Arctic transportation leaders discuss ways to improve industry
Panelists from Nunavut, Greenland talk transportation at the Nunavut Trade Show
Around 60 people attend a Nunavut Trade Show panel Wednesday on transportation in the Arctic. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Updated Sept. 23 at 12:45 p.m. ET
Government investment in facilities like ports and airports is a good way to make large-scale transportation more efficient, says the business development manager at Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc.
At the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit Wednesday, Brian Tattuinee said the opening of Iqaluit’s deepsea port last year has significantly improved the operation of organizations like his, which provides sealift services to the community.
“Lack of infrastructure increases the cost,” he said.
Brian Tattuinee, the business development manager at Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc., at the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit on Wednesday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Tattuinee took part in a panel discussion with other representatives from different transportation sectors in Nunavut and Greenland. About 60 people watched the discussion, which was held at the Arctic Winter Games arena.
Other panellists included Jacob Nitter Sorensen, Air Greenland CEO; Niels Clemensen, Royal Arctic CEO; John Rasmussen, Sikuki Nuuk Harbour CEO; and from Nunavut, Tim Hothi, manager of marketing and strategic partnerships at EPLS Group of Companies; and Shelly De Caria, president and CEO of Canadian North airline.
Greenlandic representatives on the panel described their work in supporting and developing Greenland’s economy, and in establishing working relations with Nunavut.
Sikuki Nuuk Harbour receives ships from around the world, including Canadian Coast Guard vessels, Rasmussen said. He added that Nunavut and Greenland are similar regions well-suited to co-operation in trade, tourism and defence.
The trade show, which opened Tuesday, concludes Thursday.
Note: This article was updated to include Tim Hothi’s correct job title
Did they talk about ‘decolonizing’ transportation?
And what does that look like?
someone missed the joke…
What were the discussions about improving industry?
Do they realize China is using the Northwest Passage now for container ships, and Russia is sailing LNG tankers, including non ice class!
Mr Tattuinee can always be reliably depended on to hype bad infrastructure decisions. Whether it’s a half billion dollar airport for one airline or an 80 million dollar plus deep water port that sits iced in and idle for 8 months of the year and is thus incapable of having any positive effect on the crushing cost of northern living or making any meaningful contribution to national defence.
Mr Tattuinee should start dealing in demonstrable facts and figures and not simply his impressions.
The only way Iqaluit gets a year round-port is if the Government of Canada has multiple icebreakers assigned to it year round, transportation companies invest in Class 1 icebreaking transport vessels, and everyone in Iqaluit is cool with open water running through their travel routes during the winter. And the odds of that happening run somewhere between pigs flying and 0.
Sure there can be a year round port, near iqaluit, just put it where there’s open water year round
the largest barrier to any development, economically, socially, is the cost of travel.
it encompasses every aspect of daily life up here. its not hard to see.
we need more territorial dollars at work. we need large industry to spend money up here, Baffinland is a good example. we have many inuit working there contributing to the economy of our small communities, it is a necessary evil as per say. Nunavut has the power to be Canada’s Economic powerhouse, for real! how do people not see that? we have all the natural resources the world NEEDS. developing large scale projects helps our territory. i will add more later.