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Anticipation builds for Mary River project
Communities in work-preparation mode for massive Baffinland Iron Mines project

Thandiwe Vela
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 10, 2012

QIKIQTAALUK
Economic development officers in the six communities that will be most impacted by Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.'s Mary River Project are getting into work-preparation mode, as anticipation heats up for the multi-billion dollar project.

NNSL photo/graphic

A truck carrying a 60-tonne load of iron ore comes down the 100-km road from the Baffinland Iron Ore's Mary River site to Milne Inlet. The iron ore was part of a 250,000 tonne bulk sample. - Yumimi Pang/NNSL photo

The federal government recently approved Toronto-based Baffinland's proposal for the open pit iron ore mine operation, including construction of a road between Milne Inlet and the Mary River mine site, and a 149-kilometre railway to a port at Steensby Inlet.

The $4-billion to $6-billion project will require a workforce of up to 4,000 people during the construction phase and nearly 1,000 throughout the 21-year expected mine life of the first deposit.

While still awaiting details of benefits to be included in the pending Inuit Impact and Benefits Agreement (IIBA), economic development officers (EDOs) in Arctic Bay, Clyde River, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Pond Inlet and Iqaluit are looking forward to the employment and business opportunities expected to come for their communities.

Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet

"This is an opportunity for some of the High Arctic communities to help develop their communities economically and it's an opportunity that I really don't think people should turn up," said Pond Inlet EDO Colin Saunders.

Pond Inlet is the community nearest to the Mary River deposits. Despite previous mine operations in the region, including the former zinc-lead Nanisivik Mine, the Polaris Mine, and various exploration projects, the community has never seen a project as large as Mary River.

"It's not necessarily the first mining project that Pond Inlet has been involved in, but it is the first one that we're involved in at this scale with this being such a large project," Saunders said. "We're hoping to get a generous amount of local people working up there.As well, hopefully, we can entertain more businesses to try and set up shop here locally.

"With more positive news from the regulators, etcetera, we're slowly taking steps to advance our initiatives as well."

During Baffinland's 2008 bulk sample, 44 Pond Inlet residents were hired to work on rotational shifts including labourers and heavy equipment operators, Saunders recalled - hoping to see that number of Pond Inlet employees at least double with the steady, long-term jobs during Mary River's operations.

Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River

In Clyde River, EDO Billy Palluq said at least 20 to 30 people in the community have received national Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) certificates, preparing them to handle fuel, chemicals, and other potentially hazardous work site materials.

"I think they're ready for employment now. I think the people of Clyde River are prepared for it," Palluq said, adding there is currently no employment in the community from Baffinland, but he anticipates the company will extend training and hiring for the project to the community next year.

Work-ready training programs are currently in the works with partners including the Ilisaqsivik Society in Clyde River, the Hamlet of Pond Inlet, and Baffinland.

Sanirajak/Hall Beach

The Mary River job opportunities will be especially welcome in Hall Beach where there is currently lack of privately-owned companies, a couple stores, and major unemployment for the community of 750, said EDO Shelly Brake.

"There's not that many employment opportunities so the mining will be a good thing for us because it will provide a lot of jobs for a lot of people," she said, adding the more residents that are employed, the more the existing stores will benefit from spending.

"There will be a lot more money coming in. It will help the stores, help the people, they'll be able to buy more things, have the Ski-Doos they want, be able to travel. Having the money will be beneficial to the people, the stores, the business," she said.

"The people are in agreement with the Mary River project."

Iglulik

In Iglulik, there are mixed feelings about the project but for the most part feelings are positive due to the amount of training and employment opportunities that will come with the mine, said EDO Lucie Idlout.

"I think there will be quite an opportunity for business on the local level in terms of how we might be able to service Baffinland directly or people coming through the community directly," Idlout said, adding nine residents recently returned from heavy equipment training in Morrisburg, Ont., making them "prime candidates" for work at the mine once it opens.

Among the concerns are the impact of ship strikes on the marine mammals, Idlout said, and how the routing of massive ore carriers to Europe might affect the number of narwhal, beluga, and resident quotas on marine mammals.

Imposing limits on the total number of ships travelling the shipping route during the open water season is one of the key recommendations in the Review Board's report.

There are 184 recommendations attached to the board's approval.

Iqaluit

Concerns about the impact on wildlife and the environment have also been raised in Iqaluit, according to EDO Joamie Eegeesiak.

"With all these new helicopters and airplanes that need to get to the mine and out, they make so much noise," Eegeesiak said. "I think we have to watch whether or not it's interrupting our hunting and trapping."

The traffic in and out of the community will also have a "very good impact" on the capital's businesses, including the hotels, restaurants and suppliers, she added.

As the project brings more jobs to the community, the hamlet and other businesses and organizations will likely lose employees to the higher-paying mine site positions, fears Eegeesiak, calling for more training initiatives for higher-level positions such as project officers and managers, to avoid a skilled labour shortage in the community.

"You have people with these expertise that are already in the community that are working for, say, the hamlet as water truck drivers.

The hamlet has to have the capacity not only to fill those jobs but also to make sure that their own jobs are filled in competing with the mine for skilled people," she said.

Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay

Arctic Bay EDO Clare Kines said the point of hire community is "certainly looking forward to the economic opportunities, the jobs, and the boost for business.

"We're also at the same time mindful of trying to minimize any negative impacts - increased social problems, policing problems, things along that line," Kines added. "We want the process to be, and it has been, thoughtful.

"Just because of the size of it there's no way it cannot have an impact on the community, positive, and hopefully the negative impact will be minimal."

Please see page 26 for more on the Baffinland project.

Fact file

Point-of-hire communities distance from mine site

The proposed mine site would be:

* 155 km from Iglulik

* 160 km from Pond Inlet

* 192 km from Hall Beach

* 280 km from Arctic Bay

* 415 km from Clyde River

* 1,000 km from Iqaluit

Source: NIRB Final Hearing Report

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