Nunavut legislature building opening for business

SEAN McKIBBON
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — The Nunavut legislative assembly building in Iqaluit is now ready, and its new tenants are in the final stages of moving in.

Barry Cornthwaite, the facilities manager for Nunavut’s public works department, said the move has gone smoothly thanks to government workers keeping their cool.

“Everybody has been really understanding. It’s a situation that could have been bad, but hasn’t been,” Cornthwaite said.

The move has been happening for the last two weeks. Cornthwaite expects the last set of offices — those of the premier, the department of the executive’s staff, and MLAs are to finish moving this weekend.

“September 10 is the last day we’ll be moving people,” he said.

Legislative department staff and the legislature’s library have already been moved into the building’s third floor.

Departmental staff have moved from Noble House to the second floor. The second floor will also house the office of the premier and other executive workers.

The first floor offices are to be the domain of regular MLA’s and legislative assembly speaker Levi Barnabas.

“The MLAs will have separate offices but share support staff,” Cornthwaite said. He said that in total, the building’s offices will house between 80 and 100 people when the move is complete.

“There’s been a lot of people putting in long hours moving in furniture and getting things ready to make this go as smoothly as possible.

The legislature is expected to be opened on or about October 20 with a gala event.