Iqaluit played host to a meeting of various parties involved in or affected by the Mary River iron mine project in North Baffin as discussions continued Feb. 19-20 in the form of the Cumulative Effects Assessment Framework Workshop.
The delegates at the Aqsarniit Hotel included Nunavut Tunngavik Corporation (NTI), the Government of Nunavut (GN), the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), Oceans North, the World Wildlife Fund of Canada, and the Government of Canada.
According to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB), which organized the meeting, the purpose was to identify responsibilities and expectations of participants, as well as detail gaps in information that need to be addressed and could be incorporated in future monitoring of the mine.
The cumulative effects from Mary River pertain to the total environmental impact on the area around the mine, according to NIRB.
Baffinland Iron Mines contended that it saw no significant cumulative effects resulting from the project, which has been in production since 2014, but the review board heard from other parties who argued that certain factors had not yet been fully accounted for. This resulted in NIRB issuing “terms and conditions to address uncertainty or concern related to cumulative effects,” and recommending a more precautionary approach “proposing more baseline monitoring and calling for ongoing adaptive management planning.”
In the Early Revenue Phase Hearing Report, Baffinland projected four to five more years of this phase of the project, identifying only the transportation of ore as a possible cumulative effect. NIRB objected that this timeline would deplete the 35 million tonne deposit six to seven years sooner than originally proposed and “expressed concern that this ripple effect would be felt through the impacted communities and could create shortened socio-economic benefits.”
The Phase 2 Development Hearing Report revealed concerns about how adequate Baffinland’s cumulative effects assessment actually was, particularly relating to caribou and marine life impacts. There have been concerns about interfering with regular migratory patterns. The QIA and Oceans North expressed dissatisfaction with Baffinland’s report, citing a lack of data in regards to climate change.
The NIRB workshop report states that “parties do not agree on what existing data and Inuit knowledge is telling us about the effects of the existing Mary River project… There was also disagreement about the method of collection and the role and responsibilities for evaluating and responding to monitoring data and incorporation of Inuit knowledge… the board noted that without agreement on the existing information and impacts, the validity of predictions of cumulative effects remain uncertain and cannot be relied upon.”
NIRB echoed the minister of Northern Indigenous Affairs’ words that “we are supportive of the parties’ calls for an updated, comprehensive cumulative effects assessment, which, while not appropriate for the current scope of the sustaining operations proposal, we would expect would be addressed as part of any future Baffinland application or as a stand-alone Baffinland assessment.”
NIRB asked that future applications regarding “longer-term development plans” in regards to Mary River provide such information up front.
At the close of the workshop, NIRB committed to issuing a summary report to the minister of Northern Affairs to provide a summary of the discussions and recommendations discussed during the workshop, and “some parties indicated that they will be filing additional written submissions to follow up on some of the issues discussed. Such information will be on the NIRB Public Registry once available,” stated Robbin R. R. Sinclaire, NIRB’s executive director.
NTI issued a news release following the workshop that expressed support for an updated cumulative effects assessment of the mine. The federal government has acknowledged that incremental expansions at Mary River over the years will make it difficult to “fully consider” cumulative effects from the project.
“In conclusion, long-standing Inuit concerns regarding existing impacts of the Mary River project and cumulative effects must be resolved,” NTI stated.
Peter Akman, head of stakeholder relations and communications for Baffinland, commented after the workshop: “We found a lot of common ground and we put forward a reasonable path forward for the NIRB to consider. We will likely see more discussion on specific technical issues and the process to develop a long-term framework as the next steps.
“Baffinland appreciates the opportunity to share our plans and hear feedback about the project,” Akman added. “We are dedicated to incorporating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) into every aspect of our operations and we’re committed to transparency.”