The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) would like to thank the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) for the opportunity to provide this Final Written Submission that details QIA’s review and recommendations regarding Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation (BIMC) Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Mary River Project.

To aid in additional communication and engagement with communities specific to the Mary River Project, QIA formed and administered seven Mary River Project Committees. The primary responsibility for the committees was to ensure that communities have up-to-date information. The voice, knowledge, and vision expressed by the committees are promoted within this final written submission.

The QIA has completed an extensive review of the Final Environmental Impact Statement and has participated at all stages of NIRB’s review process. QIA has also retained the services of leading experts in the fields of marine biology, freshwater biology, terrestrial biology, socio-economics, civil and geotechnical engineering to complete a review of the Environmental Impact Statement.

Since 2009, QIA has discussed various aspects of the Mary River Project with BIMC and various regulatory agencies. Participation was not limited to NIRB administered events; rather, it was common for QIA to work alongside communities, BIMC and government agencies to address items of importance. As a result of QIA’s efforts, there has been resolution to many issues of importance and therefore a focusing of issues for presentation in this final written submission.

QIA is pleased to acknowledge that BIMC has reviewed the proposed NIRB Project Certificate Conditions, as presented in Appendix D of this submission and there is general agreement to all the conditions presented in this submission. Through Final Hearings and eventual Project Certificate development, should the conditions presented herein be accepted by all parties, QIA feels that appropriate mechanisms are in place to effectively monitor and manage the Mary River Project in an acceptable manner. QIA believes that further recommendations and information requested in this final written submission should be the basis for continued work prior to the issuance of a Project Certificate to resolve the limited number of issues that remain. QIA would also like to impress the importance that continued work and collaboration after the permitting process, and throughout the life of mine, are critical to the success of this Project.

Sincerely,

Navarana Beveridge
Executive Director
Qikiqtani Inuit Association

(Download the entire submission) – Note: Complete Inuktitut version will be posted once translation is finished.