Government of Canada Approves Baffinland Mary River Project

Government of Canada Approves Baffinland Mary River Project

OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 12/03/12 -- The Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, and the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, announced today approval of the Baffinland Mary River Project based on the recommendation of the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

The project now moves into the project certificate phase, led by the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB).

The Mary River project is owned and operated by Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation, which is jointly owned by ArcelorMittal and Iron Ore Holdings L.P. The project is situated on north Baffin Island, 160 kilometres south of Pond Inlet, Nunavut.

The project proposal involves conventional open-pit mining of iron ore at a rate of 18 million tonnes per year over a projected 21-year lifespan, and the construction of a road, a railway, a deep-water port and mine site infrastructure.

The project was approved by the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, with concurrence from responsible Ministers for this project, including the Ministers of Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources and Transport Canada.

This release is also available on the Internet at www.aandc.gc.ca.

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Media Relations Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada 819-953-1160