Building community spirit

Ithas been a year of success and challenge for Aurora Energy. With the announcement in late February that it had grown its resource base in the Central Mineral Belt of Labrador to 134 million pounds of U3O8, the company’s assets ranked as the tenth largest uranium deposit in the world and planning for the company’s Michelin Project was well underway. Then in April, the Nunatsiavut Government imposed a three-year moratorium on uranium mining on Labrador Inuit Lands.

In the wake of the moratorium, Aurora has been taking stock. The company has been very conscious of making government and community relations a core component of its exploration and development strategy from day one, but the moratorium has also presented an opportunity to improve on its approach with a more integrative strategy.

Since Aurora began drilling in the Central Mineral Belt, it has been holding information sessions in local communities and meetings with Nunatsiavut Government and local Inuit community governments to share information about the company’s annual work programs and development plans. In the months following the moratorium, the message from stakeholders — that more information is needed on uranium development — has led Aurora to consider that communities need to be participants in information sharing, not simply the audience. Therein lay the roots of the Michelin Project Community Panel.

The Panel is designed to provide a medium for focused, front-line contact between Aurora and community leaders on matters related to the Michelin Project. It is to be comprised of approximately 10 members and will consist of representatives from the Labrador communities of Postville, Makkovik, Nain, Hopedale, Rigolet, North West River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Sheshatshiu and Natuashish, as well as Aurora.

Seeking a diverse representation of community interests, the Panel aims to include and be led by residents, business owners, hunters, fishers, educators, students, elders, community volunteers, and non-elected government representatives.

Communities today are empowered with the ability to influence key aspects of developments like Aurora’s Michelin Project. The Panel gives that empowerment a cooperative and integrated forum for expression and opens lines of direct contact between the company and residents, enhancing the impact of traditional community relations tools like open houses and meetings.

The Panel is one aspect of a comprehensive summer work program initiated by Aurora to progress its community outreach initiatives and demonstrate resource value for the Michelin Project. In addition to undertaking an infill drill campaign at the Michelin and Jacques Lake deposits, Aurora is conducting engineering studies, as well as a 3,750 metre geotechnical, environmental and metallurgical drill program which is expected to provide valuable data for tailings management studies and in moving the Michelin Project towards development. As well, Aurora has initiated the Michelin Project Training Plan to prepare community members for employment in ongoing exploration and development activities and, subject to regulatory approval, the longer term construction and operations phases.

Heading into fall, communications efforts will centre on building awareness of the results of the 2008 summer work program, a testing ground of sorts for the interactive function of the Michelin Project Community Panel. With this year’s work program profiling stakeholders’ key areas of interest in relation to the Michelin Project — environmental protection and training, employment and business opportunities — Panel members will have a rich selection of topics to cut their teeth on.

When it comes to the environment, the issue foremost in the minds of community and government representatives is tailings management, a priority aspect of the Michelin Project for Aurora’s development team. This year, the company is undertaking engineering and environmental studies on a variety of tailings management technology options and sites. This process is expected to lead to a short list of candidate sites for further detailed consideration. Nunatsiavut representatives will be invited to play a direct role in the study. The process will also include a public consultation component which is expected to provide Aurora with the community’s perspective. In addition, this consultation component should provide information on the design process to community members. This two-way flow of information is a model to show Aurora’s commitment to transparent, participative communication with the people of Labrador’s North Coast.

As for business and employment opportunities arising from the Michelin Project, interest among local residents and government officials is high, given the benefits already seen as a result of Aurora’s exploration programs. To date, the company has spent more than $55 million on exploration programs and environmental baseline studies, with over $25 million of those expenditures staying in the local Labrador economy.

Aurora has continuously sought to recruit the best local talent for its exploration programs in Labrador and has directly trained residents of nearby communities as driller’s helpers, geotechnicians, environmental monitors and catering staff. Last year Aurora employed 112 people from coastal Labrador and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Aurora has been successful in ensuring the majority of its Labrador-based workforce is comprised of Labrador residents.

The Michelin Project Training Plan Aurora announced as part of its 2008 work program brings broader scope to the company’s existing training and employment objectives. Its goal is to prepare community members for employment in ongoing exploration and development activities and, subject to regulatory approval, the longer term construction and operations phases. Increased presence in communities and schools will be an integral part of this plan, as Aurora staff work to educate the public on the realities of uranium as a clean, safe and reliable energy source and how potential careers in this field are relevant in today’s world. The Nunatsiavut Government, as well as Innu Nation, will be invited to play an active role in developing this plan.

Aurora is demonstrating its long-term commitment to the people of Labrador through its community initiatives, training plan and ongoing work program. The company’s continued investment and its inclusive, participative approach to building stakeholder relationships speak to Aurora’s desire to forge a path forward that respects all parties.

This Special Report is based on information provided by Aurora Energy Resources, St. John’s, NL.