Baffinland Public Hearings To Take Place in July

It’s been over two years since the proposed Baffinland Mary River iron mine has been under review. The verdict from the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s final report comes out in September. Before the final decision by NIRB, there will be public hearings in July in Iqaluit, Igloolik and Pond Inlet. This is so that local residents can raise their concerns and ask questions about the project and its economic and environmental impact on the communities. Many locals are concerned with the environmental effects the mine will have. Baffinland has continuously downplayed the potential negative environmental impacts of the mine. Representatives from all 11 communities will attend the Iqaluit hearings. Others have complained that the hearings have been rushed, symbolizing Baffinland’s desire to hurry through the final hearings without resolving some of the main issues of the communities. This concern is supported by the fact that the hearings are taking place in the middle of July, when many people are out hunting and not in town.

The dates for the final hearings into the Mary River project are:
• July 16 to 20 in Iqaluit;
• July 23 to 25 in Igloolik;
• July 26 to 28, 2012 in Pond Inlet.

For the full article follow this link: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674next_step_for_baffinland_final_hearings_on_the_mary_river_iron_mine_pr/ or download the attached PDF file (to your left under 'attached files').