KIVALLIQ
The hottest topic of interest during the recent Kivalliq Mayors Meeting in Rankin Inlet was the lack of performance again this season by the Northern Transportation Company Ltd. (NTCL), according to Arviat's mayor.

Bob Leonard: Arviat mayor said he couldn't recommend NTCL to anyone right now.

Bob Leonard said after this year's shipping fiasco, NTCL has to prove itself as a viable company again.

"As for NTCL, we've heard all its promises and good intentions for years now," he said. "I was pleased to hear OmniTRAX has gone forward with some of its investments to upgrade its lines, but, without the sealift portion of that whole system working, what do we have?"

Leonard said after its performance the past few years, he's wondering if NTCL will ever regain its former strength.

He said talk over setting up a system to enable communities to handle containers, and the associated back haul of various materials, did give him reason for guarded optimism.

"If they were to pursue that whole back-haul concept, it could, maybe, bring us back.

"But, NTCL was totally unprepared for this shipping season.

"The company said it was a big shock when its tug didn't pass inspection, but, as a company, you should be ready for that kind of stuff."

Leonard said he just doesn't sense NTCL really understands how serious the situation was it created.

He said one Arviat family purchased a new house package that had to be paid for when it left the factory.

"That sat in Churchill for two months and the family couldn't get a mortgage until it was ready for them to move into, so they were paying interim financing for that period of time.

"Our hamlet lost a whole year waiting for the equipment it ordered.

"People with taxis or other vehicles still had to make their payments, but they had no income from the vehicles coming in."

Leonard said Kivalliq can't afford for this to happen.

He said when you look at construction companies, and the cost of building in the winter versus the summer, you get an idea of the negative impact this year's sealift had.

In a previous interview with Kivalliq News, NTCL manager of business development Martin Landry said his company is continually talking with customers and striving to improve its service.

He said NTCL is very serious about the back-haul program and has extended an offer to Kivalliq communities to join the initiative.

"There's a huge opportunity here for back haul from these communities to be sent to Churchill on our barges, and then on to Winnipeg to have it disposed of properly by our partner, Hazco," said Landry at the time.

"We're hearing more and more from communities as they become aware of our initiatives.

"Many are looking for our help with such things as 60 to 300 barrels of waste oil they need to dispose of.

"We will continue to work on developing that program, as well as our overall level of service in the region as we move forward."

However, Leonard said NTCL has to come up with "something big and bold" to convince people to give it another try.

"Maybe back hauling every community's hazardous waste is something NTCL could do to show people why they need to continue doing business with it.

"It's a competitive world out there now and people will make other arrangements.

"NTCL was once a truly great company, always with the consumer's best interests at heart, but I couldn't advise anyone to use it today."

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