Final hearings for Nunavut uranium mine set for March 2015

The Nunavut Impact Review Board will spend three weeks in Baker Lake in March 2015 to allow plenty of time for technical presentations and community consultation on Areva Resources Inc.’s proposed Kiggavik uranium mine. (FILE PHOTO)

Kivallirmiut and other people interested in voicing their opinions about the proposed uranium mine near Baker Lake will have plenty of time to do so in March 2015.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board has scheduled three weeks worth of technical presentations and community roundtable discussions related to Areva Resources Inc.’s Kiggavik Uranium project.

From March 2 to March 20, 2015, the NIRB will host a series of meetings at the Baker Lake community centre. Those meetings will unfold during the day and in the evenings.

A Nov. 12 notice from the NIRB says that an agenda for the final hearings will be circulated in advance and will reflect the board’s wish to present technical information at the outset of the hearings and allow for more informal community consultation and input in later days.

English and Inuktitut interpretation will be provided throughout with French interpretation provided on request.

Those wishing formal intervener status must file an application form by Dec. 5, 2014. All those granted intervener status should expect to be notified by Dec. 12.

They will have until Jan. 16, 2015, to file their written submissions which will be presented at the final hearings in March.

Areva is proposing to open Nunavut’s first uranium mine located about 80 km west of Baker Lake.

According to its final environmental impact assessment study made public Oct. 17, Areva plans to mine four ore deposits using the open pit method and one deposit using underground mining methods.

The company expects to run the mine for 14 years, with three to four years of construction prior to that and 10 years of decommissioning and monitoring once it’s closed.

You can access that final environmental impact study by going here and clicking on the FEIS link.