Question Period Note: Baffinland - Mary River Project

Baffinland - Mary River Project

• Protecting the marine environment and marine mammals is a top priority which is why we are ensuring projects are thoroughly assessed.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been participating in the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s multi-agency review of the potential impacts of the Baffinland Phase 2 Development proposal.
• DFO is working alongside other stakeholders and Inuit organizations and communities to better understand the potential impacts.
• DFO continues to actively work with Baffinland in an effort to resolve outstanding issues.

• The Mary River Iron Ore Mine (the Project) is an iron ore mine operated by Baffinland (the Proponent) located on Baffin Island, Nunavut. The project includes the construction, operation, closure, and reclamation of an open-pit mine, including marine shipping.
• The original Project was approved in 2012. Amendments to the project were made in 2014, including an “Early Revenue Phase”, that involves the extraction of up to 4.2 Mt/year of iron ore and transportation via the Milne Inlet Tote Road to Milne Port; this was increased to 6Mt/year under approval of the Production Increase Proposal on September 30, 2018.
• On October 29, 2014 Baffinland submitted the Mary River Phase 2 Project proposal (Phase 2) for a further amendment to the Project to the Nunavut Planning Commission and the NIRB.
• On August 23, 2018 the Proponent submitted their Final Environmental Impact Statement addendum for Phase 2. Phase 2 will include the construction and operation of a second ore dock capable of berthing Cape-size ore carriers, construction of the North Railway consisting of four bridges and 417 culverts, additional crossings along the Milne Inlet Tote Road, an increase up to 12 Mt/year of iron ore from the Project site and transportation of this ore via the North Railway to Milne Port and increased shipping activities through Milne Inlet to facilitate the transport of the increased ore.
• The Proponent intends to retain the current approvals for the construction and operation of the South Railway to Steensby Port and shipping activities including transport of up to 18 Mt of ore through Foxe Basin, as proposed in 2012. Therefore a proposed total of 30 Mt/year of ore could be mined and transported from the Project site.
• In 2019, DFO-Science published three Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science Response regarding various documents provided by the Proponent to assess the impacts of the project on marine and freshwater fish and fish habitat, including marine animals.
• Although DFO believes potential impacts on freshwater can be fully mitigated, ongoing concerns raised throughout the environmental assessment process remain including the potential impacts of: increased shipping traffic; shipping during the shoulder season; ice-breaking; acoustic noise on marine mammals; and, ballast water exchange.

On The Science Response Report
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s most recent Science Response was published on October 31, 2019, based on the information and materials provided to the Department by August 29, 2019.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to provide science advice in support of the NIRB’s review as the proponent provides new information during this postponement.