GN can’t be trusted to find sound solutions

Who speaks for the Government of Nunavut? Who speakes for the City of Iqaluit?

The issue of transportation and infrastructure has brought to the forefront the bigger issue of who speaks for the people of Nunavut. Is it a few people with specific agendas or is it the people of Nunavut? To ask the question brings the answer.

I haven’t seen a great wave of people beating down the doors of politicians about a deep-sea port in Kimmirut and a road from there to Iqaluit. The only people benefiting from all these pipe-dreams are consultants.

Anybody who has traveled overland from Kimmirut to Iqaluit would know that this is a ludicrous idea. Also, what would it achieve? Extend the sealift season by an extra month? Maybe, but at what cost?

Has anybody looked past their nose at what the trucking costs would be to supply the population of Iqaluit? Would the resulting final cost of landing products in Iqaluit be lower? What would it do for all the people living in all the other communities of Nunavut?

With this kind of money, you could do some minor improvements to all beach facilities in Nunavut to facilitate the work of all those involved in sealift operations in all the communities and put in place an effective subsidy system that would benefit all the people of Nunavut, to lower freight rates and lower the cost of living in all communities.

It is bad enough that, for political reasons, we are still debating the benefits of shipping from Montreal directly to Keewatin communities, compared with the cumbersome and expensive method of getting goods from Winnipeg to Churchill by train and then on barges to each community. There are still people who, for pure political reasons, will not admit that it is cheaper and just as efficient to ship to the Keewatin from Montreal.

How can we trust that the same people will lead us in sound solutions that will really look at the big picture?

And I haven’t even approached the issue of a deep-sea port for Iqaluit! Ask yourself why you always see an idyllic picture of a big ship anchored at high tide to represent the project. Please show us what it would look like at low tide, which is where the problem is. Maybe then people will come to their senses.

Please withhold my name as this letter could create a backlash for my business, as you can imagine.

(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit