'Life or death situation': 2 Nunavut hamlets get $300K for fuel truck garages

Companies that provide fuel in two Nunavut hamlets are getting more than $300,000 collectively to renovate the garages that hold their fuel delivery trucks.

The Canadian Northern EconomicDevelopment Agency is giving $172,500 to Pitsiulak Co-operative Ltd. in Chesterfield Inlet, as well as $200,500 to Issatik Co-operative Ltd. in Whale Cove.

Tom Stanley, the manager of theIssatik Co-op store, says proper storage for the fuel trucks is "absolutely critical."

"This is literally a situation whereif it's looked at incorrectly it might not be seen as such, but it's a life or death situation," Stanley said. "In the harsh northern climate, heating is something you literally can't live without."

Stanleysays the company has two fuel trucks, but its current garage only has space for one of them.

He says sometimes that's meant one truck is stuck outside during the community's freezing winters, and workers simply have to hope the other one will continue running.

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Stanley says that can put people in the community in danger because the trucks need continual maintenance and aren't always available.

"It's a critical support issue in the community and something we take incredibly seriously," Stanley said, adding that home heating fuel can literally be a life-saver in the cold winter months, especially in a community like Whale Cove where much of the population is elderly.

Stanley says the funding will go towards building a second garage for the delivery trucks, so that each vehicle has its own spot and at least one can operate at all times.

Both the Co-op in Whale Cove and in Chesterfield Inlet are also receiving money from Arctic Co-operatives Ltd., an organization owned by 32 communities across the North.