Dominion Diamond Mines Dominion Diamond Mines Dominion Diamond Mines (formerly known as Dominion Diamond Corporation, Harry Winston, and Aber) is a Canadian specialist diamond mining company. The company holds a 40% stake in the Diavik Diamond Mine Project. Production at the Diavik Diamond Mine, Canada's second diamond mine, is operated by Dominion Diamond Mines' joint venture partner, Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. The mine began producing diamonds in November 2002. In 2012 the company purchased all of BHP Billiton's diamond assets; the primary asset is the Ekati Diamond Mine, which is adjacent to the Diavik Mine. Diavik and
Yellowknife came from gold mining, and later government; however, because of falling gold prices and increased operating costs, the final gold mine closed in 2004, marking a turning point for Yellowknife's economy. After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom; the Ekati Diamond Mine, owned and operated by BHP Billiton (sold to Dominion Diamond Corporation in 2013), opened in 1998. A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine, began production in 2003. Production from the two operating mines in