Satellite outage caught communities unprepared

Sanikiluaq was not prepared for the recent satellite failure that cut off communication, the MLA for the community told the Nunavut legislative assembly Tuesday.

On Oct. 6, the Anik F2 satellite malfunctioned, leaving all Nunavut communities without internet or long-distance telephone servicefor most of the day.

Allan Rumbolt told the assemblythe community'shealth centre was left scrambling to deal with a medical emergency.

"During the communications outage in Sanikiluaq it was observed that the health centre did not have a satellite phone of its own and had to borrow a phone to communicate with out-of-territory medical personnel during a medevac."

Lorne Kusugak, minister of Community and Government Services, said the small hamlet on an islandin Hudson Bay was not the only community lacking emergency communication tools.

"I cannot speak for the Department of Health but I could say this, that in communities Sanikiluaq apparently was not the only one that may not have had a satellite phone," he said.

Other emergency services such as the RCMP do have satellite phones, and can help, he said.

Back-up plan in the works

Earlier this week, Kusugak said the Government of Nunavut had already been talking about a back-up communications system with Industry Canada prior to the satellite malfunction, and that it's now more important than ever. All of NorthwesTel's long distance phone and internet service is routed through the Anik F2.

"The scary part about it is we don't have redundancy in Nunavut when it comes to that," he said. "The south has land lines and many other ways of communication. We had no other way of communicating outside our municipalities."

The communications breakdown shows how vulnerable Nunavut is, Premier Eva Aariak said.

"It certainly came as an unexpected event and it goes to show you how telecommunications and the use of satellites is very important to the Arctic."

Kusugak said Nunavut will need help to pay for a back-up communications system, and Aariak said the GN will continue to lobby Ottawa for support.