Iqaluit Airport (ehrlo.com).
The Government of Canada is supporting infrastructure projects – including many at airports in the country – that it says will create quality middle-class jobs and boost economic growth.
Today, Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced an investment of more than $35 million for two projects to improve the flow of supplies to northern communities, support economic opportunities, and enhance travel in remote communities by upgrading airport infrastructure.
The first project consists of building an expanded cargo warehouse operated by First Air at the Iqaluit airport. Additional capacity will strengthen this vital north/south transportation corridor to maintain an effective and stable supply chain to Canada’s North.
The expanded warehouse will increase capacity by approximately 75 per cent for climate-controlled dry goods and refrigerated products to reduce spoiled and damaged goods due to weather delays, the government stated.
The new warehouse will incorporate state-of-the-art technology such as radio frequency identification and aircraft freight container. High efficiency building systems will reduce the carbon footprint of the operation.
This project is expected to have significant economic and employment benefits for northerners, creating an estimated 120 jobs during construction.
The second project involves replacing outdated and undersized airport terminal buildings in the five communities of Kugluktuk, Naujaat, Kimmirut, Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet.
The project involves engineering design, construction of new energy efficient buildings to reduce the carbon footprint and demolition of the old buildings. This project is expected to have significant economic and employment benefits by creating an estimated 220 jobs during construction.
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport stated: “Our government is investing in Canada’s economy by making improvements to our trade and transportation corridors.
We are supporting projects that will efficiently move commercial goods to market and people to their destinations, stimulate economic growth, create quality middle-class jobs, and ensure that Canada’s transportation networks remain competitive and efficient.”
