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Major ice blocks Frobisher Bay Jeanne Gagnon Northern News Services Published Monday, July 23, 2012
The ice coverage remains in the bay - an ice pack of about 80 nautical miles - because of the predominantly southeasterly wind, said Roger Provost, an Environment Canada ice specialist in Sarnia, Ont. "Unless we have a good northwesterly wind, the ice will remain in the bay for a while," he said, adding a few days of good wind will be needed to clear the bay. "The pressure we had is not there anymore, so that's a good sign for the ships who have to transit through the ice with the icebreaker. But it doesn't mean it's easy. The ice is quite thick." A normal season sees ice in the bay at this time of year but not as much as this year, said Provost. He added he could not estimate when the ice would clear the bay. Environment Canada had told Nunavut News/North it hoped the wind would come from the North and clear the bay mid-month. Shipping companies are adjusting their schedules to service other communities while waiting for the ice pack to disperse. Suzanne Paquin, president and chief executive officer of NEAS, said this type of situation, although "very unusual" for this time of year, is part of doing business in the North, so schedules are flexible. She noted the situation was improving. "We have a northwest wind (July 18) and will continue (July 19)," she said. "So the situation will definitely improve. It will help considerably." Waguih Rayes, general manager with Desgagnes Transarctik Inc., said he expected things to improve over the weekend, but the situation is definitely not one that occurs very often once the summer hits mid-July. "I've been with the company for 12 years and I can't remember a situation as severe as it is right now in Frobisher Bay. There is lots of ice that was pushed inside," said Rayes. "I'm expecting things to improve over the weekend and hopefully, everything is going to go back to normal."
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