Some Baffin Island communities are teaming up with an Ottawa university to study mining developments in Nunavut and the impacts they could have on nearby communities.

The Baffin Environmental Assessment Community Engagement Network brings seven communities in Nunavut's Baffin Island region together with researchers from Carleton University. The communities include Igloolik, Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet and Clyde River.

The alliance hopes to obtain $2.4 million in federal funding for a seven-year research project on the impacts of mining proposals and other development in the Baffin region.

"There have been a lot of activities now that is happening in our region. For example, possible mining activities such as Mary River … or any other mines that the communities are getting affected by all these activities," said Paul Quassa, the deputy mayor in Igloolik.

Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. has been working on developing an iron mine at its Mary River site on northern Baffin Island.

The alliance's proposed research aims to ensure Inuit researchers and western scientists work together to evaluate proposed mining projects and other developments, so that communities can be better prepared to participate in environmental assessments for those projects.

Informing communities

Many hamlets simply don't have the staff or expertise to go through large documents full of technical information, Quassa said.

"We want to ensure that the communities have access to information, have access to research, have a good system in participating and fully understanding how they can get more involved in all these activities that are happening up north," he said.

Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern said she wants more information about the project, but she applauds the idea of having a group of people to provide communities with informed guidance.

Redfern said she has been going through stacks of documents related to Baffinland's Mary River project, and providing input to the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

"It is exactly, as you said, extremely daunting. The Baffinland environmental assessment is about 5,000 pages long and it's … very technical language," she said.

Quassa said communities from Nunavut's other regions are showing interest in the research alliance.