NTI and the territorial government hosted a Sept. 14 event alongside the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, calling for investment in four projects it described as Nunavut’s Projects of National Interest. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The records do not show one combined funding agreement, project approval or construction decision. Instead, each project has a different status. The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link has up to $3 million in federal development funding for environmental and archaeological studies, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit research, community engagement and documents needed for a future Nunavut Planning Commission submission. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The proposed Iqaluit hydro project remains in development and regulatory preparation. It was referred to the federal Major Projects Office in November 2025, while the office identifies federal permitting requirements and supports data collection. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

For Grays Bay, Canada has committed up to $50 million for planning and preconstruction work, while consultations continue on whether to list the project under the Building Canada Act. The project is also under Nunavut impact assessment. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The proposed Qikiqtarjuaq port has completed Nunavut Impact Review Board screening. Its project description anticipated work from 2026 through 2029 and operation in the 2030 open-water season, but the registry record does not itself confirm that construction has begun. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗

The four projects could affect electricity supply, internet connections, shipping access, fisheries, mining activity and local employment in several Nunavut regions. But residents should not treat the Toronto presentation as a decision that the projects will proceed. Major remaining steps include financing, impact assessment, permits, consultation and, for some projects, further government decisions.

Watch for a federal decision on whether Grays Bay Road and Port will be listed under the Building Canada Act; Canada said in June it intended to seek a Governor in Council decision by the end of 2026. The Kivalliq link must still move into formal regulatory review, while the Iqaluit hydro project remains under active regulatory screening and development work. The next meaningful Qikiqtarjuaq update would be a procurement, funding, permit or construction notice.

The projects named in the NTI-GN release are: Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link; Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project; Grays Bay Road and Port; and Qikiqtarjuaq Deep-Sea Port. The release says Inuit must help shape development and share in its opportunities, but it does not set Inuit employment targets, ownership terms, benefit-agreement details, total project costs or construction dates.

The Grays Bay proposal would include an approximately 230-kilometre all-season road, deepwater port and airfield. The federal Major Projects Office says the Kitikmeot Inuit Association has equity in the project proponent, West Kitikmeot Resources Corporation. ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ↗