Exploring a Naskapi-led regional access road

The Naskapi Nation is studying the possibility of an all-season, multi-user road through Nuchimiyuschiiy (ᓄᒋᒥᔪᔅᒋᔾ), and we are inviting community members to help assess its potential benefits, concerns and conditions.

The project combines community engagement with preliminary environmental, cultural, technical and economic studies to assess potential road corridors, infrastructure needs and governance options. Community perspectives will help determine whether the project should proceed, and under what conditions.

This project is a social acceptability assessment. It is not a decision to build a road. No route has been selected, and no construction has been approved.

What is social acceptability?

Social acceptability means understanding whether community members consider a proposed project appropriate and beneficial, what concerns they may have, and what conditions would need to be addressed.

It is not decided in a single meeting or vote. It is built through an ongoing process of sharing information, listening, documenting different perspectives, and responding to community feedback.

Why is the Nation studying this idea?

A Naskapi-led regional road could potentially:

• Improve access to Nuchimiyuschiiy
• Support harvesting, cultural activities and time on the land
• Create employment, training and business opportunities
• Improve access for community and emergency purposes
• Support regional economic development
• Give the Naskapi Nation a stronger role in decisions affecting its territory

The goal is not to build a road for the sake of building a road. It is to make sure that any road that does need to be built, in particular for a mine, is designed around Naskapi values and interests, rather than reacting to a road proposed by a company.

Where things stand

The project is in the pre-feasibility phase. Current work includes:

• Sharing information about the project
• Consulting potentially affected communities and stakeholders
• Gathering information about land use, access, environmental and cultural concerns, community priorities and potential road corridors
• Examining preliminary governance, ownership and access-control options
• Preparing environmental, cultural, technical and economic assessments
• Validating findings with communities before recommendations are finalized

Information session: Wednesday, October 21

Come learn about the project and ask your questions at the Naskapi information session on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. at the Naskapi Community Center. Dinner will be provided. Elders, youth, and adults are all encouraged to attend.

Can’t make it in person? The session will be livestreamed on the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach Facebook page.

Consultation schedule

This is the draft schedule. Exact dates and locations will be confirmed and posted here.

• October 2026: Information sessions
• November 2026: Schefferville-region consultation on land use and corridor options
• January 2027: Nunavik-region consultation on land use and corridor options
• March 2027: Schefferville-region consultation on governance, access and control
• March 31 to April 2, 2027: Stakeholder engagement during the Nunavik Mining Workshop
• May 2027: Nunavik-region consultation on shared access and territorial implications
• July 2027: Schefferville-region consultation to validate findings

All Naskapi information and consultation sessions will be livestreamed on the Naskapi Nation’s social media. For Naskapi sessions, we plan to offer transportation for Elders, Naskapi translation and on-site childcare. Food and drinks will be provided.

How you can take part

• Attend information sessions and consultations
• Ask questions and raise concerns
• Share your knowledge and experiences
• Identify important places, activities and land uses
• Tell us what conditions or protections would be important if the project moves forward

Taking part in a session does not mean you support a road, a particular route, or any mining project.

You can share your views at any time, not only during consultations. Email Deputy Chief Nathan Uniam at nuniam@naskapi.ca.

Your information is protected

Information shared by Naskapi community members stays owned and controlled by the Naskapi Nation. The Nation decides how it is stored, who can see it, how it is used, and what, if anything, appears in public maps or reports. Sensitive information about culturally significant places, harvesting areas and other confidential knowledge can be withheld, generalized or removed from public materials. No participant’s identity will be recorded or shared without their permission.

Questions and answers

Who is involved?

The Naskapi Nation is leading the project. An Industry Working Group, chaired by Deputy Chief Nathan Uniam, includes the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, Torngat Metals, Scandium Canada and Mont Royal Resources. Decisions within the group are made by consensus, and all parties recognize the Naskapi Nation as rightsholder on the territory.

All partners have signed a multi-party non-disclosure agreement and the Working Group’s Terms of Reference. The Nation also has Pre-Development Agreements with Torngat Metals and Scandium Canada.

Is this the same as Torngat Metals’ road consultations?

No. Nuuhchiimiiu Maaskinuw is a separate, Naskapi-led regional assessment. Mining companies may hold their own consultations about roads for their individual projects. Nuuhchiimiiu Maaskinuw is the only current consultation on a potential Naskapi-led regional road. A company taking part does not give it control over the assessment, and does not mean the Nation approves its road or mining project.

Where would the road go?

No route has been chosen. The road under study is within Nuchimiyuschiiy, heading toward Schefferville and using existing infrastructure where possible, to connect remote parts of the territory to the rail network while avoiding ecologically sensitive and culturally important areas. If the project moves forward, the Naskapi Nation will lead route selection based on technical, environmental and cultural considerations.

Who else will be consulted?

The Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, the Town of Schefferville, Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam, the Inuit communities of Kuujjuaq and Kangiqsualujjuaq, the Kativik Regional Government and Makivvik. The Naskapi Nation believes in seeking consent from other affected communities, including the Innu and Inuit.

What would it cost, and who pays?

The assessment is estimated at $1 million to $2 million and is co-funded by the project partners, including the Naskapi Nation. Federal and provincial funding is being explored. The cost of a road itself has not been estimated yet.

When would a road be built?

Construction is not authorized. The assessment is expected to last at least a year. If a mine is approved, construction is not expected to start before 2028 or finish before the end of 2030. No mine has been approved, so these dates are only indicative.

Who would own and manage the road?

That has not been decided. Whatever the ownership, the Naskapi Nation will play a central role in governance, oversight and stewardship. The Nation does not want a road to lead to uncontrolled development and intends to set access conditions that match Naskapi values and interests.

How would the land, water and wildlife be protected?

Protection measures will be guided by environmental studies, Naskapi knowledge and monitoring led by the Nation, including the Naskapi Land Guardians and Wildlife Protection Assistants. The road would be planned to keep access to, and healthy conditions for, hunting, fishing and travel. The Naskapi Nation has stewarded Nuchimiyuschiiy since time immemorial, and that responsibility guides every decision.

What if a nearby mine does not go ahead?

The project is studying a regional road for many users, not a road for a single mine. If a mine does not proceed, the assumptions about traffic, financing and viability would be reviewed before the Nation decides whether to move to a feasibility study.

Would there be jobs for Naskapi members?

Yes. The project aims to prioritize Naskapi workers and businesses at every stage, including planning, environmental monitoring, construction, operations and maintenance, along with other Indigenous communities in the region.

When will a decision be made?

There is no date for approving a road. Consultation findings will help Chief and Council decide whether the project should move on to a feasibility study. Even moving to a feasibility study would not authorize construction.

Documents

Questions or comments?

Nathan Uniam, Deputy Chief
nuniam@naskapi.ca