Operation plan coming for Iqaluit deep sea port, but it's not opening this season

The Nunavut government will have an operation plan in place for Iqaluit's long-awaited deep-sea port in the next few months, according to Economic Development and Transportation Minister David Akeeagok.

Despite the project's construction expected to be done by late August, Akeeagok told the Legislature earlier this month that there had not been a decision yet on who will run the port or how.

He told CBC News recently that a consultant firm  — Advisian Worley Group — has been hired to come up with that management plan and that work is still underway. 

"It's taking a while to get that portion done," he said. 

Akeeagok's expecting a report from the consultant "any time," which the territory will have to look over and accept before it's set in stone, but he said the report likely won't be public until August or September. The report will also cover safety, equipment and rules on docking fees, he said.

Akeeagok expects personnel training for port workers to happen over the coming winter.

Project 2 years behind

The project, estimated to be worth about $85 million and to include a small craft harbour, had previously been anticipated to be complete in 2020 and operating by fall 2021. The city of Iqaluit first spearheaded the concept of the deep sea port in 2005.

In 2016, the then-assistant deputy minister for the Department of Economic Development and Transportation said the port would initially be owned and operated as a territorial government asset, but also floated the idea of a harbour authority to operate and manage it.

There have been renewed calls for the port over the years as shipments containing annual resupply have been delayed by ice and weather. In one instance, in 2015 a shipment made it to Iqaluit shores with the help of an icebreaker, several weeks behind schedule. In 2019, reports of large chunks of sea ice floating in Frobisher Bay held up the transport of construction materials into Iqaluit, causing delays to the port project.

Without a port operation plan in place, and, Akeeagok said, because opening a seaport would be disruptive, the port won't open until at least next season.

"We made a decision that ... physically we can't have it open this season just because of the two sealift offices will need to be moved there and few other things that would need to be moved in order for it to be functional. And doing it halfway through a shipping season might be too disruptive."

Akeeagok said the main benefit to having the port will be to cut down the time it takes for ships to unload. This will allow the ship to get to their next destinations sooner too, he added.

It's not clear whether the new port will cut costs for Nunavut consumers, he said.

The road between the port and the city also still needs work.

City of Iqaluit spokesperson Aleksey Cameron confirmed in an email that 3.4 kilometres of upgrades to Akilliq Drive — which "was not designed to withstand the volume of traffic and payloads associated with the operation of a deep sea port" — will cost $9.7 million.

The territory has agreed to help fund the road, though Cameron said the amount of funding was not yet defined and the city was "anxious to proceed." 

Lack of plan 'kind of shocking'

Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell was surprised to learn there's no operating plan for the port. 

"It's gonna be a good addition to our community," Bell said. "Hearing … that they don't even have a plan to operate was kind of shocking."

Bell said he hasn't been provided any information on the port since last summer.

Bell said he believes the new port will "definitely" help the city and its developers and citizens bring in supplies, including for larger projects like the city's upcoming water upgrade project. 

"As we fix our water supply, there's going to be a major boom in housing here. And that's going to be cheaper and faster to offload goods to make that happen," Bell said.

He wasn't sure if the port will make bringing in goods to Iqaluit cheaper for residents, partly because of a global spike in fuel prices.

But he added, "the speed is a huge benefit regardless of costs."

"We need that port in operation and we need the speed of unloading so that we can bring in more supplies to get … our water situation and our housing situation back under control."

Strained relationship

Marc André Bougie, vice president of sales marketing at Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping Inc. (NEAS), said the company also hasn't had much update from the territory. 

"All we know is that the port is not scheduled to be in operation for the 2022 sealift season," Bougie said. "The GN [Government of Nunavut] hasn't really communicated with us regarding the completion of the port or how it's going to be managed."

He said more information would help the company plan its operations.

As for the construction, Simon-Pier Laberge, project manager for Tower Arctic, the construction company working on the port, said it's almost wrapped up. There are a few tasks left to complete, like electrical wiring, installing a small craft harbour and a boat ramp among others.

Laberge said part of the delay to the project is due to a slightly strained relationship with the territory at times, including some design issues. Transportation Minister Akeeagok alluded to this as well and said both have agreed to arbitration.

The COVID-19 pandemic also caused some setbacks too, Laberge said.

"We're now close to the end and we're hoping to finish by the end of August," Laberge said. "So, that's what we're planning for now."