Lloyd Lipsett

This website presents the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) of the Mary River Mine in Nunavut, Canada owned by the Baffinland Iron Mine Corporation (Baffinland).

The HRIA was undertaken by Lloyd Lipsett in collaboration with IsumaTV’s Digital Indigenous Democracy project and has the following objectives:

The government and Baffinland must provide access to remedies for employees and community members whose human rights have been harmed by the Mary River Mine. There are many different mechanisms for individuals and groups to raise their concerns, but the best ones should operate at the mine site and community level and resolve issues through dialogue or mediation.

The Baffinland company will make a number of direct and indirect contributions to the Inuit communities through taxes, royalties, impact benefit payments and voluntary contributions to social programmes.… Uqalimakkanirit

International standards require companies to respect human rights. This implies having a human rights policy, an on-going process to prevent adverse impacts on human rights, and an effective operational-level grievance mechanism. Many leading mining companies and industry associations have begun to develop detailed human rights policies and procedures.… Uqalimakkanirit

The history, culture, traditional activities and livelihoods of Inuit are intimately connected with the environment and wildlife. In general, there is uncertainty and concern about the Arctic environment as a result of climate change.… Uqalimakkanirit

The assessment of the human rights situation for the Mary River mine begins with a review of how government protects human rights in Canada. According to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, governments must protect against human rights abuse within their territory, including by companies.… Uqalimakkanirit

On-going consultation with Inuit and other stakeholders is a critical component of respecting human rights. The concept of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) has not been formally recognized in Canadian law or in the corporate policies of Baffinland and its parent companies. However, there is a strong legal framework for consultation with Inuit in Nunavut.… Uqalimakkanirit

The Mary River Mine is a massive and unprecedented mining development for Nunavut (and the Arctic region in general). On the one hand, it represents a major opportunity for potential benefits to workers and their families, to Inuit communities and designated Inuit organizations, as well as to the territorial and federal governments.… Uqalimakkanirit

The Mary River mine is not the first mine to developed in Nunavut, nor will it be the last. Mining projects in Nunavut are becoming increasingly feasible from a technological and economic point of view. Climate change will make mining and resource development more attractive and accessible.… Uqalimakkanirit

Mining companies are expected to do more to be transparent about the money and gifts they give to governments in order to fight corruption and improve the governance and benefits of mining projects. Access to information and transparency are also important human rights based principles.… Uqalimakkanirit

Workers’ rights are one of the areas that the Baffinland company has the greatest amount of control over its impacts. It is also an area where the Inuit have expressed hope and expectations for positive benefits in terms of job opportunities—which can be understood in terms of the right to work and other labour rights.… Uqalimakkanirit