Minister approves Canadian Rangers to help Nunavut hamlet amid power problems

Houses in the hamlet of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, are seen on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emma Tranter

GJOA HAVEN — Canada’s emergency management minister says she has approved a request from the Nunavut government to urgently deploy the Canadian Rangers to the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven to help distribute drinking water amid icy cold conditions.

A statement from Eleanor Olszewski says the Canadian Army Reserve members will also assist with logistical support in the community on King William Island, which the local energy provider says has been suffering from power outages for several days.

Olszewski’s statement says the situation has threatened the community’s water system, triggering a local state of emergency.

She says the Government Operations Centre within Public Safety Canada is working with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure the residents of Gjoa Haven have the support and resources they need.

Qulliq Energy Corporation posted to social media on Wednesday that workers were having trouble restoring power in Gjoa Haven due to high winds, and while service was later restored, the utility posted the problems continued and that a crew couldn’t land in the community due to poor weather until Saturday.

The latest post from Qulliq on Saturday afternoon says power has now been restored to all customers.

The temperature in Gjoa Haven on Saturday was around -25 C.

“We remain in close contact with the Government of Nunavut and will continue working closely with the territory to respond to the community’s needs,” Olszewski said in her statement.

The Canadian Rangers are a sub-component of the Canadian Army Reserve, according to the federal government’s website, who live and work in remote, isolated and coastal regions of Canada. They provide light-equipped and self-sufficient forces to support CAF national security and public safety operations within Canada.

Officials from the hamlet and the Government of Nunavut could not be immediately reached for comment.