Igloolik hunters and trappers group calls for new review of Steensby project

The Igloolik Hunters and Trappers Association is calling on the federal government to review Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.’s 12-year-old approval to build a port and railway to Steensby Inlet.

The association sent a letter to Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal Monday calling for a revisit to the terms and conditions of the project, indicating that environmental research the original approval was based on might now be out of date.

“The more we see ourselves and hear from other communities, the more concerned we have grown,” said Judah Sarpinak, chairperson of the association, in a news release the association sent to Nunatsiaq News along with the letter.

When Baffinland’s Mary River iron mine, located on north Baffin Island, was originally approved in 2012, the company planned to move its iron ore south by rail to a port on Steensby Inlet. The cost of this work was estimated at the time to be roughly $5.7 billion.

The company put this plan on ice in 2014, saying it was unaffordable. Baffinland then applied to ship 12 million tonnes of ore annually out of Milne Inlet, a plan the federal government rejected in 2022 after a long, fraught public hearing.

Baffinland decided to turn back to Steensby after this rejection, but Igloolik’s hunters and trappers group says a lot has changed since 2012.

“There has been considerable research conducted into the implications of mining and marine shipping for caribou and marine mammals,” the letter to Vandal said.

The letter said the association hopes a new assessment related to Steensby will be done through the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s assessment of Baffinland’s SOP2, or sustaining operations proposal, which was a plan to temporarily increase the amount of ore shipped through Milne Inlet to six million tonnes annually until Steensby was built.

Baffinland abandoned that plan on Oct. 3, a move that came with layoffs, as part of a “strategic shift” to ensure the long-term viability of operations with a global decline in iron prices, said company spokesperson Peter Akman.

“The [hunters and trappers association] is deeply concerned that Baffinland’s decision to suspend the review may have been an attempt to avoid further public scrutiny and review of its plans for Steensby Inlet,” the letter to Vandal said.

Akman said this is not the case.

“Our commitment to environmental stewardship and the protection of Inuit rights remains a priority,” he said in an email.

“While the Steensby Component was approved in 2012, Baffinland is aware of the evolving environmental landscape and the need to consider updated research and community input.”

Akman said Baffinland has gone through an extensive review for Steensby, citing more than 10 years of environmental studies, Inuit traditional knowledge and work with the communities. He said that work resulted in a positive approval that “holds today.”

Vandal’s office did not answer a request for comment in time for publication.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board also did not answer a request for comment in time for publication.

The Mary River mine operates on Inuit Owned Land and is leased from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which receives royalties from its operations.

“We are actively reviewing the submission from the Igloolik [hunters and trappers association],” said QIA spokesperson Karen Flaherty.

“A formal response will be issued as soon as we are able.”