Iqaluit airport, five others in Nunavut share $35M in expansion funds

IQALUIT—New federal funding will pay for upgrades at six airports in Northern Canada.

The $35 million investment is designed to bolster air cargo storage in Nunavut’s capital Iqaluit and expand airport terminals in five other remote towns and hamlets across the sparsely-populated territory.

Work in Iqaluit includes the addition of 75 per cent more space at northern airline First Air’s cargo warehouse. Ottawa says the project will improve Nunavut’s overall supply chain by adding new areas for climate-controlled dry goods and refrigerated products. The small city serves as a hub for a number of more remote communities that are only accessible by air at certain times of the year.

The Iqaluit Airport expansion is expected to create 120 jobs during construction.

Undersized terminals at five other community airpots in Nunavut will are also set for significant upgrades. Outdated buildings in Kugluktuk, Naujaat, Kimmirut, Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet will be replaced as part of the project. The infrastructure work in the five remote areas includes the demolition of the aging buildings, as well as the engineering design and construction of the new terminals.

Ottawa says 220 are expected to work on the terminal projects during construction.