Great White Nothing: How Harper’s naval station became an Arctic white elephant – National

Eighteen years in the past, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a rallying cry for Canadians.

“Canada has a alternative relating to defending our sovereignty over the Arctic,” he stated on the shores of Esquimalt Harbour, B.C., whereas saying plans for a fleet of recent Arctic offshore patrol ships (AOPS) and a deep-sea port for use as their base.

“We both use it or lose it.”

However 20 years later, amid a flurry of Arctic-focused bulletins, one challenge nonetheless languishes unfinished, greater than a decade previous its completion date — an unwelcome reminder of the challenges of constructing a army presence within the North, whose melting waterways are more and more contested.

The Nanisivik Naval Facility, Harper’s deep-sea port meant to assist the AOPS, remains to be not completed. It has grow to be the white elephant in Canada’s north.

Now a part-time, summer-only maritime fuel station, the considerably stripped-back Nanisivik port challenge is mired in building delays, value overruns and severe questions on its long-term viability.

And now, International Information can reveal the development firm constructing the power went into receivership a yr in the past — leaving the Division of Nationwide Defence to backtrack on its earlier plans for a long-awaited 2025 opening date.

One employee on the challenge, who didn’t wish to be named, additionally stated there have been now structural points with the wharf that might make the challenge untenable inside a number of years. DND didn’t reply to questions on these points.

The federal government is conscious of its failure and doesn’t seem to have any concrete concepts on how to make sure it received’t occur once more.

“The challenges we now have confronted at that specific facility have demonstrated that that’s not the best way to go ahead,” Defence Minister Bill Blair stated in response to a query from International Information in Iqaluit final week, during the location announcement for three Arctic operational support hubs.

In the meantime, international powers akin to Russia and China improve their presence within the area and U.S. President Donald Trump jockeys to purchase Greenland as a strategic Arctic outpost. And for residents of the northern provinces, the looming shadow of Nanisivik gives little solace that the federal government will fulfil its newer guarantees to guard them from exterior threats.

“Individuals within the Arctic are actually frightened,” says Nunavut MP Lori Idlout.

“I’ve been travelling to Nunavut the previous couple of weeks, and each group has raised their issues about Arctic sovereignty and Arctic safety. And investments are wanted extra now than ever.”

To the remainder of the world, the authorized and political standing of the Arctic waters stays an uncertainty. However to Canada, it’s easy.

Because the nineteenth century, Canadian governments have laid doubtful claims to the frozen lands and icy waterways that make up the Arctic Archipelago — together with the Northwest Passage, a contested community of waterways that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by means of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The Northwest Passage is proving to be probably the most contentious. As ice melts, the waterway has the potential to slash transport occasions by 1000’s of kilometres, as a result of vessels not have to journey by means of the Panama Canal.

International powers — akin to Russia and China — have taken be aware of the potential of the Arctic. Russia particularly has reopened a number of of its Soviet-era army bases within the Arctic and poured cash into modernizing its naval fleet.

In the meantime, the variety of vessels travelling by means of the realm is growing, rapidly.

Maritime site visitors knowledge from the Canadian Coast Guard shared with International Information exhibits a big uptick in Arctic maritime site visitors in recent times. Full transits of the Northwest Passage have risen by 50 per cent in comparison with 2012, and the variety of vessels reporting to the Iqaluit Marine Communications and Site visitors Companies Centre is up 45 per cent.

As Steve Bannon told Global News, the Arctic goes to be the “Nice Recreation of the twenty first century” and a army weak point that he calls Canada’s “delicate underbelly.”

However asserting sovereignty of the North cycles out and in of political discourse.

In 1988, after years of failed negotiations with the U.S. over the standing of the Northwest Passage, former prime minister Brian Mulroney famously gave former U.S. president Ronald Reagan a globe, pointed to the Arctic and stated, “Ron, that’s ours. We personal it, lock, inventory and icebergs.”

Nevertheless it was Harper who introduced the Arctic onto the political map.

When he introduced the Nanisivik Naval Facility, the challenge was going to value Ottawa an estimated $100 million with a completion date of 2015. The positioning would offer a important refuelling facility for the Royal Canadian Navy and different authorities vessels working within the Arctic, together with Harper’s $3.1-billion fleet of Arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS).

The ability, a former lead and zinc mine on Baffin Island, already had fundamental docking platforms and a gas tank storage facility. Nevertheless it wasn’t probably the most strategic location (100 km south of the particular Northwest Passage), and it was additionally broadly criticized for its lack of group advantages — positioned 35 km from the closest group at Arctic Bay.

The challenges solely mounted.

Between 2009 and 2011, the Nunavut Influence Overview Board (NIRB), the company accountable for assessing any environmental, well being, and socio-economic impacts of proposed tasks in Nunavut, stated DND didn’t reply to repeated requests for info and rejected the proposal.

In 2010, engineers found that the wharf was sinking.

By 2012, with building nonetheless not having began, the funds had ballooned to $258 million, ensuing within the waning of political assist. So the challenge was downsized considerably.

Initially supposed to accommodate an workplace, lodging and workshop buildings, a jet-capable runway, enhancements to the ageing Seventies-era jetty, and to be staffed year-round, the ultimate plans decreased the scope to minor wharf enhancements, an unheated warehouse and a smaller tank farm that may retailer just one yr’s provide of gas — which means it might solely operate for a few month per yr.

The jet-capable runway was scrapped, which means the army must both are available by sea or fly to close by Arctic Bay, land on a gravel runway after which drive 33 km to Nanisivik. And the funds was nonetheless $114.6 million.

In 2014, Almiq Contracting was lastly awarded the $55 million contract to construct the facility. What adopted was 10 years of delays brought on by provide chain points and the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2023 report from the auditor-general later panned the challenge, saying it might present “little worth” to Canada’s Arctic surveillance.

And as of February 2024, the contractor, Almiq Contracting, has gone bust — with its dad or mum firm, Quebec’s Laval Fortin Group, struggling below a debt of $43 million.

Johnny Mikijuk, the proprietor of Almiq, has not responded to repeated requests for remark.

A employee on the Nanisivik web site, who requested to not be named, stated no work on the positioning was accomplished in 2024 — which DND disputes, however declined to elaborate..

In a response to a long-delayed request for remark, DND wouldn’t reply a query about who the brand new contractor was, however stated the Surety Intact Insurance coverage Firm was the bonding company. They’d not disclose how a lot work was left to do, however stated, “We’re nonetheless finalizing the work plan.”

Surety Intact stated that they had “fulfilled the obligations of the surety bond” and wouldn’t remark additional.

Nanisivik was presupposed to kind a part of Canada’s wider Arctic technique. That plan included the AOPS fleet and an bold challenge to increase the lives of present icebreakers, and procure several more. It additionally meant to buy new submarines to counter threats from Russia within the ocean and within the air.

However and not using a refuelling station within the space, ships at present can solely function within the area for so long as their gas permits.

Intercepts of Russian army plane have grow to be commonplace within the Arctic. The North American Aerospace Protection Command (NORAD) says whereas incursions into Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone (CADIZ) and the Alaskan Air Protection Identification Zone (ADIZ) fluctuate yearly, however have been as excessive as 15 in a single yr, to as little as zero. CADIZ incursions are much less frequent, with a mean of lower than one per yr over the previous decade.

In July 2024, NORAD intercepted two Russian TU-95 Bear and two Chinese language H-6 bombers flying close to Alaska — the primary time the 2 nations have been intercepted whereas working collectively. Capt. Rebecca Garand of NORAD advised International Information it was the primary time Chinese language H-6s had been seen within the Arctic.

Numbers dipped in the course of the COVID pandemic and firstly of the Ukraine warfare, she stated, however the numbers had returned to pre-COVID ranges.

It’s vital to notice, nevertheless, that NORAD doesn’t contemplate these sorties a menace. Nonetheless, Garand wouldn’t speculate on what goal the flights would possibly serve.

Regardless, given the rising curiosity within the area from these international powers, locals say the federal government ought to observe by means of on their commitments.

“I’m involved, you realize […] Canada has the longest shoreline on the planet. We’re a naval nation, and when the politicians minimize budgets […] then hastily the federal government wakes up and we now have to start out doing catch up,” Arctic Bay resident and supervisor of Arctic Bay Adventures Chris Mitchell says.

“So sure, I’m very involved.”

Asserting Canada’s sovereignty within the Arctic and Northern areas is “probably the most pressing and vital process we face,” the federal authorities stated in April 2024 whereas unveiling a major update within the nation’s defence coverage.

A number of Arctic-focused bulletins adopted — a devoted Arctic foreign policy in December that set out plans to spice up Canada’s Northern sovereignty, an Arctic ambassador, new Canadian consulates in Alaska and Greenland, and a pledge to construct up the army footprint with several northern military operational support hub, at a price of $218 million.

The areas for these operational assist hubs had been introduced in Iqaluit final week, when Defence Minister Bill Blair stated that the federal authorities will spend $2.67 billion on the primary three hubs in Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Inuvik.

1:21Canada’s defence minister proclaims arctic army hubs in Iqaluit, Inuvik and Yellowknife

Confusion ensued over the funding quantity, with Blair seeming to verify a big improve in spending in response to questions from reporters.

DND later advised International Information the accounting strategies used to speak concerning the hubs had modified, and former references to the hubs had been an “accrual-based determine of $218 million” as they had been being spent over 20 years.

Blair’s announcement didn’t give away any additional particulars — no point out of what number of hubs could be constructed, after they could be operational or which gadgets of infrastructure could be upgraded to assist the hubs.

Requested by International Information how native communities can belief the federal government to fulfil its dedication, given the delays at close by Nanisivik, Blair stated the challenge was “properly meant,” but it surely “did not consider the circumstances” of constructing within the area.

“We clearly want a spot for our ships to have the ability to refuel within the North and we’re nonetheless attempting to fulfil that specific challenge, however the challenges that we now have confronted with that challenge have proven us that there’s a higher method to do that and we’re dedicated to that higher method,” he stated.

When requested what he thought of a profitable Northern challenge that labored with native communities and the regional authorities, he cited the three,000-foot extension of the Inuvik runway.

“That partnership labored,” Blair stated.

Besides, it didn’t. Or at the least it hasn’t but.

Introduced in 2019, the challenge was presupposed to be a key working location for the Air Drive and a “matter of Arctic sovereignty.”

It was presupposed to value $100 million and meant to be accomplished by 2024, however the date was later pushed again to 2025, after which to 2027 whereas its funds ballooned to $230 million.

Different authorities pledges stay works in progress. The Canadian Arctic ambassador place stays unfilled, in keeping with a International Affairs Canada spokesperson, and Canadian officers have engaged with international officers on the brand new consulates, however they aren’t open but.

Conversations stay ongoing with Denmark over our border dispute over Hans Island, and with america on the Beaufort Sea — however International Affairs didn’t say if any conversations had taken place with the U.S. on this since Trump grew to become president.

In February, Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre rode in on the Arctic bandwagon when he travelled to Iqaluit to announce a everlasting army base there, ought to he win the election.

This announcement, too, was gentle on concrete particulars. There was no financial determine supplied on how a lot this may value or how it might be achieved within the two-year timeframe Poilievre supplied. Nunavut additionally has a housing crisis, elevating questions on the place army and building staff would possibly stay.

That comes along with elevated infrastructure wants. Poilievre additionally pledged to construct the bottom inside two years — a velocity unseen for every other Arctic challenge on this scale.

5:14‘Reclaim our North’: Poilievre pitches everlasting Canadian army base in Nunavut

Conservative shadow minister for Nationwide Defence James Bezan advised International Information they might work with town of Iqaluit and Authorities of Nunavut to “spend money on twin use housing, energy, water, and waste administration methods.”

The bottom could be staffed year-round, he stated, with troops dwelling within the army barracks on the NORAD ahead working location in Iqaluit, and extra housing constructed by opening up federal Crown land to accommodate troops and their households.

Bezan wouldn’t touch upon how a lot the bottom would value, nevertheless. “Additional particulars might be forthcoming,” he stated.

It was one other instance of “pure political theatre” within the Arctic, in keeping with Rob Huebert, Arctic safety professional on the College of Calgary.

“It exhibits the significance of having the ability to mainly counter one another on this concern slightly than a strategic plan,” he stated.

“One could make an argument that the coverage pronouncements are usually extra politically motivated than something to do with kind of strategic analysis,” he says.

3:21Canada must be ‘more durable’ in Arctic safety response: Joly

Huebert argues that the delays had been much less about points establishing tasks within the North and extra a scarcity of “political will.”

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout agrees. She says the power was an instance of “one other failure of federal governments” within the North.

“Not solely have they made large bulletins, however they’ve additionally damaged their guarantees by making reductions […] So that is simply one other indication that whether or not it’s Conservative or Liberal, the Arctic has by no means been as excessive on their precedence because it ought to have been.”

Idlout says Trump’s threats on Greenland and annexing Canada must be taken significantly, and the simplest method ahead for Arctic investments is to seek the advice of Inuit.

In keeping with Blair, that’s the place Harper failed. And with out collaboration, if we’re to consider threats from south of the border, we would lose it — as a substitute of use it.