Naujaat co-op plans new store and community space
Materials expected to be shipped north ahead of fall opening
The Naujaat co-op project will combine a new convenience store and community space in a modular facility planned for shipment by sealift this summer, with operations expected to begin in the fall as part of an effort to restore a central gathering place in the hamlet. (File photo by David Venn)
Arctic Co-operatives Limited is designing a community space and convenience store in Naujaat to address the hamlet’s lack of gathering places.
The project comes nearly four years after Naujaat’s community hall burned down in October 2022, leaving residents without a dedicated venue for events, meetings and recreational programming.
“The co-op is owned by the people of Naujaat,” said Duane Wilson, vice-president of stakeholder relations with Arctic Co-operatives Limited, in an interview. “This is really just a way that they’re able to meet an obvious gap in what the community needs through the co-operative.”
Wilson said it’s common for a co-op to run smaller spaces, such as boardrooms or a coffee shop.
“This is an expanded version of that idea — the notion of having a place for kids’ birthday parties, graduations, training sessions, movie nights,” he said.
The existing Naujaat co-op operates a grocery, restaurant and hotel, while also providing fuel services. But Wilson said community growth has prompted plans for a facility closer to new housing developments on the other side of the town.
“They were looking at making the co-op more convenient [to travel to] for their members,” said Wilson. “It really made sense to scope it out a little bit more and fill that community gap at the same time.”
A rendering shows the planned Naujaat co-op facility, which will combine a convenience store and community space in a modular design. (Photo courtesy of Arctic Co-operatives Limited)
The building will use a container-based modular design, with approximately nine 12-metre cube modules shipped on the sealift and assembled on site by Montreal-based Corner Cast Inc.
Each unit is about 30 square metres.
The project has been in development for roughly two years, and materials are expected to be shipped north this summer, with a grand opening in the fall.
The co-op is governed locally by a board of directors responsible for oversight, planning and approving major capital projects.
While he did not provide a figure, Wilson said funding comes from a mix of equity and debt financing.
“This co-op has been well supported over the years, with strong patronage dividends and cash returns to members,” he said. “They have a strong balance sheet and financial independence to take on capital projects like this.”
Nunatsiaq News reached out to the Hamlet of Naujaat for comment but did not receive a response.
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