New Nain Airport Project - Public Comments Invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description

What is happening?

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 18, 2023 /CNW/ - The Nunatsiavut Government is proposing a new airport near Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) invites Indigenous Peoples and the public to review the summary of the Initial Project Description and provide comments on the proposed project. This feedback will help the Agency prepare a summary of issues that will be given to the proponent.

The Agency is collaborating with the Nunatsiavut Government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as part of the impact assessment process for this project. Comments received during the comment period will be shared with the other jurisdictions.

Comments should be submitted online by visiting the project home page on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (reference number 87156). The summary of the Initial Project Description is also available on the Registry. Participants who wish to provide their input in a different format can contact the Agency by writing to [email protected].

Submit your comments online in either official language by 11:59 p.m. on February 16, 2024. All comments received will be published online as part of the project file.

Participant funding will be available to eligible participants during this comment period, and details will be announced shortly on the Registry. The Agency will retroactively reimburse eligible participants for their participation in this first comment period.

The Agency invites Indigenous Peoples and the public to participate in a virtual information session via Zoom to learn more about the project, the federal impact assessment process, and how to submit comments on the summary of the Initial Project Description.

• January 17, 2024, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (AST)
• January 18, 2024, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (AST)

For information on how to attend a session, please visit the information session section on the project home page. A French Session is available upon request. If you have any questions, please contact the Agency using the project email above.

Any future opportunities to participate will be announced in a timely manner.

Stay updated on this project by following the Agency on X (previously Twitter): @IAAC_AEIC #Nunatsiavut

The Nunatsiavut Government is proposing the construction and operation of a new airport located on Inuit lands about nine kilometres southwest of Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador. As proposed, the New Nain Airport Project would include a 1,830-metre-long gravel airplane runway, a multifunctional airport terminal, a 13-kilometre-long access road, a hanger and other related infrastructure. The new facility would be able to operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, year-round, to provide essential services to the local community.

In October 2023, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the Government of Canada's guidance on the interim administration of the Impact Assessment Act (the IAA), following the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada on the constitutionality of the IAA. According to the interim measures, advancing projects through the impact assessment process is at the discretion of the proponent. The Agency remains committed to collaborating with proponents to advance the assessment of projects and discuss the information requirements.

SOURCE Impact Assessment Agency of Canada