Proponents of the Bathurst Inlet port and road proposal say they've made a big step forward in the project, by submitting a draft environmental impact statement to the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

All 5,000 pages and 10 binders of the impact statement from the Kitikmeot Corp. and Nuna Logistics, which are jointly proposing the port and road project, arrived at the review board's offices in Cambridge Bay earlier this month.

It was a long time coming: the proponents have had the review board's guidelines for drafting the statement since 2004.

"Well, I'm pleased that it got done," Bob Gilroy, who is managing the proposal for the Kitikmeot Corp. and Nuna Logistics, told CBC News.

"I would have liked to have seen it completed more quickly, but it just took what it took."

Gilroy said obtaining funding and accurate maps of the ocean floor slowed down progress in drafting the environmental impact statement.

The $270-million proposed project would bring fuel and supplies from a deep sea port at the bottom of Bathurst Inlet in Nunavut, along a 211-kilometre road southwest to diamond mines in the Contwoyto Lake area of the Northwest Territories.

The proponents hope the road and port will allow for more supplies to be shipped year-round to the diamond mines, as well as open up opportunities for mineral development in Nunavut's west Kitikmeot region.

If it gets all the necessary approvals, the road and port would employ 260 people during construction and 57 people in its operation. Construction could begin as early as next year.

"It's a bit historic, actually. I think it's really quite a big deal, not only for the Kitikmeot region and for the Inuit, but I think it's quite a big deal for Canada," Gilroy said.

The review board is currently looking at the draft statement to see if it comforms with the guidelines, executive director Stephanie Autut said.

She added that this is the first Inuit-based major project that the board is considering. Both the Kitikmeot Corp. and Nuna Logistics are Inuit-owned organizations.

"I think it's a big step for the Inuit of the region," Autut said. "It shows their interest in development and wanting to ensure that proper infrastructure is in place to allow that development to occur."