Former Baker Lake mayor accepts senior role with Forum Energy Metals
Community investment and engagement among Richard Aksawnee’s responsibilities
Former Baker Lake mayor Richard Aksawnee is Forum Energy Metals’ new manager of Nunavut affairs.
Forum is the exploration company behind the Aberdeen Uranium Project, which is located in the Thelon Basin about 100 kilometres west of Baker Lake.
The company announced his hiring Tuesday in a news release.
Aksawnee will be tasked with guiding Forum’s “engagement strategy, workforce development, and community investment,” said Allison Rippin Armstrong, the company’s vice-president of Nunavut Affairs, in the release.
Forum began drilling work at the Tatiggaq uranium deposit, which is part of the Aberdeen Uranium Project, in 2023.
Aberdeen is 950 square kilometres of “highly prospective” mineral-rich land staked by Forum in 2021.
When the company announced plans to set up a base camp for uranium exploration and drilling in February 2022, Baker Lake residents raised concerns about its environmental impact on the Aberdeen and Gerhard Lake areas. Maintenance of the site, local job opportunities and communication with the Baker Lake community were other topics residents brought up at the time.
Aksawnee served as Baker Lake’s mayor from 2019 to 2023.
He said in the release that he plans to “fully maximize education, training, employment and community investment benefits for future development,” in his new position at Forum.
“This role is my way of aligning my commitments, championing the environment and wildlife while pursuing opportunities for the community,” he said.
It seems to be a slow news week. I hope Mr Awksawnee is making good coin, he’s served his community well and this lateral move should serve to pad his pocket.
Congratulations Richt.👏🤘
Congratulations Richard. 👏🤘
AREVA thought that hiring former Mayor William Noah would win community support for their proposed Kiggavik uranium mine. It didn’t.
Forum thinks hiring former Mayor Richard Aksawnee will help them win community support for a future uranium project. It won’t.
And let’s be clear: Forum has zero intention or chance of actually building a uranium mine. They’re a ‘junior’ ; the game is to tryiand cash in by getting an actual mining company to buy them out.
yes… so?
Areva did get permission to mine at Kiggavik. The only reason they did not proceed was due to the price of Uranium dropping too low due to the Fukushima incident. So, actually, hiring a well known and respected local spokesperson did work.
Wrong. The inability to accurately forecast environmental impacts because low prices meant that they couldn’t commit to a start date was just one of the reasons why AREVA _did not_ obtain NIRB approval to develop the Kiggavik ore body.
Time for me to do more research on uranium which the north american natives refer to as the “yellow monster”. Kuksuangajuk.
So why is a region so dependant on SA and every form of hand out and grants hate companies that make a profit, hire people and pay taxes which provides cash for all these freebies. Mind boggling. Do you expect companies to set up operations, spend millions of dollars, invest years of resources without the intent of making a profit. Would you start a business with the goal of working for nothing. Use your head for more than a place to store your tuque.
You seem to be unaware that the people of Baker Lake said Yes to the Meadowbank gold mine, but had the good sense to say No to a uranium mine that would have been located in a sensitive area for the caribou herds. Bakermiut have never been ‘anti-development’, but they been consistent about insisting that sensitive areas be protected. The same as any thinking community in whatever part of the South you come from would be. Do you know that uranium mining has been banned in BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Vermont, and New Jersey? Why do you those decisions were made?
Your comments are geared towards $$$$$$$ and never mind the environment Inuit have depended on wayyyy before your kind showed up. Money talks, BS walks.
Wakkalanga. Surrksaijumatuinagavit Inukatinik. Nikatiqtuinaingitigut ajuksaralualuta.
Because BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Vermont and New Jersey would rather suffer the near certain effects of continued fossil fuel use compared to the very slim chance that part of their areas would get slightly irradiated?
When he was HTO chair, one of Arevas biggest opponents,
Interesting strategy by the mining company to try and get support for its uranium mining, other mining companies have tried in the past to get it going near Baker Lake and not have been successful, now this way they hire a local former mayor to push their agenda forward.
Will this work this time? Only time will till.