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Final round of Quebec public hearings to visit the region next week
KUUJJUAQ — Nunavik’s leadership has taken a position on the future of uranium mining in the region — and it’s a resounding “no.”
And Makivik Corp. and the Kativik Regional Government plan to say so in a joint brief that will be submitted to public hearings in Nunavik next week.
The independent Quebec body called the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement, or BAPE, is returning to the region for a third and final round as part of its province-wide tour to gauge the public’s opinion on uranium mining.
“We’re going to say that there should be no uranium mining in Nunavik, period,” KRG chair Maggie Emudluk told a meeting of regional councillors in Kuujjuaq Nov. 26.
The BAPE has been to Nunavik twice already in 2014, but while its previous visits took questions and provided information to the public, its upcoming stops in Kuujjuaq Dec. 2 and Kangisualujjuaq Dec. 3 will be to hear the region’s position on potential uranium development.
It wasn’t clear until now that Nunavik’s leaders have takes a public stand on the issue.
At the Kuujjuaq hearings this past June, Makivik said in a presentation that it’s “not the role of Nunavik leaders” to convince the population of Nunavik to accept uranium mining.
Makivik said that’s the uranium industry’s job — and that the uranium industry “must address their challenges by providing facts and balanced information to enable people to make informed decisions.”
Just last week, Makivik presented its brand new Nunavik Inuit Mining Policy to delegates at a Quebec mining conference, which sets out conditions for resource development across the region, with Makivik as a first point of contact.
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