railroad

MLA Paul Quassa: Is there going to be one track for the 3 trains or is there going to be more than 1 track?

MLA Paul Quassa: There is a quota on caribou in Baffin Island, their migrating routes will have to be monitored closely

Janet asks if the railway would operate all year round

Aarulaaq Quassa: When we have blizzards, the visibility is only few feet at times, so there is going to need plans for weather related emergencies. 

MLA Paul Quassa: We have Blizzards in the winter time and if the phase 2 is approved there would have to be plans if there is an emergancy on the railway during a blizzard

MLA Paul Quassa: I have been hearing of much dust coming from the mine and that it is very fine and is effecting the plants, vegetation and lakes with fishes, that will need to be addressed. And the animals have better hearing than people, so the noise from the railroad will have to be put into consideration.

Janet asking if we as a comunity can oppose the rail road to Steensby Inlet if we get conserns about safty of the ships and the environment.

Merlin asks what kind of impact the dust from the road has had on the environment and what will happen if baffinland starts to stock pile iron ore at the shore what kind of plan they have for the oxidation of the ore.

Zacharias concerned about the drinking water near and down streem of the mine, and the livelyhood of the workers in the camp itself, and the sudden change of the rail plan.

Janet Airut asking about what will happen to the rail road once the mining is done.

will they clean the area after they are done with the railroad? Will they remove it?

They have set a quota that they want to meet and the rail will help them meet the quota of so many tonnes and it would be better for the community of Pond Inlet for the rail to go to Steensby and not to Milne, and I would want the HTO to oversee the condition of the ice when time comes to shipping the ore.

When they start on the railway it will have a big impact, on the amount of jobs but also on the environment, and it would cut off the trails that we use to go to the hunting grounds of different animals.

Elder Jayco Aluluuq: With the increase proposal, there would be many ships on the waters of Pond Inlet, the barges and ships for the mine will be a huge increase addition to the cruise ships and sea freighters that already occupy these waters in the summer.

Elder: Reading from the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement there are a few that are not being met and Baffinland is also making plans that don't follow the NLCA, if Baffinland cannot follow their plans without breaking the NLCA, I think they need to another planing that would have to make a new plan that would have to be voted by the People and the government for it to be approved.