Nunavik fuel subsidy extended for 1 year

Gas prices will be kept significantly lower for Inuit beneficiaries in Nunavik after a cost-of-living agreement between the Quebec government, Kativik Regional Government and Makivvik was extended for one year.

The subsidy remains 78 cents per litre, the organizations said Sept. 5 in a joint news release.

On top of that, Nunavik’s fuel distributors confirmed the price of gasoline dropped Sept. 1 to $2.465 per litre from $2.62 on Sept. 1, the organizations said Sept. 5 in a joint news release.

This price is set across all 14 of Nunavik’s communities.

With the extension of the 78-cent-per-litre subsidy, Inuit beneficiaries pay $1.69 per litre instead of the previous $1.84.

The Quebec government agreed in 2019 to provide $115 million over six years to help fight the high cost of living in Nunavik.

The gasoline subsidy is one of six cost-of-living reduction programs. Others include reduced airfare, elder assistance, country food community support, help with household appliances, and assistance for purchasing harvesting equipment.

The agreement with the provincial government was to expire on March 31 this year but was extended an additional year, said Denis Abbott, KRG’s communications director, in an email.

The extension will allow the three parties to negotiate a new, long-term agreement, Abbott said.

Makivvik president Pita Aatami said affordable fuel allows Inuit to maintain their way of life.

“Affordable gasoline means to access our land, to provide for our families and to support our communities,” he said in the news release.