Pangnirtung plans major redevelopment with Anglican church lands

A central community lot in Pangnirtung currently occupied by derelict church buildings will be redeveloped through a new partnership between the hamlet and the Anglican Diocese of the Arctic.

The Hamlet of Pangnirtung announced Feb. 18 that it has reached an agreement with the diocese to form a working group focused on future use of the site. The lot where the old Anglican church buildings sit has long been seen as a key piece of real estate in the community.

“The hamlet council is determined to see the derelict buildings demolished and new buildings constructed in their place,” the hamlet’s notice said.

The newer end of the old hospital in Pangnirtung, later home to the Anglican Church’s Arthur Turner Training School, will also be torn down, said Jack Hicks, the hamlet’s SAO, in an email.

The theological school, which started in the former hospital, trained several clergy now serving in the Diocese of the Arctic. The school closed in 2007 after harsh weather rendered the building unusable.

The former Arthur Turner Training School in Pangnirtung, once used for training clergy in the Diocese of the Arctic, will be demolished after years of weather damage left the building unusable. (File photo by Corey Larocque)

Proposed developments include a new daycare, a multi-purpose facility from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and possibly a new hamlet complex. The local Anglican vestry committee also envisions a new parish hall plus housing for a resident minister.

“The existing buildings served their purpose and were just completely worn out and have been just taking up space,” Alexander Pryor, executive archdeacon for the diocese, said in an interview.

“They have been, frankly, quite dangerous.”

Before anything can be built, the existing structures must be removed — a process that begins with asbestos remediation in May.

According to the hamlet’s announcement, it will cost approximately $300,000 to safely remove hazardous materials and ship them south for disposal.

The hamlet is seeking $100,000 each from the federal and Nunavut governments to help cover the cost of demolition, which is expected to take place in June and July following the asbestos removal.

Pryor said that at this stage of planning, it’s too soon to say how much the entire project might cost.

He said discussions with the hamlet and local elders have focused on building something that will truly serve the community.

“The hamlet, the diocese and the local church agreed that we wanted to see that land used wisely, to benefit the community in some real way,” he said.

While no final decisions have been made about what will be built, Pryor said there’s a strong consensus around building upward to make the most efficient use of space and heating.

“The thought is to have whatever goes there to be multi-purpose and multi-storey for efficiency and for good use of funds,” he said.

“From the diocesan perspective, we do want at least a second storey, if not a third storey, to be housing for the community and then for that to include housing for our resident minister.”

A broader consultation process will begin in the fall, to give residents and organizations a chance to weigh in.

This includes the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and a local elders’ group that, decades ago, sought to build an elders’ centre on the land.

“This is part of why we’re waiting until fall,” said Pryor. “Just to make sure that anyone who needs to be at that meeting, who has a vision or a hope for what could be developed in the centre of Pangnirtung, has a chance to be part of that conversation.”

Although no funding applications have yet been submitted, he said the project will likely explore opportunities through the territorial government’s Nunavut 3000 housing initiative and other infrastructure programs once a clear vision is established.

Nunatsiaq News contacted the hamlet to learn more its redevelopment plans but an interview request was declined.