Iqaluit wants to prepare now for impact of Mary River mine

Workers at the Mary River exploration camp, in a file photo from 2007. (FILE PHOTO)

The City of Iqaluit wants the Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. to help people and businesses in Iqaluit deal with the socio-economic effects of the Mary River project, say city officials.

Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern and Coun. Matthew Knickelbein attended a pre-hearing conference held by the Nunavut Impact Review Board Nov. 9 and 10 in Pond Inlet.

Their message: Iqaluit wants to see more services in place before the mine opens.

“We have put forward proactive steps that can be taken now, rather than adopting the wait and see approach,” Redfern said.

The Pond Inlet meeting marked the final step in the technical review of Baffinland’s draft environmental impact statement — a process intended to guide its final EIS for the sprawling Mary River iron mine project.

During this technical review, Baffinland, a private company now under the control of ArcelorMittal, the European steel-making giant, and a private investment firm, Iron Ore Holdings LP, has seen its draft EIS subjected to harsh scrutiny.

Iqaluit won’t suffer direct environmental impacts from mine, which proposes to churn out 21 millions tonnes of iron ore a year and ship it out year-round to markets in Europe and Asia for at least 20 years.

But the impact of the mine — which would require a workforce of 4,200 during the construction period — will still be huge in Iqaluit, Redfern said.

“So rather than waiting until the harm is done, we are proposing that more proactive measures need to be taken and we want to have services in place even before the mine opens,” she told Nunatsiaq News.

Many of Iqaluit’s concerns deal with the separation of families, which would flow from the two-week work rotations of mine workers.

“Those left behind end up single parenting every two weeks, and that does put a lot of strain on the families. There are other issues regarding separation anxiety and jealousy, that families could be left on their own to deal with,” Redfern said.

Among the city’s suggestions to offset the social impacts: support groups for mothers and children, family resource centres that would allow mothers to get together to support each other, and video-conferencing between the mine site and communities.

“The emotional and psychological benefits of actually seeing your loved ones is much greater than just hearing them on the phone,” she said.

Iqaluit is also worried about increased drug and alcohol abuse, and the strain this could place on the city’s already-overburdened social services.

The mining company has stated it will enforce a zero tolerance policy towards alcohol and drug use at its site.

But that policy won’t address what workers do when they come home to Iqaluit.

Baffinland should earmark some of its profits towards mitigating the negative social effects, Redfern suggested.

“We are not suggesting that Baffinland be paying for a treatment facility on its own, but we are looking at the fact that the funds that Baffinland would be generating, and even from the royalties paid to the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Government of Nunavut, and possibly the federal government, could all be pooled together to create a regional healing centre,” She said.

The Mary River mine may also put pressure on Iqaluit’s infrastructure, and increase the need for housing.

And that’s why Coun. Matthew Knickelbein said he wants to see “Baffinland and others” help with services like childcare.

“Iqaluit will require resources and investments to address our infrastructure demands. We want to work with Baffinland and others to find ways to handle these additional needs,” Knickelbein said.

Iqaluit has also asked Baffinland for a list of all the different jobs which will be available at the mine, so training preparations for Iqaluit residents can get a head-start.

Iqaluit would like to see detailed lists of products and services which the mine will need, so the city can help local businesses and residents prepare for the economic spin-offs.

The Mary River mine is expected to generate more than 1,000 jobs per year when it’s in operation and could also create up to 900 more indirect jobs in the service sector.

Construction on the mine could begin as early as 2012, if the EIS responds to all concerns, the project receives all necessary permits and licences.