Igloo Talk

[wandering_fool]

I don't like the looks of this, not one bit.

I wish there was more information on this available, but at least initially, it makes me wonder just whose interests are being served here. Is it the Inuit in the Kitikmeot? Or the interests of the mining company that is "spending millions and millions and millions of dollars".

The NWB shouldn't be a rubberstamp committee, if companies aren't willing to pony-up and do everything possible to ensure that the environment and the wildlife are protected, then the mine shouldn't be built. Period. I'm sorry, but polluting the environment and putting the local Inuit and surrounding wildlife in jeopardy of being contaminated by toxins just isn’t worth the fist-full of money that the mine would bring, in my opinion. If any business is serious about operating in Nunavut, they must take the necessary precautions to ensure that their actions do not negatively impact the health of the land and the people, and if they’re not willing to do that, then they simply have no place in Nunavut. The wellbeing of the Inuit and the environment should always be of primary concern when doing any development in Nunavut.

I think the KIA, and the NWB are sending the wrong message to the mining companies by doing this. Also, I definitely think that political pressure shouldn’t have any leverage in situations like these. I think bodies like NWB and NIRB should be more accountable to the people, and they need to show more back bone in situations like these.

Does anyone else have any additional information on this? What are peoples thoughts about this proposed mine? What should be done?
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[anonymouse]

i read lots of stuff here for the last little bit but i have never posted. i thought this is omething that i should talk about.

i had talked about the review of the water board sometime ago with some people involved and something is fishy. i heard of some things that were just not right. here is the letter the news is talking about.

ftp://nunavutwaterboard.org/2AM%20-%20MINING/2AM-DOH/Draft%20Interim%20Guidelines/061228%202AM-DOH%20Additional%20Guidelines%20for%20the%20Doris%20North%20Water%20Licence%20Application%20-%20OTAE.pdf

this stuff is a lot of technical talk but look at page 30 of 43 where it is bolded and underlined. Point 5 on S10h.

read a bit more into this section and it says that miramar has other facilities unlicensed and in operation. somethinging is not right about this. no one is approving these and miramar can go out and just use these things? they can just do this? rubberstamp? this letter questioned it.

there are many others in the letter. i think you have the right to feel worried. maybe some questions should be answered.

[wandering_fool]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that's concerned about this, anonymouse.

I tried opening the link that you posted, but it's saying that I need to sign in to read it. Could you paraphrase the letter, or perhaps quote some of the concerns raised in the letter?

It's certainly sounding like there isn't much oversight in this process, which I find alarming.
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Life's a journey, so pack your baggage and enjoy the trip

[jetli]

It's pretty normal for KIA to push for this project to take place, they are an interest group afterall. What is not normal is for NWB members to be biased and let themselves be pressured by an interest group to make such decision. The members of the board should be the ones getting fired, not their director, but it looks like even DIAND who appoints those members is trying to cover up instead of taking a strong stand against political interference.

[anonymouse]

not a problem wf.

here is the section. alot of bulets so it is annoying but here is the wording.

Throughout the landfarm design, landfarming experiences brought forward from the Boston (Water Licence NWB1BOS0106) and Windy (Water Licence NWB2HOP0207/B1) camps have been used to assist in detailing how the Doris North landfill is designed and operated. This is
shown through the following:

• Executive Summary and Section 1.1- “The design and proposed management are based on successful landfarms operated at the Boston and Windy exploration camps operated by MHBL”

• Section 3.0 - “A mixture of ammonium nitrate and corn cobs will be used as a bacterial medium and mixed with contaminated soil as it is placed within the landfarm. This medium has proven to have worked successfully at the nearby Boston and Windy exploration camps over the 2005 and 2006 summer seasons”.

• Section 3.0 - “Any standing water in the landfarm will be passed through an oil-water “filter” style separator prior to release to the environment (a similar unit is in operation than the Boston and Windy Camp landfarm facilities). Normally, water should be adsorbed by landfarm soil”. Additionally, within Section 6.8 of report S10a it is stated “Two approved Land Treatment Area (LTA) are currently in operation on the Belt. One is located at Boston Camp and the other is located at Windy Lake camp. Petroleum contaminated top soil will be removed and placed in these LTA for treatment” It is the NWB’s understanding that the landfarms at the Windy and Boston exploration camps are unlicensed facilities. The following correspondence has been issued communicating the need to license these facilities:

• Oct 27, 2005 NWB to MHBL (RE: Acknowledgement Annual Report 2004)- “The NWB generally requires that Landfarm facilities be operated under a water licence….the Licensee incorporate the Land Treatment Area (Landfarm) into the current Licence through application for amendment to be submitted as a stand alone amendment or in conjunction with other foreseeable changes required. This application should be submitted at least four (4) months prior to active monitoring in 2006.”

• July 12, 2006 INAC to NWB (RE: 2BE-HOP –Miramar Hope Bay Ltd. – Hope Bay Project – 2005 Annual Report)- “The 2005 Annual Report states that exploratory drilling activities have commenced in the project area and that the Windy Lake Camp has a land treatment area for the remediation of soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The project’s licence permits water use for domestic purposes only. In light of these water use activities, INAC recommends that the project’s licence be revised to incorporate the terms and conditions necessary for the water use and waste disposal activities practiced by the proponent”.

Currently the NWB has yet to receive a licence application for the above listed landfarms. Through this letter document the NWB is notifying Regulators on references to the Boston and Windy landfarms in the Doris North application and the correspondence provided by the NWB and Regulators to MHBL in the recent past for Regulator advisement and action
on the issue.

boston and windy camps do not have exploration water permits right now to i have been told. how can you explore tith out proper permits?

[jetli]

So it looks like Miramar is operating some landfarms and exploration camps without a water licence! Am I reading you correctly?

Isn't DIAND supposed to enforce laws on water licences in Nunavut? What are they doing?

Looks like the feds are not only letting the NWB board members make decision based on political considerations, but also they are willingly letting Miramar operate in Nunavut without a licence. First they must dismiss all NWB board membres, then they must take enforcement actions against Miramar. Something has to be done!

[EuroTrash]

Glad as hell to see this has raised a few eyebrows.
I have written to the Minister of DIAND requesting that he dissolve this board immediately and would hope that few others might do the same.

Donald and the clowns at KIA also need to understand that such blatant political pressuring can backfire and add to the hold ups.

The project must stand up under environmental reviews on its own merits or it shouldn't proceed.

Thing is, Nunavummiut should pay attention to who gets appointed to these IPGs.
I've been a little privy to the machinations that go on around board appointments and it's been my experience that people are nominated and selected more often than not for all the wrong reasons.

If some guy gets appointed for his political connections and not because he brings any relevant skills to the table then we should not be surprised when board members get out of their depths and prefer to be rubber stamps than acknowledge they're lost.

[jetli]

No, you are not alone thinking that. Many people I talked to think the same, but too many are complacent and will not say anything to change the situation. Well, like you, I also wrote to the minister of DIAND today, after I got wind that yet another senior staff resigned today over the same monumental gaffe made by these "clowns" at the NWB board (KIA does have its share of clowns, but it obviously does not have the monopoly). This whole thing stinks of political interference and should be denounced. We have enough problems as is in Nunavut, we don't need these people making ridiculous decisions that affect people in so many ways. I would recommend that all of us who are concerned about the integrity of the environment write to DIAND. I also got wind of something interesting from an insider about who from the board membership may be masterminding this mess...stay tuned, you will be surprised, but maybe not...just take a look at who's on that board, you might be able to figure out who's behind all this. Any guesses anyone?

[anonymouse]

havingall of these people leave a job makes you question what is being done at the water board. 5 or 6 people?

the whole situation just smeels bad. illegal environmental practices by miramar mining, a shady board?, economic pressure from the kiato pass the mine through. the DIAND Minister should have this on the radar bynow. it is nice to see other people caring about our Nunavut.

they whole bunch should be ashamed of themselves. i dont even post on this forum (i am an active reader) and it angered me to say something. something isjust wrong here.

[Jennifer]

Welcome aboard anonymouse and jetli.

Iikuluk, I've been just so busy and or too exhausted.
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With children, days fly by and nights are endless.

[wandering_fool]

From the Nunatsiaq:

[jetli]

Sadly, this fiasco will quickly become last week's news!

But at least I hope Premier Okalik keeps track of what his constituents think and his croonies check this forum regularly. Did Okalik have anything to do with the firing of the NWB director? Hmmm...I'm starting to wonder...And for a lawyer and Premier, Okalik should know that the NWB and the other IPGs did not create the environmental regime. This regime is enshrined in the Nunavut land claims agreement, signed by the Inuit and the Gov. of Canada. The people working for these boards are not protecting their jobs, but merely implementing this land claims agreement, they are protecting your rights under the land claims agreement, Mr. Okalik! You cannot blame them for doing their job properly, at least THEY at the NWB were doing that...and these people do not have either the powers or the responsibility to change the land claims. That's between NTI and Canada. And if the right-wingers at the Fraser Institute and GN think otherwise, they should take their issue with these two groups. And if you insist on blaming water board staff for being dedicated, competent and hard working, then it's no wonder why the GN -and the whole territory for that matter- is in shambles, in every single department and facets of life in Nunavut...if Okalik wants to talk about bureaucracy, he should look at his own empire, as GN has probably the highest number of bureaucrats per capita in the world and still cannot manage its own affairs because of a lack of vision, planning and intelligence. No wonder why the Nunavut public service is unmotivated and turns over at such a high speed. In the end, I think this scandal will contribute to delay further the possibility of devolution.

[jetli]

I did a little research on who the NWB board members are...Interesting coincidences...

Isn't Okalik's new press secretary the daughter of the NWB Chair? Isn't one of the NWB board members the husband of the Nunavut Commissioner? Isn't another NWB board member the vice-presidend of KIA? Isn't the NWB vice-chair working for the Kivalliq Inuit Association? Hmmm...

[EuroTrash]

Hmmm.... GN employees are not allowed on to the IPGs and the Inuit orgs seem to have a policy forbidding staff or execs from being on the board too.

I guess that just leaves members of the private sector and the unemployables.

[anonymouse]

The discussion continues...

Editorial

Unmanaged co-management?

We have no doubt that members of the Nunavut Water Board acted with the best of intentions when they voted on March 23 to immediately dismiss without cause their veteran executive director, Philippe di Pizzo.

But in taking this decision they've sent an unfortunate message. They've told the world that one of Nunavut's most important environmental regulators, the Nunavut Water Board, will buckle to private commercial interests and political pressure.

They may not have intended to convey this message. Their own words, however, "without cause immediately," suggest that there was nothing wrong with di Pizzo's job performance. Those words suggest another reason.

You don't have to look long to find it. Also on March 23, water board members voted to go ahead with public hearings on the Miramar Mining Corp.'s water licence application for the proposed gold mine at Doris North.

This effectively countermands a big, controversial decision that di Pizzo authorized last December. In a 43-page letter to Miramar on Dec. 27, a water board employee told the company that their water licence application was full of holes and didn't contain enough reliable information to support an informed judgment. Water board staff described it as "ambiguous, inconsistent, and convoluted."

Water board staff then told Miramar that their application was rejected. They said that before public hearings may start, the company must hand in a brand-new licence application. They gave the company a long list of detailed questions. Most of those questions asked how the company plans to protect nearby water bodies from environmental poisons.

After water board members, most of them ordinary people from Nunavut communities, voted to dump di Pizzo, the 43-page letter to Miramar was dumped with him. This explains why the board's entire technical staff, including Joe Murdock, the staff member who signed the letter, quit in protest.

And when they passed those March 23 motions, water board members had another letter in front of them, from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. The KIA, which is closely associated with a network of Inuit-owned businesses that hope to profit from the mine, attacked the decision by water board staff to reject Miramar's application, saying many of their listed objections were "trivial."

Here's what that letter, signed by KIA president Donald Havioyak, had to say:

"The project promises important business and employment opportunities throughout the Kitikmeot region and benefits for Inuit throughout Nunavut. Many of our beneficiaries and businesses have been preparing for these opportunities."

It's understandable why Miramar and those who hope to feed off Miramar's gold mining projects are seething with frustration.

By itself the Doris North gold mine is small. But it's the first phase of what will be a much bigger effort aimed at extracting 5.2 million ounces of gold from the Hope Bay region of the western Kitikmeot.

Despite its small scale, with a projected life of only two years, the Doris North proposal sat inside Nunavut's complex regulatory system for five years. That's because Miramar failed its first attempt at an environment review. The Nunavut Impact Review Board gave them a positive recommendation only after the company submitted a second environmental impact statement.

The Doris North scheme has now passed the impact review board's environmental review. So it's reasonable that Miramar and its Kitikmeot supporters would ask why the water board wants to do what looks like a third environmental review. This looks very much like the kind of bureaucratic duplication and inefficiency for which northern Canada is notorious. It also suggests that the water board does not trust the impact review board's work.

But firing a talented, dedicated civil servant and provoking the resignation of three other talented, dedicated civil servants is not the way to solve these problems. Given that di Pizzo was dismissed without cause, it's likely that a very large chunk of public money will be spent on his severance payment. That's not in the public interest.

What's worse, the water board has now left the impression that Nunavut regulators are pushovers, willing to sacrifice the environment in the name of powerful commercial and political interests. That's not in the public interest either.

The roots of the problem lie within Nunavut's co-management system. It's called "co-management" because its various boards bring federal and territorial government representatives together with representatives of Inuit organizations.

This system has existed for about 15 years. It's reasonable to expect that by now the water board, the impact review board and the long list of bureaucratic agencies that work with them would have figured out who does what. It's reasonable to expect that by now they would have worked out a set of common standards.

But after all those years there's little evidence of actual co-management. The federal government, which appoints all regulatory board members and pays all their bills, had better get to work, now, on fixing that problem. JB


Letters to the Editor

May 4, 2007


Ex-water board head wanted streamlining too
I read with obvious interest the media coverage reporting my termination as executive director of the Nunavut Water Board.

I wish I could comment publicly on this matter, but unfortunately, I am not at liberty to do so even in this country where freedom of speech is a constitutional guarantee.

What I can tell you is that I was indeed terminated "without cause." See the Nunatsiaq News editorial of April 13 for their take on what this means. I can also tell you that my personnel file with the NWB only contains letters of praise on my performance, and nothing else.

I can as well tell you that I believe in excellence, hard work, dedication, ethics and integrity, whether at work or in my private life. I am far from being a "green;" I am neither for nor against mining or development; I am in no way a charismatic leader.

But I simply and firmly believe in doing a good job, whether as the executive director of the NWB or as a smiling greeter at Wal-Mart, which is what I would love to do lately! I also believe in respect, fairness, trust, kindness, and these are the values I took with me to work every day of my career. Fortunately, most of my former staff and many people in Nunavut share those values with me.

Your political and business leaders? Good question.

I have the right to my own opinion, and they certainly have the right to theirs. You, those aptly called the silent majority, also have the right to form your opinion, but you also have the duty to express it, because Nunavut is yours, and your leaders are there to serve you, not themselves.

Additionally, regardless of what the premier of Nunavut thinks, I never protected my "bureaucratic" job. What I strived to protect was my staff and the members of my board, so that they could do the job they were entrusted with: implementing, and protecting the integrity of the water licensing regime created by the Nunavut land claims agreement.

Whether I agreed or not with the regulatory regime established by the NLCA never mattered in the first place; I did not create it, and indeed the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, the precursor of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., signed the NLCA on behalf of all the Inuit of Nunavut, including the premier.

I am surprised that an intelligent and educated person like Mr. Okalik, a lawyer by training, can ignore these important Nunavut facts and use such populist language to please his audience.

Well, no. I'm not really surprised.

Incidentally, if the premier insists on talking about people protecting bureaucratic jobs, he should perhaps look at his own backyard, the Government of Nunavut, probably the biggest bureaucracy-per-capita in the world, where pervasive low morale is at par with efficiency, not because of public servants themselves but because of the systemic status quo and lack of vision and ethics of the leaders. I don't need to expand on this: all Nunavummiut experience it daily when they must deal with the public service, whether in health care, social services, education, and so on.

And if the GN and other lobby groups such as the mining industry want to see changes in the NLCA, this is their absolute right and prerogative and I would be more than happy to assist them in that endeavour, free of charge.

However, bringing chaos by getting rid of someone who is by all intents and purposes doing his job, as attested by the numerous shows of support and the cascade of resignations from dedicated and talented NWB employees who have been affected by the whole matter, is not exactly the best way to achieve this objective. This is Nunavut's loss.

I also want to put it on record that since the beginning of my employment with the NWB in 1996, I have been an ardent proponent of streamlining the regulatory process by trying to simplify it as much as legally possible, and insisting until recently, in a submission titled "Blueprint for Collaboration" made to the federal government and the main institutions of public government responsible for environmental management - the Nunavut Planning Commission, the Nunavut Impact Review Board, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, and the Nunavut Water Board - that these IPGs should be amalgamated into one single agency.

Ultimately, in my more than 25 years in the Arctic, I have learned to love, appreciate and respect the people of the North, the communities, the unique culture, and the wonderful riches of the land. I have been privileged because I not only loved my job but also the colleagues I worked with. Most were, are, and will continue to be trusted friends.

I stayed in this job because I had the conviction I was doing something worthwhile, thanks largely to the late Thomas Kudloo, former chair of the NWB, my boss, my mentor, my friend, the biggest single reason I stayed in this demanding job for that long.

Thank you, I will have to cherish these beautiful memories forever, for when I see the path Nunavut is embarking on, I am afraid for the Nunavut of tomorrow.

But who cares what I think. It's up to you, Nunavummiut, to be the catalyst for change.

Philippe Di Pizzo
Yellowknife



Who's protecting the environment?

We read with concern the news coming out of the Nunavut Water Board, as well as Paul Okalik's apparent enthusiasm for "streamlining the regulatory process."

The unexplained dismissal of Phillippe di Pizzo, the subsequent resignations of three NWB staff, and the announcement last week that another NWB staff member will not renew her contract signals a disturbing trend within Nunavut's environmental regulatory system.

These types of events lead us to question the role of the Nunavut Water Board - is it meant to be a rubber-stamping body, or is it supposed to ensure that Nunavut's inland water supplies remain unpolluted?

The Nunavut Water Board's own web site includes documents showing a proposed tailings lake directly adjacent to Doris Lake.

Paul Okalik's address at the mining symposium is evidently part of the same trend. When the Government of Nunavut, MLAs, the federal government, and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association are all pushing for mining development, and all three get a say in who sits on co-management bodies, we wonder who is pushing for the protection of our environment. When mining companies tell Okalik that regulations are used to protect bureaucratic jobs at the expense of development, they are concerned only with profit margins.

The premier, the GN, and KIA are supposed to be responsible for the interests of Nunavummiut and the protection of the environment, not the interests of mining companies.

Streamlining a regulatory process is positive if it improves efficiency and prevents duplication, but the recent developments at the NWB make us wonder if what the premier has in mind is greasing the wheels for mineral development.

When David Simailak speaks of developing regulations that "promote and support mineral development, respect Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit principles, and follow responsible policies for land use," we wonder how exactly he plans to do this. What are the IQ principles governing mineral extraction?

We wonder if Okalik is listening to Fred McMahon of the Fraser Institute more than he is listening to Inuit. In the movie The Corporation, Michael Walker, founder of the Fraser Institute, advocates the private ownership of every thing on Earth because people only value something when there is a price attached. Is this the type of mentality that Paul Okalik wants to pander to in Nunavut?

Both of us work for an Inuit organizations, and considering how quickly people can be fired for going against the grain on these issues, we prefer to remain anonymous.

Two Concerned Young Beneficiaries
(Names withheld by request)
Iqaluit

[Arcticulate]

The light is green. What a shame.

[Phenom]

Yup, work has begun.

And who is being held accountable? No one.

Who among our elected representatives is actually voicing the concerns of the people? No one.

At what point does a government, Inuit organization, or Institution of Public Government lose legitimacy? As soon as they forget who they are representing, and begin to act with self-interest instead.

It's things like this that we should be protesting coming June 29th. The Indians are doing their thing, why can't we do ours?
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phenom - noun (slang)
A phenomenon, especially a remarkable or outstanding person.

[Arcticulate]

Everyone in Nunavut has been handed a shovel to start digging: the question is, will the population as a whole be able to get out of the holes that have been dug?

[Phenom]

I think your analogy is mostly correct articulate.

Where I differ is that I think everyone in Nunavut has been handed a shovel AND a blank book in which to write their own future and destiny.

We are at a very crucial and potentially defining point in the life of Nunavut. It can become whatever we want it to be, but we have to identify where we will ahve to make sacrifices and identify the challenges and possibilities ahead.

Unfortunately I think too many of us are complacent or lazy.
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phenom - noun (slang)
A phenomenon, especially a remarkable or outstanding person.

[EuroTrash]

Would you believe that Okalik wrote to the INAC Minister requesting that he specifically NOT dissolve the water board so as not to impede "development".

Yet another reason not to vote for him, no matter where he runs.

[janjakk]

[Heather]

Welcome to Igloo Talk, janjakk.
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"It is a delightful harmony when doing and saying go together." -Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592).