April 26, 2012, Nunatsiaq News Online by Jane George. "We all agree that development must be sustainable"
Photo text: "Inuit are not against resource development per se, however we're against unsustainable development," says Jimmy Stotts, the president of Alaska's Inuit Circumpolar Council. "For most of the world, sustainable development means a balance between the protection of the environment and economic development. For Inuit, it also means sustaining our culture."
MONTREAL — Don’t say I want to see a moratorium on offshore gas and oil development in the Arctic, says Jimmy Stotts, the president of Alaska’s Inuit Circumpolar Council. But you could say he’d like to see a “time out” in the rush towards offshore gas and oil development in the Arctic. Otherwise Inuit, who intended to survive with their culture intact, will have trouble sustaining their culture, Stotts said April 25 at the International Polar Year Conference in Montreal. Money isn’t the solution to many of the problems Inuit face, he said during a conference panel on “creating the conditions for Arctic offshore gas and oil development.” “The situation is each of the three countries is different for Inuit, with different political and economic circumstances,” Stotts said. “But we all agree that development must be sustainable.”
Inupiat from Alaska think gas and oil development can be “done right” on land, said Stotts, a former ICC president. Stotts, along with John Amagoalik, Mary Simon and Aqqaluk Lynge of Greenland, sat on the first executive of what was then called the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in 1980, where he represented Alaska. But today Stotts says “we’re not convinced that industry and government are ready to take this adventure into the Arctic Ocean.” There are too many risks and too many unknowns. “No one is prepared to move into the Arctic offshore yet. It’s just too risky. We need to take the time to get it right,” he said, calling for industry and governments to pay attention to the concerns raised in a recent report by the insurance company Lloyds of London which, among other things, looked at the risks in Arctic offshore drilling. Full story at http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674the_jurys_out_on_and_gas_development_in_the_arctic_icc_leader/
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/26/12; 9:51:08 AM – Permalink – –
CBC News Apr 26, 2012 MMG eyes zinc, copper at Izok Lake and High Lake. Hunters and trappers organizations in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut are voicing their concerns about a proposed mining project. Chinese-controlled Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) wants to build a zinc mine at Izok Lake, a copper mine at High Lake and an all-weather road connecting the two. Willie Aglukkaq, the manager for the Gjoa Haven Hunters and Trappers Association, is paying close attention to how those possible mines will impact the McClintock channel. The government has already put a moratorium on polar bear hunting there. “Now we're afraid with all the ships going through there, they'll definitely be impacted because of the shipping route. The board is afraid the polar bears are just going to move away to other areas,” said Aglukkaq. Aglukkaq said the association is also concerned about chemicals from any mining activity leeching into nearby streams and rivers. Heidi Klein, with MMG, said she heard the community’s concerns. “We know we’ll have to certainly go back and get more from the communities as time goes on,” she said.. Full story at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/04/26/north-kitikmeot-hunters-proposed-nunavut-mine.html
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/26/12; 9:39:53 AM – Permalink – –
March 16, 2012 Postmedia News. By Bradley Bouzane and Chantal Mack. You can see the effects of the mining boom in Canada's North on the streets of its communities: There's commotion; there's optimism; and there's money. Boris Kotelewetz says he's witnessed first-hand the changes growth in the mining sector across the three territories have brought to his community of Baker Lake, Nunavut. While he admits there's a wave of economic prosperity sweeping through the region, he also warns of the dangers of short-sightedness, both in the industry and in the towns it leaves behind. "I've seen all kinds of changes," said Kotelewetz, who has lived in Baker Lake for 46 years. "To me, it's like when the whalers came and they needed fresh meat; they employed local people to take part in that. Then that industry died out. Then the Hudson's Bay Co., came and they employed people in trapping and that industry kind of died out. "Now we have mining coming along. Because it's a non-renewable resource, it's not everlasting. It's just going to die out — certainly the gold mine will — and that will just be the end to another thing that started and stopped." Kotelewetz operates a lodge and other businesses in Baker Lake, a community of 1,800 located about 70 kilometres south of Meadowbank, a gold deposit being mined by Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd., a Canadian-based gold producer with operations in Canada, Finland and Mexico. The mine has significantly increased employment in Baker Lake, and with that comes a boost in morale associated with an influx of jobs and an increase in disposable income. Kotelewetz, however, says he worries that a lack of preparation for the future may create problems down the road. "It's a party right now," he said. "We're having a party here, but we have to think about when that party ends. What happens then?" The situation in Baker Lake is hardly unique.This past week, the Conference Board of Canada said Canada's North is poised to lead the country in economic growth over the next two years as the boom in mining projects takes hold. The economies of the three territories are expected to grow by more than seven per cent in both 2012 and 2013. That easily surpasses the Canadian average of 2.1 per cent this year. The conference board's Territorial Outlook-Winter 2012 said the Yukon and Nunavut are entering a period of sustained mining development, citing several large projects that have been proposed for the current decade. The mining boom in the Yukon is expected to continue over the next 10 years, creating a heavy demand for workers. Nunavut's economy grew by 6.8 per cent in 2011 and the territorial economy is forecast to grow by 16 per cent in 2012... Read full story at http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+North+digs+good+mining+boom/6314314/story.html
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/26/12; 8:25:16 AM – Permalink – –
Last update: Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 9:51:08 AM
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