A mining company has pulled its proposal to extend a Nunavut mine, citing “serious concerns” about the analysis of its project by the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB).
Last month, the NIRB recommended against Agnico Eagle Mines’ proposal to extend the life of the Meliadine gold mine near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The recommendation followed an eight-day public hearing on the proposal in September.
In a strongly-worded letter and 50-page response addressed to federal Northern Affairs Minister Daniel Vandal, Agnico Eagle says it has withdrawn its plans, effective immediately.
“We believe it is important to respond to the report, to address what we contend are inaccuracies,” the letter states, “And clarify some potential misunderstanding of the evidence presented during the NIRB process, and reliance on unfounded statements made by participants.”
After the NIRB released the report, the final decision to approve or reject Agnico’s proposal rested with Vandal. It’s unclear if that is still the case, given the mining company’s withdrawal.
A spokesperson for Vandal’s office said the minister hasn’t yet issued a response to the company’s letter.
“I can confirm we are working towards routing a response to the Nunavut Impact Review Board regarding the withdrawal letter in early January,” spokesperson Michael Clarke wrote in an email to CBC News.
The Nunavut Impact Review Board held public hearings in September into Agnico Eagle’s proposed Meliadine expansion. (Emma Tranter/CBC)
Years of work come to a halt, for now
Agnico’s proposal would have extended the life of its Meliadine mine by 11 years, to 2043, and increased underground mining.
It also originally included an 11-turbine wind farm to power the mine. The wind farm dominated the public hearing on the proposal, with every intervenor citing concerns about its potential impact on caribou in the region.
Agnico has since scrapped those plans from the project altogether.
In its recommendation to Vandal, the NIRB said the mine, which opened in 2015 and is 25 kilometres from Rankin Inlet, should not expand at this time, “due to the considerable uncertainty of the potential for the proposal to have negative, lasting effects on caribou, and the uncertainty of cumulative effects.”
Agnico’s letter to Vandal breaks down NIRB’s reasons for rejecting the proposal, making arguments against each one.
“Our decision would be different if the report had concluded with recommendation in favour of the Meliadine extension proposal,” the letter said.
The company also said that it hopes its response “can provide a foundation for more balanced, accurate and predictable reports from NIRB.”
The company refutes the NIRB’s claims that extending the mine’s life would have intensified its impacts.
It also said the mine is not causing “significant adverse effects” to caribou.
The NIRB said in a statement that because it had already finished its process, it would not be commenting on the issues Agnico raised in its letter.
Agnico also said it isn’t ruling out a new application for the extension.
In the meantime, it is revising its application to amend to its water licence to remove all aspects related to the Meliadine extension and will proceed with its inital water licence, approved in 2014.
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