Defence minister visits Inuvik; sizes up infrastructure as Ottawa plans military spending boost

Beaufort Delta leaders and the NWT’s deputy premier say they’re feeling positive after a whirlwind visit in Inuvik last week by the federal defence minister.

Reflecting on the visit on Aug. 21, Inuvik Mayor Clarence Wood said he had repeatedly written to Minister Bill Blair and was glad to see him finally make the trip.

“It went really well considering the volume of letters I sent,” he said. “I was quite pleased — I didn’t get everything I wanted, but you always for ask for too much and settle for a little less.”

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal was also part of the delegation to Inuvik. Wood said the officials toured much of the community and surrounding facilities, and they were quite impressed with what they saw.

While Blair stopped short of promising a new military base for the town, Wood added that the minister did say Inuvik “definitely has the infrastructure to support a larger military installation.”

The mayor said they discussed Inuvik’s strategic location, noting the Beaufort Delta is the gateway to the Northwest Passage and serves as an excellent point of surveillance.

More encouraging for Wood was the minister’s interest in an area of town colloquially known as “Blueberry Patch” — not for its berry bonanza, but because of the paint colour of row houses that used to exist in the area. Wood said the minister floated the idea of using the site for military housing.

Another comment that perked Wood’s ears was the suggestion the green hangar, after some key renovations, could be used to house F-35 fighter jets that the federal government is purchasing, noting he and many from the community have been emphasizing the building’s strategic value for some time.

“I stressed the importance of the Inuvik airport and they did mention they would be basing some F-35s here in addition to support aircraft, so that’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “[Blair] wouldn’t give me a firm response on a military base here, but he did say expansion is in their plans.”

Mackenzie Valley Highway top of mind

Deputy premier Caroline Wawzonek said she was also encouraged by the minister’s interest in developing Northern defence capacity.

She had mentioned to Blair earlier this year that he needed to see Inuvik for himself and was glad he took her advice so quickly. Flying to Inuvik to meet with him last week, Wawzonek said they discussed a number of topics related to defence readiness and the infrastructure needed to make it happen.

Speaking to NNSL Media on Aug. 23, one area Wawzonek said she and Blair discussed at length was the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the need to build it as soon as possible. Still under environmental review, she added the federal government could assist the project by ensuring timely responses and, later, funding when it’s time for the shovels to hit the soil.

“It has always been something that would have had a strategic importance and value for all of Canada to have a route from the south up to the Arctic coast,” she said. “You have the Dempster but it’s challenged at times — it is but one route and there’s no redundancy to it. So it was not hard to make the point that having a viable redundant route that connects all of Canada through 40 per cent of its landmass was strategically important.

“Low water levels makes the crisis seem more immediate right now,” Wawzonek added. “You don’t let a good crisis go to waste, but really this is not a new reality.”

Under ideal circumstances, she said the goal is to have the highway constructed and operating within the next five years.

Other topics Wawzonek said she broached with the minister included other infrastructure needed for the North to be an effective part of Canada’s defence network.

Even housing was brought up as a part of Northern strategy, she said, noting if the goal is to have personnel working effectively in the North, they need to have adequate living facilities. She also said she’s in favour of building multi-use hubs, particularly in the North, to serve both military and community functions.

“The North is well placed to be that example because the communities are in such need of better transportation corridors, better energy services and more housing, which will, in turn, help facilitate some of the defence needs.”

Wawzonek remarked that she would be “interested” to hear an announcement of a new full military base.

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation chair Duane Ningaqsiq Smith, who also met with Blair, said, “He’s seen first-hand the potential of the community and the value this region can provide to the prosperity of Canada,” said Ningaqsiq-Smith. “We’re looking forward to the next steps and working closely with the minister on adding more value to the region.

“I’ve known the minister for awhile. He’s very supportive of the Inuvialuit and Inuit in general. He’s finally had the opportunity to come all this way — as I’ve told him in the past, it’s only nine hours away from Ottawa by jet, but it’s still a part of Canada.”

Government committed to Northern investments

Blair said he was glad he had made the trip to the Beaufort Delta.

In a series of prepared remarks, he said the Canadian Forces are preparing to establish a series of “Northern operational support hubs,” however he said he was not yet prepared to say where those would be located. However, the federal government is committed to using investments to make Northern communities more accessible to one another and the rest of Canada and to maximize economic and development benefits of defence investments.

The minister said he was highly impressed with the work being done at the Inuvik airport, where the runway is being lengthened, and said the relationship between the Canadian Armed Forces and Indigenous and Inuit governments forged through the project could serve as a good blueprint for similar military expansion projects elsewhere in Canada.

He also heaped praise on the local Canadian Rangers, saying they were the first eyes and ears and the feedback they provide is invaluable.

“It’s particularly useful to come to this community and meet with the people who know the land,” he said. “It’s their history. It’s our shared history. We need to make sure that as we go forward on the work we need to do in the North that we do it in respectful consultation and partnership with the people of the North.

“I think the people of the North have seen this not always done appropriately in the past. There was an acknowledgement in all our discussions that we could do it better. We are going to do it better.”

Blair also met with Tuktoyaktuk Mayor Erwin Elias later in the afternoon.

Hinting towards the sense of urgency the Canadian Armed Forces has towards modernization of Canada’s Northern front, Blair pointed out the commander of Canadian Force Base Cold Lake flew up to join the Inuvik tour in a CF-18 fighter jet. The commander needed to use a trap line to land — a problem the expanded runway at Mike Zubko Airport is intended to resolve.

Once the improvements at the airport are complete, Blair said it would effectively qualify as an international airport. He added plans are underway to renovate and expand the green hangar to ensure it’s ready to support aircraft on order.

Blair told NNSL Media that the federal government is also looking to expand the region’s satellite capabilities, had signed an icebreaker pact with the United States and Finland and is exploring the purchase of up to 12 electric submarines he said would be capable of long-term, under-ice operations.

He noted that Canada had historically relied on the North’s extreme climate and remote accessibility as de-facto protection, but with climate change warming the Arctic rapidly and expansionist policies among major global players such as Russia and China, Ottawa’s perception has changed.

“I think it’s an opportunity for Canada to really put our money and our efforts where our mouth has been,” he said.