KITIKMEOT
The Kitikmeot Inuit Association and residents of Kugluktuk are requesting that Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett ask the Nunavut Impact Review Board to take another look at a gold mine project it rejected.

Kitikmeot Inuit Association president Stanley Anablak has added his voice to those asking for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to send the Back River mine project's application back to the Nunavut Impact Review Board. - NNSL file photo

The request is in response to the review board's June recommendation to Bennett that a submission by Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. to construct a mine in the Back River area should not be approved for licensing. The board sited environmental concerns, including climate and caribou depletion as grounds for rejection.

Kitikmeot Inuit Association president Stanley Anablak said he was surprised with NIRB's findings after the spring public hearing.

"We thought everything was there that (NIRB) required for the project to move forward," he said. "We didn't see any issues, the government didn't see any issues. The issues that needed to be dealt with were taken care of at the meeting."

An Aug. 24 letter to the minister from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association states that support of the project is "contingent on completion of an Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement, land tenure agreement, and the commitments, terms and agreements jointly developed by KIA and Sabina."

The letter also notes that plans for Sabina to conduct thorough caribou monitoring and ensure environmental mitigation were only finalized in the last day of the public hearing.

"Unfortunately that meant that the board did not have a full airing of these revised plans," the letter states.

A June 15 submission to Bennett by NIRB states, "Due to a high level of uncertainty regarding the efficacy and adaptability of measures designed to mitigate these effects, the board is not confident that these potential adverse ecosystemic and related socio-economic effects could be effectively mitigated over the life of the project."

Sam Tulurialik, chairperson of the Spence Bay Hunters and Trappers Association, stated his support of NIRB's assessments, saying the decision reflects how Inuit people have been mindful of the balance between socioeconomic development and environmental sustainability for generations.

A June news release from the World Wildlife Federation called the area a critical habitat, citing a 2015 survey that showed a 50 per cent decline in the Bathurst caribou herd, and in the number of breeding females, since 2012.

But Kitikmeot communities are interested in the economic growth that would result from a new mine.

Kugluktuk elders Tommy Norberg, Alice Ayalik and Mona Tiktalek stated in a letter of support for the mine, dated July 6, to Bennett and NIRB chairperson Elizabeth Copland, "We want the Back River to move forward for jobs and benefits. Please keep the land and water clean for us and our animals ...The project is important to us and our families. The community needs jobs."

Recognizing the wishes of the region Anablak said, "After carefully reviewing NIRB's documents we decided that it was in the best interest of the Kitikmeot for the project to go back to NIRB for review, hopefully to get approval to go forward on this project in regards to employment and training."

While the delay is giving the company time to reassess the lifecycle environmental impact of the project, Gary Vivian, president of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, stated in an Aug. 13 letter that the screening could hamper expected economic growth.

"The uncertainty created by the NIRB's decision on the Back River Project may lead to significantly reduced investment in exploration which will potentially stifle the growth of Nunavut's minerals industry."

Additionally he agrees with Anablak in a statement that "the NIRB decision does not align with the evidence presented during the environmental assessment, specifically the conclusions of the subject matter experts and relevant parties at the final public hearings."

Sabina included community consultation as part of its project preparation. The copany stated in an e-mail to Nunavut News/North that, "Responsible mining is not just about money, it is also about leaving a positive impact in the communities of the Kitikmeot region and the North. It is about providing training, employment and contracts at our project while protecting the environment, the land and helping to make peoples' lives better. We believe there are no outstanding concerns with the project that cannot be resolved."

Should a new public hearing be held, KIA wants to be able to present additional input or arguments.

"We have to start preparing for this, to come forward with a strong statement to NIRB," said Anablak.

In a July 22 letter, the Government of Canada requested input from additional stakeholders by Sept. 6.

The Back River gold belt is about 75 km from tidewater at Bathurst Inlet, 400 km southwest of Cambridge Bay, and plans call for an open-pit mining operation.

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