Yukon to spend $900K to promote mining and exploration

The Yukon government is giving nearly a million dollars to a group of mining and exploration companies, to attract investment in the territory's beleaguered minerals sector.

The $900,000 in government money is to be spent over the next three years by the Yukon Mining Alliance (YMA) on "strategically planned investment attraction initiatives," according to a statement from Economic Development Minister Stacey Hassard.

The YMA is chipping in an additional $100,000.

The YMA is made up of several exploration, development and mining companies active in Yukon. The presidents of Victoria Gold Corp., AlexcoResource Corp., Kaminak Gold Corp., and Wellgreen Platinum all sit on the board.

A government news release says the YMA willpromoteand advertisea series of events, to "position the territory for the rebound of mineral commodities."

Nobody from the YMA was available to comment on the initiative.

The territory's mining sector has been in a slump for more than a year, with no clear end in sight.

Last week, Capstone Mining announced it would begin laying off employees at its Minto Mine in April, unless copper prices start to rise. The Minto mine is currently Yukon's only working mine.

Yukon Zinc's Wolverine mine shut down a year ago, and North American Tungsten's Cantung mine closed last fall.