Non-technical Summary of the Nunavut Impact Review Board�s
Strategic Environmental Assessment in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait

Following a referral from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), received on February 9, 2017, the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB or Board) is initiating a Strategic Environment Assessment in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait (the SEA). INAC had previously commenced an SEA to support the Minister�s decision-making on whether, where, or when companies could be invited to bid on parcels of land for oil and gas exploration licences in the Canadian waters of Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) had requested that the NIRB be involved, given the Board�s extensive experience leading project-specific assessments in Nunavut. After considerable discussion with the NIRB and representatives from NTI, QIA, and the Government of Nunavut (GN), INAC has formally referred this important initiative to the Board pursuant to section 12.2.4 of the Agreement Between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada (Nunavut Agreement). The NIRB will be responsible for organizing the SEA, including considering previously-collected information and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, facilitating public engagement, and submitting a final report to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs by March 2019 for consideration regarding future development of oil and gas related activities in the region. It is important to note that the commencement of the SEA does not mean that any specific oil and gas activities are currently being contemplated in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.

Unlike project-specific assessments undertaken by the NIRB, the SEA will not be focused on a proposed development project but, instead, will identify the types of oil and gas development activities that could be proposed for Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, evaluate existing information, and examine issues associated with possible development types. The final report produced by the NIRB at the conclusion of the SEA will be provided to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs for consideration and will inform the 5-year review of the Government of Canada decision to designate Canadian Arctic waters as off limits to future oil and gas licences. The SEA will incorporate available scientific information, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and public feedback regarding the potential for positive and negative effects on the physical environment and communities if different types of oil and gas development and activities were to occur within Canadian waters of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.

The SEA will consist of three (3) general phases: issues scoping, analysis of potential development scenarios, and development of a final SEA report and associated recommendations. Throughout each of these phases, available information will be collected and considered as relates to: the existing physical and human environment comprising the study area; historic oil and gas activities in the NSA, Baffin Bay, and Davis Strait; possible offshore oil and gas activities and development scenarios; and potential exosystemic and socio-economic effects associated with oil and gas development activities. This information will be used to develop an improved understanding of potential types of oil and gas-related development that could one day be proposed for Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, their associated risks and management strategies. Gaps in currently available knowledge and information, and opportunities for further study, will also be identified.

Through each phase of the SEA, the NIRB will schedule public engagement sessions in each of the communities surrounding Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, including Resolute Bay, Grise Fiord, Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq, Pangnirtung, Iqaluit, Kimmirut, and Cape Dorset. Engagement is also planned to occur with transboundary groups and organizations located outside the NSA, with the added objective of learning lessons from other Arctic areas which have had experience with oil and gas development to date. Initial public engagement meetings will be scheduled in Nunavut communities in the coming months to introduce the SEA and communicate the planned opportunities for involvement. This will be followed by additional public scoping sessions in the Fall of 2017 to provide opportunities for community members to provide input into the final scope of the SEA and to share feedback and information to further support the assessment.
Throughout the SEA, focus will be placed on providing opportunities for the public to inform the assessment and also learn about oil and gas development, including associated current practices, potential positive and negative effects, and mitigation measures. During the final phase of the SEA, a final public meeting and community roundtable will be facilitated by the NIRB in Iqaluit. Community representatives from each of the potentially affected communities will be invited to attend and participate in the meeting and given opportunities to provide feedback directly to the board members of the NIRB before the final report is issued.
To ensure an effective SEA which results in a comprehensive final report, the NIRB intends to continue working closely with INAC, NTI, QIA, and the GN regarding the focus of the SEA, as well as with other government departments, industry, non-governmental organizations, potentially affected communities, and the general public. The NIRB intends to maintain a dedicated online registry for the SEA which will allow for full public access to all SEA related documentation throughout the assessment.