Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Sept 03/01) - Hundreds of jobs are expected to be created during the cleanup of military radar sites around the territory.

And most of those jobs will go to Nunavummiut under terms of an agreement signed Friday in Iqaluit.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. acting president James Eetoolook and Defence Minister Art Eggleton signed the economic benefits agreement governing the cleanup of 15 Distant Early Warning (DEW line) sites across Nunavut.

On hand for the ceremony were Premier Paul Okalik and the presidents of the Kitikmeot and Qikiqtani Inuit Associations.

Eetoolook said the agreement, "provides our people, our entrepreneurs, and our communities the opportunity to develop our workforce."

The Department of National Defence (DND) will spend at least $200 million in Nunavut over the next seven years to clean up the defunct relics of the Cold War.

Another $100 million will be spent to clean-up DEW-Line sites in other Northern locations.

In addition to the cleanup money, Eetoolook said $750,000 was allocated to "pay for the development of training to prepare Inuit for employment on the cleanup."

Eetoolook said "900 Inuit jobs during the duration of the whole cleanup" will be created.

The agreement ensures the minimum level of Inuit employment at any given cleanup site will not dip below 65 per cent and can reach as high as 85 per cent.

Contractors involved in the cleanup will be required to provide a participation plan to ensure they meet minimum employment levels.

The DEW-Line formally ceased to operate in 1993. Soil on and around the radar sites is contaminated with oil and gas, and many of the sites are also contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

DND estimates that the cleanup will be completed by 2008.