COVID restrictions stall Agnico Eagle environmental assessments in Kivalliq
Some meetings will be via teleconference while others are delayed
Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine is pictured here. Several community meetings to assess proposals made by the mining company have been delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. (File photos)
COVID-19 restrictions in the Kivalliq region have stalled two environmental assessments for Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.’s Meliadine gold mine, near Rankin Inlet.
The Nunavut Impact Review Board announced on Friday, Nov. 13, that a technical meeting to be held in Rankin Inlet will now be conducted by teleconference on Nov. 25 and 26.
A community roundtable and a pre-hearing conference are delayed until further notice.
Originally the technical meeting, community roundtable and pre-hearing conference were scheduled to be held in Rankin Inlet from Nov. 23 to 26.
The NIRB meetings concern an application by the mine to dispose of saline water into Melvin Bay.
Additionally, Nunavut Water Board technical meetings scheduled to be held in Rankin Inlet on Nov. 30 for a Meliadine mine proposal will be held by teleconference.
The water board’s community roundtable and pre-hearing conference are also delayed until further notice, said Sergey Kuflevskiy, a technical advisor with the water board.
The NIRB meetings and NWB meetings aren’t related, but were scheduled back-to-back for logistical reasons, Kuflevskiy said over the phone from Gjoa Haven.
The water board applications are to allow the mine to develop more sites, use more water, and increase the amount of undissolved solids in the mine’s effluent, said Kuflevskiy.
Why can the top medical office close the darn mine in Nunavut All lives matter
There have been zero cases of Covid transmission associated with the mines and 26 and counting through community interactions. What do you think the CMOH should be concentrating on?
60 in Nunavut ,so far , let’s blame the mines, it’s easy to do,