Blizzard stalls water line repairs in Gjoa Haven

A Gjoa Haven man says the hamlet’s water crisis got more difficult after bottled water prices rose at the same time a blizzard kept crews from repairing a leak in the supply line.

Kyle Aglukkaq said the price of bottled water at the Northern store increased to $4.99 Monday from $3.49 on Sunday. He bought 10 500-millilitre bottles to prepare formula for his infant daughter at a cost of nearly $50.

By comparison, a can of Coke at the store currently costs $2.79, he said in a Facebook message to Nunatsiaq News.

A receipt from the Northern Store in Gjoa Haven shows the price of 500-millilitre bottle of water, which resident Kyle Aglukkaq said increased from about $3.49 to $4.99 from Sunday to Monday. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Aglukkaq)

In a Facebook post on the Gjoa Haven community page, Aglukkaq said while some residents can melt snow to flush toilets, not everyone has safe or appropriate containers to boil water for consumption. Many rely on bottled water for their infants and children.

“They shouldn’t be marking up bottled-water prices during a water crisis,” Aglukkaq said.

Prices rose temporarily when additional bottled water was flown to Gjoa Haven to meet increased demand, said Brigitte Burgoyne, communications director for The North West Co., the parent company of Northern stores.

This “triggered air freight pricing on single bottles,” Burgoyne said in an email Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, she said, the price of bottled water should drop to $3.69.

“With the current water outage, we have dropped our fly-in price to sealift pricing, which went into effect this morning,” she said.

“We are also working with local authorities to approve our water refill system to provide a more affordable option.”

The Nunavut Health Department issued a boil water advisory Friday after a mechanical problem was discovered at the water treatment plant.

The advisory remains in effect.

Since then, calls circulated on Facebook for the hamlet to distribute bottled water and ice to residents.

Hamlet officials have not responded to Nunatsiaq News’ request for more information.

The concerns come as a blizzard Monday prevented crews from repairing the water line between Swan Lake and the water treatment plant, the hamlet said in a Facebook update Monday.

Hamlet officials said their immediate priorities include preventing further damage to the water system, locating and repairing the leak, and catching up on water deliveries and sewage pump-outs.

Government of Nunavut and local construction contractor CAP Enterprises Ltd. staff worked past 3 a.m. Tuesday to prevent freezing at the treatment plant, hamlet officials said in a separate post on Facebook.

To prevent freezing, one water truck is travelling back and forth between the lake and the treatment plant to keep water moving through the system. This has reduced the number of trucks available for household deliveries, slowing service across the community.

Residents are being asked to call the hamlet garage once if they are out of water, and to be patient with staff.

Hamlet officials will meet Tuesday with GN Emergency Services and the Health Department to discuss the water issue.

Despite his concerns, Aglukkaq said he supports the local workers managing the emergency. “I understand the hamlet is doing their best to work tirelessly,” he said.

“When things are going smoothly, they never disappoint,” he said. “Given more resources, I know they can find ways to improve.”