Oceanic Iron Ore Corp. plans to seek permits for Hopes Advance Bay mine

Eva Grey’s history in Aupaluk goes back to the 1970s, when the land where the community of 200 now sits was mainly used for camping and hunting.

Eva Grey stands next to a map of the land around Aupaluk. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

“It’s a real town now,” Grey said, speaking of new infrastructure such as a large health centre and new water plant.

“It’s getting big.”

Grey has served many roles in Aupaluk as a municipal leader, search and rescue co-ordinator and as an educator.

Aupaluk’s growth has had an impact on fish and other animals in the environment who are avoiding the community’s populated areas, Grey said.

However, there’s another potential development on the horizon that could have a further impact: mining.

Mining is a “divisive” issue in Aupaluk which residents fight over, Grey said.

“It’s going to be a lot of noise, we’re not going to like it,” she said, adding she’s worried over how it will impact peoples’ abilities to fish and camp.

“We talk about it, this is gonna happen. The kids cry sometimes, [because] they like fishing in the river when they’re growing up.”

Aupaluk saw its fair share of mining activity in the 1950s and 1960s.

Oceanic Iron Ore Corp. submitted its Hopes Advance project for federal review in 2012, with the hope of building a mine west of Aupaluk on Hopes Advance Bay.

With very few public statements on the proposed mine’s status in recent years, the company issued a news release Monday stating it’s still moving forward with the project.

“The Hopes Advance Project is undoubtedly a world-class iron ore development project, located in a tier-one mining jurisdiction in the same geological formation of other world class producing iron ore mines,” said Steven Dean, the company’s chairman, in the news release.

“We are proud to be a 100 per cent owner of an asset containing a very large mineral resource, and related significant production profile that will span generations to come, while also contributing to the economic development of northern Quebec in the short and long term.”

A representative for Oceanic was not available for an interview to answer further questions.

This map identifies Oceanic Iron Ore Corp.’s proposed project locations, including Hopes Advance, which is west of Aupaluk. (Image courtesy of Oceanic Iron Ore Corp.)

The news release provides some technical details such as a potential 28-year lifespan for the mine, and the construction of a privately built and operated port to ship the product.

A “next steps” list includes working on timelines and gaining permits, engineering, as well as “re-engagement with representatives of the Inuit of Nunavik.”

Mining companies’ interests in the land near Aupaluk played a role in the land selection process of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, which was signed in 1975, says Pita Aatami, president of Makivvik Corporation.

Aupaluk – Red Earth, a Makivvik-produced documentary, provides an in-depth look on how a mining claim led to the community’s relocation in the 1970s, and how residents are thinking today about what the future may hold.

“They were being told that nothing ever belonged to you, even though they were living there,” Aatami said in an interview earlier this month.

“The hurt that these people went through was tremendous to hear them talk about.”

Aatami said he’s “not pro-mining,” but also “not against development” in Nunavik.

In 2011, Makivvik, under Aatami’s leadership, agreed to terms with Oceanic on how a Hopes Advance mine would be developed.

Today, Aatami says he wants future developments to proceed “together in partnership” with Inuit in Nunavik.

“What I’m looking for is our home as our priority. We’ve always gotten food off the land,” he said.

“I’m not against development, but I want to make sure people understand that we have to look at [the] environment as our priority first.”