City council voted unanimously on Sept. 22 to approve the City entering a Build Communities Strong Fund contribution agreement with the federal government. The agreement authorizes a maximum federal contribution of $108,721,940.25 for a project called Supporting Housing Development Through Enhanced Trucked and Utilidor Infrastructure in Iqaluit. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

According to the City’s staff report, the project has total eligible costs of $144,962,587. Planned work includes about three kilometres of sewer utilidor expansion and rehabilitation, wastewater and sludge-management upgrades, a septage receiving facility, three water trucks, three sewer trucks and a heated storage building for the trucked-services fleet. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

Water, sewer and trucked-service capacity can limit where and how quickly Iqaluit can add homes. The City says the infrastructure is intended to support about 925 new housing units in the near term and about 2,000 to 2,500 units by 2031. Those figures describe the capacity the infrastructure is meant to enable; they are not a commitment that those homes are approved, built or occupied. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

City administration is now authorized to execute the agreement and related documents. The staff report says the City remains responsible for delivering the work within the approved scope and schedule, including any cost overruns. It also says a climate-risk assessment must be completed before Canada makes its first payment. The City has not published the signed agreement, a construction schedule or procurement awards for all project work. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The federal government announced the project funding on April 7, but said it was subject to a contribution agreement. Council’s Sept. 22 vote is the City decision authorizing that agreement, not confirmation that all construction has started. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗