The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) is investing over $1.6 million for five projects in Nunavut through the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) to support improvements to existing community infrastructure and recreational facilities. The following projects are receiving investments from CanNor.
CanNor's investment will support a new diesel generator for Qikiqtarjuaq, one of several Nunavut community power stations that will be updated by QEC over the next two years. The new power facility will be run by fuel-injected low emission generators and will be located further from the centre of the community which will reduce both noise and emissions for residents.
Iqaluit's Water Booster Station is approximately twenty years old and requires substantial upgrades to provide adequate drinking water distribution service levels throughout Iqaluit. Funding will support a complete retrofit of the mechanical and electrical systems in the booster station, as well as the required structural upgrades.
In Kugluktuk, funding will support renovations to the multipurpose complex which was built in the 1990s and needs extensive rehabilitation. It includes an ice rink, a youth centre, a fitness centre and a community kitchen.
In Chesterfield Inlet, funding will support the renovation of the Hamlet's community complex which houses a gym, a community internet drop-in centre, a youth centre and an Elder's gathering centre. The project will make improvements and renovations to the complex for the benefit of the whole community.
In Baker Lake, funding will assist the Hamlet to purchase and install an eco-ice system for the local arena. The innovative system will use both a traditional cooling system and an ECOnomizer to allow cold outside temperatures to keep inside ice frozen in mid-winter months. The eco-ice system will increase arena use from three to four months per year to eight to nine months per year.
The Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) is a new two-year national program to rehabilitate and improve existing community infrastructure across Canada. It will help to modernize community infrastructure and provide economic benefits, including support for job creation. Projects to repair and improve existing community infrastructure that is accessible to the public are funded on a cost-shared basis with municipal, regional and First Nation governments, as well as not-for-profit organizations. All projects are required to begin and end construction prior to March 31, 2014. CIIF is part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada's multi-faceted plan to aid in creating jobs, growth and prosperity.
CIIF is delivered by CanNor in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon. CIIF is one of several economic development programs within CanNor. CanNor delivers on its exclusive northern mandate through funding programs, providing project management services, leveraging the federal role in the North, serving as a champion for northern interests, and undertaking policy and research.
