The Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which controls most of the land occupied by the Mary River iron mine, refuses to endorse or support the mine owner’s railway-based expansion proposal, says the organization’s president, P.J. Akeeagok.
Following a special board meeting held on Oct. 30, the QIA dropped this bombshell declaration into the hands of the Nunavut Impact Review Board in the form of a letter on Nov. 1, just before the start of the review board’s final public hearing in Iqaluit on Baffinland’s phase two expansion proposal on Nov. 2.
At their special meeting, QIA board members voted unanimously to take that position, Akeeagok’s letter said. “Many of QIA’s environmental and cultural concerns regarding Baffinland’s Phase 2 proposal have not been adequately resolved. We are also concerned that there are issues raised by impacted communities that have not yet been addressed,” QIA said.
However, QIA stopped short of saying the NIRB should recommend the federal government reject the project. But Akeeagok did say QIA is “specifically sensitive” to what it has heard from Pond Inlet, the community that’s affected most by the Mary River iron mine.
In that community, the Hamlet of Pond Inlet has already declared its opposition to the phase two expansion proposal in its current form. “We ask that the Phase 2 Proposal not be approved until such time as Baffinland can demonstrate that it can meet employment targets, follow through on its renewed commitment to IQ in its research, monitoring, mitigation practices and consultation with the community,” the hamlet told the NIRB on Sept. 20.
For the rest of this article: https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/baffinlands-inuit-landlord-wont-support-mary-river-expansion/