Uquutaq Society gets $1M kitchen upgrade
Space to provide meal services and future training opportunities for organization’s clients
The inside of the newly renovated Uquutaq Society commercial kitchen and training space, which has been in operation for four weeks. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Uquutaq Society in Iqaluit has a new commercial kitchen, after receiving close to $1 million from the federal government.
Plans for the kitchen, which has been in operation for the past four weeks, have been in the works since 2019.
“Before the upgrade, there was a residential-style kitchen and what could practically be produced out of that kitchen — catering back then to the needs of 60 guests that we serve on a daily basis — was a struggle,” said Kevin Eaton, the society’s incoming executive director.
The new commercial kitchen, located in the Uquutaq Society’s main building 1079, functions as an in-house catering service for the society.
It provides breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week to the society’s homeless shelter at building 1077 and the transitional housing program it operates on the second floor of building 1077.
The renovated Uquutaq Society kitchen has a separate entrance. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Eaton hopes the new kitchen will also provide more training opportunities for Uquutaq’s clients.
“We’re working on putting together integrated life skills programs or an experiential program in the efforts of connecting those we serve with practical meaningful experiences that they can carry forward in their life,” he said.
The society kicked in $50,000 of its own money to help pay for the work.
Dan Vandal, the federal minister of northern affairs, made a visit to Uquutaq Society on Oct. 10 where he announced his government’s $970,000 contribution to the new space.
The federal funding is channelled through CanNor, or the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, which Vandal oversees.
Additional contributions toward the renovation include $20,000 from the Nunavut government and a combined $38,000 from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Kakivak Association.
In response to Vandal’s funding announcement, Eaton expressed his appreciation for government and federal support toward the society’s programs.
“The federal government had the willingness and desire to contribute to this project, which is so meaningful and impactful as we work towards our common goal which is supporting those transitioning from homelessness to independent housing,” Eaton said.
$1,078,000 for a commercial kitchen, wow. Who was the contractor?
Numbers just fly around in those articles, but there is no real info. How in the world could such a small kitchen cost more than a million dollars? For me, $78 000 is already expensive for this project, but $1,078,000 is just insane! Is there someone who can explain this, please? Is there a place where we can find this information since it’s public money? And yes: Who is the contractor? (lower bid?) Why is it published as if it’s normal?
Industrial dishwashers run from $5k-10k. That commercial convection oven on the left starts at $6k. The warming trays on the right are $1k each. That microwave on the top right is also ~1k.
For that small kitchen you’re probably looking at $78,000 in equipment alone, plus you have to sealift it up here, plus you need to gut and rebuild the existing kitchen, including upgrades for ventilation and wiring and plumbing to account for the increased usage. And then you need to hire contractors to do the work.
I can absolutely believe that the society spent six figures on that kitchen.
Yes, I can absolutely believe they spent 6 figures on that kitchen… but 7 figures?
The equipment you listed adds up to $20,000. You’re still $1,058,000 short. If it said they spent $300,000 on a new kitchen, I wouldn’t have felt the need to comment. But there’s a whole other $778,000 on top of that.
I understand that things do cost more in the north. But, like my name says, you can put into Google how much a new commercial kitchen costs, and there aren’t any amounts listed there that are even a third the amount that this one apparently cost.
I quit work sick and tired of Nunavut wasting my tax
If I had a million dollars, I would buy a nice kitchen and use what’s left to buy a nice house and a nice car, or I would just stick to buying the items in the old song ‘If I had a million dollars’, and wouldn’t mind stopping by and getting a free lunch made in a million dollars kitchen.
The wasted money if U ask any of the clients.
All that money to upgrade a kitchen, only to serve at times just one hot dog per client, with nothing on the side, one burger per client with nothing on the side just a burger, but burger is a bit more filling then one hotdog, one hotdog and nothing else.
Such a fancy new kitchen only to serve meals the elderly clients are forced to eat out of hunger, an elder who has to wipe the hot/spicy sauce off the chicken just to eat it.
The upgrade came with a hefty price towards the clients, less meal portions, more hungry clients.
Someone please help the unfortunates, meals is only one of the problem within the Shelter.
The financial supports available to shelters are those defined by (typically) federal programs.
Providing 60,000 meals a year requires a proper kitchen.
Well done Uquutaq!
Maybe the GN can come up with some ongoing funding to ensure food service is maintained as well.
The expectation that the GN always intervene to save us needs to end. We should look for funding from private sources, tap the resource of public good will and charity.
The question is not, “Do we need it?” The question is, “Who did the work and at what cost?” Some people may think there is a way to do this work for cheaper and save taxpayers money for a change… The question is legit; one million dollars is a lot of money for a small kitchen. Unfortunately, nobody is going to answer it, and this fact tells me that we have reasons to be suspicious… (I could be wrong too… Maybe I’m not aware of the reality of the North.) Anyway, bottom line, there is a new kitchen for homeless people, and it’s a good new. Congrats!