BAKER LAKE - An estimated 150 people attended a Government of Nunavut public forum on uranium mining in Baker Lake this past month.

The forum was one of a number of stops being made by the government as part of its process to develop a uranium-mining policy in Nunavut.

Timothy Tunguaq was one of about 25 people to speak at the forum.

Tunguaq told the panel he had concerns about uranium mining in Nunavut because of the severity of the climate.

He said six-day blizzards are common in Baker and nobody knows what could happen in -65 C temperatures with the windchill.

"There would be open-pit mines and dust, whatever, would fly off during the operation and it's going to land five or 10 kilometres downwind from the mine, and we're an isolated environment with no trees," said Tunguaq.

"We have a heavy spring run-off with surface water spreading all over and, if Kiggavik was to be approved, we need stronger environmental protection measures on our terms.

"Inuit, maybe, in Pond Inlet, where it's not right at their front doorstep, may agree and say go for it, but, with this being right at my front doorstep, I got concerns.

"It if goes into our water system, and you don't catch it or can't contain it, who's going to be affected? Me, down here."

Areva Resources manager of Nunavut affairs Barry McCallum said a number of legitimate concerns were expressed at the forum.

He said topics such as mining in extreme conditions, water systems, worry about the impact on caribou herds, and issues of compensation are all valid points people want to hear addressed.

"People asked honest questions, gave advice and expressed their concerns, which was all good information we can use in the environmental assessment process," said McCallum.

"We heard the concern over what another road in the area would do because the caribou aren't present this year and, if that's due to mining, would another mine make that worse?

"Those are reasonable concerns from people who live in the area."

McCallum said the recent release of radiation from nuclear power plants in Japan is a very prominent nuclear incident that gets world attention.

He said future efforts will be made to explain the differences between uranium mining and the actual production of power in a reactor.

"The kind of incident that can occur in a nuclear reactor is very, very different from what could occur at a uranium mine.

"People may not naturally know that because they haven't asked about it, and nobody's volunteered it because there isn't a linkage until there's a prominent event like we're seeing now.

"Incidents are rare at nuclear reactors but they do occur.

"The risks at a uranium mine are construction, moving earth or underground mining kinds of risks, with the added difference of radiation protection, which has come so far in the past 50 years that there's little difference in radiation doses received at uranium mines than what the general public receives during daily life."

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