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Iqaluit eyes deepwater port

Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (June 06/05) - A deepwater port serving the city of Iqaluit may be completed as soon as the summer of 2007, say officials.

In a meeting at the end of May, project stakeholders, "definitely identified a need for (a deepwater port)," said Iqaluit Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik.

Stakeholders in the project - including the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association, shipping companies, Inuit organizations, and the territorial and federal governments - all think the port facility is a good idea.

A deepwater port would allow ships to unload cargo 24 hours a day, and not just when the tide permits, said the mayor, adding this potential may also attract cruise ships to Iqaluit.

But the key word in the port project is "integrated," said Terry Forth of Aarluk Consulting Inc., which is leading the work on port.

Included in the port facility, which has been pegged at about $20 million, would be areas to dock small watercraft, for both commercial and personal uses.

Lower shipping costs

The facility may potentially lower shipping costs to all communities on Baffin Island, and consequently costs to the consumer, said Forth. It would also reduce the cost of shipping fish out of Nunavut for processing, he said.

Still in the planning stages, a deepwater port would have to meet a variety of environmental and construction regulations, Forth said.

A report examining the possibility of a port and current uses of the harbour should be completed in the next week. It will be presented to city council on June 14 before further work on the project begins.

The regulatory process and planning will take at least one more year, and construction another year on top of that, Forth said.

The territorial government put $100,000 aside for the feasibility study.