At a council meeting earlier this month, Coun. Justin Merritt suggested the hamlet invite cargo business representatives to Rankin for a public meeting.

The Government of Nunavut is expected to decide how it's going to move dry goods by the end of January or early February.

Merritt says at that time residents should know if the Northern Transportation Company Ltd. is still in the picture for the Kivalliq region.

In the meantime, he'd like to see council make contact with the City of Iqaluit to find out what Montreal-based company is used by the capital to ship dry goods.

"Once we know who we should be talking to, we can make contact with that company and find out if it's interested in coming to Rankin to meet with local business people, the hamlet and individuals who order sea lifts," says Merritt.

"A meeting like that would be good for their business, and it would give people here a chance to meet them and find out how you go about ordering out of Montreal -- schedules, pricing, those types of things."

This would not be the first time a similar approach paid dividends for the hamlet.

Merritt says it wasn't all that long ago -- 10 or 15 years -- when there were only 20 cars in Rankin and nobody could get ATV insurance.

He says council invited a number of insurance representatives to come to the hamlet and talk business.

Machine owners were feeling the pressure because a deadline had been set for issuing fines to riders who didn't have their machines properly insured.

Only Churchill's Wally Hyska took council up on its offer.

Merritt says Hyska sat inside the hamlet office for the entire weekend showing people how to properly fill out the proper forms.

"That visit led to him getting all the insurance business here at the time. He only had to come back once or twice after that to explain things before everyone was used to it.

"There's a chance you could see the dry cargo scenario unfold the same way."