Commodities
Home›Commodities›Energy›Nunavut devolution set for April 1 as mining powers sh…
Nunavut devolution set for April 1 as mining powers shift
Mining is set to remain central to Nunavut’s economy, contributing C$1.45 billion in 2025, or 35% of GDP, as Iqaluit takes over land, water and resource management.
Nunavut is scheduled to complete devolution on April 1, transferring management of its lands, water and resources from Canada’s federal government to the territory, a change industry figures see as an opportunity for locally directed mining development, according to Mining.com.
The process is intended to finish by April 1, when Iqaluit will take on key responsibilities including issuing mineral claims on Crown lands and managing mineral tenure. The federal government’s remaining jurisdiction includes fisheries, migratory birds, navigable waters and other federal issues that can still affect mine development, Mining.com reported.
Mining.com said the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement was signed in 2024 by the Nunavut government, Inuit rights organization Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and the federal government. Following the agreement taking effect next April, Nunavut will also receive revenues from mining royalties, land leases and development on Crown lands.
Nunavut hosts vast mineral resources, including four producing mines and dozens of exploration projects. Mining.com cited Statistics Canada data showing mining contributed C$1.45 billion to the territorial economy in 2025, equivalent to 35% of GDP, and noted that all of Nunavut’s producing mines are wholly or partly on Inuit Owned Lands, including Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank-Amaruq and Meliadine, B2Gold’s Goose site, and Baffinland’s Mary River iron mine.