Building Relationships

In 2015, Kitikmeot Corp and Geotech Drilling Services Ltd., a Canadian industry leader in delivering exploration and infrastructure drilling and testing services, recognized an opportunity to combine our respective strengths to address the ground testing needs of industrial customers in the North. From this relationship, we formed our joint venture Geotech Ekutak Ltd. (Ekutak means drill in Inuinnaqtun) which brings drilling and testing expertise to the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Established in 1996 and with the head office based in Prince George BC, Geotech Drilling Services Ltd. owns and operates a fleet of over fifty drill and testing rigs. A subsidiary, Gregg Drilling and Testing Canada Ltd provides highly specialized Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) services from its offices in Prince George and Delta, BC.

Although Geotech’s primary market is Western and Northern/Arctic Canada, it enjoys a global reputation for operational excellence, having successfully delivered drilling programs in Burkina Faso, Chile, Greenland, the US, and Suriname. In 2020, Geotech’s cold weather drilling experience led to its selection by The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment’s Australian Antarctic Division to support an 11-month long research project in Antarctica.

Our joint venture Geotech Ekutak currently provides drilling services at Nunavut’s Hope Bay mine property. Beginning in 2008, when Geotech (later Geotech Ekutak) first arrived at the site, drill crews have safely and expertly drilled hundreds of thousands of metres, often working in blowing snow and whiteout conditions with temperatures as low as -50° Celsius.

From the beginning of our partnership, we at Kitikmeot Corp have been impressed with the industriousness and safety performance of Geotech’s workforce and by the business acumen and vision of Geotech’s leadership, led by President Jody Lambert. Geotech’s efforts to incorporate Indigenous and Inuit participation in its business activities was a key reason why, in 2021, Kitikmeot Corp completed a minority ownership investment in Geotech Drilling Group of Companies. We are proud to now include all members of the Geotech team as direct participants in Kitikmeot Corps’ future growth.

You can learn more about Geotech and the KC Group of companies on our website.