Coral Harbour (Mar 10/04) - Residents of Coral Harbour have a hard decision to make when it comes to a proposed bird sanctuary on Coats Island.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the federal government have been in negotiations to turn part of Coats Island into a bird sanctuary. The final say has now come to the residents of Coral Harbour.

"We now want to go to the beneficiaries to find out what they want," said James Eetoolook, acting president and first vice-president of conservation areas. "The people of Coral Harbour are affected the most so we are waiting for them to decide."

The proposal, if accepted, would create a 30-kilometre perimeter around the northeast side of the island.

Mayor Johnny Ningeongan said this vote won't be an easy one to make.

He said the conservation area would protect the animals in the area, but it could also limit the community's development prospects.

If the proposed area does become a conservation area, there will be an Inuit Impact Benefits agreement. Coral Harbour could receive $300,000 to establish a co-management agreement with the federal government.

Eetoolook explained that Inuit would still be able to hunt for personal use and there could be agreements made for tourism in the area.

"There would be some limited economic development," he said.

On the other side, Ningeongan pointed out that some companies have been interested in prospecting the area for minerals.

"Possible development in the area means jobs for the community," he said. "Finding jobs for the community is going to be one of the main focuses."

The community has a deadline of April 15 to decide if they want to go through with the conservation area.

NTI and the hamlet organized a public meeting in February to discuss the proposal and to make sure people were informed.