Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Apr 12/99) - If all goes well over the next few weeks, Iqaluit will hopefully be looking at initiating and continuing work on $15 million worth of municipal projects.

Denis Bedard, the director of engineering and planning for Iqaluit, said depending on the approval of their capital plan by the government of Nunavut, ground could be broken on several different projects within the next several weeks.

"It's all dependent on government funding," said Bedard.

"We're not sure as to when the government of Nunavut is going to finalize the capital plan. We understand soon."

Bedard noted that the municipality's council had sent a copy of its plan and priorities to the Department of Community Government, Housing and Transportation some time ago and were still waiting to hear how the department would proceed.

"We're hoping they can use that to identify the priorities," said Bedard.

He explained that a $7-million sewage treatment facility -- which will replace the ineffective and toxic sewage lagoon currently in use -- had been given top billing by the town and that a paving project was second on the list.

To be accomplished over a period of seven years, the new pavement will eventually cover the downtown core and ring in at a total of $3.5 million.

While costs will be offset by the offer of a contractor to ship a paving machine to Iqaluit, the sidewalk and road paving project is expected to cost more than half a million dollars this year alone.

Construction on a bypass road may also begin this year depending on the amount of funding given to the town and Bedard said a possible site for construction of an industrial park had also been identified.

While all of the projects were in their end stages of design, Bedard again noted that it all came down to the new government.

"It's not anyone's fault. It's just that we faced something in history that no one has ever faced before -- a new government. We have to realize things are a bit slow."

Bedard added that the construction of a new $4-million, 100-lot subdivision on Iqaluit's Road to Nowhere was also scheduled to begin this year, but that it would be funded by loans the town had secured. Because of the affordable cost of the lots, Bedard said he believed the city would be able to recover the money on the lots quite quickly.

"We should be able to build these lots for around $40,000 (each) and if we can stick to that, those are pretty affordable and they'll go like hotcakes."