Meadowbank Gold Project:

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s Final Hearing Presentation to the Nunavut Impact

Review Board

March 27 – 31, 2006

Provide the best possible advice to the Nunavut Impact Review Board

INAC’s Role in the Review

Minister has a role to review the Board’s final report

Regulatory Role

INAC’s regulatory trigger is the

construction of the all-weather road on Crown land.

Legislation

• DIAND Act

• Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act

• Canadian Environmental Assessment Act

• Territorial Lands Act

• Nunavut Waters & Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act

INAC’s presentation is a brief synopsis of our submission to the

Nunavut Impact Review Board

1. Socio-Economic

2. Road uses

3. Accidents and malfunctions

4. Perimeter dewatering dike design, construction and monitoring

5. Presentation of geotechnical information

6. Drainage benches for all open pits

7. Disposal of non-salvageable materials

Areas of Concern

• Collaborative socio-economic monitoring and follow-up

• Baker Lake labour market adjustment and baseline data

• The transition of an inexperienced labour force to a rotational workplace

Socio-Economic Concerns

Socio-Economic Assessment

Collaborative Monitoring and Follow-Up

• Collection of baseline information, analysis and development of mitigation or enhancement strategies involves the GN, hamlets, GOC and proponent

• These efforts are in addition to and separate from, the monitoring activities of the IIBA

Recommendations• All parties should agree on the

framework for the monitoring committee prior to issuance of project certificate

• NIRB can play a guiding role• The framework must be flexible to

allow for the inclusion of future projects

Socio-Economic Assessment

Collaborative Monitoring and Follow-Up (Cont’d)

Socio-Economic Assessment

Baker Lake Labour Market Adjustment and Baseline Data

Inadequate assessment of models for job retention, employee turnover, gender hiring and local labour force supply. Incomplete

baseline data on local labour force.

Recommendations

• Re-evaluation of assessment process, applying higher variables for turnover rates

and labour force supply.

• Specific monitoring for early identification and development of mitigation strategies.

High local levels of unemployment will result in many new workers wanting to work at the project. These new workers and their families will be most vulnerable to negative socio-economic impacts resulting from rotational industrial employment.

Socio-Economic Assessment

Transition of an Inexperienced Labour Force to an Industrial Rotational Workplace

RecommendationsLife skill training must be available to new workers and their families, and be closely

monitored.

Bio-physical Assessment

All-Weather Road

RecommendationsProvide assurances that mitigation will be undertaken for the environmental, socio-economic and cumulative effects arising

from the construction, operation, and abandonment of the mine access road.

Potential external uses of the all-weather mine access road.

Bio-physical Assessment

Accidents and MalfunctionsRequirement of the NIRB Guidelines “The proponent shall assess the potential impacts, including those resulting from interaction with wildlife, of accidents and malfunctions, including worst-case scenarios, and shall evaluate their probability of occurrence.”

RecommendationProvide a complete list of potential

Accidents and Malfunctions and address requirements of NIRB Guidelines as

outlined above.

Bio-physical Assessment

Perimeter Dewatering Dike Design, Construction and Monitoring

Uncertainty regarding contingency plans for construction of perimeter dikes over potentially challenging subsurface foundation conditions in deeper water sections of dike.

Image: Courtesy of Cumberland Resources Ltd

Bio-physical Assessment

Perimeter Dewatering Dike Design, Construction and Monitoring Cont’d

RecommendationDescribe contingency plans for dike

construction in deeper water sections of dewatering dikes (pending).

Bio-physical Assessment

Presentation of Geotechnical Information

Better presentation of geotechnical domains and pit slope angles will allow

confident assessment of potential impacts and better understanding of design

(provided).

Recommendations• Present a map to show the zones of

similar physical features (provided)• Present worst case scenarios for pit wall

failure and options for remediation (pending).

Bio-Physical Assessment

Drainage Benches for All Open Pits

Drainage benches have not been included in the mine design (provided).

Recommendations• Provide a mine design with drainage

benches or provide reasoning for not including the design into the current pit

plan (provided).

• Detail the potential impacts arising from the design of the drainage benches and

present remediation contingencies (pending).

Bio-Physical Assessment

Drainage Benches for All Open Pits (cont’d)

Bio-Physical Assessment

Disposal of Non-Salvageable Materials

Non-salvageable materials will be cleaned and compressed before disposal into waste rock piles and/or into pits prior to flooding. The design of a land fill within the waste rock pile has not been provided (pending).

Recommendations• Identify area and submit design criteria

for landfill of non-salvageable material (pending).

• Provide list of materials to be deposited into pits or waste rock piles (pending).

INAC is confident all concerns will be addressed.

Matna

Qujannamiik

Thank You

Merci

Clarification to Environment Canada Question

Baseline Groundwater Quality Data• Very limited baseline data from 2003 and

2004, with significant variation• Cumberland agreed to re-sample

monitoring wells after thaw (~August 2006) to supplement FEIS groundwater data

• Prior to next phase of regulatory process, suggest Cumberland re-run this model to improve confidence regarding the Proponent’s predictions for pit water quality during mine life and final flooding of the pits.