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Caribou left out of uranium talks

NTI policy excludes Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds

SARA MINOGUE

CLICK MAP TO ENLARGE
The two circular outlines on this map represent the calving grounds of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou herds. The dark-colored blocks represent companies who hold mineral rights in the calving grounds as of February 2006. The squares with dark outlines represent companies that hold mineral rights outside of the calving grounds. (MAP PRODUCED BY THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND FOR THE BQCMB)

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On March 5, NTI sent the 14-page draft policy along with a draft discussion paper to several stakeholders, including Nunavut’s environmental review boards, the Nunavut Planning Commission, the hamlet offices and hunters and trappers associations in Baker Lake and Kugluktuk, the Government of Nunavut, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and several uranium exploration and mining companies.

A letter accompanying the documents invited these stakeholders to submit their comments by the end of April, to be incorporated into a final consultation document and draft policy that could be presented to stakeholders in Baker Lake and Kugluktuk.

That came as a surprise to Ross Thompson, secretary-treasurer of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board, which was excluded from the process.

“NTI had declared that it would be very consultative on development, and then all of a sudden, two of the key communities were not included,” Thompson said, referring to Baker Lake and Black Lake, Sask., two communities that had major concerns about uranium mining in the 1980s.

That could have put Thompson’s board in an awkward position. As caretakers of the two large caribou herds that span the Kivalliq, NWT, northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the BQCMB is responsible for coordinating information that affects these herds and the communities that depend on them.

If the board hadn’t learned of NTI’s policy, they could have faced some serious questions when they met with the Prince Albert Chiefs – a regional association of northern Saskatchewan first nations’ chiefs – during their meeting in Prince Albert, Sask. from May 25 to 27.

“I think we probably stand accountable when they say, ‘well, look, you guys knew about this, what have you done?’”

Uranium mining has long been a concern for the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds, whose migration routes straddle some of the world’s richest uranium deposits, and several active mines in northern Saskatchewan. Mining issues – including uranium – come up regularly at the board’s meetings, held twice a year.

“They keep hammering away at the fact that these mines are developed, there are community concerns about the sludge and the effluent and everything else. So it’s something that regularly comes before the board,” Thompson said.

In addition to concerns about the process, the caribou board also has concerns about the uranium policy, some of which are outlined in a letter, signed by the board’s chair, Jerome Denechezhe, and sent to NTI’s first vice-president, James Eetooloook, on April 13.

“The documents appear one-sided and biased in favour of uranium mining, suggesting that adequate consideration was not given to the potential negative impacts,” the letter reads.

“In fact, the documents clearly indicate that NTI supports uranium mining, and has taken this position before consultation. It appears that, to date, there has not been adequate opportunity for discussion among the Inuit you represent.”

The letter continues:

“Several stakeholders were excluded from your process, including the BQCMB, and others from outside Nunavut – although notably the uranium industry was included. There are many others with a legitimate stake in this issue and in the consequences the policy could have for Nunavut and its environment, including wildlife resources that are shared with other jurisdictions.”

The BQCMB plans to submit another letter outlining specific concerns related to the draft policy.

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