Baffinland Iron Mines and Inuit association strike landmark agreement

A new multimillion-dollar agreement between Baffinland Iron Mines and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) that includes a substantial royalty increase, Inuit oversight of environmental monitoring and direct community benefits may have set a new standard for Indigenous involvement in mining projects. The parties’ Inuit Certainty Agreement (ICA) will see the QIA’s royalties from Baffinland’s Mary River iron ore mine on Baffin Island in Nunavut increase from 1.19% currently to 1.5% once the mine’s expansion is operational, and eventually to 3% over a five-year period. Local Inuit communities will have substantial say in the mine’s operations under the agreement, with new oversight responsibilities of Mary River’s environmental impacts on land use and harvesting, as well as potential changes to community life — such as food sources and security. The monitoring program will contain specific thresholds with actions for Baffinland to take if they’re exceeded. The Inuit oversight committee will also ensure Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or traditional knowledge, is respected and incorporated into the project.