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Expanded shipping, and ice-breaking, contravenes land use plan: NPC
The Nunavut Planning Commission has chosen to protect Arctic ice — and all it delivers and represents to the people and animals of Nunavut — over industrial development.
In a bold move announced April 8 that will impact how Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. operates its Mary River iron mine in north Baffin, NPC directors have decided unanimously that the mining company’s amended project proposal does not conform to the North Baffin Regional Land Use Plan (NBRLUP).
This is the first time the NPC has ever issued a non-conformity decision. “Ice is an essential part of life in the North. For people, for polar bears, for seals and other animals in the North, ice is a bridge — both metaphorically to the past and present Inuit values and activities, also actually as a fact,” their decision states.
“Ice physically links Inuit to their culture and values.” While commissioners also recognize the need to balance “other modern economic values and development,” it nonetheless decided that Baffinland’s new plan, to break ice and ship ore from Milne Inlet nearly year-round, is incompatible with land use regulations.
“The proposed ice breaking activity for winter shipping would prevent or prohibit wildlife harvesting and traditional activities,” the NPC decision states.
It’s interesting to note that the land use plan was recently amended to allow for transportation corridors, including a marine route from Milne Inlet through Eclipse Sound to Baffin Bay.
That amendment was made to allow Baffinland to ship ore past Pond Inlet and into Baffin Bay during the open water season under its “early revenue phase,” said Hunter Tootoo, chair of the NPC, in an April 9 interview.
But not when there’s sea ice, Tootoo said.
“What the phase II proposal was looking at doing was approximately 150 ship transits right from Milne Inlet, through Eclipse Sound, right past Pond Inlet out to Baffin Bay with ice breaking,” Tootoo said.
Under the land use plan, that area is protected for Inuit to harvest and travel, he said.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Tootoo said. “A lot of hours and a lot of work went into this decision. It’s not something that was done over night.”
Greg Missal, Baffinland vice-president, corporate affairs, said April 9, on the phone from head office in Oakville, Ont., that the company was disappointed.
“We felt that our application did conform to the land use plan, which is why were pursing that,” Missal said. “The NPC came up with their determination and thankfully, they clearly outlined a number of options for us to move forward to work with them.”
Those options, as listed by Hunter Tootoo, chair of the NPC board, in an April 8 letter, include:
• continuing with its “early revenue phase,” which involves shipping ore out of Milne Inlet during open water;
• applying to the appropriate federal minister for an exemption from the NBRLUP;
• amending the project proposal to comply with the NBRLUP;
• applying to the planning commission to amend the NBRLUP; or
• re-evaluating the project proposal.
“We’re still reviewing it and considering our options but obviously in the coming days, we’ll be selecting one of those options and pursuing it very quickly,” Missal said.
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_regulatory_org_says_no_to_baffinland/