IQALUIT, Nunavut — Nunavut’s capital was able to avert a water-shortage crisis last week, but the member of Parliament for the territory says infrastructure in the North is an issue of Arctic security.
Lori Idlout says federal investments in the North have often been inadequate to meet all of the infrastructure needs of communities and Ottawa tends to respond to emergencies rather than invest in long-term prevention.
“They always seem to forget how important Arctic sovereignty is when it comes to investing in the North,” the NDP MP said. “They need to do better for Arctic sovereignty, not just by providing military resources, but actually investing in the people and the resources that are needed to keep a community going.”
Iqaluit and Nunavut both declared states of emergency in August to ensure the territorial capital would be able to replenish its reservoir, Lake Geraldine, before it freezes so residents could have enough water to make it through the winter. The emergency ended early last week as the city obtained approval to begin pumping water from nearby Unnamed Lake.
It was not the first time there have been concerns about whether the reservoir can meet the needs of Iqaluit’s population of more than 7,700. A state of emergency was declared in 2019 to allow Iqaluit to pump water from Unnamed Lake. It has also been filling the reservoir from the Apex River since at least 2018.
The city made headlines when its water supply was contaminated by fuel in October 2021, forcing residents to fill containers with water from Sylvia Grinnell River or turn to bottled water flown in from Southern Canada.
“I’ve been hearing some level of frustration from the community for sure,” Idlout said. “I think there is a sense of hope knowing that the investments have been made, but hopefully it doesn’t take too long for the infrastructure to actually be updated and fixed so that the water that is available will be consistently reliable.”
The federal government committed more than $214 million in April to support a new reservoir and upgrades to Iqaluit’s water distribution system. The city said it expects it will take four years to complete the project.
Kaylia Little, a PhD student in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at the University of Waterloo, said Iqaluit’s water shortages are a “prime example” of the growing infrastructure gap between Canada’s North and South. She researched the connection between Iqaluit’s water crisis and northern infrastructure for the Arctic Institute.
“If Ottawa doesn’t have water or if Toronto doesn’t have water, we’re going to be hearing about it non-stop in the news and a solution would be found as quickly as possible,” she said.
“Putting Iqaluit in that same frame of mind and understanding the importance that it has not only for the local residents … but also what that means for somewhere where the government is based and what that impact might have across the territory.”
Little said Nunavut’s drinking water infrastructure is well below national standards, noting residents across the territory are reliant on trucked water.
The effects from climate change are increasing strain on aging and limited infrastructure in Nunavut, she added.
The deficit of more than 500 million litres of water in Lake Geraldine this year was caused by a lack of precipitation and flows on the Apex River being at a 40-year low.
The city initially said it would take 40 days to pump the necessary water from Unnamed Lake, but Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell said that has now been reduced to 21 days due to additional rainfall.
Bell said the water shortage has far-reaching effects, as it means new housing can’t be built, making it challenging to attract new residents and fill vacant positions.
However, he said council has approved a new subdivision that can begin construction as soon as the water issue is addressed.
Bell said the city’s longer term plans include making Lake Geraldine bigger and continuing to pump water from Unnamed Lake in the summer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2022.
— By Emily Blake in Yellowknife
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
