km northeast of Yellowknife and is the operator of the Gahcho Kué Project, a joint venture project of De Beers Canada Inc. (51%) and Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (49%). Gahcho Kué is currently proceeding through an Environmental Impact Review process and upon approval could become De Beers’ second diamond mine in the Northwest Territories and third in Canada.

For more information:
Ken Smith, Manager, External Relations
Gahcho Kué Project
(867) 766-7300