Feds reject 5 of 6 infrastructure proposals from Nunavut government

Five of the six infrastructure projects the government of Nunavut submitted for consideration to the federal National Trade Corridors Fund have been rejected.

The fund hasthe goal of addressing capacity issues in transportation networks.

Nunavut asked for monetary help with the design and engineering work for all its submissions, as that preliminary phase would need to be completed before it could estimate the total cost of the projects.

The rejected projects include relocating the airports in Pangnirtung and Kimmirut, a winter road from the Kivalliq region to Manitoba, the Grays Bay road and port project and marine development in Qikiqtarjuaq.

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The territorial government is still waiting on a decision for its final submission, which asks for $22 million to build new airport terminals in Naujaat, Chesterfield Inlet, Whale Cove, Kugluktuk and Kimmirut.

A 2014 needs assessment by the Government of Nunavut estimated that all of those airports would have reached the end of their life cycle by now.

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Kimmirut's airport was the first to reach its proposed end of life in 2015, while Whale Covehit that deadline this year.

Transport Canada, which is managing the fund, said it would not disclose the reasons for rejection to CBC for privacy reasons, but would offer an explanation to the Government of Nunavut.

Joe Savikataaq, the minister of Economic Development and Transportation, said he does not know why the projects were rejected. He says he thinks they might not have met the criteria for the fund.

As for what happens now, Savikataaq said, the department will be looking into other funding options for the rejected projects.

"Well I guess they'll just sit on the shelf unless there's another funding avenue. But we'll mainly be concentrating on the ones that haven't been rejected yet," Savikataaq said.

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