IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Kitikmeot residents and a delegation of Dene from the NWT engaged in consultation with the Nunavut Impact Review Board last week concerning the Sabina Gold and Silver Corporation's Back River Project.

Gjoa Haven residents Uriash Puqiqnak, left, and Allen Akkikungnaq participate in the Nunavut Impact Review Board pre-hearings into Sabina Gold and Silver Corporation's Back River Gold project in Cambridge Bay on Nov. 18. Representatives from all Kitikmeot communities and some Dene from several NWT communities attended. - Helen Tologanak/NNSL photo

Three days of technical meetings were followed by a two-day community roundtable and a pre-hearing conference, which wrapped up Nov. 19.

"They were certainly well-attended," said Ryan Berry, executive director of the review board.

Close to 20 representatives from Sabina attended, along with participants from the Government of Nunavut, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and the Government of the NWT.

Three delegates from each of the five Kitikmeot communities participated and five representatives from the NWT communities of Behchoko, Wrigley, Weekweetie and Lutsel K'e, whose residents harvest animals from the Bathurst caribou herd.

The Bathurst herd has a migratory range most closely associated with the project area, located approximately 75 km southwest of Bathurst Inlet.

Caribou in the Dolphin, Union, Beverley and Ahiak herds could also pass through the project area at certain points in the year.

"There was a lot of discussion about impacts to wildlife in general and wildlife harvesting," said Barry.

Some of the conversation centered around the potential for direct, indirect and cumulative effects to caribou and caribou habitat, he added.

Participants also expressed concern over the effectiveness of mine tailings containment.

"A number of participants referenced some of the articles that have been in the news in other jurisdictions, like the Mount Polley incident in British Columbia," he said.

On Aug. 4, a tailings pond breached at Imperial Metals Corporation's Mount Polley Mine in south-central British Columbia, releasing approximately 17 million cubic metres of water and 8 million cubic metres of tailings and other materials into Polley Lake and Quesnel Lake.

"(Kitikmeot residents) wanted to get clarity about what was different about (the Back River Project) and how it would be designed," said Barry.

Questions also related to potential impacts from shipping on marine mammals, birds and water foul associated with the project, as well as from fuel transport by road.

"There was a lot of questions about who would be responsible for emergency response and what's the capacity within the local Arctic," he said.

The need for community support, such as education and training for youth, was highlighted, as well.

Based on current resource estimates, the Back River Project has an estimated 10-year operating mine life. The proposal calls for ore to be mined and trucked using conventional open pit and underground methods, with tailings from the mill to be deposited in a tailings impound nearby.

The plan estimates an average production of 300,000 ounces of gold annually.

The review board will take the input from last week's consultations as well as regulatory analysis of the Sabina's proposal and issue direction to the company about what is expected and required for the submission of a final environmental impact statement.

The board expects to issue its report by Dec. 24. The company has indicated it expects to develop its final environmental impact statement by July, which means a final hearing could potentially be scheduled before the end of 2015.

"Throughout the meetings we had very positive and respectful discussions," said Barry. "It was clearly and consistently communicated that all parties felt the meetings had been very successful, that (Sabina) had been very responsive and prepared to address concerns. And so although there's much more work left to be done to ensure that the assessment can be completed as thorough as needed, they felt comfortable that (Sabina) is taking this seriously."