27 June 2008
Polishing the Gem - Sidewalk Sweeper Unveiled
Yellowknife, NT - As part of the Polish the Gem cleanup campaign, the City of Yellowknife and Rio Tinto's Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. unveiled the Madvac S300 Sidewalk Sweeper today in front of Rio Tinto's Diavik office on main street. Mayor Gordon Van Tighem and Diavik President Kim Truter were on hand for the unveiling.
The purchase of the sidewalk sweeper was made possible through a partnership between Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., a member of the Rio Tinto group of companies, and the City of Yellowknife. According to Mayor Van Tighem: "It's more than just a piece of machinery. The Madvac should become a symbol of the City's, our corporate citizens' and indeed all Yellowknifers' ongoing commitment and pride in a clean capital city. Let's keep our gem polished!"
"Over the past weeks, we've seen great community participation in the Polish the Gem litter campaign and the City is looking great," stated Diavik President Kim Truter. "For our part, Diavik employees recently participated in the spring cleanup and helped celebrate with a barbecue on main street. As with our other community projects, we are once again pleased to partner with the City to purchase the sidewalk sweeper, which will help further polish our city," he said. Diavik has a strong history of community support, including the SideDoor Youth Centre, the Shorty Brown Arena, the Bailey House Transition Home, and most recently, the Territorial Dementia Facility.
City personnel have been trained on how to operate the unit and are excited to put it into action. The Madvac S300 features two circular sweepers, a suction hose and sprayer.
For further information on the Polishing the Gem campaign, please contact Grant White, Director of Community Services, at 920-5634, or Tom Hoefer, Principal Adviser, Communications and Government Relations, Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., at Tel: 669-6500.
The Diavik Diamond Mine is located 300 km. northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and is an unincorporated joint venture between DDMI (60%) and Harry Winston Diamond Mines Ltd. (40%). Both companies are headquartered in Yellowknife, Canada. DDMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc of London, England, and Harry Winston Diamond Mines Ltd. is wholly owned by Harry Winston Diamond Corporation of Toronto, Canada. DDMI is the operator of the project. For further information contact Tom Hoefer, Principal Adviser, Communications & Government Relations at Tel: (867) 6696500, or visit the DDMI website at www.diavik.ca.