Innu Attempting to Undermine Voisey's Bay EA
5/1/97
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Subject: Re: EMISH ALERT: INNU ATTEMPTING TO UNDERMINE VOISEY'S BAY EA
From the Innu People Forum List:
EMISH ALERT 1 MAY 1997
INCO ATTEMPTS TO UNDERMININE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE VOISEY BAY
PROJECT
Innu Nation Calls for Rejection of Construction Plans During
Environmental Review
For the third time in three years, the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company (a
subsidiary of Inco) is attempting to build a road, a dock, and a 1250
meter long airstrip at Emish (Voisey's Bay) during the summer of
1997-despite the fact that the entire Voisey's Bay mining project is
currently undergoing a public environmental review under an agreement >
between Canada, Newfoundland, the Labrador Inuit Association and the
Innu Nation.
The Innu Nation believes that the company is attempting to bypass the
Environmental Review Panel that is currently examining the project in
order to accelerate the development of the mine and begin production of
nickel concentrate by 1999. The Innu Nation has fought and negotiated >
to ensure that there is a single, comprehensive environmental review of
the whole project-all of the parts of what may eventually be a large >
nickel mine on Innu and Inuit land.
The purpose of an environmental assessment is to predict and evaluate
the impacts of a project before irreversible decisions are made. Roads
and airstrips are irreversible decisions with real impacts, but these
impacts can only be appreciated and understood in the context of the
mine they are intended to serve. Without an opportunity to review and
assess the project as a whole, it is impossible to make responsible
decisions about whether or not it should proceed. There are still a
number of difficult problems, such as the safe and permanent disposal
of mine wastes, which must be resolved. Without a clear picture of the
whole project, it is possible that decisions taken today will have to
be changed later as these and other considerations are taken into
account, which will result in impacts which might have been avoided
with proper planning and assessment. The Innu and Inuit will have to
live with the consequences.
According to the company, this infrastructure is intended to support
advanced exploration activities by providing improved access to the
site. Voisey's Bay Nickel maintains that the proposed infrastructure is
not included in the project under review, but coincidentally the
proposed road, airstrip and dock are all located in the same place that
the permanent road, airstrip, and dock would be situated in the event
that the mine-mill project is permitted to proceed.
Support the Innu Nation's fight against the advanced infrastructure and
the fragmentation of the environmental review by:
1) Writing to the Newfoundland Minister of the Environment, Mr.
Kevin Aylward, and the Canadian Minister of the Environment, Mr. Sergio
Marchi, urging them to maintain the integrity of the current
comprehensive panel review of the Voisey Bay project. Ask them to
reject any attempts by the company to undermine the assessment process.
Hon. Kevin Aylward
Minister of the Environment
Confederation Building
PO Box 8700
St. John's, NF A1B 4J6
tel: (709) 729-2574
fax: (709) 729-1930
Hon. Sergio Marchi
Minister of the Environment
Terrace de la Chaudiere
10 Wellington St.
Hull, PQ K1A 0H3
tel: (819) 997-1441
fax: (819) 953-3457
2) Calling, writing or faxing the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company and
Inco to express your concerns:
Mr. Rick Gill
Executive Vice-President
Voisey's Bay Nickel Co.
Suite 700,
10 Fort William Place
St. John's NF A1C 6K3
tel: (709) 758-8888
fax: (709) 758-8899
Mr. Michael Sopko
President and CEO
Inco Limited
145 King St. W, Suite 1500
Toronto, ON
MS4 4B7
tel: (416) 361-7511
fax: (416) 361-7782
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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Innu Nation
PO Box 119 PO Box 13
Sheshatshiu, Labrador A0P 1M0 Davis Inlet,Labrador A0P 1A0
tel: (709) 497-8398 fax: (709) 497-8398 tel: (709) 478-8943 tax: (709)
478-8833
internet: innumine@web.apc.org
? www: http://www.web.net/~innurom Innu People Forum List 01/05: