IKPIARJUK/ARCTIC BAY - High Arctic communities got a chance to voice their transportation concerns to two territorial ministers touring the region in early October.

Minister of Transportation Peter Taptuna. left, and Minister of Environment Daniel Shewchuk in front of the new Arctic Bay Airport. - photo courtesy of Ron Ellio

"It was very good to have ministers come up to the High Arctic. We don't get a lot of ministers coming up to visit us," said Geela Arnauyumayuq, deputy mayor of Arctic Bay.

"Now they know first-hand what we are experiencing and how difficult it is as a High Arctic community," she said.

Peter Taptuna, minister of Economic Development and Transportation, and Daniel Shewchuk, minister of the Environment, visited Arctic Bay, Resolute and Grise Fiord Oct. 6 to 7.

Taptuna committed to visiting the communities in February at the first meeting of the High Arctic Council - a new group formed to tackle transportation issues for the three communities, according to Ron Elliot, MLA for Quttiktuq.

Elliot created the council after continually hearing the same three concerns from his constituents while campaigning for last November's election. The high cost of flying supplies in, difficulty travelling between communities, and ultra-expensive plane tickets had people worried, said Elliot. The common denominator was transportation.

"It all came back to the airlines and the transportation system," Elliot said.

At the meeting, Taptuna committed to going to the communities and undertaking a High Arctic Transportation Strategy.

A request for proposal went out in June and LPS Aviation, based in Ottawa, was given the job.

The tour was done to introduce the strategy project and the consultants to the communities as well as to give the ministers a chance to hear from High Arctic residents directly, said John Hawkins, GN director of transportation policy and planning, who went on the trip.

"We heard a lot about the cost of people moving back and forth. We heard about the inaccessibility between the communities," he said. "Connections are not as good as they used to be, so the situation seems to be deteriorating."

It's become difficult for family members to visit each other, Elliot said.

"If someone from Grise Fiord wants to visit a relative in Pond Inlet they would have to fly from Grise Fiord down to Resolute, overnight in Resolute, fly to Iqaluit, overnight in Iqaluit, fly over to Clyde River and then up to Pond," he said. "People feel imprisoned."

Beyond the community consultations, other remote areas will also be examined for ideas to put to use in Nunavut, Hawkins said.

"The aim of the project is to find solutions," he said. "There aren't any easy answers there, we know that."

Once the study is completed, the GN will approach the federal government for help.

"We don't have the resources to do it. The communities certainly do not have the resources to do it," Hawkins said, "It's in the federal interest to maintain those communities so they can certainly help with the strategy."