The Nunavut Impact Review Board posted an “Opportunity To Address Comments” notice on Oct. 5 for NIRB file 26WN045, covering the Government of Nunavut’s request to renew municipal water licence 3BM-GRI2636 to 2047 and change it from a Type B to a Type A licence. The active screening followed public comments that closed Sept. 29 and comment submissions from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Transport Canada. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The application concerns Grise Fiord’s long-term drinking-water supply. It seeks authority to take up to 2,160 cubic metres of water a day from Airport River during the open-water season to refill three tanks with combined storage of 13,200 cubic metres. The Government of Nunavut says Grise Fiord’s boil-water advisory, issued Aug. 25 because of cloudy water, remains in place until it is lifted by the Health Department; this regulatory filing does not lift that advisory. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗ ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The applicant can respond to the comments now on the NIRB record. The screening remains active. A completed screening, a water-licence decision by the Nunavut Water Board and any required operating steps would still be separate from this notice.

The proposed Type A licence is intended to support the new Grise Fiord water-treatment plant, which was reviewed separately under NIRB file 23XN069. The earlier review anticipated construction beginning in summer 2026 and final commissioning in 2027 or 2028, but the new filing does not state that construction or commissioning is complete. The current proposal says water would continue to come from Airport River, with water withdrawal and recirculation volumes recorded during operation. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗ ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗