A photo of the rooms at the Green Row Executive Suites in Cambridge Bay. The hotel has had a 10 per cent jump in bookings due to construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. - photo courtesy of Green Row Executive Suites

IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
The Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) still has years of work to go before completion, but businesses in the community are already feeling the positive impact of the $142 million project in their pockets.

Dan Carson, manager of Green Row Executive Suites, told Nunavut News/North he estimated there had already been a 10 per cent increase in room reservations directly related to people coming in to work on CHARS since last September.

"We're getting the high end people here," he said, referring to the architects, lawyers, electrical and plumbing consultants who stay at Green Row approximately once a month. While construction workers will remain at a camp on site, other staff are using lodging in town, Carson said.

According to Carson, more environment meetings related to CHARS behind held in the town were also bringing in additional room revenue.

The company even planned a seven room bed and breakfast in anticipation of the project. "We knew the rush was coming," Carson said. And while the hotel is currently fully booked, the reservations are due to the mayor's meeting and a 200 person military effort in the area where the HMS Erebus was recently found.

"When they did the instalment they were all staying with us," he said. "Then they're leaving next week and they're all staying with us while they're dismantling the camp site."

After five years of working at Green Row, Carson also observed that the community was struggling to keep up with the current demand for accommodations. "You can tell it's boomtown right now," he said. "Yesterday there wasn't one room left in town."

Dan Cress, manager at Kitnuna Corporation, said the CHARS project has already led to his company hiring at least 12 people. Most of those new staff were residents of Cambridge Bay but four of them were from outside of the community. "We have bought various pieces of machinery and vehicles that are used on site: compactors, half-ton trucks and loaders," he said.

"I think CHARS will have a major impact on all businesses and the community in Cambridge Bay due to the number of people here during construction and the ongoing need for employment for the long term."

Construction of the CHARS is scheduled to continue until 2017. The facility's planned opening date is July 1, 2017.

- With files from Andrew Livingstone

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