Baffinland signs MOU with gov't, air contract with Arctic Co-op

Two agreements signed by Baffinland Iron Mines aim to return benefits from its Arctic mine to local Inuit, the company announced Tuesday.

The announcements were made as the Nunavut Mining Symposium takes place in Iqaluit, bringing together government and resource sector people involved in the industry.

Baffinland operates the Mary River iron ore mine, located in northern Baffin Island. The mine has been open since 2014.

In a news release Tuesday, Baffinland announced it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Nunavut.

The agreement aims "to maximize Inuit employment at the Mary River mine," and focuses on four areas of collaboration between the company and government: reducing barriers to employment, developing employment and training opportunities, community wellness programs, and infrastructure and transportation.

The agreement comes on the heels of a renegotiatedfall agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which represents Inuit in the region. That agreement included royalty payments for the association and infrastructure commitments for the surrounding communities.

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In a separate release, Arctic Co-operatives announced that they had secured a multi-year contract to provide air transport services to Baffinland, in partnership with charter airline Chrono Aviation.

Arctic Co-operatives is a community-owned business that provides dividends to its members, which include most adults in some Nunavut communities.

It runs several businesses and provides a wide range of services, including local grocery stores, hotels and property rental businesses, fuel distribution, insurance, and cable television.

In 2018, two Nunavut communities saw dividend payments from their local co-ops of over $1 million.

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The release says that by signing the agreement with Arctic Co-operatives, Baffinland "is choosing a capable service provider that will also ensure the benefits of this commercial activity will be realized by Co-op Members in communities throughout the region and the territory."

The contract includes the transportation of passengers and cargo to the Mary River site from Quebec and Iqaluit.