KIVALLIQ WILDLIFE BOARD, RANKIN INLET AND CHESTERFIELD HTO NIRB: MELIADINE GOLD PROJECT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (FEIS) TECHNICAL COMMENTS AND INFORMATION REQUESTS

KIVALLIQ WILDLIFE BOARD MANDATE Kivalliq Wildlife Board’s mandate is derived from the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement under Article 5 Designated Inuit Organization tasked with the management and coordination of Inuit harvesting regulations and interests across the Kivalliq region KWB oversees the exercise of Inuit harvesting rights by coordinating and supporting the operations of the HTOs in the Kivalliq

RANKIN INLET AND CHESTERFIELD HTO MANDATE The HTOs are non-profit societies incorporated under the Societies Act of Nunavut. The societies were incorporated to promote the rights and interests of the Inuit living in Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet in a way that will strengthen the economic, social and cultural importance of hunting and trapping

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS The Kivalliq Wildlife Board, along with Kangiqliniq and Chesterfield HTOs, present this joint submission regarding Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd’s Meliadine Gold Project Proposal to highlight the major issues identified during our review of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In summary, we urge Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd (AEM) and the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) to:

AWAR ACCESS AND IMPACT OF AWAR ON PRE-EXISTING TRAILS Ensure the compatibility of AEM access to the mine and Inuit access to the land.

IMPACT OF MARINE TRAFFIC, WITH EMPHASIS ON CUMULATIVE EFFECTS Consider project-related marine shipping as incremental, cumulative traffic in a context of great uncertainty and poor understanding with respect to the impacts of shipping on marine mammals and the underwater environment.

ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS AND DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANCE Give due regard to the fact that the significance of cumulative impacts to wildlife and wildlife habitat may be different if determined from the viewpoint of Inuit harvesters rather then from an industrial perspective.

IMPACT ON CARIBOU POST-CALVING GROUNDS AND MIGRATION Further bring the importance of caribou to Kivalliq Inuit to the forefront of impact assessment, especially since the majority of project-related interactions occur at a particularly sensitive space (post-calving grounds) and time (post- calving migration) in the lifecycle of caribou.

IMPACT ON INUIT HARVESTING Uphold a precautionary approach in the assessment of matters that can potentially affect present and future Inuit harvesting, so that Inuit do not needlessly bear the brunt of eventual population-level impacts and repercussions.

Thank you for your time. Kivalliq Wildlife Board, Kangiqliniq HTO (Rankin Inlet) and Aqiggiq HTO (Chesterfield Inlet)