Grise Fiord (Oct 23/06) - Some relief may finally be in the offing for employees in Grise Fiord's derelict government office building.

Those who work there say the dusty 1960s-era trailers don't come close to meeting modern building standards. The asbestos-laden building suffers from poor ventilation and problems with the sewer and heating systems.

"I still sneeze when I go into my office," said municipal liaison officer Jimmie Qaapik.

But there are signs a fix is on the way. The Department of Community and Government Services (CG&S) will soon spring for some improvements to the building's heating and sewage systems, Will Ferguson, the hamlet's senior administrative officer, said.

"They're going to do some upgrades to bring it up to building codes," he said.

John Dawe, of CG&S, was unable to say when the maintenance would go ahead or how much it would cost. But he said new office space for the hamlet is a priority and politicians in Iqaluit will make the final call.

The government has received $73.5 million in infrastructure money from three federal programs including the gas tax fund. Dawe said the department is sorting out who gets what over the next five years.

The hamlet is hoping for an expansion to the hamlet offices that would bring the GN employees under the same roof.

For that reason, it's not worth sinking too much cash into repairs for the old building, Ferguson said.