Federal government, GN announce $194M for water, transportation services in 6 communities

Nunavut’s community and government services minister says he’s hopeful that federal government funding will lead to a long-term solution to Sanikiluaq’s nearly decade-long water issues.

David Joanasie made the comments to reporters Thursday in Iqaluit where he was joined by Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, to announce the Nunavut and federal governments will spend $194 million to support eight infrastructure projects across six Nunavut communities.

The plan includes $22.2 million from Ottawa and $7.4 million from the GN to design and build a new water treatment facility in Sanikiluaq, where high sodium levels in the water supply force every home to be equipped with reverse osmosis purification units.

The problem was discovered in 2016, and the GN said in 2018 it was looking for outside solutions.

“It has taken a long time to get here, but we do hope that this will address the community’s needs over the long term and to sustain them for multiple decades,” Joanasie said in a press conference.

Four other communities — Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord, Pond Inlet and Rankin Inlet — have also been allocated federal and territorial funding to get new water treatment facilities.

The funding from both levels of government ranges from $20 million to $35 million in each hamlet.

“It’s essential that we recognize that every community in this country, regardless of which region, has safe and reliable drinking water,” Fraser said.

“It’s something that we too often take for granted in the south, and it’s important that we realize that we’re going to ensure that every community has access to reliable water, that we make the investments to turn that into a reality.”

In addition to the water infrastructure investments, $221,618 is allocated to buy a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for public transit in Pond Inlet. For Resolute Bay, $83,493 will be used to buy a public transit vehicle.

In Rankin Inlet, $25 million from Ottawa and $34 million from the GN will go toward construction of a 24-bed seniors’ long-term care home, which Joanasie said would allow elders to stay within Kivalliq region instead of being sent out of territory for the care they need as they age.

In written handouts some of the projects, including the water upgrades and the long-term care home, had noticeable asterisks beside them indicating they were conditional depending on consultations, environmental assessments and funding agreements.

Questioned about it, Fraser said that’s typical in federal announcements.

“At the end of the day, when we’re dealing with a constitutional obligation to consult Indigenous Peoples and communities, it’s essential that we actually complete that process before projects go ahead,” he said.

Present at Thursday’s announcement was Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout, who sits across from the Liberal Fraser in the House of Commons.

Her reaction was positive overall, and she thanked Fraser for making his first visit to Iqaluit to make the announcement.

Idlout said that since being elected in 2021 she has visited the hamlets that will receive water upgrades, and has heard from leaders in all of them that having access to clean drinking water is a major community health issue.

The NDP and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal minority government are nearing the two-year mark of their supply and confidence agreement.

Idlout said much of Thursday’s announcement can be credited to her and her party’s role in propping up the Liberals on the condition that some NDP policies get adopted.

“I think that some of these projects would not have been approved without the work of the NDP,” Idlout said in an interview.

“We pressure [the Liberals] a lot, and it takes a lot of work to make sure that they do finally understand just how dire the needs are.”

Fraser told reporters he plans to make a housing-related announcement in Iqaluit Friday morning.