ARCHIVED – Meeting Summary – 26 January 2011

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Arctic Offshore Drilling Review

Meeting Summary

Date and Location
Date Location
Wednesday
26 January 2011
1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.		 Helen Kalvak School
Ulukhaktok, NT

Purpose: Introduce the Arctic Offshore Drilling Review to the students of Helen Kalvak School

Participants
Participants
Grades 9 to 12 students
Teachers		  
Steve Baryluk Joint Secretariat
Jimmy Kalinek Inuvik Game Council
Gaétan Caron Chair and Chief Executive Officer, NEB
David Hamilton Member, NEB
Brian Chambers Northern Advisor, NEB
Bharat Dixit Technical Leader, Conservation of Resources, NEB
Pamela Romanchuk Environmental Specialist, NEB
Susan Gudgeon Northern Coordinator, Arctic Offshore Drilling Review, NEB

Introductory Remarks (NEB):

  • An overview of the Arctic Offshore Drilling Review was provided, including the mandate of the NEB, a description of the Review, the events leading up to the Review and generally where drilling may occur in the Beaufort Sea.
  • The students were asked "what would you like to know before drilling happens and what concerns do you have about offshore drilling?"

Dialogue with students:

In response to the questions put forward to the students, a number of areas of interest and concern were raised, including:

  1. General:
    • No drilling
    • Heard about the Gulf and that is why there shouldn't be drilling here
    • The same accident could happen here
    • How long would it take to drill?
    • When would the oil run out?
    • Don't let the drilling come
    • No drilling should happen in specific areas where the fish populations are
    • Getting involved means long plane rides
    • Companies should know what the people think
    • If there was a spill it could reach Ulukhaktok
    • The current could bring the spill
    • Could the drilling be done season by season?
    • Can it happen again – if an accident happened once it can happen again
  2. Value of Resources:

    • No more seals or anything if it happened here
    • Will affect culture and ways of living
    • Can't live without culture
    • Our culture is our life
    • Might not be able to hunt
    • Hunt, camp, fish, sew – everything is brought back from the land – seal, muskox, fish, char, caribou, rabbit, wolves
    • A oil spill could make the animals sick and kill them
    • Seals, whales, polar bears, fish come from the water and this could be affected
    • Drilling will affect our animals and our whole life
    • If there is no more native food to eat and only store food that would be no good, people would get sick
    • Need to put in place whatever is needed to keep what you have – if you compromise it will affect the land and there shouldn't be any compromise

Concluding Remarks and Follow-up Matters:

  • NEB will provide the students and teachers with information on how they can participate in any way they feel comfortable doing and will help with the process if they are interested
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