As more public meetings begin in Nunavut this week on a mine proposal on northern Baffin Island, the mayor of Igloolik says residents have questions about a plan to run icebreakers year-round near the community.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board is heading to Igloolik this week for a second round of public meetings as part of its environmental assessment of Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.'s Mary River iron mine proposal.

As part of the proposal, Baffinland wants to ship its ore on a total of nine icebreakers, weighing 190,000 tonnes each, running year-round through Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait from the mine site to Europe.

If approved, such a plan would be unprecedented in Arctic shipping history. It has already raised environmental concerns in Igloolik and other communities along the proposed shipping route.

"It's no secret that the shipping route will be very high on the community's concerns," Igloolik Mayor Lucassie Evalu told CBC News.

"It's really hard to predict what the real impacts will be."

Igloolik is the community closest to Steensby Inlet, where Baffinland is proposing to load its icebreakers.

The impact review board is planning to focus on Baffinland's shipping route during its public meetings. It will also hold meetings in Hall Beach, Coral Harbour, Cape Dorset and Kimmirut until April 26.

The board will listen to questions about the project, and ask the company to provide answers in an upcoming environmental impact statement.

"We're working very hard to select a shipping route that has the minimum overlap with traditional Inuit activities," said Rod Cooper, Baffinland's chief of operations.

Cooper said the company had started with two potential routes through Foxe Basin, settling on the more easterly route after concerns were raised about impacts on wildlife.

The company has hired Montreal firm Fednav to carry out the shipping. It's currently the only company in the world that operates year-round in the Canadian Arctic.

"What's different about our project is the frequency of the ship passage," Cooper said, adding that the plan is to have a ship "every other day along the shipping route."