Project Overview

Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a predominantly Inuit hamlet on Baffin Island, has a strong Arctic Char and Greenlandic Turbot fishery. The community had long recognized a need for improved fishing facilities to support local hunters and fishers. In 2009, the Government of Canada announced a plan to develop a Small Craft Harbour in Pangnirtung, emphasizing the potential for economic development in the fishing industry. The harbour, which opened in 2013, is the first Small Craft Harbour in Nunavut and was hailed by the province as a “an essential project [that] provides an enduring economic benefit to the hamlet of Pangnirtung.”

Professional construction inspection in support of Nunavut’s first Small Craft Harbour.

The weather conditions and significant tidal range posed challenges for the contractor as well as SHM Canada’s resident inspector. The overall working season was limited due to the geographic location of the site, and some of the work could only be carried out during high tides. A significant amount of work had to be carried out within an extremely small window of opportunity, which required the inspector to adapt to a constantly changing 12-hour work schedule through close liaison with the contractor. Lack of reliable telephone and internet services posed a significant challenge in communicating effectively with the SHM Canada office in Halifax and the PSPC Project Officer based in Winnipeg, MB.