RANKIN INLET/KIVALLIQ - Areva Resources Canada began its most recent Kivalliq tour of open houses to answer questions about its Kiggavik uranium project near Baker Lake this past week.

Areva vice-president of safety, health environment and quality Dale Huffman dipslays a cup that was once made with radioactive material for the simple reason it was yellow during an open house in Rankin Inlet in November of 2010. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The tour began in Baker and continued on to Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Repulse Bay.

After concluding in Repulse today, it will head to Coral Harbour, Whale Cove and Arviat.

A steady stream of people moved in and out of the community hall in Rankin to view a number of presentations and displays, as well as ask questions of a number of Areva personnel present for the event.

Areva vice-president of safety, health, environment and quality Dale Huffman said misconceptions still exist about radiation.

Huffman said people often talk about the uranium past, not the uranium present. He said radioactivity is, generally, something people don't understand.

"We've been trying to bring more information, tools and props to show people what radiation looks like," said Huffman.

"People fear radiation because they can't see it and don't understand how it works. We have instruments that can measure radiation and when you can measure something, you can manage it. That's something the uranium industry has become very good at over the years."

Huffman said many opinions on radioactivity and environmental issues have been formed based on practices of the 1920s to the 1950s.

He said the industry has learned from its past and is substantially better now.

"Radiation protection is actually quite a success story in terms of where it's come from and where's it at now. There were very high exposures to radon gas in the past, but that's all changed now.

"Our standards and measurement techniques are vastly improved. In modern uranium mines, there are no observable lung cancers above what would be seen in the general population and that's quite a success."

Huffman said if the Kiggavik project goes ahead, waste will be put into a tailings pit, and Areva will have to demonstrate over the long term that there will be no effects from that material.

He said the tailings are a manufactured product, not just waste.

"The waste is mixed with a collection of waste produced from the mill circuits that actually dilute the material.

"Yes, we are putting our waste back into a hole and covering it with dirt, but we have to make that material stable and, to get approval for the project, we have to demonstrate in advance that it will be safe to the environment.

"We also have to have a decommissioning plan in place on how to close the place down, and mitigative measures are generally in place to test the assumptions and science we advocate during the environmental assessment. So, as we go through time, things get increasingly certain."

Rankin Inlet economic development officer Damian MacInnis said the meetings were informative.

He said the material and information on display at the event showed people the Kiggavik project is not all about negative impacts.

"There would be a lot of areas positively impacted if this project goes ahead," said MacInnis.

"We hear a lot from groups in the south trying to push the negative side of uranium mining, but it's been proven to me there's a lot more positive than negative.

"I've listened to both sides and unless someone shows me something I'm not aware of, I'm fully in support of the project going ahead."

Luis Manza is the director of lands for the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA).

Manza said the Rankin meetings went well and he's impressed by the measures Areva takes to get information out to Inuit beneficiaries.

He said Areva is doing more than expected in giving everyone a chance to consult and have their concerns heard.

"Areva has been very consistent in getting information out, and it will be meeting with the KIA to address the labour force, so it was a very positive event," said Manza.

"This is a very strong company with deep pockets, and when it says it's going to do something, from what I've seen, it follows through.

"When a beneficiary had a question, they made sure they understood exactly what was being asked before responding to it.

"And they brought radiation technologists to show people, in a very clinical way, how radiation works and is monitored at a mine site, and how the decommissioning of a mine and its waste material has been carefully developed from an engineering point of view."

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