Times of ‘Wild West’ in mining are over: Agnico Eagle

By Arty Sarkisian – Nunatsiaq News

Many Nunavummiut have misconceptions about mining, says Pujjuut Kusugak.

Kusugak is the director of Nunavut affairs for Agnico Eagle, which operates multiple gold mines in Nunavut.

“People still remember how mines used to operate — Wild West do whatever you want, no safety concerns,” he said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News at the Agnico Eagle office in Rankin Inlet.

People assume that the company still “does whatever it wants,” he added, but today Nunavut has some of the strictest regulations that protect the environment using both territorial and federal laws.