1.   The preparation of a draft bill to protect Antarctica and to ban commercial mining and drilling was also reported to be in progress.

2.   It will be at least three years before commercial mining begins at the Voisey Bay deposit.

3.   Others are more narrowly focused, like proposals easing commercial mining and fishing regulations.

4.   Work at the Paymaster property, also in northern Ontario, will be terminated following an analysis of drilling results which indicated insufficient reserves to warrant commercial mining.

5.   But the large number of finds indicates that there is some potential for commercial mining.

6.   Nonetheless, commercial mining was shut down, and all expatriates were gathered in one building, ready for an emergency evacuation, although none was planned yet.

7.   Alberta geologist Roy Eccles said Tuesday he believed the best hopes for commercial mining of diamonds lay in Alberta.