Fuel spills near Nunavut elder-care facility under renovation

Baker Lake’s Martha Taliruq Centre has been shuttered since March

By JANE GEORGE

There's been an oil spill near the now-closed Martha Taliruq Centre in Baker Lake, which had provided care for elders over many years, as well as local jobs. (FILE PHOTO)


There’s been an oil spill near the now-closed Martha Taliruq Centre in Baker Lake, which had provided care for elders over many years, as well as local jobs. (FILE PHOTO)

Fuel oil has been spilled near the community of Baker Lake’s elder-care centre, the Government of Nunavut said on June 12.

The GN did not indicate the size of the spill, saying only that the departments of Community and Government Services, Environment and Health “are working closely with a consultant to ensure minimal impact on the community and environment.”

The announcement about the spill came one day after Baker Lake MLA Simeon Mikkungwak stood up in the territorial legislature to ask the health minister when the centre would be reopened.

The Martha Taliruq Centre, which closed March 31, had provided care for elders over many years, and offered local jobs in the community of about 2,000, Mikkungwak said.

Mikkungwak asked Health Minister Pat Angnakak when the centre would reopen. She responded that a request for proposals has been issued for the renovations, which she said should be completed by October.

Mikkungwak wanted to know if the GN would commit to making sure the centre reopened soon.

“I can’t commit that there’s going to be no delays,” Angnakak said. “Nobody can control that.”

Anganak has said on several occasions during this sitting of the legislature that the GN intends to seek proposals from groups interested in overseeing elder-care facilities in the territory.

Before it closed, the eight-bed Martha Taliruq Centre was run by the community’s hospice society.

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