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West Kitikmeot Resources (WKR) Corp. celebrated a major milestone in advancing the Grays Bay Road and Port Project in Nunavut recently, but the CEO of the corporation says it’s still proceeding cautiously on a venture that is clearly on the Mark Carney government’s radar.

The Port of Grays Bay sits halfway between the ports of Nome, Alaska and Nuuk, Greenland on the Northwest Passage. The project would establish Canada’s first deep-water Arctic Ocean port as well as potential road connections to the Northwest Territories, contributing to the proposed Arctic Security Corridor.

Carney said last September a new port at Grays Bay would serve the dual purposes of helping Canada assert sovereignty in the Arctic and create infrastructure that would unlock long-delayed mining investments.

If realized through the development of three potential mines, the project could boost Nunavut’s GDP by 18 per cent.

March 1 milestone

On March 1 WKR celebrated the official filing of its Impact Statement for the project with the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB), holding a reception at the Prospectors and Developers conference in Toronto.

The next day CEO Brendan Bell outlined project details to a large audience at the conference.

One slide suggested early-works construction following the NIRB review of the impact statement and a FID might still be three years away, but Bell told delegates with federal support including Canadian Navy buy-in there was a scenario being contemplated that would move the full construction schedule up to a 2028 start.

But WKR is still a long way from the starting line, Bell said.

“We will work to convince the Canadian Navy, we will work to convince the prime minister and the Major Projects Office that we should get a promotion to tier one of the national projects list,” Bell said. “In the meantime, in the event we do…we are out having discussions with those who could contribute and help us fund this very important and necessary project.”

The impact statement announcement included comments from federal Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon suggesting the $1.2-billion-plus project would improve community connectivity and bolster economic opportunities.

Carney said last September, “We can no longer rely on our geography to protect us – we must fortify Canada’s sovereignty and security in the Arctic. By creating a new port at Grays Bay and unlocking our resources, we can assert our economic sovereignty while building our defences.”

Bell said while federal defence spending will surge, the political reality is that there are only a handful of MPs in the north.

“We are being very conservative about the need and the approach, because we recognize that if we hang too many ornaments on these trees, they will fall over,” he said.

WKR is an Inuit-owned and led company developing the port and pursuing mining interests. Bell said Carney has insisted there be Indigenous support for major projects and the Grays Bay project more than meets that condition.

The project would include a 230-kilometre road inland to the former Jericho mine site.

The deepwater port would accommodate ships up to 240 metres in length with a 15-metre draft. A 6,000-foot airstrip would have the potential to be extended up to 8,000 feet.

Wharves would include two large deep-water wharves capable of accommodating a 100,000-dwt ore carrier plus polar icebreakers, offshore patrol ships and patrol submarines; one medium-vessel wharf; two barge landing areas, one with roll-on, roll-off capability; and a small craft harbour with boat launch.

Accommodations would include year-round accommodation for 80 people and seasonal barracks-style accommodation for an additional 150.

There would also be fuel storage and handling facilities.

Induced mining

Bell outlined three prospective mining operations in West Kitikmeot that could be induced by the infrastructure spend, each producing zinc, copper and lead: the Hackett River Project owned by Glencore, the Izok project from MMG and MMG’s High Lake.

The total in situ mineral resources of the three add up to an estimated $30 billion.

The miners would construct spur roads from their operations to the main road corridor and would pay fees to access other infrastructure.

Bell said the port infrastructure needs of National Defence generally align with those of the miners.

WKR took over as project proponent in 2023. The port infrastructure has long been in discussion but Bell said until the additional impetus came from the new Carney government’s increasing focus on northern sovereignty, it has been a chicken-and-egg issue – what commitment would come first, infrastructure or mines?

Bell said as the Canadian Navy attempts to come up to speed on new mandates, “What they have not yet recognized is whether or not they need to build or pay for permanent infrastructure in the Arctic, so we’re still working on them.”

Building the port, roadway and the induced mines would create 6,000 construction jobs, Bell said.

The NIRB review is expected to be completed next year.