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NIRB rejects Baffinland's request to resume phase two expansion public hearings on Oct. 30

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photo courtesy Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. Baffinland Iron Mines Corp announced Nov. 8 it finished off it shipping season as planned by Oct. 17, sending 5.1 million tonnes to market. It rreceived federal approval for its production increase of ore to 6 Mt/a (megatonnes per annum) from 4.2 Mt/a Sept. 30.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board is unwilling to grant Baffinland Iron Mines' motion to resume Mary River phase two expansion public hearings on Oct. 30.

Although the Nunavut Impact Review Board won't reconvene public hearings on Oct. 30, as Baffinland Iron Mines, has requested, the board will strive to in as timely a manner as the current circumstances will allow. photo courtesy of Baffinland Iron Mines

Among the reasons cited by the board is that many North Baffin community members and organizations need additional time to prepare for the next steps in the NIRB assessment process and to address other issues such as the Inuit Certainty Agreement recently negotiated between Baffinland and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

NIRB also agreed to delay the upcoming Baffinland technical meetings by two weeks, to Sept. 14-18, to accommodate "reasonable" requests for more preparation time from representatives of the five affected communities in the North Baffin SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ Pond Inlet, Iglulik, Sanirajak, Arctic Bay and Clyde River.

A Monday letter signed by NIRB chair Kaviq Kaluraq indicates that the review board may issue a tentative timeline for the dates to reconvene the public hearing shortly after the technical meetings conclude.

NIRB acknowledged the challenges posed by Covid-19 precautionary measures but states that "the board cannot suspend proceedings indefinitely until a full return to normal processes is possible," .

"...the board sees the conduct of these modified in-person meetings as an important opportunity to gain experience with technology and modified practices that will assist the NIRB in developing the procedural guidance necessary to conduct in-person meetings that meet both the boardSA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½™s objectives and that also comply with public health measures," NIRB's letter states.



About the Author: Derek Neary

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