IQALUIT - Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s uranium policy took heat from beneficiaries at a public forum in Iqaluit on uranium mining who said their land claims organization has already made up its mind on the issue.

Sandra Inutiq, chairperson, of Nunavut Makitagunarningit, said NTI won't tell people about the human hazards of uranium mining since they have money invested into the business.

"I'm uncomfortable as a beneficiary. You've done nothing but defend uranium," said Iqaluit resident Robert Anawak to the member of NTI on the panel at the forum organized by the Government of Nunavut in Iqaluit on March 17.

Anawak was one of more than 120 people who came to the event which featured eight panelists from several organizations including NTI, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Golder Associates Ltd, who were commissioned to do the GN's report on uranium, Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit and the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

The purpose of the forum is to help the GN develop a position and policy for the territory. Residents can provide feedback to the government until May 15.

Whether residents learned a lot about uranium mining in Nunavut and in general or if they got more confused, many did say they appreciated the fact the GN organized such an event. The next stops for the public discussion are in Baker Lake on March 30 and 31 and in Cambridge Bay on April 12 and 13.

The forum in Iqaluit started at 6 p.m. and went until 11:30 p.m. with panelists speaking first and then allowing residents to ask questions.

Focus was put on the development of the Kiggavik project, an open-pit uranium mine, owned by Areva Resources about 85 kilometres west of Baker Lake.

The project is currently undergoing an environmental assessment by the Nunavut Impact Review Board, created by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to assess the potential impacts of proposed development in the Nunavut Settlement Area prior to approval of the required project authorization.

"We face external pressures and internal pressures - it's political oppression," said Sandra Inutiq, chairperson, of Nunavut Makitagunarningit.

Called Makita for short, it is an non-governmental organization opposed to uranium mining. Makita and a representative from MiningWatch Canada were the only two panelists out of the eight

who were against uranium mining.

Makita issued a press release at the meeting stating it wants NTI to hold a vote for beneficiaries on whether or not, as a land claim organization, they support uranium mining.

NTI's Keith Morrison spent most of the evening defending the organization's policy, developed in 2007.

"NTI has never had a policy that said we would allow it (uranium mining)," said Morrison, senior advisor with NTI's Department of Lands and Resources.

What he did say is that NTI will support the development if significant monitoring is done. NTI's policy is built upon six pillars to ensure the needs of the economy, business and society are met, which include protection of the health and safety of the workers, the environment and the fact Nunavummiut must benefit from the mine.

Morrison said the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot Inuit Associations and the hamlets of Arviat, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove, Repulse Bay and Kugluktuk stand by the policy.

"Inuit organizations have failed us," Inutiq said.

She said NTI won't tell people about the human hazards of uranium mining since they have money invested into the business.

NTI does have shares in Kivalliq Energy and another small exploration firm. Morrison said the group did not pay for the shares but were given them.

On March 18 NTI issued a press release stating "NTI will review the policy to ensure it continues to meet the needs of Inuit in Nunavut ... NTI will review its uranium policy after the Government of Nunavut concludes its uranium consultations."

If changes are to be made, the current policy has to be amended by its board of directors.

Fred Throassie, a former Dene chief in Black Lake, Sask., who now works for the Athabasca Uranium Working Group, represented the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines. He said from his personal experience he and members of his community have been able to maintain their traditional lifestyle and see the benefits of mining.

These benefits he said include helping young people to find employment and they no longer live off the land.

Iqaluit elder Celestin Erkidjuk said while he knows there are risks associated with uranium mining he saw the benefit of working at another type of mine in Rankin Inlet decades ago. While he was unilingual,

he said he was able to get work.

"I don't know a mine today that would hire unilingual people," said Ramsey Hart, Canada program co-ordinator with MiningWatch Canada.

Hart said most companies now require staff to have a high school diploma.

Representatives from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the federal regulatory body for the uranium industry, shared many statistics during their presentation.

These were delivered by Kevin Scissons, strategic advisor, uranium mines and mills division. Uranium mining started in Canada in the 1930s. Now, Canada is the second-largest uranium producer in the word, trailing Kazakhstan and ahead of Austria, and fulfils 25 per cent of the world's demand for the mineral.

Scissons said in Nunavut there are more than 30 areas where companies are looking for uranium deposits.

Addressing questions from the audience as to whether mining companies such as Areva will be held responsible after all the uranium has been taken, Scissons said the regulatory process is much more rigorous than it was previously.

"In order to get a licence, a company submits an application including an environmental and technical assessment. There is a public hearing and then a licence is awarded," he said.

The licence-awarding process is lengthy but includes site preparation, construction, site operation decommissioning and clean-up.

The damage sustained by the nuclear reactors in Japan due to the recent tsunami and earthquake and the reports of radiation leaks added to the concerns of the public attending the forum.

"If the nuclear safety commission has this kind of wisdom, why are people so frightened of what is happening in Japan right now? Yes it's a different country but I'm sure they have said the same things you are saying," said Susan Enuaraq of Iqaluit about the potential dangers of having a uranium mine.

Listening to the discussions and taking notes was Cape Dorset's Olayuk Akesuk.

As the senior administration officer and QIA representative for the community he said upon his return he would share the information he collected with the hamlet council and residents via community radio.

"It's our first time learning about uranium. It's something new for us and whether it's good or bad we're not sure," he said.

Qikiqtarjuaq's mayor Loasie Audlakiak took the microphone to talk about the potential after-effects of a mine. He compared it to how his community, and are still dealing with DEW Line sites.

"As Inuit we never knew about the dangers that are facing us today," he said.

Similar questions about what happens when the proposed mine closes were heard from Arctic Bay's former mayor Joanasie Akumalik.

He said when there was a lead and zinc mine open, it provided the community with jobs but nobody wanted to clean it up. He said attempts were made to salvage infrastructure from the mine's townsite including the swimming pool, community

radio, the arena and the racquet club.

"As much as we tried to get help from the GN or NTI we got no support at all," Akumalik said.

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