New hotel complex completes opening in Fort Simpson

Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson

Fort of the Forks in Fort Simpson is now fully open for business.

The $4-million facility - which includes a lodge with 48 rooms, a 100-person conference room, a restaurant, a gas bar and a convenience store - is a partnership between multinational food service provider Sodexo, Georgia-based Landmark Logistics and the Liidlii Kue First Nation's business arm Nogha Enterprises.

While the convenience store and gas bar opened in November, the restaurant didn't open until the spring and the lodge last month.

"We haven't had a grand opening yet, but we are functional and able to take people in," said Dennis Nelner, general manager of Nogha, who added that a grand opening is being planned for August.

Housing corp. project creates work for Rankin contractor

Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet

Huka Services in Rankin Inlet, a car parts supplier and repair shop that doubles as a plumbing, mechanical and electrical contractor, is currently working on two duplexes for the Nunavut Housing Corporation in Whale Cove.

Two employees of the company are working on the project, which is expected to wrap up this fall, according to Huka general manager Brian Sigurdson.

The company is also kept busy by yearly work certifying fire alarm systems for the Government of Nunavut, he added.

Baffinland responding to regulatory demands

Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet

A requirement to consider alternative shipping routes for transporting ore from its Mary River deposit near Pond Inlet to European markets by sea is entirely in line with normal regulatory policy and will be carried out, said Greg Chubb, vice-president of sustainable development for Baffinland Iron Mines, which is developing the future Mary River iron ore mine.

From March to May of this year, the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB), which will review Baffinland's environmental impact statement for Mary River held community consultations in 11 Nunavut communities affected by either the mine or the proposed shipping route, which would see ore taken to the south shore of Baffin Island at Steensby Inlet and shipped through the Foxe Basin on its way to Europe.

Over the course of the meetings, several community residents expressed a concern about oil leaks and other possible contaminants to the basin.

"We will be presenting alternatives as part of the environmental impact study; that's our job," said Chubb, though he added that Steensby Inlet remains the company's preferred shipping route.

The company had previously considered shipping ore from Milne Inlet, on the north shore of Baffin Island, but the company scrapped that plan due to the population of narwhals in surrounding waters and other factors, said Chubb.

Inuvik store break-in

Inuvik

Thieves recently broke into MacKenzie Range Supply in Inuvik and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, but it could have been worse, said owner and deputy mayor Chris Larocque.

According to Larocque, "They entered through the back door. They had packed up a whole bunch of stuff into bags" - including batteries, bear spray and dog repellent - "but then they left it all in the shop. They must have gotten spooked by something."

The incident took place in the early morning of June 23.

The store was also broken into the same time last year, added Larocque.

"It's almost exactly the one-year anniversary," he said.

Canadian North cuts extra flight

Lli Goline/Norman Wells

Canadian North has cut down the number of daily flights between Norman Wells and Inuvik as a result of reduced demand overall for scheduled passenger flights and cargo runs, which itself is the result of declining oil and gas exploration work in the Inuvik area.

The company used to offer daily service between the communities, plus three additional flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Now only one extra flight will be offered a week, said Kelly Kaylo, vice-president of passenger, product and sales for Canadian North.

"In any situation where our company is being affected significantly by a market condition, we will be making changes to mitigate that situation," she said.

"(This change) has resulted in significant cost savings and relatively little impact for the market because the market was in a downturn mode."