Letter to The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault,

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada

Subject: Agnico Eagle—Upper Beaver Gold Project—IAAC Review

Dear Minister Guilbeault,

I am writing you regarding the Upper Beaver Gold Project and your departments review of it. I am retired and have substantial experience dealing with mine projects during my time working in the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) in the Northwest Territories. I developed the departments system of review under the Environmental Assessment and Review Process EARP. Our review was to determine if a proposed project had significant impacts and if so would be referred to the Federal Environmental Assessment and Review Office (FEARO) with the Department of Environment in Ottawa.

The Proponent, Agnico Eagle, has been in communication with the residents of the area for the past four years. unfortunately the proponents public claims of “being open and transparent”, have not been the case and our questions continue to go unanswered or discussed. It was because of this that we organized into what is now the Misema–Blanche River Alliance. I have begun to suspect that the IAAC has determined that no significant impacts will occur and have decided to not conduct a full and thorough review of this project.

Our conclusion comes from the fact that the IAAC has not replied to several correspondences with questions and when the IAAC does reply they have directed us to contact the Proponent. Several individuals and organizations have put time and resources into twice writing and submitting their positions to the IAAC. in the hopes of having the IAAC provide a fair and transparent review of The Upper Beaver Gold Project.