'Virtually unusable': Iqaluit deputy mayor wants causeway, breakwater better maintained

Iqaluit's deputy mayor says the city's two boat launches are virtually unusable, damaging boats and trailers and limiting the ability of traditional harvesters.

As Iqaluit waits for construction work to begin on the much anticipated port and small craft harbour, the condition of the causeway and breakwater has been a long outstanding issue for some boaters.

"It's something that now is going on seven years of my complaining and it doesn't get fixed," Romeyn Stevenson said at a recent council meeting.

"They're virtually unusable due to lack of maintenance."

At both the breakwater and causeway, boaters back their trailers down a one-way gravel ramp that Stevenson said is steep and often full of ruts and exposed rocks.

He wants the territory to review the terms of conditions of a yearly contract it issues for maintaining both of them.

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Territory responsible for maintenance

This season, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation is paying Qikiqtani Industry Ltd. $25,020 to maintain the breakwater and causeway.

Work includes removing any large rocks along the breakwater and causeway and levelling out the ramps.

Stevenson said more needs to be done.

"They're just not maintained enough. A loader needs to be working on those access points every couple weeks at the minimum and at the moment, that doesn't happen," Stevenson said.

Besides paving the causeway and breakwater — an option that would be "very costly" according to the director of policy and planning with the department of economic development and transportation — not much else can be done. 

"We do maintain it the best we can by grading it and patting it down," Art Stewart said.

"I would say there's not much we can do with either facility in their current conditions."

Conditions will improve, he said, in two to three years when the $85 million Iqaluit port and small craft harbour is constructed. 

Those plans include renovating the breakwater, adding floating docks and improving the ramp.

"We envision the new ramp will be bigger and it will be able to accommodate more boats at the same time," Stewart said.

In the meantime, boaters like Pitseolak Alainga are growing impatient.

"I don't think I can wait," he said.

On a busy day, he and dozens of others boaters are lined up to use the ramp, battling traffic and a changing tide.

"I think it's time for the government or someone to add on a new ramp on both the causeway here and the breakwater."