Responses expected on mine's environmental impact statement

The deadline to submit comments to the Nunavut Impact Review Board in the environmental review of the proposed Mary River Iron Ore mine was noon Wednesday.

Baffinland Iron Mines handed in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for its proposed $4 billion Mary River Iron Ore mine in January, in which it predicts what the impacts of the mine will be on land and at sea, for people and animals. The site is located on northern Baffin Island, 160 kilometres south of Pond Inlet.

Since January, different groupssuch asEnvironment Canada and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association have been poring over the document.

"These comments are the first real critical look at the proponents statements about what impacts their project will have on the environment," said Ryan Barry, executive director of the NIRB.

In its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Baffinland stated the impact of year-round shipping on sea ice in Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait will be "not significant," and there will be no "significant residual effects" on polar bear or walrus in the project area.

Outside groups can disagree and that could affect the future of the project.

"The next few steps in our review of this project are particularly important for the board," said Barry.

The next steps include more public hearings in Pond Inlet and Igloolik in November. The Impact Review Board will use the comments there to decide what, if anything, Baffinland needs to change in its Final Environmental Impact statement, which is what the NIRB will use to decide if the project can go ahead.