Under Deal, Inuits to Get 5% of Labrador

Labrador’s 5,000 Inuits will take control of 5% of the region as part of a deal that also gives them a chunk of the mineral resources in that portion of the province of Newfoundland. Under the deal with the provincial government, the Inuits will be given direct ownership of about 6,000 square miles of Labrador. They will also receive 25% of Newfoundland’s revenues from mining, oil and gas production. Officials hope the settlement will help clear the way for development of a huge nickel mine at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador--a project that has been slowed by land-claim negotiations.