Infrastructure is priority for many in N.W.T. ahead of federal election
CBC
With the federal election date set for next month, CBC N.W.T. is asking residents and voters what matters to them, and what they want candidates talking about during the election campaign.
Merven Gruben, the former mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., and operator of E. Gruben's Transport, says he cares about infrastructure, particularly housing and military upgrades.
He says people in his community are living in 50- to 60-year-old houses that are condemned.
"It's just terrible," Gruben said. "A lot of people are sick and all because these houses are so old and nothing is being done for new ones. It's a terrible situation."
He also wants to see a focus on protecting the western Arctic, given its proximity to Russia. He thinks Tuktoyaktuk is the perfect place for a coast guard and military presence.
"If you bring infrastructure work up here, that'll bring, you know, people and houses, new houses, new buildings, which is really, really badly needed up here. But the government keeps promising these things."
Ulukhaktok Mayor Pat Klengenberg also says his community needs more tourism and military infrastructure. With a renewed focus on the Arctic, he hopes his community will benefit from infrastructure upgrades.
"What we need in the community is better airports, able to expand the range for our air force to monitor our Arctic Ocean," he said.
"If our airports are upgraded so that they can accept the aircraft that we need to monitor, that would not just be good for the military, but that would be really good for our communities to be able to have proper runways … especially to provide emergency services to our communities."
For Nahanni Butte resident Megan Bertrand, access to health care is also top of mind. Her remote community has no road access during the summer months.
"Being in a small community, it's really hard to access emergency medical care," she said.
The community used to receive regular visits from doctors and nurses, she said, but that has waned in recent years.
Bertrand would also like candidates to talk about improving food stability and prices, and access to fresh food that doesn't spoil by the time it gets to small communities.
Jimmy Kalinek, a harvester and outfitter in Inuvik, says food prices and the cost of living make it "very expensive to live up in the North."
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