Jerry Natanine prevailed in a high-profile 2017 Supreme Court case to prevent offshore seismic testing, and he says he's prepared to use the legal system again, if necessary, to stop Baffinland Iron Mines from building a railway.

SA国际影视传媒淎bsolutely, I'm prepared to go to court,SA国际影视传媒� Natanine says. SA国际影视传媒淭hey're just walking all over us.SA国际影视传媒�

The mayor's primary concern is for wildlife, particularly caribou, in relation to the proposed 110-km railroad that would stretch from the Mary River mine to Milne Inlet.

Baffinland is aiming to ramp up production to 12 million tonnes of ore per year, double the existing six million tonnes. Ultimately, the mining company wants to achieve 30 million tonnes in the long-term. The Nunavut Impact Review Board is considering the potential effects of expansion.

During recent technical hearings and community round-table sessions, Baffinland stated that the mine will have SA国际影视传媒渘o significant impactsSA国际影视传媒� on caribou, yet the Government of Nunavut's representatives did not provide any reports or studies that would back up such a claim, according to Natanine.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey're not being up front,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淚f they had proof, the government would be poring it out to everyone. But they seem to be working behind closed doors and hiding here and there SA国际影视传媒� not directly answering questions.SA国际影视传媒�

Nunavut News asked the Department of Environment to clearly state its position on how mine expansion could affect caribou, to provide any pertinent reports, to specify what studies are planned and what other steps would be taken to assure the health of the herd. A department spokesperson says that a formal response will be provided to Natanine's letter to the environment minister before any public statements are released.

Megan Lord-Hoyle, Baffinland's vice-president of sustainable development, states that the company has been SA国际影视传媒渒eenly focusedSA国际影视传媒� on developing appropriate mitigation measures to ensure no significant impacts occur involving caribou. These measures are based on multiple analyses SA国际影视传媒� including Inuit traditional knowledge SA国际影视传媒� of potential project effects on caribou habitat, mortality, movement and health.

Lord-Hoyle says Baffinland is SA国际影视传媒渁ctively working with communities, QIA (Qikiqtani Inuit Association) and the Government of Nunavut to develop monitoring programs that will determine the accuracy of our predictions.SA国际影视传媒�

'It's devastating'

Natanine says he and other leaders from North Baffin communities have asked Baffinland to consider another inlet other than Milne because of the traditional harvesting done in that area. He says mine officials refused to alter their chosen location.

SA国际影视传媒淥bviously they don't care about our hunting way of life. They don't care about Inuit or how we live as long as they get their ore,SA国际影视传媒� the mayor says.

Lord-Hoyle says development of an entirely new transportation corridor to another port location was determined to not be feasible from a technical, economic or environmental perspective. In addition, it would have required amendments to the land-use plan. She gave examples of the company's flexibility, citing its agreement to avoid a travel corridor between Pond Inlet and Iglulik, a commitment to create embankment slopes to facilitate caribou crossings and its plans to include safe crossings, trails and shelters for land-users.

However, there have already been impacts on wildlife since mining activity and mine construction began close to a decade ago, according to Clyde River's mayor.

SA国际影视传媒淲e've heard people from Pond Inlet telling stories of how it used to be before all this shipping came,SA国际影视传媒� Natanine says. SA国际影视传媒淭hey used to go camping at Milne Inlet, get all their fishing, narwhal hunting and sealing up there. Today when they go up there during the shipping season, there's nothing. The narwhals they caught were not even edible because they were so skinny. No seals. Hardly any Arctic char at all. It's devastating. I wouldn't want other Inuit to be in that situation.SA国际影视传媒�

Although he concedes that the mine has created a SA国际影视传媒渟ignificantSA国际影视传媒� number of jobs for people in his community and generated some funding through the QIA, Natanine insists that the environmental drawbacks from Mary River outweigh any SA国际影视传媒渕eagreSA国际影视传媒� perks.

SA国际影视传媒淭he risks outweigh the benefits,SA国际影视传媒� he says.