Mayors want road system to the South

DENISE RIDEOUT

OTTAWA — David Kritterdlik wants the territorial government to get Nunavut’s economy rolling.

The way to do it, the Whale Cove mayor says, is to build a road linking the territory to southern Canada.

A road to Nunavut could cut the cost of living and it would spell success for businesses, particularly mining companies and the tourism industry, he said.

“Whenever transportation is made available, the economy grows,” Kritterdlik told delegates attending the Nunavut Association of Municipalities’ annual general meeting. Mayors, deputy mayors and hamlet councillors from across Nunavut are in Ottawa this week to participate in the gathering.

The meeting kicked off on April 29 with a discussion on the state of Nunavut’s economy.

Kritterdlik said connecting the North and South would surely spark economic growth.

Standing at a microphone, Kritterdlik made his pitch.

“I think everyone knows business would increase and the cost of living would decrease,” he said confidently. “I think there would be a lot more mining companies interested in working in Nunavut, and it would help the tourism industry.”

The words rolled off his tongue easily — it’s a speech he’s been making to the Nunavut and Manitoba governments for the past few years.

The talk is around constructing an all-weather road between Churchill, Manitoba, and the Kivalliq region. Kritterdlik says the two regions already have a strong connection, since Rankin Inlet, Arviat and other Kivalliq communities get much of their food and supplies shipped up from Manitoba.

Unlike other provinces and territories, Nunavut is entirely dependent upon airlines, ships and barges to bring in food, clothing, and supplies.

Reports show that Nunavut relies heavily on imported goods. For instance “Nunavut Economic Outlook,” a report conducted by the Conference Board of Canada in May 2001, says the territory spends hundreds of millions of dollars on goods from the South.

The authors of that report, Stephen Vail and Graeme Clinton, discussed their findings with mayors at the NAM meeting. “You’re just giving money directly to the South. So there’s little chance to build Nunavut’s economy,” Clinton said.

“There’s a lot of importing of clothing. And if you want to buy a car you have to bring it in from the South,” he added.

By the time many shipped goods end up on store shelves in Nunavut, their prices are nowhere near what they were in southern Canada.

Brenda Jancke, a hamlet councillor in Cambridge Bay, told delegates the price of food is simply too high for many Nunavummiut.

“I don’t eat fruit myself because it’s so expensive. I just buy it for my children.”

She even called for the creation of a regulatory committee that would monitor how much stores and businesses mark up their prices.

“In Cambridge Bay we’ve had to open up a food bank in the last year and a half because people can’t afford to eat,” Jenke added.

Kritterdlik said a road to the Kivalliq would cut shipping costs in that region and make transporting goods much easier. He didn’t say how, or if, it would benefit Nunavut’s other two regions.

“I know it’s going to cost us a lot of money to build, but it will save us money in the long run,” he said.