Baffinland mine shipping plan disruptive to wildlife and sea-ice habitat, WWF-Canada says

WWF

IQALUIT, Dec. 12, 2016 – Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation’s new plan to extend its Arctic shipping period to Dec. 31 and its expectation to ship during winter months “if required” should not be permitted without a full review and public hearings, WWF-Canada says. Currently, Baffinland is only allowed to ship from June to October; the extension has the potential to harm wildlife and habitat during what is a critical ice-formation period.
 
WWF-Canada is not opposed to mining or other industrial development that provides much-needed economic opportunity for northern communities, but it must be done in a manner that takes into consideration wildlife, habitat and the people who depend on them.
 
On Nov. 30, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation submitted a letter to the Nunavut Impact Review Board stating it will no longer pursue a plan to ship from the Mary River Mine on Baffin Island from June to March. The letter acknowledged opposition from communities to winter and spring ice-breaking activity in Milne Inlet and Eclipse Sound, Nunavut, which would disturb marine mammal habitats and cut locals off from accessing harvesting grounds crucial for food security.
 
In the same letter, despite acknowledging potential harm to sea-ice habitat, Baffinland stated it would instead seek approval to extend the end of its shipping period from October to Dec. 31 “if required.” Earlier this year, Baffinland also proposed to build a rail line between the Mary River mining site and the port at Milne Inlet, risking land-based disruptions.
 
Baffinland’s proposed changes pose multiple threats, including:

  • Potential increase in both the size and number of ships passing through Milne Inlet and Eclipse Sound, creating disruptions to marine habitat for narwhal, beluga, bowhead whales and seals.
  • Shipping during ice formation interferes with the natural ice freeze-up, introducing cracks into the new ice sheet that make it unstable.
  • Fragmented ice at the beginning of the season could postpone whale migration to wintering grounds, increasing the risk that whales will become trapped in the ice after the winter freeze-up.
  • A rail line could have negative effects for land-based wildlife, including disturbances to migration routes of the Baffin Island barren-ground caribou herd, whose population has dropped by more than 95 per cent from historic highs. (Barren-ground caribou were recently listed as “threatened” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.)

  
Paul Crowley, WWF-Canada’s vice-president of Arctic conservation, says:
“Baffinland has done well to consult with communities and listen to people’s concerns, but there is more work to be done. The shipping extension and increased volume during the open water season, combined with proposals for a new rail link, emphasize the need for a full review by the Nunavut Impact Review Board. The potential impacts deserve full public hearings.
 
“Other mining companies, such as Vale’s Voisey’s Bay nickel mine, halt shipping in the fall during ice formation until the ice reaches a thickness of 20 centimetres, regardless of the calendar date, so as not to weaken the stability of the ice sheet.
 
“Before considering Baffinland’s new proposal, a comprehensive monitoring framework must be put in place so inevitable impacts can be carefully tracked and managed. Without a comprehensive monitoring framework, both NIRB and the public will have no way of knowing the real impacts of a new rail line and increased shipping traffic.”
   
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.

For further information
Megan Nesseth, communications specialist, [email protected], +1 416-904-2482