Second straight year for Kitikmeot hamlet
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Pelly Bay (Mar 26/01) - For the second year in a row, the town will be forced to fly in heating fuel before the yearly resupply tanker arrives.
That in itself is a problem. But, to further compound the matter, until the government comes through with money to increase the size of the tank farm, the hamlet will continue to run short of heating fuel. They can currently store 1.3 million litres of fuel in the community.
"The shortfall ... we'll be experiencing right up until we get the tank farm," said Brent Boddy, the director of the department of public works and services for the Kitikmeot region.
Because the government's capital plans are still being discussed in the Legislative Assembly, Boddy was unable to say when the new tank farm would be constructed.
He did say however, that as is the usual practice, a Hercules aircraft would be used to resupply the community in May.
Last year, in order to make up for the shortfall, the government had to charter a First Air Hawker because a Hercules was unavailable. Making a total of 43 trips to carry 224,975 litres of fuel, that venture cost the GN $168,933.
Quinn Taggart, Kugaaruk's senior administrator, said just as he was able to predict last year's shortage, he knew long before the fuel started to run low this year that he would be encountering the same problem.
"We've known since last year there was no way we were going to be able to maintain capacity," he said.
While they used to be able to make do, Taggart said growth in the community -- 16 new homes as well as a duplex have been built since 1996 -- were taxing their ability to store enough fuel.
How much the resupply will cost has not yet been determined.
