CBC News: Baffinland gets federal approval for production increase with QIA’s support
NIRB recommended the increase not go ahead due to environmental concerns
The federal government has approved Baffinland increasing its iron ore production against the advice of the Nunavut impact review board [NIRB].
In its recommendation to the federal ministers, who have final say on the file, the review board said it was concerned about the environmental impacts of hauling more ore from the Mary River mine to Milne Inlet.
It said there was not enough information about how the mine would manage marine protection with the increase in ships or the dust produced by more road traffic.
However, after the impact review board gave its advice at the end of August, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association [QIA] wrote a letter to Northern Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc supporting Baffinland.
The letter was also signed by the Pond Inlet Hamlet and Hunters and Trappers Organization.
“This letter conveys our position that the 2018 production increase application and its associated impacts, monitoring programs and mitigation measures are reasonable particularly when considered in light of the QIA/BIM project stabilization approach,” it said.
