ITK shortlists 8 northern communities as potential hosts of Inuit Nunangat University main campus
Leaders in Arviat, Cambridge Bay and Nain weigh in on bid
Cambridge Bay, seen in this file photo, is one of eight communities shortlisted to host the main campus of Inuit Nunangat University. The other shortlisted communities are Inuvik, Rankin Inlet, Arviat, Iqaluit, Puvirnituq, Kuujjuaq, and Nain. Communities have been invited to confirm their interest, but a deadline for submissions has not yet been set. (File photo)
Inuit Nunangat University is closer to finding a home for its main campus, after Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami shortlisted eight communities, following a review of their readiness and infrastructure.
The shortlisted communities are Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet and Arviat in Nunavut; Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq in Nunavik; Inuvik in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region; and Nain in Nunatsiavut.
ITK announced on Facebook Thursday its board of directors approved the list on Sept. 17.
Those communities will now be invited to confirm their interest with their municipal councils before engaging with ITK about local capacity and needs.
“The first thing that comes to mind is, wow. We made the top eight,” Arviat Mayor Joe Savikataaq Jr. said in an interview.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done. It just means the eight communities now have the opportunity to submit a proposal explaining why they should be selected,” he said.
Hosting the university would benefit the Kivalliq region, not just Arviat, Savikataaq added.
“Other parts of the region, Rankin Inlet too, would also benefit, due to how commercial flights operate in this region,” he said.
He added that Arviat has the infrastructure needed to host the facility.
“We justified [to ITK] that we have enough land, enough gravel. Our water capacity can handle the demand,” Savikataaq said. “There are no issues with sewage or garbage. Everything is within our limits.”
Savikataaq also pointed to Arviat’s strong use of Inuktitut and its nearly completed modular home factory as assets.
The project would be a “win-win” for the community, bringing in business and helping local enterprises, he said.
“With a big building and people coming in, that brings benefits to the community,” he said.
In the Kitikmeot region, Cambridge Bay’s chief administrative officer Jim MacEachern said the community has already proven it can handle major development projects.
“When you look at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, [Cambridge Bay] has demonstrated that we’re ready and eager to take on large-scale projects, and that we can adapt to the growth in the community,” MacEachern said.
The hamlet’s location makes it an ideal hub for students and researchers traveling from across the North and southern Canada, he said.
“We have daily flights to the Northwest Territories and Yellowknife, easy connections to Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver — all the main hubs,” he said.
MacEachern said hosting the university would bring both short-term and long-term economic benefits.
“There will be a construction boom, not just in terms of the university itself but all of the ancillary infrastructure that would be needed,” he said.
Cambridge Bay has already begun discussions with local businesses, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, and Nunavut Arctic College on how to strengthen its proposal.
In Nain, Mayor Tony Andersen said the proposal will soon go before council at their Tuesday meeting.
“We have to be honest and consider — do we have the infrastructure here? Do we have the transportation in and out of our community that would be acceptable for hosting the main campus?”
He said he was encouraged to hear that communities not selected to host the main campus will be considered to host one of the three University’s knowledge centres.
Andersen said Nain continues to look for ways to strengthen its infrastructure and transportation systems but emphasized fairness in the process.
Rankin Inlet officials said they plan to discuss the matter at their next council meeting.
Representatives from other shortlisted communities were unavailable for comment on Friday.
Based on ITK’s draft overview, selection of the main campus is expected in 2025, with infrastructure planning beginning in 2026. The university aims to open in 2030, housing about 100 students and employing 80 staff.
Inuit Nunangat University will feature seven faculties — including governance, Inuktut, social work and education — and will be supported by regional knowledge centres to ensure each Inuit region is integrated into its programming.
ITK President Natan Obed has said the university will help reduce barriers to post-secondary education for Inuit by being closer to home and rooted in Inuit worldviews.
Arviatt would be my first choice of the water source is sufficient
Totally delusional
They should make Pangnirtung the destination for the University due to the layout and the simple fact that it has one of the most potentially-tourist friendly landscapes for all of Nunavut.
Choosing Pangnirtung as the community to base the first University of the north not only provides individuals with the ability to stay home to further their education, but also allows potential southerners or international students with the ability to climb the world’s highest cliff in the world just in their backyard; mount Thor and Mount Asgard.
This is a destination area known for its breathtaking hiking trails and camping grounds, with globally renowned mountains worthy of exploration.
It might be the best area for students due to its access to natural conservation areas and parks so individuals can make memories that’ll last a lifetime, and may even grant them experiences where they can snap photos of unique wildlife that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
You’d have to ask the locals first., it’s a no. Thank you tho
Do you think Pang is accessible enough and has the infrastructure to support a University meant to cover such a huge region? It really doesn’t.
I get that it’s beautiful and it would be nice to showcase, but a university has a different set of needs than a tourist venture.
What about Kugluktuk instead ? Oh yeah!! we are too far for anything and we are left out regionally
Kugluktuk would make a great place for a university
Since they want to do a gold mine and they are to have a road built linking it to Yellowknife
Arviat is a dry town. That’ll never fly.
Anywhere but Iqaluit please. We are under a lot of issues already. Water, housing, parking, too many drunks etc.
Not here please, my home town is too over crowded now.
The only community that makes any real sense is Iqaluit.
All these destinations mention
Canadian North and other airline are going to have a grand ole time profiting
Cambridge Bay cant even keep up with water and sewer now, imagine if they grow by another 10 percent.
Arviat had enough. Force relocation, force adoption by government. It’s enough for locals.
It should be a community accessible from all Inuit regions in Canada, central with decent municipal services. A community that has some amenities attractive to youth.
Stores that have decent prices. A place where reasonable funds may be spent to construct and operate the university.
Not that the university makes any sense, even in a minor way, BUT if there was a perfect location it’d be in Ottawa and attached to one of the existing institutions- Carleton, U Ottawa, or any one of the other dozen universities and colleges there. Barring that, at Iqaluit, as an extension of the already degree-granting Nunavut Arctic College.
By the way the Arctic college credits are not recognized when we go apply for a job in town
Now you all want a university in Nunavut who will recognize the credits or degree if someone comes out with one
Please, not IQ. Overcrowded and crime and such. Hard to avoid but elsewhere please and where the community can benefit. Perhaps: Inuvik or Kug.
I guess it is the best practice, but good to see all regions are considered. Then a million becomes such a small number. All places are costly now
It will probably be politically unpopular in Nunavut and Nunavik, but Inuvik makes the most sense because it has road access. This brings costs way down, not just for construction, but also for food, supplies, transportation, etc. Plus Inuvik has a hospital and not just a health centre like most of the other options. The University proposes to have programs in community health, so it will need (and assist) that resource, as well as have it available for students and staff.
I was thinking the exact same thing. I lived in a Kivalliq community for four years, spent a fair bit of time in Rankin, and visited Iqaluit and Arviat. I’ve been in Inuvik for three years now and the difference is night and day. The road access makes things so much cheaper, there is fiberoptic internet, they have a new water treatment plant, the airport undergoing a quarter billion dollar expansion to become international, it has a fully operational hospital, it’s already home to the Arctic Research Institute, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is already incredibly successful. However your right, it’s on the far edge of Inuit Nunangat. I think I’m being objective when I say the cheapest, easiest, and strongest case is for Inuvik… that being said that decision would not be popular in Nunavut.
Pretty much by definition a university needs a critical mass of academic excellence. With Cambridge Bay already having the research station, there should be no contest that it should go there. Shortcomings in the infrastructure should be an easy fix even for GN.