Environmental screening to commence on Grays Bay project
News Release
Environmental screening to commence on Grays Bay project
IQALUIT, Nunavut (August 24, 2017) – The Government of Nunavut (GN) and Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) joint submission on the Grays Bay Road and Port (GBRP) project proposal has been formally accepted by the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB). This is a required step to initiate the screening of the project under the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act and the Nunavut Agreement.
Once complete, the GBRP will be the only deep water port in the Central Arctic. It is a transformative project with significant national benefits that aim to help define northern economic development throughout the 21st century.
"We are beginning to shape the potential development of Nunavut’s economic future with nation-building infrastructure" said Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Monica Ell-Kanayuk. "We look forward to NIRB conducting the screening process and providing the opportunity for stakeholders to continue to participate in, and understand the details of the project."
The submission proposes that the GN and KIA will jointly build, manage and operate the GBRP in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot region, which consists of an approximately 230 km all-season road from Jericho Station to a deep-water port at Grays Bay on the Coronation Gulf.
"This is a milestone in moving the permitting process for the GBRP Project forward," said Stanley Anablak, President of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. "This project is a true partnership between government and Inuit, and it has the capability to be transformative in creating opportunity that leads to major socio-economic benefits for Inuit and Nunavummiut."
Upon accepting the proposal, the NIRB will complete a screening assessment of the proposal and subsequently send a screening decision report to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. This report will include a
determination as to whether the project requires further review under the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act.
The GBRP project proposal and related screening documentation can be accessed on the NIRB’s site at: http://www.nirb.ca/project/125069 or on www.gbrp.ca.
The GBPR project proposal work reaffirms the partnership between the government and Kitikmeot Inuit Association, under the Memorandum of Understanding signed July 9, 2016 to formalize the two organizations’ cooperation as co-proponents of this nation building project.
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Media Contact:
Eugenie Kwok
Acting Manager of Communications
Department of Economic Development and Transportation
(867) 975-7867
@email
Paul Emingak
Executive Director
Kitikmeot Inuit Association
(867) 983-2458
@email
BAKGROUNDER
About the Grays Bay Road & Port Project
The Grays Bay Road and Port Project (GBRP) is a transportation system that will connect the rich mineral resources of Canada’s Slave Geological Province, which straddles Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, to arctic shipping routes. The GBRP consists of a 233-km all-season road linking Jericho Station, the northern terminus of the Tibbitt-Contwoyto Winter Road, to a deep-water port at Grays Bay on the Northwest Passage.
The GBRP will also connect Nunavut to the national highway and rail systems in the Northwest Territories via the Tibbitt-Contwoyto Winter Road. The proposed road would be the first road to connect Nunavut to the rest of Canada and will forge the first overland connection between Canada and a deep-water port on the Arctic Ocean. The port will further serve as Canada’s first and only deep-water port in the Central Arctic, strategically located at the mid-point of the Northwest Passage.
The construction and operation of GBRP project infrastructure will stimulate regional economic activity by encouraging development of resource projects that will be able to transport a range of commodities to export markets throughout the world. Communities in the vicinity of the project are expected to benefit significantly from the social and economic benefits that the GBRP could deliver. The GBRP is a transformative project with significant national benefits that will help to define northern economic development throughout the 21st century.
The GBRP Partnership
The Government of Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) are joint champions and proponents of the project. In promoting the GBRP project, the Government of Nunavut, through its Department of Economic Development and Transportation, is advancing its mandate to stimulate and strengthen Nunavut’s economy, and to ensure the safe and effective movement of people and goods. The KIA is one of the three Regional Inuit Associations established under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. The KIA represents over 6,000 Inuit residing in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot region. As a GBRP co-proponent, the KIA is fulfilling its mandate to promote the social and economic well‐being of its Kitikmeot Inuit membership.