Quebec’s renewed Plan Nord is betting on diamonds

EEYOU ISTCHEE JAMES BAY, Que. – Ground has been broken for Quebec’s first diamond mine.

Stornoway Diamond Corporation is developing the one-billion-dollar project in a remote area 350-kilometres north of Chibougamau.

The company — based in the Montreal suburb of Longueuil — predicts the mine will start production in the first half of 2017.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

FACT FILE: Quebec’s Plan Nord

The Stornoway diamond mine is expected to yield 1.6-million carats a year over 11 years, but the company says it’s prepared to extend the mine’s life to 20 years.

The province has a 29-per-cent stake in the operation, which is expected to make the province the sixth-biggest producer of diamonds in the world.

Premier Philippe Couillard says work on the mine is a sign that “Quebec is open for business again.”