Iqaluit approves new industrial park

MICHAELA RODRIGUE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Iqaluit will set aside a 60,000 square-metre chunk of municipal land for new industrial development.

Iqaluit Town Council this week approved designs for the new industrial park, located northwest of the Baffin Correctional Centre.

Town staff is expected to issue a call for proposals to develop the site.

Iqaluit is now out of available industrial space. If more isn’t found the town runs the risk of turning away business, committee chair Matthew Spence said.

“We don’t want to inhibit development because we don’t have land . . . and there is a demand for land,” Spence said. The new park should meet demand for industrial space for the next few years, he said.

Potential tenants could include a paving plant or warehouse space for construction companies. The park could even be a site for the proposed PCB incinerator, Spence said.

Town council will have the right to approve or veto any proposed development.

The proposed park is about 400 metres long by 150 metres wide. It is currently divided into six blocks of land but can be further subdivided.

Staff told councillors the site is ideal because of its proximity to the gravel pit.

The Town is not expected to incur major development costs for the site. Potential tenants could be asked to pay for sewage and water pipes to be installed.