QUESTION PERIOD — Infrastructure
Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund
November 24, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Senator Gold, 8,300 people in my home town of Iqaluit, Nunavut, have been under a do-not-consume water advisory since October 12, 2021, after hydrocarbons were found in a section of the water-treatment plant. You can’t get rid of hydrocarbon contamination by boiling the water.
The source of alternative water for consumption has been our nearby river, which is now frozen, so protection measures must be put in place at the city reservoir, Lake Geraldine, in order to prevent source water contamination. A new monitoring station will help with early detection moving forward, and sea cans full of recyclables from the emergency response must be shipped out.
Will the government support the Iqalummiut in our time of need by providing financial support from funds such as the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to pay for these much-needed disaster relief and prevention measures?
Thank you for your question and for your ongoing commitment to the people of Iqaluit. I had the pleasure to visit there some few years ago, as you know.
I have been advised that the government has received a request for funding through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund’s large project stream for the City of Iqaluit for the Iqaluit water infrastructure improvement project. The project is currently being assessed. The government is of the view that a long-term solution is infrastructure based, and it is committed to working collaboratively with the city and the territory to arrive at a long-term and viable solution.
Thank you, Senator Gold. I appreciate your noting that there is also a longer-term issue here due to shifting permafrost that is damaging our underground utilidor system, decreased precipitation as a result of climate change and increased population. So a new system would require a new source of potable water, additional storage and a distribution system. The city estimates that a significant sum of $180 million is required to respond to the need for a new long-term water supply in one of Canada’s capital cities.
Senator Gold, will your government make the necessary investments during this parliamentary session — in particular, a commitment to funding a new long-term water supply for the capital city of Nunavut? Thank you.
It’s the policy, principle and a value of this government, and I’m sure of all Canadians, that the access to safe drinking water for everyone is something we all deserve. It’s a priority for this government.
With respect to your question about providing funding for the new long-term water supply, I have been advised that Infrastructure Canada has received a request for funding and that the project is currently being assessed. The Government of Canada will continue to work with the Mayor of Iqaluit and territorial officials to move this forward as quickly as is reasonably possible.
