Ashleigh Gaul

Formal intervenors submitted their comments to NIRB on Friday. Their submissions, along with Baffinland’s statements and those of the regional, territorial and federal review agencies overseeing the Mary River project, will form the basis of discussion at July’s public hearings in Iqaluit, Igloolik and Pond Inlet.… Uqalimakkanirit

Formal interveners in the final hearings for the Mary River project submit their statements to NIRB today. To solicit last-minute community input, Nipivut Nunatinnii ran three call-in radio shows Tuesday through Thursday, hosted by intervener Zacharias Kunuk, Igloolik conservation officer Theo Ikkummaq and marine mammal biologist Dr. Randall Reeves.… Uqalimakkanirit

On May 30, the territorial and federal government agencies reviewing the Mary River project filed their final written submissions to NIRB regarding Baffinland’s Mary River Project. Their outstanding issues will form the basis of discussion at the final hearings, to be held in Iqaluit from July 16-20, Igloolik July 23-25 and Pond Inlet July 25-28.

David Irngaut can’t say how long he’s been president of Igloolik Hunters and Trappers, but he remembers the first caribou he shot at the Mary River site at 11 years old.… Uqalimakkanirit

In early May, Igloolik hamlet councillor Paul Quassa invited me to attend a May 29 public council meeting at which Baffinland president Tom Paddon and the Qiqiktani Inuit Association (QIA) were expected to discuss, among other things, Inuit compensation for the port at Steensby Inlet.… Uqalimakkanirit

From Augustine Taqqaugaq’s new porch, you can see all of Igloolik laid out in a rough chronological order along the shore by date of development from south to north. Taqqaugaq lives in the newest, most northerly house. Looking out over the water, a two-toned canvas; a straight white line demarcates the boundary between the blinding white of the snow from the dull white of the sky.… Uqalimakkanirit

On May 23, the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) granted intervenor status to international human rights lawyer, Lloyd Lipsett, on behalf of IsumaTV’s Zacharias Kunuk.… Uqalimakkanirit

 A working map of mining exploration projects in Nunavut, pointing out some of the past (Nanisivik), present (Meadowbank) and possible (Baffinland, Kiggavik) projects I will be writing about through the summer. Click on a marker to learn more about a project and the company running it (I'll be updating and adding information periodically):

A floor-to-ceiling wall of pelts guards the entrance to the Igloolik Elders’ centre. The air is thick and sour with a mix of curing fish and seal meat, fox fur and a caribou skin stretched out on a wooden frame in front of the hall coat closet.… Uqalimakkanirit

 “NIRB operates under the principle that public participation is an important element of an open, honest and balanced review process. Effective public participation strengthens the quality of the review process and helps to avoid potentialmisunderstandings and conflict.… Uqalimakkanirit