North Baffin Community Group PRESS RELEASE

Igloolik, NU — August 25, 2020

Trouble is brewing in one of the most remote, scenic and biologically important regions of
Canada. The proposed expansion of the Mary River Iron Ore Mine on the northern tip of Baffin
Island is about to pit five Inuit communities, affected by the proposal, against their own Regional
Inuit Association.

On June 16, Pauloosie Akeeagok, President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), signed an
“Inuit Certainty Agreement” (ICA) with the Ontario-based mining corporation, Baffinland Iron
Mines. The Agreement commits the organization to supporting the Phase 2 expansion of the
Mary River mine, provided certain conditions are met. It includes a statement committing the
organization to supporting the project if it believes that there is a reasonable consensus among
communities supporting the terms and conditions of the Agreement.

The Agreement, signed without consent of the affected communities, appears headed for a
rough ride.

On July 17, a phone conference among affected communities revealed considerable discomfort
with the Agreement. It supports a speedy resumption of public hearings on a proposal with
implications for the well-being of one of the largest populations of Narwhal in the world. It
includes ice-breaking to support the season for shipping ore from the mine, and the eventual
building of the first ever Canadian Arctic railway, bisecting the northern tip of the island, creating
a potential barrier to caribou movement, with implications for the survival of an already
Threatened species.

Not satisfied with research conducted into potential impacts of the project, affected communities
want the environmental assessment process to slow down. Both Baffinland and the QIA,
supposedly representing Inuit interests, stand to benefit financially from the proposed
development. Concerns about investor confidence are driving a process with intergenerational
implications for the social and cultural well-being of Inuit hunters and their families, dependent
on sea mammals and other resources in the region.

Communities are making their concerns known, not only to the Nunavut Impact Review Board,
but Federal Cabinet Ministers ultimately responsible for acting on the Board’s
recommendations. .

In an attempt to circumvent problems over likely social, cultural and environmental impacts
revealed during technical meetings cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICA
suggests these can be successfully managed after NIRB approval, by an ‘Inuit Stewardship
Program’ designed to monitor impacts, and an ‘Adaptive Management Plan’, intended to
respond to, and adjust operations based on the results of monitoring. It proposes to set ground-
breaking precedent in an assessment process not going over well with those most affected.

For further information:

Joshua Arreak, Mayor, Hamlet of Pond Inlet. mayor@pondinlet.ca, 867-899-8934

Merlyn Recinos, Mayor, Hamlet of Igloolik. mrecinos@recinos.ca, 867-934-8830