Six Nunavut communities stand to benefit from $194 million in new infrastructure and transit, with $129 million of that total coming from the federal government.
The money was announced in Iqaluit on Thursday afternoon.
The specified projects include:
-Arctic Bay water treatment plant upgrade, detailed design/construction
-Grise Fiord water treatment plant upgrades
-Pond Inlet water treatment plant, detailed design/construction
-The Kivalliq Seniors Long-Term Care Facility in Rankin Inlet (with 24 beds)
-Rankin Inlet wastewater treatment facility, detailed design/construction
-Sanikiluaq water treatment plant upgrade, detailed design/construction
-Purchase of one vehicle for on-demand, ride-sharing service in Pond Inlet
-Purchase of a vehicle to improve rural mobility options in Resolute Bay
“We have to acknowledge that not all parts of the country are the same when it comes to investing in infrastructure. The reality is that things are different in the North in a number of ways,” said Sean Fraser, the federal minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, who was present at the legislative assembly for Thursday’s announcement. “Our policies and decisions need to reflect the differences that communities need… that actually best serve the people who call communities in this part of the country [home].”
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, a member of the NDP, welcomed Fraser to Nunavut “for your very first visit.”
“I think that the investments that you announced today are all very important ones,” she said. “As you have all heard in the House of Commons, as many Nunavummiut have heard, as the MP for Nunavut, I am always fighting for more resources to come to Nunavut so that there are better supports, better resources, that Nunavummiut can use towards the improvement of health and well-being.”
She also referred to the Government of Canada’s announcements as “a move in the right direction.”
David Joanasie, minister of Community and Government Services, hailed the more than $40 million designated this year to improve access to safe and clean water and other “modern infrastructure.” He said the improvements to water treatment plants will ensure “the highest standards of water quality and safety, which is paramount.”
“We’re [also] working very closely with our municipal hamlets,” he added.
When discussing the transportation initiatives in Pond Inlet and Resolute Bay, Fraser said, “These investments are not possible without the knowledge of local community leaders. I want to say thank you to Lori [Idlout] in particular for making us aware of the challenges in the communities that she represents, and the territorial government, who’s going to be partnering in these investments. We’re going to continue to partner with the territorial government and with communities throughout Nunavut in order to continue to support the ability of communities to continue to survive. I want to say thank you so much, it’s my first trip to Iqaluit, and with this news, I hope that it is successful.”