De Beers Canada
Soil sampling on Devon Island, Nunavut
A wholly owned subsidiary of the De Beers Group
We began diamond exploration in Canada in the 1960s, as a small group of geologists. Today we have two producing mines and an advanced exploration project called Gahcho Kué.
We operate in northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories, which are environmentally delicate, sparsely populated regions that have been carefully husbanded by native Aboriginal communities for generations. So we pay particular attention to respecting our surroundings and working with local communities to create a legacy worthy of diamonds.
Gahcho Kue winter sunset
De Beers Canada at a Glance
- Underground mining at Snap Lake Mine in the Northwest Territories
- Open-pit mining at Victor Mine in northern Ontario
- 10% of Snap Lake and Victor diamonds made available to local manufacturers
- Gahcho Kué Project in the Northwest Territories is a joint-venture with Mountain Province Diamonds (51% De Beers/49% Mountain Province Diamonds)
- Further exploration targeted around the Victor Mine
- Licence area 7236 hectares
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Snap Lake Mine, in the Canadian Northwest Territories (NWT), was our first mine outside of Africa and Canada's first completely underground diamond mine.
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Northern Canada's extreme weather conditions make Victor Mine, an open pit, a challenge worthy of our best people. The winter road that brings supplies and heavy mining equipment to this corner of northeastern Ontario, is open only six weeks of the year.