Earlier this week, the Tlicho government in Northwest Territories (NWT) restricted the movement of commercial trucks for a few days on one of the winter roads due to anticipated warmer weather across the North Slave Region.
While diamond production remains unaffected, the delay underscores the challenges that companies face as the mines that make Canada the world’s third-largest diamond producer come to the end of their productive lives.
It also highlights the infrastructure hurdle for the NWT and Nunavut that are positioning themselves as the next frontiers in the exploration of critical metals, such as rare earth, cobalt and lithium, in the transition to a greener future.
The delays in building the Winter Road, which first became operational in 1982, have happened in the past, but this year’s is the longest delay in recent years, according to Tom Hoefer, senior advisor to the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of…
