New MLA will have to continue advocating for infrastructure in Sanikiluaq, says outgoing MLA

The outgoing Nunavut MLA for Hudson Bay, which represents the community of Sanikiluaq, said the next MLA has their work cut out for them to get more infrastructure built for the remote community of about 850.

Allan Rumbolt, who announced he would not be seeking re-election this year, said pushing the government of Nunavut to get new infrastructure in Sanikiluaq was his top priority.

"We've seen quite a bit of new infrastructure in the last dozen years or so, and it's still got quite a ways to go," he said. 

Rumbolt said he spent a lot of time in ministers' offices, and writing letters to government departments advocating for Sanikiluaq's needs. 

Other Nunavut communities have been pushing for some of the same infrastructure needs too. Gjoa Haven MLA  Tony Akoak said the community uses a shed as their morgue and Whale Cove needs their water treatment plant replaced. 

"Yes, other communities need [infrastructure too], but you have to show that your community needs more than the others," said Rumbolt.

Long list of needs

Sanikiluaq's mayor agrees and said the community lags behind the rest of Nunavut on infrastructure. 

Johnnie Cookie said because the community has been isolated from the rest of the territory, it didn't know what infrastructure the other communities have. 

"Because of that reason we lack a lot of things, we notice," said Cookie.

Sanikiluaq is an isolated community on Hudson Bay's Belcher Islands, about 150 km off the west coast of Nunavik, northern Quebec. It's Nunavut's southernmost community.

Cookie said Sanikiluaq's roads need to be fixed urgently because they are causing the hamlet's water and sewer trucks to fall apart. 

He said the community also needs a morgue. It has been using a sea can to store bodies when people die. 

"In summer, it is very warm and the body would be in that sea can for a day or two and the odour comes out from those sea cans," said Cookie. 

He added the hamlet also needs a new water treatment plant, and upgrades to an old recreation centre. 

On a white board in the hamlet office are the community's priorities. At the top of the list is a shelter for women and children. Cookie says the hamlet council has wanted one for a long time. 

"People think that the community needs a shelter or some place where people feel safe," he said. 

Cookie says much of the housing in Sanikiluaq is old and needs to be replaced and overcrowding is an issue. 

On the far side of the community, the road extends into a loop where Cookie said 33 survey lots are waiting to be developed for new housing. 

But despite all the infrastructure Sanikiluaq still needs, the community is busy with construction projects. 

New buildings going up

Work is under way to try to get the new co-op hotel built. The old hotel was destroyed in a storm in September 2020. 

Since then, there is nowhere for people visiting the community to stay. The Co-op has some overflow accommodations that have been taken up by construction workers. 

The same storm blew the roof off the hamlet's office, forcing the staff to work out a construction trailer. 

Work on a new building was supposed to start this year but the tender for it came back above the $7 million allocated to it in the budget. 

A new tender will be issued for the construction season next summer. 

A new health centre opened earlier this year, replacing the old building that was built in 1984. Beside it, workers have started breaking ground to build staff housing for four nurses. 

Pilot flight to Iqaluit needs more time

Rumbolt led the push to get Sanikiluaq a direct flight to Iqaluit, the only direct flight the community has to the rest of the territory. 

All other routes from Sanikiluaq to Nunavut need to transit through Winnipeg or Montreal. 

Arctic Fresh Projects Ltd. and Panorama Aviation are running the twice weekly flight as part of a six-month pilot project until Dec. 2.

Rumbolt says the flight has made it a lot easier for government services to come to Sanikiluaq. He hopes the government will extend the service for a year. 

"I don't think given the way the COVID situation these days, that limited travel, I think it's not practical to use a six month assessment," said Rumbolt.