Don’t wait for the trees to fight climate change

Pangnirtung MLA Peter Kilabuk told the legislature this week how recent high winds and unusually high temperatures are causing damage and distress in his community.

To bring home the impact, Kilabuk tabled photographs of a two-bay garage, which was completely destroyed, and of open water on the Pangnirtung fiord.

“As well, our only bridge in Pangnirtung to access our water reservoir and dump [was affected]…for that reason, there has already been an accident occurring by an individual on a snowmobile, and we regret that,” Kilabuk said.

Kilabuk also told the MLAs that frozen meat stored outside in shacks was melting in the unseasonal above-zero temperatures.

“With the temperatures we’re having, it will be hard to go out hunting,” he said.

Kilabuk called for Nunavut to work on providing more assistance to Nunavummiut affected by climate change and damage from extreme weather.

“There are a lot of hunters and fishers that don’t want to wait until they get forests” before they get reimbursed for losses, Kilabuk said.