The Iqaluit Dump Fire: An Oral History
The Iqaluit city dump in Nunavut has been on fire for more than two months. Nicknamed "Dumpcano" after the fire chief compared it to a volcano, the smoking garbage heap has inspired a Twitter account and a sold-out line of t-shirts. But with health advisories affecting swathes of the population -- including children, the elderly, and women who are or could...
The Iqaluit city dump in Nunavut has been on fire for more than two months. Nicknamed "Dumpcano" after the fire chief compared it to a volcano, the smoking garbage heap has inspired a Twitter account and a sold-out line of t-shirts. But with health advisories affecting swathes of the population -- including children, the elderly, and women who are or could become pregnant -- as well as a $2.6 million city council-approved plan to put it out, few residents are finding the humour in it now. For this Day 6 Oral History we spoke to Iqaluit Fire Chief Luc Grandmaison, Nunavut's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Maureen Baikie, Julie Alivaktuk and Paul Crowley, all residents of Iqaluit.
We also requested interviews with representatives of the federal and territorial governments. No one from the federal government replied to our request before our deadline, but we did receive a statement from Tom Sammurtok, the Minister of the Department of Community and Government Services, outlining how the territory is assisting with fire:
"The Government of Nunavut has been working closely with Environment Canada and Health Canada to monitor the dump fire and air quality, and continues to provide logistical and administrative support, as well as specialized equipment and resources, to the City of Iqaluit. In addition, Government of Nunavut (GN) has participated in a working group struck between the City, GN departments and federal agencies to review options for extinguishing the fire.
The City of Iqaluit is ultimately responsible for choosing the course of action to be taken, ensuring that all regulatory approvals are in place, and securing the funding required to extinguish the fire. The stakeholder working group will meet on August 1 to review the City's current plan and to offer input on next steps required to extinguish the fire."