A group of Inuit hunters have braved nearly a week of icy temperatures to hamper a remote iron age in northern Canada, in protest of an expansion plan that they say will harm local wildlife.
The blockade, which has led to solidarity in other Nunavut communities, has also exposed growing tensions between large Inuit organizations with the power to approve development permits – and residents of small communities where the impact of such projects is felt.
Since Feb. 5, seven hunters have created a temporary barrier of snowmobiles and sledges to block the runway and service route of the Mary River ore mine, which has halted operations. In recent days, the temperature has dropped to the low -30sC.
At issue are controversial plans by mining operator Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to double production. To bring 12 million tons of iron ore to market, the mine said it needed to build a railroad to a port near the Pond Inlet community.
But hunters have pushed back for fear that the expansion could threaten the population of caribou and narwhal – two major food sources – if approved.
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“Baffinland earns money and we get very little money and we know that money will not bring back game,” Tom Naqitarvik said in a video of Inuktitut posted on Facebook, CBC News reports.
As the absence enters its fifth day, 700 workers are trapped at the Mary River site, and according to the company, the blockade on the runway means food supplies cannot be delivered.
“Baffinland staff have had numerous meetings with organizers, both at the blockades and at Pond Inlet, who have asked protesters to move from the airport and allow the runway to resume flights. , “the company said in a statement. “So far, these discussions have not made any progress.”
Baffinland says the expansion of the mine is critical to its operations in the region to remain profitable. The company has tried to allay concerns about the project, saying it is confident that nature will not be affected by larger ore shipments.
Under the 1993 Nunavut Agreement, which established a number of key Inuit rights on their lands, Baffinland was obliged to negotiate a benefit agreement with the Inuit groups representing residents of the area.
But the protest also drew attention to long-standing tensions between remote Inuit communities and those organizations, which some residents say have lost touch with the challenges of living in remote communities.
After years of feelings ignored and ignored by decision-makers in the territorial capital Iqaluit, northern communities want to form their own, legally recognized association, said Jerry Natanine, mayor of Clyde River. This new group will have the power to negotiate royalty payments and have more say in projects that could affect their communities, he said.
“The decision comes from years of disappointment by Inuit organizations that do not look out for us,” he said. “We dream about the possibility of creating something that can help us take advantage of the development that is taking place and manage our own government.”
Many of the groups opposed to the project are not against all mining in the region. “My brother and cousins work at the mine. “I do not want them to lose their jobs,” said Natanine. ‘But the mine does not take our ideas into account. We told them they had to change the railway and we would accept it. We told them, ‘Rather follow this route.’ But they just pushed us away. ‘
Despite the demands of those who had the blockade for a new royalty structure, Baffinland said he has no legal power to negotiate with community groups.
Residents of Clyde River plan to bring supplies to the Mary River protesters in the coming days, a trip that could take three days by snowmobile and that travelers will have to face mountain valleys and dangerous parts of ice.
‘At the end of the day, we were given the expansion project. Nevertheless, we told the mine clearly and repeatedly that their plans were unacceptable. “And they did not listen to any of our suggestions,” Natinine said. “So we must now fight for our culture and way of life.”