Families to get chance to visit Thelon Basin near uranium exploration site

Newly hired by Forum Energy Metals Corp. to be a bridge to the community, Richard Aksawnee wants to bring families with ancestral ties to the Thelon Basin — where the company began drilling for uranium in June — back for a homeland visit.

They will be taken by helicopter to visit sites that hold personal significance, said Aksawnee, who until last year served as mayor of Baker Lake, about 100 kilometres west of the exploration site.

No dates have been set as the visit is still in the planning stages.

Former Baker Lake mayor Richard Aksawnee was hired as manager of Nunavut affairs by Forum Energy Metals Corp. last month. (Photo courtesy of Richard Aksawnee)

“We want to be open and transparent and keep communication lines open between the community and the territory,” he said.

Aksawnee said he has so far received a positive response as he enters his third week as Forum’s manager of Nunavut affairs.

“Reaction has been positive, even though at the beginning I thought there was going to be negative feedback as uranium is a controversial subject,” he said.

Two years ago when the Nunavut Impact Review Board was considering Forum’s plan to explore for uranium, some Baker Lake residents expressed concerns over possible impact on water quality and wildlife in the area.

Aksawnee served as mayor of Baker Lake from 2019 to 2023. After choosing not to stand for re-election, he began looking for new opportunities and emailed his resume to organizations operating in Baker Lake.

“When Forum approached me, I jumped at the chance to take on this position to integrate some community perspectives and priorities like workforce development, as well as my passion for the environment and wildlife,” he said.

Aksawnee will be the point of contact in Nunavut for information regarding Forum’s community investments and environmental stewardships.

In May, Forum hosted a job fair and hired two seasonal wildlife monitors to support caribou protection measures around the Aberdeen Uranium Project drill site.

“In the past, I have been pushing hard for local employment,” Aksawnee said.

“Since we have a lot of people depending on mineral development as we have an operating mine, we need to start preparing for shutdowns” and eventually the end of the mine’s lifespan.

The Meadowbank gold mine, operated by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., is located about 110 kilometres from Baker Lake. Thought to be depleted in 2019, the mine’s lifespan was extended to 2028 after Agnico developed another mineral-rich mine nearby.

Aksawnee hopes to lead community engagement sessions in the future for Baker Lake residents and community stakeholders such as the hunters and trappers organization and the hamlet council.

Any concerns about Forum’s Aberdeen uranium project can be raised there, he said.

While there are no large-scale sessions planned this summer, any public meetings hosted by Forum will be announced through community channels like the Baker Lake Public Bulletin on Facebook.