SPICE Series No. 001 · A15
Mary River Phase 2
Mining · Nunavut
Project status at the 2026 study cutoff: Refused
Compare this projectSelected project record
What the report covers
The report includes this mining project in Nunavut among its 30 selected cases. Its findings describe the reviewed public record, with project status reported at the 2026 study cutoff.
- Selection
- Selected through official and owner records
- Study period
- 1996-2026
- Documented problem types
- 4 of the 14 issue types reviewed
- Source edition
- Breaking the Pattern, Tables 1 and C1
The projects were chosen for what they can teach. Their results do not represent all Canadian megaprojects. A recorded issue does not establish a single cause or assign responsibility.
Fourteen issue types
Evidence and remaining gaps
Only documented problems count toward the project total. Constructive partnerships are recorded separately. Unresolved evidence and blank cells do not prove that a problem never occurred.
Optimistic baseline
Unresolved evidenceA source documents that the cost or schedule approved at sanction understated what similar work required, omitted known risks, or rested on assumptions later found untested.
02Contractor productivity and unreliable commitments
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents contractor productivity well below the tender or plan, or commitments on dates and sequences that proved unachievable.
03Ground conditions
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents foundation, soil or buried-infrastructure conditions that differed from the baseline assumptions and affected cost, schedule or design.
04Quality defects and rework
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents rework, defects or failed inspections on structures, track, vehicles or systems.
05Pandemic
Documented problemA source attributes additional cost, productivity loss, supply-chain disruption or schedule loss to COVID-19.
06Indigenous rights and consultation
Documented problemA source documents consultation, accommodation, litigation or partnership with Indigenous nations shaped the project’s scope, schedule, approval or structure. Constructive partnerships are recorded separately and excluded from problem totals.
07Political pressure and weak governance
Documented problemAn inquiry, audit, review or peer-reviewed study documents political pressure on decisions or weak, divided or uninformed oversight, with a documented effect on the project.
08Owner-contractor disputes
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents a major claim, settlement, arbitration or lawsuit between owner and contractor during delivery.
09Labour shortages and strikes
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents a skilled-labour shortage or industrial action that delayed work.
10Weather and natural hazards
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents floods, wildfires, drought, storms or extreme winter weather that disrupted construction or commissioning; ordinary seasonal conditions or future risks alone do not qualify.
11Systems integration and commissioning
Outside the project or issue boundaryA source documents signalling, control, software or integration defects that delayed commissioning or caused outages.
12Supply-chain delays
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents late delivery of materials, vehicles, cables or specialized equipment.
13Regulatory and permitting
Documented problemA source documents environmental, regulatory or permit delay, non-compliance, reversal or refusal.
14Late scope and design change
No qualifying evidence established, not proof of absenceA source documents owner-, regulator- or site-driven changes to scope or design after contract award.