Engagement at the Nunavut Mining Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities for Mining in the North
April 11 – Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office, Iqaluit
Federal representatives met with exploration and mining companies to learn about their challenges when operating in the Canadian North. The group was mainly made up of Northwest Territories and Nunavut Chamber of Mines members.
Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, asked the group to identify three issues that should be the focus of federal, provincial and/or territorial governments. The main challenges they identified were:
- Access to resources
- Lack of infrastructure
- Capacity/education
Other issues brought up included:
- The carbon tax
- Energy – Nunavut needs a viable alternative to diesel
- Awareness of mining
- Timelines – Everything takes longer in the North
- Caribou – Their movement complicates land use planning
- Investment – Everything costs significantly more in the North and long timeframes may reduce investor interest
April 12 – CMMP Secretariat engagement session with the Nunavut Mining Symposium attendees
Participants sat at round tables and were asked to identify recommended actions for the six topic areas outlined in the CMMP Discussion Paper.
Key comments included:
- The North needs better infrastructure, including faster and more reliable Internet (increased bandwidth)
- The industry needs clearer knowledge of government and regulatory expectations
- Regulatory processes should be streamlined
- Flexible work shift systems are needed to encourage more women in the workforce and to be more aligned with Inuit social values
- A university in Iqaluit with a geoscience program would be well received
Engagement will continue in the following months, and we invite you to reflect on how we can help grow mining in Nunavut and across Canada.