Delayed Baffinland Phase 2 Nunavut Impact Review Board hearings set to resume in November

The Nunavut Impact Review Board technical hearings on the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation's Phase 2 expansion are set to resume in Iqaluit Nov. 1-6. 

The hearings were suspended, again, in April following the COVID-19 outbreak in Iqaluit.

The second phase of the Baffinland development proposal was supposed to happen April 12-21 in Iqaluit, but on April 14, Nunavut's chief public health officer revoked the exemption for the board to exceed indoor gathering limits while it conducted the hearings.

That meant, the board said in a document, that it wasn't able to complete a number of agenda items. Those included:

• One day of technical sessions involving Baffinland asking questions and following up with responses to questions of registered intervenors, the board asking questions and consideration of outstanding motions, objections or requests for procedural direction.
• Four and half days of community roundtable for the board to hear questions, comments and concerns about the proposal directly from potentially affected communities.
• Time for closing remarks from the board, including procedural direction for parties regarding the filing of final written statements following the close of the hearings.

The long-awaited nine-day hearings back in April were supposed to bring to an end a regulatory process which has been prolonged by delays and extensions. The delay in proceedings in April also marked another setback for Baffinland, which had hoped to begin gradually ramping up iron ore production over the summer.

The resumption of the public hearings will consist of in-person proceedings hosted in Iqaluit. There will also be an audio/video link, connected to a hub in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, to allow residents there to pose questions and
share their knowledge with the board from a central public venue.

The proceedings are said to be available to any resident of Pond Inlet or the public in general who wishes to participate from home using a combination of audio/video participation options similar to previous meetings.

The draft agenda for the hearings is set to be released Sept. 1. There have also been new submissions since the hearings were suspended in April from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada. Parties have until Aug. 30 to comment on those submissions.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meetings at the in-person venue in Iqaluit will not be open to the public. Attendance is reserved for the board, the proponent, intervenors, nominated community representatives and identified media representatives only.