NUNAVIK MARINE REGION IMPACT REVIEW BOARD

Transcription

1 NUNAVIK MARINE REGION IMPACT REVIEW BOARD MINUTES: MEETING NO. 4 February 22-23, 2011 Montreal, Quebec Present: Putulik Papigatuk Member NMRIRB Peter May Brendan O Donnell Lucassie Arragutainak Member NMRIRB Member NMRIRB Member NMRIRB Advisors and Invited Guests: Henry Alayco Charlie Arngak Qavaroak Qatsiya Lorne McNeice Alan Penn Member NMRPC Member NMRPC Member NMRPC Member NMRPC Member NMRPC Mishal Naseer Don Axford Adam Lewis Stas Olpinski Gregor Gilbert Alexei Karashchenko Johnny Adams Marc Allard Bevin Le Drew Matthew Pickard NMRPC-IRB Regional Planner Consultant Makivik Corporation Makivik Corporation Makivik Corporation Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP Akpatok Island Tourism Nunavik Bio-Sciences Inc. Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation

2 Call to Order and Prayer The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. and it was noted that this meeting of the NMRIRB would be held as a joint meeting with the NMRPC. Henry Alayco, as the Chairperson for the NMRPC and Putulik Papigatuk, as the Chairperson for the NMRIRB, presided over the meeting as co-chairs. Henry Alayco was invited to give the prayer for the meeting. 2. Approval of Agenda After discussion, an agenda was jointly agreed to by the two sets of members that were participating in the meeting. Although there would be joint discussion of agenda items, it was agreed that separate resolutions and separate minutes would be prepared for the NMRPC and the NMRIRB. 3. Approval of Minutes It was noted that draft minutes for Meeting No. 3 of the NMRIRB, which was held on June 1-2, 2010 in Montreal, had been prepared and circulated to members. The minutes, as circulated, were approved by the members. 4. Action List The Chairperson noted that an Action List had been prepared by Don Axford that identified various items where follow-up actions were required, the persons responsible for follow-up activities, and the current status of the action items. The Action List was reviewed by the members and it was noted that issues requiring discussion by members were all on the agenda that had earlier been approved for the meeting. 5. NMRIRB Financial Statements The Chairperson reported that, as required pursuant to sub-section 14.2 of the General NMRIRB By-Law, audited financial statements and a financial report containing a balance sheet and a receipts and disbursements statement since the establishment of the NMRIRB and ending on March 31, 2010 had been prepared and submitted to the members for their approval. He then introduced Alexei Karashchenko, of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, and invited him to present the FY Financial Statements for review and approval by the members. The members agreed that the FY Financial Statements of the NMRIRB for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, together with the auditor s report thereon, would

3 - 3 - be approved and, that the Chairman and one or more members would be authorized to sign the Financial Statements evidencing such approval. (Resolution Number: ) 6. Appointment of Auditor for FY The Chairperson pointed out that, under sub-section 14.1 of the General By-Laws, an auditor must be appointed each year, by resolution of the NMRIRB, to audit the accounts of the NMRIRB. After discussion, it was agreed by the members that they were satisfied with the audit services being provided by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP (RCGT) and therefore that RCGT should be appointed as the auditors of the NMRIRB for the period commencing on April 1, 2010 and ending on March 31, 2011 and that RCGT should hold office until the next Annual General Meeting of the members at such remuneration as may be fixed by the Chairperson of the NMRIRB. (Resolution Number: ) 7. Office Update The Regional Planner was invited by the members to give an update on the progress that had been made in establishing the joint NMRPC-NMRIRB office in Kuujjuaq. Mishal Naseer informed the members that the printer for the office had arrived and that a service arrangement for the maintenance of the office (cleaning, etc.) had been arranged, which would be added to the building lease. The Regional Planner also noted that George Assaf, the accountant with RCGT who is responsible for bookkeeping for the NMRIRB, had informed her that T-4s would not be issued for the members but that the amounts of remuneration that had been received by the members would be sent to them for incorporation into their tax returns. She said that the intention was to issue T-4s for future tax years. The Regional Planner then introduced Miyuki Matsushita, who works with Makivik Corporation, and said that she greatly appreciated all of Miyuki s administrative support while she was providing Interim Secretariat services to the NMRPC and NMRIRB and her tremendous efforts in getting supplies and files delivered to the new office in Kuujjuaq. All of the members joined with the Regional Planner in expressing sincere appreciation for Miyuki s dedicated work on behalf of the NMRPC and NMRIRB. As a final administrative matter, the Regional Planner also commented that a VISA card had been issued to the NMRIRB that was being used by her to assist in meeting the operational and administrative needs of the Commission. She commented that a small pre-approved monthly amount would be of great assistance to her as she would not

4 - 4 - then have to have each and every purchase approved by the Chairperson no matter how small the amount. After discussion, the members agreed that a pre-approved amount of up to $ per month would be approved for charges on the VISA card for purchases made by the Regional Planner in relation to meeting the operational and administrative needs of the Commission. It was also agreed that the Regional Planner would not need to have prior oral or written approval from the Chairperson for such purchases. However, it was stipulated by the members that the Regional Planner should, each month, identify to the Chairperson all charges on the VISA card that had been made in that month within the pre-approved amount; attach receipts for all such purchases to the monthly VISA statement; and, forward the monthly statement and receipts to the persons responsible for providing bookkeeping and accounting services to the Commission. (Resolution Number: ) 8. Logo Contest The members agreed that the drawings that had been submitted in response to the contest for a logo for the NMRIRB still needed further review. The members agreed that Adam Lewis and Peter May should continue to work on preparing an appropriate logo for the NMRIRB. 9. Proposed Project to Study Disease within the Common Eider Population in the Belcher Island Archipelago Amie Black The Regional Planner reported to the members that on December 14, 2010 the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) received a project proposal from the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) related to Detecting Avian Cholera in the Hudson Bay Common Eider in the Belcher Island Archipelago. She also said that the NIRB forwarded information about the proposed project to the NMRIRB as part of their public consultation activities. The objective of this proposed research project, she noted, is to collect samples of Common Eiders over a three week period in the polynyas and leads at the southern end of the Belcher Island Archipelago near Sanikiluaq in the Qikiqtani Region. The samples would be analysed for avian cholera, and will indicate whether the disease has reached the wintering grounds of Common Eiders in Nunavut and possibly where the disease originated from. The proposed activities would include: Using snowmobiles to move five people and scientific equipment from a previously established camp near Sanikiluaq to the study area;

5 - 5 - Using a helicopter for site to site pick-ups and drop offs; Collection and preservation of blood, feather, cloacae and channel swabs, and tissue (liver, kidney, and lungs) samples from birds harvested by local hunters; Opportunistic collection of any dead eiders found in the study area; and Shipping samples to a lab at the Veterinary College in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec for cholera analysis. The members of the NMRIRB agreed that further information about this proposed project should be requested from the proponent along with information about the elements of this project that would be relevant to the Nunavik Marine Region. Screening activities related to this project were anticipated to be undertaken by the members of the NMRIRB in FY Canadian Arctic Research Licensing Initiative (CARLI) The Regional Planner reported that the Chairpersons of the NMRIRB and NMRPC had received letters from Makivik Corporation stating that there is currently no agency or organization in place that has the capacity to issue all of the research permits or licenses for the entire Nunavik region, including the areas set out in the JBNQA and NILCA. Presently, any research proponent seeking to obtain a permit is (usually) directed to a land claims mandated board (for example, the Hunting Fishing Trapping Coordinating Committee, the NMRIRB or the Nunavik Regional Board of Health & Social Services), Makivik Corporation, the Northern Villages, or the Landholding Corporations. This has lead to confusion at all levels about correct procedure and compliance. She said that the letter also noted that the Federal Government, through its Program for the International Polar Year (IPY) Canadian Arctic Research Licensing Initiative (CARLI), has indicated that it intends to make funds available to aid in the development of a central research licensing body, for the purpose of coordinating research permitting in Nunavik. With this in mind, the letter from Makivik Corporation recommended that, as research licensing involves many different Nunavik agencies, it would be desirable to create a small working group comprised of individuals representing research licensing stakeholders from the Nunavik Region to identify the main requirements necessary for the creation of a central licensing agency, designate the appropriate individuals and/or groups to fulfill these requirements, define the roles of these individuals within their organizations, and complete and submit a proposal to the Federal Government in order to apply for CARLI funding. The letters to the chairpersons asked if the NMRIRB and NMRPC would be interested in participating in this type of central licensing committee and, if so, to indicate the person to contact to initiate the relevant discussions. After discussion, the members agreed that the chairpersons of the NMRPC and NMRIRB should jointly indicate to Makivik Corporation that their respective organizations would be interested in

6 - 6 - participating in this initiative and that Lorne McNeice would be the contact person for these purposes for the NMRIRB. The NMRIRB agreed to fund all resulting costs, as requested, for the attendance of their representative for the duration of the appointment. It was agreed by the members that it would be anticipated that the NMRIRB would be involved in these activities in FY Bear Island Alan Penn was invited to give the members an update on the clean-up project at Bear Island and he reported to the members that Mark Yetman had informed him that the remedial works had been completed in the summer of 2010 but that the equipment was not able to be demobilized before the arrival of winter. As a result, he said that the Bear Island completion report would not be finalized until the summer of Web Site The Regional Planner reminded the members that they had earlier invited Qaujimautik Systems Inc. and Strata360 to prepare a proposal for them to consider related to the design and development of two state-of-the-art websites and said that Adam Lewis would present the proposal and answer questions that the members might have about the proposal. Adam Lewis distributed copies of the proposal and noted that the proposal that was submitted for their consideration included recommendations for the conceptual design and subsequent budgets for the NMRPC and NMRIRB websites. The proposal, he said, also included a summary of the goals, a description of the structure of the information to be stored, a mock-up, design specifications, and an estimated budget. Adam Lewis noted that, although the proposal included recommendations related to the development of two separate websites (front-ends), it was submitted as one proposal as the proposed underlying Document Management Systems (DMS) and databases (backends) were designed to be shared by both websites with user access controls. Sharing the underlying database and DMS provided for significant cost savings, he said, and for the implementation of better technology. It was pointed out that the members of the NMRIRB would continue to be involved with the development and refinement of the NMRIRB web site and the underlying Document Management System that would be shared between the NMRPC and NMRIRB. As documents were produced by or be submitted to the NMRIRB by project proponents they would be incorporated into the DMS for internal use and possibly for posting onto the NMRIRB web site as public documents. The NMRPC and NMRIRB members requested time to review the proposal and to discuss it amongst themselves. When the joint NMRPC-NMRIRB board meeting resumed the following morning the members unanimously agreed that they would

7 - 7 - proceed with the proposal as submitted by Qaujimautik Systems Inc. and Strata360 and that they wished to also proceed with developing the underlying Document Management Systems (DMS) and databases (back-ends) that were to be shared by both websites. The Chairpersons were authorized to complete the purchase arrangements with Qaujimautik Systems Inc. and Strata360 for undertaking this work on behalf of both the NMRPC and the NMRIRB. 3:00 p.m. [At this point it was agreed that the joint NMRPC-NMRIRB board meeting would be suspended in order to hold a training session with representatives from the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) who had been invited to Montreal for this purpose. The training session, however, was not officially part of the joint NMRPC-NMRIRB board meeting and so is not included in these minutes.] 9:00 a.m., February 23, 2011 [The joint NMRPC-NMRIRB board meeting resumed at this point.] 13. Mary River Project The Regional Planner introduced Bevin Le Drew and Matthew Pickard from the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation. An overview presentation was then given to the members by the representatives from the corporation, which provided background information on the Mary River Project. The presentation provided information on: the project location the production highlights the proposed port layout the shipping fleet the proposed shipping corridor, and the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) process. The members of the NMRPC and NMRIRB noted the proximity of the proposed shipping corridor to the northern boundary of the Nunavik Marine Region and indicated a desire to have more information on potential impacts that might be experienced in relation to marine mammal populations in this region or in relation to transportation activities. The members of the NMRPC and NMRIRB requested that the Chairpersons and the Regional Planner continue to monitor the NIRB review process in relation to this project and to keep them informed of developments related to this project.

8 Akpatok Island Tourism Proposal A preliminary presentation was made by Johnny Adams on behalf of Arctic Cruises for a potential eco-tourism site on Akpatok Island. The initial project was developed on an experimental basis with a maximum of 12 people per visit using an Air Inuit Twin Otter from Kuujjuaq to ferry passengers, and three boats with Inuit guides to showcase the island. The members of the NMRIRB noted that as there was no formal environmental assessment process at the time of the presentation, the projects referred to the NMRIRB were being assessed on a case by case basis. Some clarifications were needed in terms of the scope of the project and it was determined that Arctic Cruises needed to contact the landowner (which in this case is Makivik Corporation) for an Entry and Access permit and following that process, be referred back to the NMRIRB. The Regional Planner pointed out that, under Article 7 Section 3.3 of NILCA, it was determined that despite being exempt from screening under Schedule 7-1, cumulative effects assessment may be triggered if there is a continued related use of Akpatok Island. Since the preliminary presentation of this potential project did not meet the criteria of the screening process, the project was referred to the landowner. 15. Nunavik Bio-Sciences Marc Allard was introduced to the members and he commented that, following the successful completion of their 2010 summer field program Nunavik Biosciences Inc. was now in a position to request that approval be given to a follow-on application for a Three-Year Management Plan for harvesting seaweed in the Nunavik Marine Region. The application for the proposed Three-Year Management Plan was received by the members of the NMRIRB but it was agreed that further time would be required to review the proposal and that a screening decision would be made after the proposal had been further studied by the members. 16. Canadian Royalties Ocean Dumping Permit Stas Olpinski was introduced to the members and he reported to them that Canadian Royalties Inc. (CRI) was seeking a Disposal at Sea Permit from Environment Canada as part of the Nunavik Nickel Project (NNP). As part of the NNP, he said, CRI planned to build a new wharf about 1 km southeast of the Xstrata Nickel one, i.e., farther up Deception Bay. Such a facility would be necessary to ship out metal concentrates and to ship in supplies for the mine complex. Based on preliminary plans, about 12,000 m3 of marine sediment over a 10,700-m2 footprint must be dredged to build the wharf.

9 - 9 - It was also noted that the site studied for disposal of the marine sediment dredged was characterized by a very fine substrate: predominately silt with lesser quantities of sand. The site has little surface rock. Sediment quality analysis showed that certain criteria are exceeded but only slightly for two metals, copper (Cu) and arsenic (As). They reflect a naturally high concentration of these substances in the region. He pointed out to the members that CRI is thus currently applying to Environment Canada for a Disposal at Sea Permit under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999, to approximately 35,000m3 of dredged material at the Canadian Royalties wharf site construction, in Deception Bay, and to dispose of it by barge transportation at approximately 700m offshore. It is proposed that loading and disposal activities will be realised during the summer and autumn The members of the NMRIRB requested that the Regional Planner continue to monitor the status of the Disposal at Sea Permit and whether approval would be given to CRI by Environment Canada for this project under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. 17. Preparation of Land Use Plan for the Nunavik Marine Region The Regional Planner reported to the members that she had visited Yellowknife to meet with representatives of the Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC) and that a number of training sessions had been arranged for her during her visit, which were helpful to her as the sessions allowed her to learn about how the NPC staff perceive their role in the land use planning process and about their policies and administrative practices. She said that it appeared that many of the same policies and procedures could be applied in relation to the Nunavik Marine Region. Mishal Naseer also mentioned that she would like to travel to Toronto to meet with experts in the area of land use and occupancy studies such as Terry Tobias and David Carruthers. She said that she was interested in learning more about the preparation of land use and occupancy maps and the software that is used for this purpose. The members approved the travel request and requested that Regional Planner obtain a quote for work of this nature and a fuller description of the activities that would need to be undertaken in the Nunavik communities in order to collect land use and occupancy data that could be used in the preparation of the NMR Land Use Plan. 18. Date and Location of Next Meeting It was agreed that the next joint meeting of the members of the NMRPC and NMRIRB would be tentatively scheduled for the first week of June in Kuujjuaq. The chairpersons and the Regional Planner were asked by the members to finalize the timing of the meeting after consulting the members as to their availability.

10 The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. Minutes Approved by: Chairperson Date