Gravel transfer only short-term solution
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Jun 06/01) - The Nunavut government's transfer of stockpiled granular material in nine hamlets is good news for the time being, but it doesn't address the communities' long-term needs.
Five Kivalliq hamlets benefit from the Department of Public Works (DPW) transfer -- Rankin Inlet, Repulse Bay, Whale Cove, Arviat and Chesterfield Inlet -- announced this past week by Minister Manitok Thompson.
The transfer drew mixed reviews in Rankin Inlet.
Although some of the material is blast rock -- for which the hamlet has no use -- gaining control of 8,285 square metres of 25-millimetre and 1,072 square metres of 50-millimetre crushed rock is a tremendous boost to the hamlet's operation and maintenance program.
Senior administration officer Ron Roach says the transfer allows the hamlet to make a number of needed improvements in the community.
"Council met and decided we're going to be changing 21 culverts this year and doing the main road to the end of Area 6," says Roach.
"We'll also be doing two side roads in Area 6 which are very bad, and the road leading from the RCMP station to the home of John Hickes."
In the past, hamlets had to purchase their granular material from DPW at a price of $50 to $60 per square metre.
Roach says he's still looking into exactly how long the current supply will last.
And, although he doesn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, he says the transfer is not a long-term solution.
"We have nothing in our budget to allow us to obtain more and our need for crushed gravel is definitely going to continue.
"My understanding is the NG has no future plans in place for a granular program."
Roach says once the current stockpile runs out in each hamlet, it will be their responsibility to source their own granular material.
"For Rankin Inlet, our next step will be to lobby with our MLAs (Jack Anawak and Thompson) and try to obtain the Nunavut government's long-term vision of how we're going to source more material.
"We have some ideas, but we'll wait to hear what they have to say.
"No matter which way you look at it, we're going to continue needing granular materials after this runs out and we have nothing in our budget to accommodate that need."
