Water supply a consideration if Iqaluit is to host military base, mayor says

Hosting a military base could put demands on Iqaluit’s water system, says Mayor Solomon Awa. But, the idea also presents an economic opportunity.

“There’s a question of do we have enough water?” Awa said in an interview, a day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his party would build CFB Iqaluit if his party wins the next federal election.

But having an adequate water supply is one of the considerations the city would have to face, Iqaluit’s mayor said.

“If not, we’re going to have to ask [for] more funding to create more water for the city.”

Iqaluit’s long-term water supply and distribution upgrades, to which the federal government contributed $214 million in 2022, is one of the city’s major ongoing projects. These upgrades are meant to bolster a system that often struggles to meet the city’s needs.

Plans call for the construction of a new reservoir and water intake system to be completed by 2029, a timeline presented at a community open house last November said.

Awa also spoke about the potential economic impact a military base could have on the city.

“I, myself, with the councillors, we want to grow in the city, economically,” he said.

“This will help, economically.”

Poilievre said Monday during a press conference at the Iqaluit airport that Canada “must take control” of the North amid threats to Arctic security from Russia and China.

In addition to building a base that could host a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron within two years of forming government, Poilievre said he’d double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers from 2,000 to 4,000 members, and buy two new icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy.

He didn’t say how much his promises would cost, but said the price of the base will be covered by cuts to Canadian foreign aid.

The idea of putting a military base in Iqaluit is not a new one, Awa said.

“I’m not surprised,” Awa said, adding that it’s a topic city councillors have discussed before.

The next federal election this year is set for Oct. 20, but it could happen sooner if the Liberal government, under a new leader, loses a confidence vote when Parliament resumes or if the new Liberal leader calls a snap election before October.

“We don’t know who is going to be elected, we don’t know if they’re going to be a majority government,” Awa said.

And if Poilievre’s Conservatives form the government, “We also don’t know if they’re going to keep their promise, so there’s a question here,” Awa said.