Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Bathurst Inlet (Nov 25/02) - A lifeline into Nunavut will transport jobs and development.

"A lot of potential mines in Nunavut aren't opening up because the price of fuel is too high," said Charlie Lyall, Bathurst Inlet road and port project proponent and president of the Kitikmeot Corporation.

"Right now there are no job prospects in small communities."

Lyall is part of a contingent that is touring the North and lobbying the federal government for a road that would complete a route from Yellowknife to Bathurst Inlet. He said a road would reduce fuel and transportation costs into the Kitikmeot and encourage mine exploration.

Right now there is January-to-May winter road access from Yellowknife to Lupin gold mine, located just over the Nunavut border. A 200-kilometre connector route and associated deepsea port would complete a passageway from the South to the Arctic Ocean.

"Theoretically you can drive up the ice road but our road is private and it is going to be monitored," said Lyall.

A $6 million feasibility study has already been completed on the project. Now the team is headed toward environmental and regulatory permitting processes.

And it's looking for money.

"We're looking to the federal government," said Lyall, who added the Inuit-owned $216 million project will also benefit from tolls and user fees.

The project will employ 300 people during construction and 80 seasonal workers during operation.

A road and port project would be a two-way street opening up the Kitikmeot. Fuel and equipment could be shipped in, then ships would turn around and take ore concentrates from mines south for processing.

Not everyone is sure this is a good idea though.

The other committee

Connie Kapolak represents the "other" Bathurst Inlet road and port committee. She lives at Bathurst and wants to know more before she decides if she likes the proposal or not.

"It's huge. It's kind of scary," she said. Six families live in the area along with visiting guests at the popular Bathurst Inlet Lodge.

"For sure the lodge is going to change if the road and port gets built," said lodge owner Boyd Warner, who explained that guests come to Bathurst to enjoy natural ecological and hunting adventures. It will be hard to maintain the serenity with tanker ships floating past.

Since August, Lyall's road and port committee has made presentations to communities hoping to raise awareness of the project. It plans to make more visits this winter.

Inmet Mining Corporation is looking at a potential zinc mine at Izok Lake, located 83 kilometres west of the Lupin gold mine. The area is believed to contain one of the richest deposits of zinc, copper, lead and silver in North America.

But transportation costs make up 57 per cent of the mine's costs. The project isn't feasible without the road. Inmet has agreed to pay for part of the venture and the road-use toll.

About 18 months ago, Robert Nault, minister of Northern and Indian affairs, visited Cambridge Bay with a gift of $3 million to the Kitikmeot Inuit Association to support a feasibility study and environmental assessment of the Bathurst road and port project.