Iqaluit (Sep 15/03) - In the spring, the City of Iqaluit will start working on a number of projects to upgrade water treatment and sewer services in the city.

On Sept. 11, the city held a referendum for the ratepayers of Iqaluit to find if they supported the city borrowing $4.05 million for infrastructure projects.

Of the 605 eligible ratepayers in Iqaluit, 291 voters turned out to cast their ballots. The referendum passed with 61 per cent of the people voting yes and 39 per cent voting no.

Steve Cook, general manager of Nunastar Properties Inc., said the upgrades to the infrastructure is good news for the city.

He explained that because of the explosive growth in Iqaluit, the city is behind in it's infrastructure development.

"I'm glad the referendum has passed," he said.

"Nobody like the taxes going up but this is something that has to be done."

One of the projects Cook would like to see completed is an upgrade to the road system in the community.

"That's a safety factor that needs to be dealt with," he said.

The $4.05 million has been earmarked for 11 projects that will start in the spring. The projects range from upgrading the water treatment plant and sewer lines to road improvements.

To cover the costs of all the infrastructure development projects, the territorial government will contribute $31.183 million and the city will kick in $8.418 million over the next five years.