Baffinland gives OK to Mary River iron ore mine

Baffinland Iron mines says it is going ahead with construction of the Mary River Project.

The move follows successful negotiations for an Inuit Impact and Benefits Agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

"We'll be building the workforce," says Greg Missal, a vice-president with the company. "We're currently doing thattrying to get people involved in jobs from the North Baffin communities, and we're going to continue to be doing that over the coming number of months here."Missal says the community will see immediate benefits.

The iron-ore mine is the largest mining project to date in Nunavut.

A total of nine ships will bring in construction material this year,along with two tankers carryingfuel.

Ore extraction should start in 2015, and the company hopes to extract between 18and 30million tonnes per year.