The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) announced in a news release that it welcomes the federal government’s tabling of Bill C-47, particularly the inclusion of the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act. The Act could be an important step in further mine development in Nunavut and therefore also in skills training.
Over the next decade, MAC estimates that new mine development across Canada’s North could bring in more than $8 billion in investment. For Nunavut, this could translate into some 4,500 new jobs and a significant increase local business development.
Nunavut’s only operating mine, Agnico-Eagle’s Meadowbank Gold Mine, demonstrates the positive economic and social benefits the project has had on the region in terms of much-needed employment, skills training and local business development. Since the mine opened in 2010, Nunavut’s GDP has increased by 12 per cent, primarily due to the impact of the Meadowbank mine. The mine currently employs more than 750 permanent employees, 36 per cent of which are Inuit.