GN will need to ask Ottawa for money to fix Rankin Inlet utilidor, minister says
Mayor says development can’t happen in community until water and sewage system is upgraded
Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie says his department will need to ask the federal government for more money to fund upgrades to Rankin Inlet’s utilidor system. (Photo by Dustin Patar)
The Government of Nunavut will need to ask the federal government for additional money to replace Rankin Inlet’s utilidor system, according to the territory’s community and government services minister.
A letter from Rankin Inlet Mayor Harry Towtongie, tabled in the legislative assembly in March, said the community’s utilidor system, which carries water and sewage in a network of above-ground pipes, had reached “a critical point.”
“It is now exceeding capacity limits and is causing the council to delay and even stop development of the community,” Towtongie wrote.
At the time, Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie said it would cost at least $15 million to replace the aging system, which is more than 40 years old.
The subject came up again in the legislative assembly this week, when Joanasie responded to questions from Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet MLA Alexander Sammurtok.
Joanasie said the GN will need to ask Ottawa to help pay the cost to replace the utilidor.
“I will be working with my colleagues, not just here, but I will be reaching out to federal counterparts to see if there are any opportunities around funding Rankin Inlet’s project going forward,” he said.
Community and Government Services put out a tender May 30 for upgrades to the community’s utilidor system. The tender closes at the end of June.
The department is still figuring out how much money to allocate to the project, given that construction costs have risen significantly across the country, Joanasie said.
“I will provide a more detailed response once we move ahead with this project,” he said.
Karen Nutarak, MLA for Tununiq, asked Joanasie if CGS will also need to ask the federal government for more money for upgrades to Pond Inlet’s water treatment plant.
Joanasie said he did not think the department would need additional funding for that project, but with the rising costs of construction, things could still change.
“We will take a close look at our financial resources, but at this time, for Pond Inlet’s new water treatment plant, we will be continuing on through our capital planning,” Joanasie said.
Sure why not? Because a budget of over 2 billion dollars a year isn’t quite enough to ensure that a population of around 6,000 has access to safe and clean water!
If it was true that Rankin received 2 billion a year I am almost certain we would not have this problem. That is not the case, however.
I’m talking about the GN’s annual budget not Rankin’s. With that kind of money there should be more than enough money to address the utilidor issue without going to feds hat in hand.
2.4 Billion dollars per year for the GN, due to poor management and incompetence they delay projects and just don’t get things done costing the GN millions and millions each year, no accountability whatsoever.
Now they are trying to ask for more money.
What a joke our government is.
Why did they give out about 75 skidoos this past spring when we have bigger stuff like this to think of. We need better leaders. Leaders that think with their brains. Not eyes that look at a fat wallet. C’mon these leaders are supposed to lead us by example but all they’re doing is bashing each other. Hiring wives. Blaming the old guys of picking on the baby pj. Wth were y’all thinking when u voted pj in for premier. He’s a quieter version of mumilaaq.
There. I’m done saying what needed to be said.
I pay taxes probably more than our southern brothers and sisters. Yet I’m labeled as a person who takes handouts. I fricken work everyday to make ends meet and yet we have leaders playing with our childrens futures. Next voting. Don’t vote just cause it’s ur uncle or aunt. Vote for the ones who will work hard for us. But then again who knows who those ppl are. They campaign all lies and when they get elected the people are then forgotten. C’mon. It is us that voted u guys in. Work harder for us.
If u want good clean drinking water. Close down places that use up water for fun. Water is life.
Can we use that MUI fuel spill as an excuse to say we have fuel in our water?
What was the point of announcing that? Apparently none.
It’s not $15 million. Rankin needs $150 million.
And don’t forget to ask for mental health services money nunavts capital & Nunavutmiutaks are suffering come on with the mental health services already .
go back to truck water and sewer service, problem solved!!!!!
utilidor systems in Nunavut make no sense, complete waste of tax payers money. it’s no more than a status symbol for decades gone by.
How many millions of dollars did Nunavut Gov fork over to Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Yellowknife Hotels to hold people in for
2 weeks everything time a person traveled to Nunavut? Plus the millions for food and sugar drinks 3 times a day… continuously for 2 plus years?
The First Nations across Canada been waiting and screaming at the Feds to fix their waster issues for umpteen years? By saying going to ask the Feds means not gonna fix.
Inuit are not first nations.
Poster never said they were. Compared noted the First Nations have been waiting years for their water to be fixed.
Inuit and First Nations are all Indigenous, and Indigenous peoples have been the victims of horrific misdeeds and neglect at the hands of the Canadian government since the dawn of confederation. If this kind of situation happened in Toronto or Montreal, the feds would instantly shell out billions of dollars to fix it, but because it’s an Indigenous community, they simply don’t care.
The Feds literally throw billions at Nunavut… unsurprisingly, it’s never enough.
The problem come down to the incompetence of the GN, that is where things fall apart.
No matter how much money you throw at the GN they are too incompetent and will delay and mismanage the funds.
Another huge problem with the GN is there’s no accountability to their incompetence.
GN just gave Canadian north/Calmair,100 million dollars, and I wonder how much the executives gave themselves bonuses, and nunavuts infrastructure crumbling,could have built 100 houses and fixed rankins water issue.but let’s continue corporate welfare.
Stop asking the feds for so much money. Are any of these projects done with cost sharing agreements. Feds put in so much and GN puts in their share. Sharing one of the TRADITIONAL
Beliefs of Inuit culture.
How will Nunavut ever become self governing. If they are unable to finance some of their own infrastructure projects. Blaming financial mismanagement on colonialism. Can’t be a excuse.