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The Yukon Geoscience Forum and YMIP's No. 1 star

The Yukon Geoscience Forum and YMIP's No. 1 star The Yukon Geoscience Forum is a long-standing, well-respected venue designed to showcase industry contractors, exploration companies, suppliers, YGS projects, YTG services, personnel, etc. Oh yeah, right

The Yukon Geoscience Forum is a long-standing, well-respected venue designed to showcase industry contractors, exploration companies, suppliers, YGS projects, YTG services, personnel, etc. Oh yeah, right, and independent prospectors.

I have been privileged to display my properties at the forum trade show for the last 15 years. When I started out, the Yukon Chamber of Mines provided five tables at no cost to the local prospectors. This year, like last, because of the increase in attendance and limited space available I had the only table available and it cost me $200.

Like last year, I was happy to share with my peers. I only had two friends share the table with me this year. Maybe it’s because I was warned not to have beer on hand. Maybe it’s because we’re all like the late J.P. Ross Ð quietly becoming extinct.

As in years before, we got a lot of positive attention and made some new contacts. Some of these contacts actually took away some of our information packages. Well imagine that. I promised the Yukon Chamber of Mines not to use the forum as a political soap box and I kept my word. However, I got some positive lip service regarding my correspondence with the local newspapers from industry and unnamed government personnel. Not YTG employees? Well now, imagine that.

Unlike years before, the great Shawn Ryan stopped in to berate us as a group for my crybaby letters to the press.

Lately, Ryan has been so busy staking up the Klondike, and the Yukon in general, for his clients that I was genuinely surprised and pleased he found the time to attend and recognize us.

If I had been approved for $620,350 worth of Yukon Mining Incentive Program grants in two years, I would have had the biggest booth and the most lavish hospitality suite in town.

For that kind of money, I would take my best friend to Hawaii.

Tim Turmundi, of Eagle Plains Resources, was approved for $936,820 of mining incentive grants and didn’t attend this year or last.

Gary Sidhu, of BC Gold Corp., only got $525,000 in grants in the last two years. I didn’t see him here either. I just can’t imagine why.

ConclusionsÉ

Sorry Ryan, Turmundi is still No. 1. I guess the big stars only attend gala events.

Some publicly traded mining companies apply for grants, but they limit their request so the program can benefit many prospectors.

Can you imagine that?

Wade Carrell, member, Yukon Prospector’s Association

Whitehorse