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IGLULIK
Better housing, a fishing boat and participation in various monitoring programs are some of the benefits Iglulik would like out of the proposed Mary River iron mine on northern Baffin Island, said a hamlet councillor.

But Paul Quassa, also a former mayor, said the community wanted to ensure the Nunavut Impact Review Board, which has been holding final hearings into the Baffinland project earlier this month, knows concerns will always exists if the project goes ahead.

"I think we've accepted it's going to go ahead, whether we support it or not," he said. "It's something we need in Nunavut, which is economic development."

The review board was holding final hearings in Iglulik from July 23 to 25 for ArcelorMittal's Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.'s proposed Mary River iron mine, railway and deep sea port. The environmental assessment includes the mine, railway transportation of iron ore from the mine site to a proposed Steensby Inlet deep sea port, operation of open water shipping at Milne Inlet, year-round marine shipping, air traffic and ongoing exploration.

Residents want to see benefits. Quassa said the project will affect their life, their wildlife and environment. He said about 75 people attended the meetings at Ataguttaluk High School.

All the questions, whether directed at the federal government, Baffinland, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., or Qikiqtani Inuit Association, were answered, said Quassa, and the community had an opportunity to express its views.

The hamlet wanted to ensure the community would participate in the various monitoring programs to ensure a good balance between traditional knowledge and science, said Quassa. He added Iglulik also wanted to ensure they would get direct benefits from Baffinland.

"Steensby Inlet is a very important area for commercial fisheries. We want to make sure our hunters and trappers have access to that, providing them a boat, things like that," he said. "Certainly, we want to make sure Baffinland employees from Iglulik have good housing. So we are saying Baffinland should provide them housing because we're always short of housing in our communities and that would help out in our shortage of housing."

Deputy mayor Peter Ivalu said the hamlet is supporting the project because it could get infrastructure it would not otherwise be able to access.

Ivalu also noted residents stand to benefit from job and training opportunities coming out of the project and the economic impact the project will have on the community.

"We have specific demands the municipality would like to see and if those demands can be met, the housing being one of them ... then we're in support of it. If our demands or our wants can't be met, then we wouldn't be supporting the project," said Ivalu. "We're quite confident the company will be able to accommodate our needs or our demands. That's why we're supporting the project right now."

The board has 45 days, upon completion of the hearings in Pond Inlet July 28, to issue its final report. Baffinland would like to start construction of the proposed mine next year.

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