Nunavut hamlet willing to support uranium mine

A view of the Kiggavik advanced exploration camp from 2010. (FILE PHOTO)

The hamlet of Baker Lake says it would welcome the proposed Kiggavik uranium mine and the economic opportunities a second mine in the region could bring.

But — and it’s a big but — the welcome mat is contingent on how community members feel about Areva Resources’ proposed uranium mine, a position that is still unclear to hamlet councillors.

In a written submission to the Nunavut Impact Review Board, hamlet council representatives admit they haven’t been able to come to a consensus on the issue.

The proposed mine is the focus of public hearings in Baker Lake this week.

Deputy mayor Silas Argna’naaq and councillor Thomas Anirniq made a presentation to the community roundtable portion of the event March 11.

Areva has said it plans to spend at least $2.1 billion to construct a uranium mine about 80 kilometres west of Baker Lake, which would comprise four open pits and one underground operation.

Backing the project could help to maximize local employment, the hamlet said, which might be significant given Areva’s plans to train 300 to 400 people in the region.

“This shows the kind of quality commitment the corporation is willing to give to the community,” said the hamlet’s submission. “The quandary with this kind of strategy is that it is directed only toward entry level positions in the mining sector.

“There should be allowances for people to enter into professional careers; this type of training and education provides people with more options when the mine and mill are passed closure.”

So municipal officials have suggested that Areva work with the federal and territorial governments to offer more job-readiness programs and career counselling.

But the hamlet, already close to Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank gold mine, said it’s already made “numerous” requests for money to address training and other community needs.

Along with the wealth a local mine brings come growing pains, the hamlet pointed out, like the need for infrastructure upgrades. In Baker Lake’s case, local roads, its airport and water distribution system all need improvement.

“The hamlet council continues to struggle with forced growth and the demands made to it by its residents,” the hamlet submission said.

“A real effort needs to be made to include the infrastructure needs of the community to meet its obligations to the residents, businesses, and the mining sector that continue to become more intense.”

Through the process of approving the Meadowbank mine proposal, hamlet officials say they were led to believe that Baker Lake would get its own mining coordinator and other facility investments.

But in the end, the hamlet was “left out” of the process, bringing few concrete benefits to the community, the submission said.

Even the Inuit Impact Benefits Agreement process — an important tool for identifying community needs for Aboriginal residents — has failed to address the socioeconomic and infrastructure needs of Baker Lake, the hamlet said.

On March 11, the hamlet council urged Areva to work with Inuit organizations — in this case, the Kivalliq Inuit Association — to address its commitments made under the project’s final environmental impact statement.

Like many other local and regional groups who’ve made presentations at the NIRB hearing, Baker Lake’s hamlet council also re-iterated local concerns that the wildlife and water sources could be disrupted or contaminated by mining activity.

Due to delays faced by the Nunavut Planning Commission in completing its territorial land use plan, there are no caribou protection measures in place for the Thelon Basin area, the hamlet submission noted.

But while not all of Baker Lake’s hamlet councillors have been able to agree on the Kiggavik mine proposal, if it’s approved, councillors say they are willing to meet and work with the proponent and other partners involved.

The council has also discussed, but has yet to launch, a municipal plebiscite to gauge public support for the mine.

The NIRB’s public hearing into the Kiggavik project is expected to wrap up March 14.