Cambridge Bay – West Kitikmeot Resources Corp. (WKR) announces that it has filed the Impact Statement for the Grays Bay Road and Port Project with the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB). Grays Bay is a new Arctic deep-water port and road, within the Arctic Economic & Security Corridor in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut.
The Grays Bay Road and Port Project is currently undergoing a NIRB Review pursuant to the Nunavut Land Claims Act and the Nunavut Project Planning and Assessment Act. The Impact Statement is the major document required to complete the NIRB Review process. The Impact Statement has been prepared to comply with NIRB’s Guidelines for the document. NIRB’s Guidelines were established over the course of a year-long process to understand community concerns and ensure that the NIRB Review covers all topics of community and regulator interest.
The Impact Statement combines Inuit Knowledge, Community Knowledge, and Indigenous Knowledge of other Indigenous groups with western science to evaluate ecosystemic and socio-economic effects of the Project. It contains 11 volumes totaling over 5,000 pages of analysis of Valued Components. These volumes cover Air Quality, Noise, Climate, Terrain, Soils, Permafrost, Vegetation, Birds, Terrestrial Wildlife (Muskox, Moose, Grizzly Bear, Wolverine), Caribou, Surface Water, Freshwater Fish and Fish Habitat, Marine Water and Sediment, Marine Fish and Fish Habitat, Marine Mammals, Traditional Land, Marine and Resource Use, Community Health and Well-being, Infrastructure and Services, Food Security and Food Sovereignty, Employment and Economy, Non-traditional Land, Marine and Resource Use, and Heritage Resources.
With the implementation of mitigation, management, and enhancement measures, residual project and cumulative effects are predicted to be not significant. This means that the Impact Statement demonstrates that the project will not have significant negative effects that cannot be avoided with the measures proposed.
If the NIRB approves the Project following a public review process, a Project Certificate will be issued which will outline the terms and conditions which must be followed throughout the life of the Project. WKR will also seek to obtain additional authorizations and approvals required to proceed to construction and operations.
“Today’s milestone demonstrates the meaningful progress being made toward strengthening transportation infrastructure in Canada’s North,” said Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport.
(Photo from WKR)