Bathurst Inlet

Bathurst Inlet is a deep inlet located along the northern coast of the Canadian mainland, into which the Burnside and Western Rivers empty. The name, or its native equivalent "Kingoak" ("Qingaut", "nose mountain"), is also used to identify the community of Bathurst Inlet located on the shore.

Plans for a deep-water port

A consortium of seven mining companies are sponsoring environmental impact studies to construct a deep-water port in Bathurst Inlet.cite news
title=Arctic port plan gathers steam
url=http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/232201
author=Bob Weber
publisher=Toronto Star
date=July 4 2007
accessdate=2007-07-11] cite news
url=http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/tradingdesk/archive/2007/07/05/new-port-plan-for-northern-miners.aspx
title=New Arctic port plan for Northern miners
author=Jonathan Ratner
publisher=National Post
date=July 5 2007
accessdate=2007-07-11] Their plans include building a 211 kilometer road connecting the port to their mines. The port would serve vessels of up to 25,000 tonnes.

A plan referred to the Nunavut Impact Review Board in May 2004 projected a capacity to moore vessels of up to 50,000 tonnes.cite news
url=http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/015/001/032/sec3_e.htm
title=Case Study: Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project
publisher=Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
date=2005 May 8
accessdate=2008-02-01] In this earlier plan the Bathurst Inlet Road would be an ice road, like that from Yellowknife, not an all-weather road as in post-2005 proposals, following the failure of the ice road to freeze early enough to allow transport of a whole year's worth of supplies.cite news
url=http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/010/0003/0003/index_e.htm
title=Bathurst Inlet Port & Road
publisher=Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
quote=Federal Responsible Authority(ies): Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
date=2008 January 2
accessdate=2008-02-01]

Environmental issues

Environmental groups have raised concerns over the impact the road would have on the annual migration of the Bathurst Caribou herd.cite news
url=http://www.carc.org/sustainable_dev/BIPAR_note.htm
title=Briefing Note: Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project (BIPAR) and impacts on species in the Slave Geological Province (SGP) (NWT and Nunavut)
publisher=Canadian Arctic Resources Committee
author=
date=
accessdate=2008-02-01] cite news
url=http://www.carc.org/sustainable_dev/why_would_canada.php
title=Our Programmes: Sustainable Development
publisher=Canadian Arctic Resources Committee
author=
date=
accessdate=2008-02-01]

References