New era for Canada’s North Roads to resources

It has been talked about for decades, but until recently, plans to build a road connecting a mineral-rich portion of Canada’s North to a port on the Arctic coast haven’t left the drawing board. That may change now that various levels of government are funding a study to determine the feasibility of an all-weather road and port facility in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

Unlike previous “roads to resources” schemes, driven mostly at the federal government level, the current proposal is being spear-headed by the development arm of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA), with the support of Inmet Mining, which holds some impressive mineral deposits in the region. To get the ball rolling, though, the governments of Canada, through the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND), will put up $3 million for the study and related environmental assessment. The government of Nunavut and the private sector will contribute a further $3 million.

The studies will be overseen by a technical committee consisting of KIA’s Kitikmeot Corporation, Inmet, Inuit-owned Nuna Logistics and the Nunavut government’s departments of sustainable development and community transportation. The project will have two main components: baseline environmental studies, including consultations on traditional knowledge; and feasibility studies for the overall project.

Some work has already been done, including a hydrographic study of Bathurst Inlet showing that water levels and the contours of the inlet are suitable for large sea-going vessels. That’s good news for mining companies, including Inmet, as the proposed road would extend about 295 kilometres from Bathurst Inlet to its Izok deposit, which hosts a resource of 16.5 million tonnes grading 11.4% zinc, 2.2% copper and 60 grams silver per tonne. Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of developing an open-pit mine at Izok with a life of about 15 years. The lack of infrastructure, however, held up those plans, as well as development of numerous other mineral deposits in the region. In addition to shipping out concentrates, the proposed road would greatly reduce costs associated with bringing in fuel and other supplies.

For its part, DIAND says the proposal reflects the federal government’s commitment to strengthening aboriginal business and creating strong, self-sufficient northern communities. KIA President Charlie Evalik says the government funding “sends a clear message that Nunavut is open for business. Inuit can now start, with our mining and government partners, creating economic wealth for future generations.”

The reaction from environmental groups, though, was less positive. Predictably, green activists took to the airwaves to warn the world that roads would harm the environment and endanger wildlife, particularly caribou herds. This rhetoric is likely to heat up as the project moves forward. Opponents will likely dredge out a recent study by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), which claims that “up to four-fifths of the Arctic will be taken over by industrial development in the next 50 years,” pushing wildlife such as polar bears, reindeer and caribou, migratory birds and Arctic foxes “toward extinction.” Apocalyptic warnings are nothing new for UNEP, which has funded studies purporting to show that global warming is already wreaking havoc in Canada’s North.

Environmentalists issued similarly dire warnings years ago when diamond companies began developing mines north of Yellowknife. But the success of those projects has convinced most northerners — indeed most Canadians — that development can meet social and environmental objectives, as well as economic ones.

Furthermore, northerners say they want more, not less, control over their own destiny. Aboriginal groups have expressed similar sentiments. It seems that finally, Ottawa is getting the message.