Feds slammed at Nunavut land use hearing, critics say it favours development over caribou protection – by Jane George (CBC News North – September 28, 2022)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

‘These grounds are sacred and need to be respected and protected,’ says Katie Rasmussen

The federal government received pointed criticism for its position on caribou protection under the draft Nunavut Land Use Plan during its presentation Tuesday in Thompson, Man.

Questions from those at the Nunavut Planning Commission hearing saw Spencer Dewar, director of resource management for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, defending the federal government’s position on mineral development, existing rights and conservation under the land use plan.

“Land use restrictions in key caribou habitats should have the least possible impact on future economic opportunities for Nunavummiut while still protecting the economic, cultural and ecological benefits of caribou and their habitat, ” Dewar said in his presentation to the hearing.

The proposed land use plan includes many existing mineral tenure and mining proposals that overlap and would conflict with any year-round prohibitions on exploration and mining in caribou habitats, he said.

For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-land-use-plan-public-hearings-2022-1.6597747