Inuit Heritage Trust said May 6 that Arctic Fresh Projects, an Inuit-owned company, and Penn-co Construction were appointed under a two-stage general-contractor contract for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre. The contractor will work with the project team during the remaining design stage on value engineering, logistics, construction planning and readiness for a later construction phase. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The appointment puts a construction partner in place for a major planned Inuit cultural facility in Iqaluit. Inuit Heritage Trust says the centre is intended to provide space for exhibitions, programs, research and education, and to support the care, return and sharing of Inuit cultural belongings and knowledge in Nunavut. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

Arctic Fresh Projects will help prepare construction-ready plans and refine logistics and costs. Inuit Heritage Trust says physical construction can proceed once final funding is secured. The release gives no construction start date, opening date, contract value or total project budget. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

This is a contractor appointment, not a construction-completion announcement. A July 9, 2023 Inuit Heritage Trust release described the planned facility as 55,000 square feet and said Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association had each committed $5 million at that time. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗