'Questionable protection measures' in draft land use plan, says chamber
NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines criticizes Nunavut Planning Commission for implying decline of herds is due to industry activity
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, July 4, 2016
IQALUIT
Just days after the Nunavut Planning Commission released its final draft Nunavut Land Use Plan (NLUP) for comment June 24, the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines called out the commission for implying caribou decline is related to industry activity.
"Despite what the Nunavut Planning Commission implies, no definitive link has been established between the current decline in caribou populations across the North and exploration or mining," stated chamber president Gary Vivian.
"What has been presented in the latest version of the Nunavut Land Use Plan depicts questionable protection measures on top of questionable boundaries."
As the commission noted when it released the draft plan, it "is a product of extensive consultations that included visiting all 25 Nunavut communities at least twice. After listening to the residents of Nunavut, governments, industry stakeholders and other interested parties including the Dene residents from northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Inuit from northern Quebec, the draft Nunavut Land Use Plan provides clear guidance that directs resource use and development in the Nunavut Settlement Area."
The draft plan provides for protection of caribou calving and post-calving grounds, along with a host of other protections and management tools.
However, the chamber objects.
"The chamber agrees with the Government of Nunavut's position that, with effective mitigation measures and monitoring programs, mineral exploration and development activities can coexist with sustainable development in caribou calving grounds and access corridors," it states in its news release.
"We recognize that mining projects in Nunavut may interact with caribou," stated Vivian.
"However the Nunavut Planning Commission's assertion that 'the impacts of exploration and development cannot be effectively mitigated in core-calving areas' is simply false."
Planning commission executive director Sharon Ehaloak makes the distinction between the commission and stakeholders, such as hunter and trappers organizations and others.
"The commission has no comment on stakeholder opinions. The NLUP document speaks for itself and we welcome feedback from all stakeholders. The commission looks forward to the upcoming regional consultation and the public hearing," she told Nunavut News/North.
"As directed by commissioners, the commission encourages all community members, planning partners and any other interested parties to make the most of the opportunity to participate in the information sessions on this final version of the draft plan."
The chamber, in turn, makes the point that "the health of Nunavut's economy is linked to mineral development, which is its economic advantage and worthy of protection. Blocking exploration and mining when there is no link to the decline of caribou would unnecessarily compromise the development of other opportunities for Nunavut and Nunavummiut, without helping the caribou herds."
Final public information sessions on the updated draft plan, called at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., are scheduled to take place beginning in the fall.
A public hearing is planned for March in Iqaluit, pending the resolution of an ongoing funding disagreement between the commission and the federal government.
