DID records comments from Inuit at the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) Public Hearings

Merlin: is there going to be a study on how the mine has an impact on the diets of the people?Caribou, fish, and other staples used to be consumed on a regular basis are no longer available. Important role for the communities, would be important to know how it impacted it. 

Johnny Kublu: There is commercial fishing at Asta Lake on Gifford River which connects with Mary River, there will have to be studies on how the fish are effected by the mine.The fish there is very tasty. Should be studies done on where the char migrates and its habitats, and on zooplankton and what the fishes eat. 

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

Johnny Kublu: Steensby is a calving grounds for the Walrus and is very shallow for big ships just to let you know

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

Erasmus: I agree with Johnny Kublu IIBA has to be amended, and there should be training facilities provided for higher positions such as conductors mechanics and engineers.There is going to be a driving school in Pond Inlet because the mine is using big trucks, and they want to use railways so they have to train Inuit how to operate the equipment

Johnny Kublu QIA representative: with the plan to produce 30 tonnes a year the communities that are effected should recive proper infrastructure and the IIBA should be amended accordingly, and our food supply should be put into consideration.

EDO Merlin; NIRB denied the appication for increase for lacking environmental commitment, but the Minister with QIA approved it for Economic Impact, Whats going on? Co-op had more economic impact than Baffinland did in Igloolik.

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.

Dominic Angutimarik: If the animals were to be effected, and our food source becomes limited, is there a plan for this? would we be compensated?these animals are their food sources. They eat a lot of seals. The cost of living is very high, at the grocery store. 

Dominic: if the health of the people were to be effected by the mine, what kind of implamentation are there for this kind of situation? There are health concerns.

Baffinland should provide more than just jobs.

Merlin. Baffinland had submitted an approval for the increased production, and NIRB denied it. It went for minister approval, and it was approved. Why did NIRB deny it? Was it because of the impacts, or because they didn’t do the work before submitting it?

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.

Lazaris suggesting royalties for those that use to live in Milne Inlet

Merlin. Follow-up question to that. He is going to have access to all the information Baffinland has provided the NIRB and what the NIRB has provided. Works for the municipality as an economic development officer. He is going to encourage communication inside the community, a lot of the times for the technical things the language is difficult to understand.

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.

Paul Ivalu saying that Nunavut Drivers license is not valid at the mine site suggest that be fixed.has a class 3 license. Recognized in Nunavut, but when they apply to Baffinland their license is not recognized at all. Even when he applies to Baffinland, the only way I can be a driver is to learn as I go. He doesn’t think it’s only him. This has to be fixed somehow.

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.

Theo Ikummaq commenting about the animals being impacted by the exploration before the mine started and the contaminated water going to the lakes that the hunters fish at.

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? 

Merlin the Econnomic Devolopment Officer asking about training, and joint ventures and what are the plans for the future environment.

Many hunters have lost income and we haven't seen any benefits towards the community and not making good on the agreements that was put in paper.

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.

There are a few things that are not clear, the studies that they do about the animals and the enivornment it would help if we have access to the reports that are done. and I would suggest having more knowledge about the impact the mine has on the Narwals.

It is written that we have until Febuary 21 to voice our concerns, I wonder if we can have a consultation with QIA, NTI, Government of Nunavut so that they also hear our concerns and be more involved.

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.

We hear on the news about the stuggle of the indegenios people of south canada with the pipe line, i suggest we do the same as our indegenios brothers and sisters to get our voices heard around the world.

Jimmy Pittiulaaq: I have been a chair for the HTO here, if you are NIRB listen to the people and not the company, even with theese consultations our voice are not being heard. this effects five communities and the plans are being changed so fast, hunters are not welcomed at the site. MLA is not in the loop.

Quvvaqttaq: My question is if the people of Pond Inlet reject this proposal, can the minister overturn that decition?

I heard that 5 people got laid off because they were using their mother toung, there should be more workers fluent in inuktitut at the office at the camp site. The workers should learn Inuktitut if they want to work in Nunavut.

Before the mine started, archeologists studied the various sites that are going to be impacted and found artifacts, I ask you, Is there archeologist making sure that the mine isn't destorying any archeological sites are artcifacts. Second thing,There are hunting routes that have been used for centuries that are still being tought, those routes should be protected in my opinion.

I wonder if NIRB can put pressure on NIT, Nunavut Government, and Federal Government to go to the effected communities to do their own consultation with the people, we only see QIA, NIRB, and Baffinland do these consultations

Shelly: Baffinland should do more for inuit in training for the various jobs that the mine provides not just employ those that are able, this is creating a situation were the inuit are being forced to run before they can walk job wise and that results in having to look for workers outside of the territory of Nunavut, and this means there is money is going out of Nunavut intsead of benefiting th

Abraham Kublu: This says that there are two interveners, what about NTI, Nunavut Government, Canadian Government and other Orginizations. And it is said that we can write our conserns anytime and send them, I have not heard from you even after I send my written consern, what ios being done with those written documents

Peter: I was hearing from our elders that Milne Inlet is a major hunting ground, I wonder if Baffinland can plan a different site for the port, and to reduse the dust from the dirt roads they are using now can you pave the dirt roads?

HTO Chair Eric Ootuvak; I agree with the mayor on his statement 100%. When there is research done for the mine, I think they are leaving details when they give their reports, when the research is being done guides help the researchers to this and that, and after the report is done the guides notice what about that detail?.

Caleb Oootuvak: The drinking water is being effected near the mine and have restrictions, and Mary River is connected with many other Rivers and Lakes, I am suggesting how for the mine is going to have an effecting regarding drinkable water for hunters who use these many rivers and lakes to fish and hunt.

Catherine Wilson: What size are cape size vessels and how do they differ from the current vessels they are using?

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.

Samson: When they did a study in BC they found out that the noise of the ships have affected marine life, and it is written that the Hunters can be compensated if their hunt is compromised by the mine, and that i saw a ship traveling fast near the shore, can I charge them, like I can do a citizens arrest?

Carrie: There has been an increase of the ships that go here and a decrease in the narwal population, I think Baffinland should deal with current issues before prposing to do anything else.

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.

Customers want to buy the iron. He was voted as QIA representative. A lot of people stated that Baffinland’s activities need to benefit communities more but nothing has changed. Their activities are increasing and they are making a profit but it is not coming back to them.

Baffinland probably has monitored and researched how their area was affected. He is asking what the impacts were on their environment and water. He has not seen it. Hunters were affected, same as him. He believes there will be 200 ships coming. Ships may not necessarily be regulated, they should be monitored. Maybe communities will be impacted and their concerns should be heard.

Jushua Qassa: Mayor of the hamlet. We have 1600 Inuit as population. Three groups: 3rd group we can classify as hunters, 350 hunters. The impacts hunters have felt, they listened to their statements with HTO through the hamlet council, in the past summer. Stories of char and seal hunters, they felt great impacts, and that was done only with Baffinland’s past shipping.