Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 12, 2007

KIVALLIQ - Representatives from six of seven Kivalliq communities met in Rankin Inlet this past week to form a regional liaison committee for the Kiggavik uranium project near Baker Lake.

AREVA Resources Canada Inc. is conducting a two-year feasibility study on the project in a joint venture with JCU Exploration Co. Ltd. and the DAEWOO Corp.

The project is now at the advanced-exploration stage, with a resource estimate of 57,000 tonnes of uranium.

Those attending the meeting were Johnny Tagornak of Repulse Bay, Lorne Kusugak of Rankin, Marvin Dion of Coral Harbour, Leo Mimialik of Chesterfield Inlet, Peter Tapatai and David Aksawnee of Baker Lake and Charlie Teenar of Whale Cove.

The meeting was convened by AREVA's Nunavut area manager, Barry McCallum.

He said with only about 8,000 people in the Kivalliq, it's important for the company to talk to the entire region when it looks at servicing the mine with people and contracts.

"We have a community-liaison committee in Baker that's been meeting monthly for about a year, and we decided to set up a regional committee so the entire region will have input," said McCallum.

"We're more accepted when people know, and have input, into what we're doing.

"Mining won't take place until about 2015, and construction won't take place until 2012-13, but it's not too early to start talking and hear what's important to the region."

AREVA started talking to people in Kivalliq communities in 2005, before it put equipment in the field or hired a single engineer.

McCallum said that approach has been working and the company is going to continue with it.

He said it's also time to get into communities that don't see mining.

"A young person in Coral Harbour or Repulse Bay may not know mining is coming to the Kivalliq.

"Training is going to be a key to people getting employment and it's not too early to start that now."

Tapatai said it's extremely important for every Kivalliq community to be a part of whatever workforce is needed at both the AREVA and Meadowbank mining sites.

He said Baker has pushed hard for training so it has a workforce in place to benefit from the mining industry.

"People need to hear the message that training is the key to getting jobs during these mining projects," said Tapatai.

"The mood in Baker is very positive right now.

"I grew up in Baker and, for as long as I can remember, unemployment has always been very, very high, but now many people are working and everywhere I look I see happy faces.

"People in the community are benefitting from the mining companies being here and it's starting to show."

Tapatai said in the past, he would only see hamlet employees and government workers buying snowmobiles, boats, ATVs and new trucks.

This year, he sees people who work for the mining companies driving around on new machines and more trucks than ever before have rolled off the barges.

"These people are finally getting a taste of being productive and successful, and they're being seen by others in a positive light.

"It's an extremely, extremely positive development for our community.

"I can only imagine how it's going to be during the actual construction and working of the mines."

Tapatai said he has no time for naysayers who say many people in Baker and Rankin will only spend their money on gambling and substance abuse when they start earning big salaries.

He said if that's such a big concern, where were these people when these problems existed long before the mining companies arrived?

"How come people seem to start looking at these problems when we're on the verge of success?

"They should have addressed these issues long ago instead of bringing it out now.

"Some people have always gambled too much or spent money on bad choices.

"That was going on long before the mining companies arrived."

Tapatai said everything he sees in Baker concerning the mining companies is positive.

He said people are prospering and feeling good about themselves.

"The men in our community are finally getting to step up, be the bread winners and improve the quality of life for their families.

"That's what's happening in Baker right now, and that's what's going to continue to happen for a long period of time, now that the mines are going ahead here."