Nunavut community revs up for Mary River iron mine project next door

Colin Saunders, Pond Inlet’s economic development officer, says his community is eager to get involved with the proposed Mary River iron mine. (FILE PHOTO)

Pond Inlet is ready for big contracts and mining partnerships, said the hamlet’s economic development officer Colin Saunders during the annual Nunavut Mining Symposium in Iqaluit.

In his April 9 presentation Saunders talked about the “ongoing relationship” between the hamlet of Pond Inlet and the Baffinland Iron Mines Corp., which wants to move ahead in 2014 with its Mary River iron mine project.

Once the proposed iron ore mine gets into its scaled-down “revenue-generating phase,” the community should be poised to benefit more from partnerships and joint-ventures, Saunders said.

And that’s welcome, he said, because Pond Inlet does need “the assistance of larger, corporate money,” he said.

Being involved in the mining operation is very important for Pond Inlet.

“The business community in Pond Inlet is ready for these contracts,” he said.

But the biggest challenge for the community of about 1,500 remains its lack of capacity in the mining sector.

“The lack of skill sets makes it a challenge to take on certain roles,” Saunders said.

This same lack of certified training also makes it difficult for a mining company like Baffinland to hire local residents.

However, people in Pond Inlet are taking a “work ready” program to help prepare them for working in camp over two week rotations, a program developed with Baffinland.

The program explains what work life is like at the mine.

“Your spouse is going to be away for half the year, [and] it’s not going to be easy,” said Saunders, referring to the challenges of working at a mine.

In Pond Inlet, small businesses also lack the capital to take on large projects – another roadblock when it comes to keeping mining profits in the community.

Thus makes it’s hard for Pond Inlet’s small businesses to compete with larger, Southern businesses.

And, at the same time, businesses in Pond Inlet also have much higher operating costs.

“It can be overwhelming for some of the small businesses,” Saunders said.

To that end, local businesses should “entertain joint ventures,” he said.

Still, Saunders hopes that as the proposed iron ore mine grows, there will be more direct community involvement “to bring money back to the community.”

That means Pond Inlet would “grow with the company.”

Saunders spoke during the Nunavut Mining Symposium’s “building business networks” portion of the event.

Pond Inlet, shown here, wants to benefit from mining development, says its economic development officer. (FILE PHOTO)