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                                 EXHIBIT 10.17

                            STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
                                   (INSIDER)


MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT made as of the 23rd day of February, 1995.


BETWEEN:

         SUMMO MINERALS CORPORATION, a body corporate, duly
         incorporated under the laws of British Columbia,
         and having its head office at 860 - 625 Howe
         Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 2T6

         (hereinafter called the "Company")

                                                      OF THE FIRST PART

AND:

         JOHN IVANY, of 9180 Kalamalka Rd.
         RR 1, Site 26, Comp 2
         Vernon, British Columbia, V1T 6L4

         (hereinafter called the "Optionee")

                                                      OF THE SECOND PART

    WHEREAS the 0ptionee is a director of the Company.

    AND WHEREAS the Company wishes to maintain the continued services of and 
to provide incentive to the Optionee and to this end is desirous of granting to 
the Optionee an option to purchase shares in the capital of the Company 
subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter contained.

NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH:

DEFINITION

1.  In this Agreement the term "share" or "shares" means, as the case may be,
    one or more common shares without par value in the capital stock of the 
    Company as constituted at the date of this Agreement.

GRANTING OF OPTION

2.  The Company hereby irrevocably grants to the Optionee, being a director of
    the

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    Company, a non-assignable, non-transferable option to purchase 250,000 
    shares in the capital stock of the Company (hereinafter called the "Option")
    at a price of $1.20 per share (the "Option Price") on the terms and 
    conditions hereinafter set forth.

EXERCISE OF OPTION

3.  The Option, may be exercised by the Optionee over a period of five years,
    from time to time, on or before February 23, 2000 by notice in writing to 
    the Company to that effect. Any such notice given to the Company (an 
    "Exercise Notice") shall specify the number of shares with respect to which 
    the Option is being exercised and shall be accompanied by a cheque drawn on 
    a Canadian chartered bank in favour of the Company in full payment of the 
    Option Price for the number of shares then being purchased.

DELIVER OF SHARE CERTIFICATE

4.  The Company shall, within five business days after receipt of the 
    Exercise Notice deliver to the Optionee a share certificate representing the
    number of shares with respect to which the Option is exercised and issued as
    of the date of the Exercise Notice.

5.  An Exercise Notice shall be deemed to have been given, if delivered, on 
    the date of delivery, or if mailed, on the date of mailing. A mailed 
    Exercise Notice shall be sent by prepaid registered mail addressed to the 
    Company at its Vancouver address.

OPTION ONLY

6.  Nothing herein contained or done pursuant hereto shall obligate the 
    Optionee to purchase and/or pay for any shares of the Company, except those 
    shares in respect of which the Optionee shall have exercised all or any part
    of the Option granted hereunder.

7.  The Optionee shall have no rights whatsoever as a shareholder in respect 
    to any of the shares optioned hereunder other than in respect of optioned 
    shares upon which the Optionee shall have exercised all or any part of the 
    Option granted hereunder and which shall have been taken up and paid for in
    full.

APPROVAL

8.  The Option granted hereunder is subject to approval by ordinary 
    resolution of the members of the Company entitled to vote at a general 
    meeting of the Company, passed prior to the exercise of the Option or any 
    part thereof.

FILING WITH REGULATORY AUTHORITIES

9.  This Agreement may be required to be filed with some or all of the 
    Superintendent of Brokers for the Province of British Columbia and the 
    Vancouver Stock Exchange ("VSE") (collectively the "Regulatory Authorities")
    and the Optionee hereby agrees to be bound by any modification of the terms 
    and conditions of the Option as may be 

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    required by the said Regulatory Authorities.

10. A Declaration of Stock Option Position as attached hereto as "Schedule A" 
    to this Agreement, is required by the VSE and the Optionee hereby agrees to 
    be bound by any modification of the terms and conditions of the Option as 
    may be required by the said Regulatory Authorities.

CAPITAL REORGANIZATION

11. In the event the authorized capital of the Company as presently           
    constituted is consolidated into a lessor number of shares or subdivided  
    into a greater number of shares, the number of shares in respect of which 
    the Option remains unexercised shall be decreased or increased            
    proportionately as the case may be, and the then prevailing purchase price
    to be paid by the Optionee for each such share shall be correspondingly   
    decreased or increased as applicable. In the event the Company shall      
    determine to amalgamate or merge with any other company or companies (and 
    the right to do so is hereby expressly reserved) whether by way of        
    statutory amalgamation, sale of its assets and undertaking, or otherwise  
    howsoever, then and in each such event the number of shares in the        
    corporation resulting from such amalgamation or merger in respect of      
    which the Option remains unexercised shall be such number of shares in    
    that corporation as would have been acquired by the Optionee pursuant to  
    the amalgamation or merger had the Option been fully exercised            
    immediately prior to the date of such amalgamation or merger and the then 
    prevailing purchase price of the shares to be paid by the Optionee shall  
    be correspondingly decreased or increased as applicable.

TERMINATION 0F OPTION

12. The Option is not assignable or transferable and shall terminate on the 
    30th day following the date upon which the Optionee ceases to be a director 
    of the Company; provided, however, that if such cessation is due to the 
    death of the Optionee, the personal representative of the Optionee shall 
    have the right to exercise any unexercised part of the Option for a period 
    of one year following the date of death of the Optionee.

AMENDMENT OF MATERIAL TERMS

13. Any amendment to the Option is subject to approval by ordinary resolution 
    of the members of the Company entitled to vote at a general meeting of the 
    Company.

TIME OF THE ESSENCE

14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.

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SUCCESSORS

15. This Agreement shall enure to the benefit of and be binding upon the 
    heirs, executors and administrators of the Optionee and the successors of 
    the Company.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have caused these presents to be 
executed as at the day and year first above written.

The Corporate Seal of SUMMO            )
MINERALS CORPORATION was               )
hereunto affixed in the                )
presence of:                           )
                                       )                   C/S
                                       )
                                       )
                                       )
                                       )
                                       )
         /s/ [ILLEGIBLE]               )
----------------------------           )
Authorized Signatory                   )
                                       )
                                       )
         /s/ N. Hewett                 )
----------------------------           )
Authorized Signatory                   )



SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED           )
by the Optionee in the presence of:    )
                                       )
                                       )
Name:   /s/ Gail Sharp                 )                   /s/ John Ivany
      ----------------------           )                 --------------------
                                       )                 JOHN IVANY


Address:    [ILLEGIBLE]                )
         -------------------           )
            [ILLEGIBLE]                )
----------------------------           )
Occupation: Secretary                  )
           -----------------           )

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                                  SCHEDULE "A"

                                                      FORM VSE 1-16

                      DECLARATION OF STOCK OPTION POSITION

                      THIS FORM FOR COMPLETION BY OPTIONEE

    RE: _________________________________________________________
              (Name of Company)

RE: _____________________ incentive stock options in _____________________
      (No. of options)                                      (Company)

I,__________________________, HEREBY CERTIFY that the aforesaid 
non-transferable options have been granted to me in compliance with the 
requirements of the V.S.E. Listings Policy Statement No. 1: and more 
particularly that at the time of grant, I was not aware of any change in the 
affairs of the Company which might have affected the trading price and had 
not been disclosed to the public. If the company is classified as a Venture 
Company as of the date of this declaration, I confirm that I have not been 
granted a stock option in the said Company within 2 years of the date of 
grant of the above-stated options.

I HEREBY FURTHER CERTIFY (complete either Part I or Part II as applicable):

                                   PART I

THAT I have not been granted any director or employee incentive share options 
by any other listed companies.

DATED the ____ day of _______________, 19___. SIGNATURE: __________________

                                   PART II

THAT I hold as of the date of this Declaration existing incentive share 
options which have been granted to me by the above named company or other 
listed companies as follows:

                                                                     Outstanding
Name of                 No. of              Date of                  Balance as
Listed                  Shares              Exercise                 at Date of
Co.                     Optioned            Grant                    Certificate


________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

(Complete on separate sheet if insufficient space)

DATED the ____ day of _______________, 19___. SIGNATURE: __________________