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Iglulik mayor to step down
Nicolas Arnatsiaq to resign due to conflict of interest concerning proposed Mary River project

Jeanne Gagnon
Northern News Services
Published Monday, Aug 6, 2012

IGLULIK
Iglulik's mayor said he will resign this month because the proposed Mary River iron mine project puts him in a conflict of interest.

Nicolas Arnatsiaq, who is also Baffinland's community liaison in Iglulik, said he will step down from the mayor's chair at the end of August. He will make the formal announcement at the Aug. 9 council meeting, he added.

Iglulik should have a mayor able to participate in all hamlet council discussions, explained Arnatsiaq. He said he would be in conflict on interest when council discusses Baffinland's Mary River project. The company is proposing to build an iron mine, railway and deep sea port on northern Baffin Island.

"Being an employee of Baffinland, I am going to be in a continual conflict (of interest) with the council when they start discussing the Mary River project," said Arnatsiaq. "My reason for stepping down is they need a mayor who is able to participate in all the discussions of the municipal council."

Since a municipal election is scheduled for December, Arnatsiaq said he thinks the preference will be to appoint a mayor until then.

Arnatsiaq was elected mayor in the December 2011 municipal election. He also served as hamlet councillor approximately five years ago. In his nine months in office as mayor, he said he accomplished a few things but he added he could have done more.

"In some ways, I have let down the people of Iglulik who elected me," said Arnatsiaq. "It's not fair to them. In order to be fair ... I feel I need to step down to put a mayor who is not going to be in a continual conflict (of interest) like I will be when it comes to discussing the Mary River project, which is a big thing in our community."

Deputy mayor Peter Ivalu said the community needs a mayor who can participate in everything the hamlet does. Ivalu said he is sorry to see Arnatsiaq leave but he agreed Iglulik residents need representation in every activity involving the hamlet.

"By him working for Baffinland, I agree he's not fully representing the residents of the community. Having said that, we will definitely miss his expertise, his knowledge," said Ivalu. "I would have preferred for him to stay on as mayor but I understand where he's coming from."

Iglulik is one of the communities that would benefit from the project should it go ahead.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board has just finished the public hearings on the Mary River project and is expected to issue its final report by mid-September. Baffinland would like to start construction of the proposed mine next year.

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