Grays Bay not yet a nation-builder, but it’s prioritized in federal budget
Proposed road and port to connect Nunavut to rest of Canada still needs regulatory approval before it can be fast-tracked
Brendan Bell, centre, CEO of West Kitikmeot Resources Corp., signs a memorandum of understanding in September 2024 with Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO Ehren Cory, right, for continued support for the proposed Grays Bay Road and Port project. The project is highlighted in the federal budget, passed Nov. 17. Seated at left is Government of Nunavut cabinet member David Akeeagok. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Grays Bay Road and Port project might not have made Prime Minister Mark Carney’s list of major nation-building projects this year, but money is still earmarked for it in the federal budget.
The project was highlighted in the budget, which received parliamentary approval on Nov. 17. It includes a deepsea port at Grays Bay, approximately 200 kilometres east of Kugluktuk, and a 230-kilometre all-season road south to the former Jericho mine.
It’s part of a larger proposal, dubbed the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, which would connect Grays Bay to other infrastructure, such as an all-weather road to Yellowknife.
This work would open parts of western Nunavut for mining exploration and development, said Brendan Bell, CEO of West Kitikmeot Resources Corp., the project proponent for Grays Bay.
“These properties are obviously of higher value if there’s infrastructure running through your backyard,” Bell said, referring to western Nunavut which is known to be rich in mineral resources.
Grays Bay still needs to jump through regulatory hoops, though, before it’s ready to be a federally endorsed “nation-building project.” Currently, it’s merely considered a “transformational strategy.”
This is where the 2025 budget comes in.
The budget includes around $65 million over four years to help accelerate the regulatory process for projects such as Grays Bay, said Pierre Cuguen, spokesperson for the Privy Council Office in an email.
West Kitikmeot Resources Corp. plans to submit a regulatory application to the Nunavut Impact Review Board “probably in less than two months,” Bell said.
Once regulatory permits are in place, the federal government has included $1 billion in the budget over four years for “dual-use” Arctic roads, ports and airports projects such as Grays Bay, which have both military and civilian uses.
“We are consulting with [the Department of National Defence] about their required uses for the project and we are engaging with all levels of government,” Bell said.
“We’ve got, realistically, six months in front of us before we get to a point of certainty for the prime minister.”
The most recent cost estimate to build Grays Bay road and port alone is around $1 billion.
The federal government’s current list of nation-building projects include:
- Iqaluit’s hydro-electricity project;
- Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont.;
- Montréal Port Authority’s Contrecoeur Terminal Container Project;
- McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in Saskatchewan;
- Red Chris Mine expansion in B.C.;
- LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, B.C.;
- North Coast Transmission Line in northwest B.C.;
- Ksi Lisims LNG project on Pearse Island, B.C.;
- Canada Nickel’s Crawford Project in Timmins, Ont.;
- Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine in Saint‑Michel‑des‑Saints, Que.;
- Northcliff Resources’ Sisson Mine in Sisson Brook, N.B.
Carney has not indicated when he plans to release a third addition to his government’s list of nation-building projects.
Brendan Bell of West Kitikmeot Resources Inc. Here he is again. Purveyor of grand ideas. This is the man who was at the forefront of wanting Inuit to purchase Northwestel, whose future viability is clearly bleak. Now he is peddling the idea of Gray’s Bay Port and Road. In all his proposals, he never puts forward his own money. A man who has mastered the art of using Inuit and the federal government for personal gain. Glad the GN long saw through his avaricious intent and are shunning him like the mouse shunning the cat.
Northern Canadian communities that are linked to the national road system, even only seasonally by means of an ice road, enjoy certain benefits.
This is known by comparing social and economic conditions before and after road construction in places like Tlicho communities and Tuktoyaktuk, and ice road socio-economic impact analysis everywhere else in Canada.
With road access, household incomes increase, there is better and more housing, local populations stabilize, unemployment declines, education levels increase, and social assistance payments decrease. Depending on the setting, drugs, alcohol and associated crime access may or may not become more of a factor in connected communities.
Most importantly, studies in the northern parts of our provinces estimate that road access reduces by half the incremental cost of remote rural living (fuel, utilities, food).
Bridging the 700km gap between the Kitikmeot and the NWT road system -currently only being addressed by air travel – will certainly help in these areas. Even if only to truck groceries to Grays Bay for way shorter flights.
Yes, there are tens of billions worth of known minerals between the Arctic Coast and Yellowknife. Yes, many companies would benefit from being able to build and operate new projects alongside the proposed road. Yes, local people only receive a fraction of the benefit from these activities because the minerals are not located under existing communities. Yes, there are familiar faces pushing this project that may or may not be liked or appreciated.
All these things considered, Grays Bay go way beyond the ambitions of one individual.
Kitikmeot Inuit are not alone in understanding what road access means. The leadership of the Tlicho and Akaitcho people know these things too. That is why they recently announced they want to link up with Grays Bay.
I think people should be focusing on the big picture here.
Kugluktuk is about 170km from the northern shore of Great Bear Lake and Délįnę—which has an Ice Road connection to the MacKenzie Valley—is located on the southern shore of Great Bear. Wonder if that has been thought about?
There is no return on investment connecting Kugluktuk to Dèlįnè.
The return on investment comes from all the taxes and royalties from the mines, nothing to do with communities in the Kitikmeot.
The head of the organization pushing the project is based in Yellowknife. The only community this project will be from is Yellowknife to no where. All the Indians from the Yellowknife vicinity are celebrating the project already as they will be able to drive to work. None of it has been had and hope they will see the joke is on them as they will blow multi billion dollars that Nunavut could have used to reduce the costs of living by investing in ports and airports in the communities to reduce long term costs of operations.
Most importantly, studies in the northern parts of our provinces estimate that road access reduces by half the incremental cost of remote rural living (fuel, utilities, food).
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However, none of the northern provinces subsidize the cost of these products. While Nunavut subsidizes them heavily. The subsidies won’t continue if a road were built. So how would there be savings?
Oil pipeline from Alberta can go up that way for transport. Right on. I’m smart.
Waste of Canadian tax payers’ money. The most lucrative claim is owned by a Chinese company called MMG. The Canadian government is being polite to Nunavut but they will not spend $1Billion on a road to nowhere that benefits a multi billion dollar Chinese extractive company. Inuit in Kugluktuk are 200kms away from the cradle of this road. KIA and NTI will benefit from mineral royalties but if you ask Inuit in the Kitikmeot, none have benefited from mineral royalties. How much money is West Kitikmeot investing. How much money is KIA investing? How much money is NTI investing?
You are right. All chinese owed all of izok lake and other claims owned by foriegn companies ,you are also right about KIA. In 41 yts of gold mining in our region …not one person gained a royallty cheque. NU land claims agreement is not working for any beneficiaries in our region. Our designate kia is sole proponent on this road and everyone failed to realize west kitukmeot resources is all made by KIA I hope this road doesnt get realized before putting us beneficiaries first just like our neighboring Tlicho territory who put their beneficiaries first before amy decisions on their lands. We inuit in our own territory still under British law and still under colonialist rule right here in our beautiful community of Kugluktuk. No wonder we are more than 20 yrs behind on social well being community wellness. This road wont make a difference in this community but make thungs just as costly as it is today how many time does materials have to be handled before getting to any of the kitikmeot communities after being loaded and offloaded multiple times look at inuvik to tuk highway …needs constant maintenance costing even more to just keep it open and it is way shorter than this road to nowhere. All of the caribou calving grounds for 3 major herds including the endangered Dolphin Union caribou herd which makes landfall right in the proposed deepsea port during fall migration to their winter grounds and wintering grounds will be parrellel all along this road disrupting the post calving grounds inland for 4 caribou herd as well not including 2 species of musk ox along the road corridor . Where is the WWF in this matter ?
KIA controls access to surface Rights and will do the IIBA negotiation for the road to Gray’s Bay.
NTI owns the subsurface rights and will take the lead on any IIBA in mining developments.
Your assumption of no benefits is significantly in error.
As you well know Bert, just because the regional inuit assn benefits, doesn’t mean the beneficiaries do. Maybe they should but in practice seldom do.
what if in the future a southerner drives up north to go rob miners. Say no to mining there could be more oppurtunities about jobs , Like local jobs.
Just like anyone can board an aircraft anytime and anywhete in nunavut to hijack it ,only in nunavut we lack security
Won’t happen.
Catching criminals on this road would be easier than shooting fish in a barrel and even the dumbest criminals know that.
It’s no wonder why people nowadays have to rely on caribou tag, mines, KIA, NTI just to name a few are more into building roads and/or mines where once the land was abundant with wildlife. just my thought as what will become of the next generation to come?