Makivik Corp is not happy with Baffinland Iron Mine Corp.’s final environmental impact statement on the proposed Mary River iron ore mining project, and believes the project has potential to harm wildlife in Nunavik, Makivik representatives told the Nunavut Impact Review Board

And they repeated their request that a new, separate review of the project should be done by the Nunavik Marine Region Impact Review Board.

John Duncan, the federal aboriginal affairs minister, has to yet to decide on that request, but in a recent letter he urged Makivik to participate fully in the NIRB process, where Makivik has intervenor status.

The executive assistant to the vice president for renewable resources, Adamie Delisle Alaku, asked NIRB on July 18 to step in and help facilitate a separate review by the Nunavik board.

Alaku said that “Makivik believes components of the Mary River Project will have significant adverse effects on Nunavik.”

He also said Makivik wants Baffinland to undertake a more extensive analysis of the shipping route in Hudson Strait.

Makivik reps said that the shipping route will run just north of Nunavik if the project goes ahead, but “major concerns” still exist with the current route.

Alaku said that “Makivik believes that the proposed shipping route will have to be modified significantly due to ice conditions, tides, currents, other marine vessels, and marine mammal avoidance adding some whale populations might suffer irreparable harm.”

Alaku said that “Many marine mammals and other wildlife species in Hudson Strait are migratory or have large home ranges.” He said that “Impacts on these species that occur within the Nunavut settlement area will also impact on the harvesting by Nunavik Inuit.”

Glibert acknowledged that, although the huge icebreaking ore-carriers will likely avoid Nunavik waters, the boats may still cross this boundary and disrupt northern Quebec’s marine ecosystem.

Makivik also believes Baffinland has underestimated environmental impacts such as underwater ship noise from icebreaking, the probability of collisions with marine mammals, and oil spills.

Source - www.nunatsiaqonline.ca

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