How mining claims are threatening land-use planning in Nunavut
Right now in Nunavut, a powerful process called mineral claim staking is quietly shaping the future of the territory’s lands and waters. More than just jargon, claim staking is one way the mining industry is inadvertently chipping away at plans to protect land across the vast Arctic territory.
A mineral claim gives a prospector or mining company exclusive rights in a specific area to search for valuable minerals underground. These rights can last up to 30 years and, if the claim holder wants to go further, they can apply to extend those rights another 21 years. That’s a half-century of locked-in land use — often with very little, if any, consultation with local communities.
In fact, there’s no requirement at all to consult with nearby communities before staking a claim in Nunavut.
Making matters even worse are changes to the way mineral claims are filed. Until recently, prospectors had to physically travel to their locations of interest to stake a claim in person. But there is now an online application portal, which means that a licenced company anywhere in the world can log onto the online portal, pay a small fee and stake a claim without ever setting foot on the land or speaking to the people who live there.
A critical moment
For decades, Nunavut has been developing the recommended Nunavut Land Use Plan (RNLUP), a blueprint for protecting ecological and cultural areas prioritized by Inuit communities from industrial impacts. This plan includes what are called Limited Use Areas, where mining activities would be off-limits once the plan is approved. Although some areas are currently protected from staking, such as protected areas (10 per cent of the territory), cemeteries and municipal lands, the majority of Nunavut remains open to mineral staking and development.
The plan was submitted in June 2023 and is meant to provide guidance and certainty for industry about areas that are open for development. However, the plan has yet to be signed by the three signatories: the Nunavut and federal governments, and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. In the meantime, claim staking has surged, including in Limited Use Areas, such as sensitive habitats like caribou calving grounds. With 2,344 new claims staked since the plan was submitted, covering more than 32,800 square kilometres, can the plan’s proposed protections even hold?
This rush risks undermining years of consultation and Inuit-led planning while highlighting a troubling imbalance: current mining regulations privilege industry interests over land-use planning priorities. Once staked, mineral claims are very hard to remove. So, even if a mineral claim never becomes an active mine, its mere existence can block protection and stewardship efforts for years.
What can be done?
Approving the RNLUP is key. Once approved, it will prohibit claim staking in Limited Use Areas. Until then, Nunavut remains vulnerable to unchecked mineral staking. That’s why WWF-Canada has called on the federal government to endorse the RNLUP, a critical step in securing protections and guiding responsible development in the Arctic.
We have also been sharing information with local groups about the impacts of claim staking and supporting community efforts to move the plan’s approval forward and realize their vision of how to best protect Nunavut’s lands and waters.
Learn more by listening to the latest episode of This Is Wild, which digs into how this long-delayed land use plan could be key to the long-term survival of barren-ground caribou and other species.
