Toronto man wants to build greenhouses in Nunavut

A Toronto resident has established an organization to try and set up greenhouses in every community in Nunavut.

Nathan Lawlor has established the Pangnirtung Greenhouse Corporation and wants to set up two geodesic greenhouse domes in that community. Lawlor lived in Pangnirtung from 2005-2008 and his brother currently lives there​. 

Lawlor says each dome would produce more than 3200 pounds of fresh produce per year such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices along with cut flowers and house plants. He says the greenhouse would operate year-round, powered by solar panels in the summer and the community's diesel power plant through the months of 24-hour darkness in the winter.

Lawlor says communities should not be relying on fly-in produce. 

"Any remote community should really be producing its own fruits and vegetables," he said. "I mean, we rely too heavily on products flown in from across the world." 

Lawlor says there are various possibilities for the design, but the group needs $40,000 per dome plus money for the operating costs.

Lawlor says in the long run it would still be cheaper than fly-in produce, and it would create jobs. 

The hamlet of Pangnirtung says it would need more information about the project before it would endorse it.