Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Pond Inlet (Oct 14/02) - The Toonoonik-Sahoonik Co-operative may build an 84-bed hotel and conference centre in Pond Inlet.

Co-op manager Chris Mitchell said Pond Inlet's current hotel can't keep up with demand.

The present hotel and overflow facilities can accommodate 56 guests.

"As we speak, our hotel is 100 per cent full," he said. "There are times when we have to put two or three people in a room."

The project will likely cost $2-$5 million dollars with an eight-month construction period. The planned site, in the east end of town, offers an impressive view of the mountain range and a chance to spot whales in the spring.

Government decentralization has also created a greater need for training sessions and conferences in Pond Inlet, he said.

The Co-op would also market the hotel internationally, as an executive retreat that offers team building workshops.

"We would encourage executives to come here and challenge their teams in one of the harshest but most beautiful environments in the world," he said.

"I can see us offering snowshoe trips, dogsled trips, to challenge some of the best minds to work together to obtain team goals."

Nunavut Tourism, Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Hamlet of Pond Inlet are taking part in the feasibility study.

The Co-op board sent a letter to its 700 members asking for their support. A detailed plan will be unveiled at its annual general meeting on Dec. 11.

Technically, the board does not need membership approval to proceed but Mitchell said, "There is no way the board would proceed without it."

Co-op president Jaykolasie Killiktee said the hamlet began studying the hotel and conference centre in 1997 when the hamlet started considering expanding the town's airport.

"The new hotel will be there for future generations to enjoy and help youth find employment," he said.

Toonoonik-Sahoonik Co-operative, incorporated in 1968, is one of the most diverse co-ops in Nunavut, with total assets of more than $7 million.

Its businesses include a retail store, post office, fuel delivery, cable television services and property rentals.