The Nunavut regulatory calendar continues to be busy in the mining sector. While Newmont's plans for the Hope Bay gold mining project were put on hold (much to the disappointment of those in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut hoping for the jobs it was expected to bring), other projects are proceeding and some seem to be revitalized.
Over the winter, Baffinland's Mary River project continued its progress through the regulatory approvals process. First, in October, the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) heard and considered Baffinland's application to conduct certain activity prior to the completion of the Review of the broader project by the NIRB. This was the first consideration of such an application under section 12.10.2 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA) by the NIRB for a project of the scale and scope of the Mary River proposal.
The initial response of the NIRB was to suggest to Baffinland that the extent of the work proposed was more significant than it was willing to contemplate allowing to proceed (it would have seen, among other things, the preparation of land for the eventual infrastructure such as port facilities and rail rights of way). Baffinland's revised application was scaled back significantly and was accepted by the NIRB with the exception of an element that would have seen the overwintering of a 10 million liter fuel barge at Steensby Inlet. Baffinland's response to NIRB's decision was to delay much of the on-site work that had been proposed for the immediate future while it proceeds through the NIRB approval process.
Meanwhile, as part of the NIRB Review of the Mary River project, technical meetings were held in the spring of 2012 in Iqaluit with a view to narrowing the issues remaining to be considered at the Final Hearing of the NIRB to be held in July, 2012. Questions remain regarding how stakeholders, including the Qikigtani Inuit Association, which represents the Inuit of the Qikigtani Region (Baffin Island), will position themselves at the Final Hearing. There is some tension between the desire for development (and the related jobs it is expected to bring) and the anticipated effects to the environment (natural and human).
While the Baffinland project is the headline grabber for the Nunavut mining sector, the news out of the annual Nunavut Mining Symposium (held in Iqaluit during April) included discussions of other projects that are either continuing or are being reinvigorated. Among these were MMG's proposed zinc-copper project at Izok Lake in western Kitikmeot Region and the Bathurst Inlet Road and Port proposal related to Sabina Silver Corp.'s Hackett River silver-zinc mine. While these projects are still early in the regulatory process activity, the NIRB appears to be into a rather busy period. It will be interesting to follow these developing projects and the manner in which the regulator manages the workload they create.
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