Bathurst Inlet
| Kiluhiqtuq | |
|---|---|
| Bathurst Inlet | |
.jpg) Beach at the entrance of Bathurst Inlet showing layering due to glacial rebound | |
  Kiluhiqtuq Kiluhiqtuq  Kiluhiqtuq Kiluhiqtuq (Canada) | |
 Interactive map of Kiluhiqtuq | |
| Location | Nunavut |
| Coordinates | 67°39′15″N 108°28′09″W / 67.65417°N 108.46917°W[1] |
| Type | Inlet |
River sources | Burnside and Western rivers |
| Coronation Gulf | |
Ocean/sea sources | Arctic Ocean |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Settlements | Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut, Umingmaktok |
Bathurst Inlet,[3] officially Kiluhiqtuq,[4] is a deep inlet in Nunavut, located along the northern coast of the Canadian mainland, at the east end of Coronation Gulf, 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. Tariyunnuaq, previously Melville Sound, opens into the eastern side of the inlet at Cape Croker, west of the Hurd Islands.
Plans for a deep-water port
[edit]A consortium of seven mining companies sponsored environmental impact studies to construct a deep-water port in Bathurst Inlet.[5][6]
Their plans included building a 211 kilometres (131 miles) road connecting the port to their mines. The port would serve vessels of up to 25,000 tonnes (25,000 long tons; 28,000 short tons).
A plan referred to the Nunavut Impact Review Board in May 2004 projected a capacity to moor vessels of up to 50,000 t (49,000 long tons; 55,000 short tons).[7][8][9]
In this earlier plan the Bathurst Inlet Road would be an ice road, like parts if the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, 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.[citation needed][5][6][10]
| Corporation | Mine site | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xstrata | Hackett River Mine | Silver and zinc |
| Sabina Gold & Silver | Back River Project | |
| Zinifex | Izok Lake Mine | Copper and zinc |
| Rio Tinto | Diavik Diamond Mine | Diamonds |
| Miramar Mining | ||
| Dundee Precious Metals | ||
| BHP | Ekati Diamond Mine | Diamonds |
| De Beers |
In 2008 several of the companies dropped out.[11]
In August 2013 Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project (BIPR), a joint venture composed of GlencoreXstrata, Sabina Gold and Silver Corporation, presented continued plans for facilities at the Grays Bay Port that would "include a dock, concentration storage shed, fuel storage facilities and a camp. These facilities will support storage of concentrate, loading of bulk-carrier ships, and re-supply of fuel and goods for the Project." The project that was first proposed in 2003 has been subject to changes in demands made by the Nunavut Impact Review Board regarding Environmental Impact Study.[12]
Environmental issues
[edit]Environmental groups have raised concerns over the impact the road would have on the annual migration of the Bathurst caribou herd.[13][14] There are four barren-ground caribou herds in this area of the Northwest Territories—Cape Bathurst, Bluenose West, Bluenose East and Bathurst caribou herd.[15] The Bluenose East caribou herd began a recovery with a population of approximately 122,000 in 2010,[16] which is being credited to the establishment of Tuktut Nogait National Park. According to T. Davison 2010, CARMA 2011, the three other herds "declined 84-93% from peak sizes in the mid-1980s and 1990s.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Kiluhiqtuq". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ↑ "Kiluhiqtuq". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ↑ "Bathurst Inlet". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ↑ "Kiluhiqtuq (formerly Bathurst Inlet)". Geographical Names Board of Canada. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
- 1 2 Weber, Bob (4 July 2007). "Arctic port plan gathers steam". Toronto Star. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- 1 2 Ratner, Jonathan (5 July 2007). "New Arctic port plan for Northern miners". National Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- ↑ "Case Study: Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project". Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. 8 May 2005. Archived from the original on 23 March 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ↑ "Social and Economic Considerations for the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment" (PDF). Integrated Environments. 31 March 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2013.
- ↑ "Bathurst Inlet Port & Road Joint Venture Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada". Nuna. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
- ↑ "Bathurst Inlet Port & Road". Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
Federal Responsible Authority(ies) Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- ↑ "Bathurst Inlet road, port project put on hold again: Partners ask Nunavut environmental assessors to delay technical review". CBC News. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016.
- ↑ "Izor Corridor Project Proposal", MMG, August 2012, archived from the original on 28 December 2013, retrieved 28 December 2013
- ↑ "Briefing Note: Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project (BIPAR) and impacts on species in the Slave Geological Province (SGP) (NWT and Nunavut)". Canadian Arctic Resources Committee. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ↑ "Our Programmes: Sustainable Development". Canadian Arctic Resources Committee. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- 1 2 Kolpashikov, Leonid; Makhailov, Vladimir; Russell, Don E. (2015). "The role of harvest, predators and socio-political environment in the dynamics of the Taimyr wild reindeer herd with some lessons for North America". Ecology and Society. 20 (1). Resilience Alliance.
- ↑ Adamczewski, Jan; Boulanger, John; Croft, Bruno; Davison, Tracy; Sayine-Crawford, Heather; Tracz, Boyan. "A Comparison of Calving and Post-calving Photo-surveys of the Bluenose-East Herd of Barren-ground Caribou in Northern Canada in 2010" (PDF). Canadian Wildlife and Biology Management. 6 (1). Alpha Wildlife.
